Chapter 14: A Visit To The Countryside

I didn't particularly like reading Jane Austen set texts in High School. I was too impatient. But there is something about the slower pace of life in Cambodia that often makes me think- "Right now I'm living a chapter of a Jane Austen novel." Here we don't rush from one event to the next. The typical sequence is as follows: 1. the build-up before the event, 2. the event itself (which usually contains a) a minor drama b) interesting character vignettes and c) possible romances) followed by 3. the debrief/ post-event gossip.

Last Saturday we went for a trip to the countryside. Vee's* family home is in a small, picturesque village. She needed to visit to pick up a motorbike her parents had bought for her and we decided to make a day of it.

The Build-Up

On Friday night Vee picked out her favourite top, her coolest pair of jeans and her funky, pink, low-healed shoes for the event. We discussed how many motorbikes we'd take and who would travel together. I had already offered my moto and a tank of petrol so it was decided that one of the guys who was coming with us would ride and I should sit on the back. The night before, Vee was so excited she couldn't sleep more than a couple of hours. At 4am she switched on the florescent light at around 4am and started getting ready for the day. I was determined to continue sleeping for as long as possible. It wasn't until just after 6am when I was woken again by Vee tapping my arm saying, "Big sister, big sister, get up. Have a shower and get ready! We need to go to the market early today."

Soon after 7am Vee disappeared into one of the bigger food markets in Phnom Penh while I sat out the front minding the bike and waiting for her return. We lugged the food and gifts home and spent the next couple of hours washing and chopping the food then putting it all back into plastic bags for the journey. The guys arrived and at 10am our group of eight people was ready to go. We climbed onto the little motos with 50cc engines and started down the dusty, pot-holed, under-construction-in-parts "highway".

The Event

About 50km from Phnom Penh one of the moto's broke down. I don't know exactly what the problem was since my driver had sped ahead- testing the limits of the 60km per hour speedo whenever possible. We stopped at a roadside stall and waited for the others to catch up. As we got closer to the village it was time to shop for the last minute supplies. Our moto carried a block of ice on the front while I carried about 10kg of water in one arm, using my free arm to grip the seat. The dirt road turned into what I would have previously called a mountain bike trail and then became a hiking track. My driver didn't see any need to slow down.

We arrived at the village and greeted the parents, grandmother, aunts, uncles and small children who had gathered. We cooked the food outside using a wok and a wood-fueled stove. We sat inside on the cool, tiled floor and feasted. Vee and I shared a can of beer. We wandered around the village inspecting the cows, pigs and chickens. Small children burst into tears and ran to their parents when they saw a foreigner approaching. I attempted conversation with the elderly, toothless, beetle-nut chewing grandmother. Vee taught Jasmine* how to use the net to catch fish in the dam. After an hour or so she had caught around ten edible-sized fish.

On the way home we had one extra moto so it wasn't necessary for everyone to share motos. Would any of the guys and girls choose to ride together again for the two-hour homeward journey? Would they take the opportunity to flirt a little or would they just ride in silence? Would the girls observe what clues can be gained about the character of the guys by how they ride? Would they hold onto the seat behind them in the bumpy sections or would they see the need to hold onto the guy's shoulder for some stability? (Such are important questions for budding romances in contemporary Khmer culture...)

The Debrief

We returned home at just after 7pm and I was ready to take a shower and go out again. The couple of friends I called had already made plans for the evening but now I'm glad I was at home for the debrief. We said goodbye to the guys and a little later the fish was cooked for dinner. We ate slowly. The events of the day were remembered, interpreted and (in some cases) re-enacted. The strange ways of the foreigner were a particular feature in the dramatic re-enactments. Most of the girls took it in turn to express how tired they were. However, their sore butts, backs, arm and legs in no way diminished their capacity to laugh together or propelled any of them to bed before the rather late (for Cambodia) hour of 10:30pm.

I can't say that I've ready any more Jane Austin classics recently but I am warming to the pace.

* Nicknames used.