I've Got A Moto

I've got a motorbike. Well, you might call it that. My brother might have his doubts as it isn't at all like the 250cc sports bike he used to ride. My mum would likely call it a motor scooter because it is closer to the 50cc machine she used to ride to uni (wearing a mini skirt and long boots in winter- so I'm told!) Anyway, I've got a moto.

It looks pretty much the same as the thousands of other motos on the streets of Phnom Penh. It isn't a new model, nor is it super-fast. However, it is cool enough for my friends' domestic helper to call it "beautiful"and it is easy for my to ride- even when I'm doubling a passenger.

My moto is a gift. I've had it for a couple of months but I still don't ride it every day. If I'm going to uni I'll ride my pushie. If I'm going to to coffee house around the corner to sip their local brew, do some study and flick through some American Housekeeping magazine when I think that nobody is looking, I'll walk. But if I'm going to the gym and it is almost dark already or if it is the weekend and it is just for fun, I'll jump on my moto. It still feels like a gift. (Actually, pretty much everything I have is a gift in some way...)

My full-face helmet is a gift too. Aside from the obvious safety benefits, the great thing about choosing to wear a helmet is that I can mumble all kinds of extraordinary things to myself while weaving through the daytime traffic and nobody knows. Better yet, coming down the quiet streets at night, I sing. Just because I think I can get away with it. Just because I don't really care if people hear anyway. Just because I'm loving these gifts.