Getting out on my bike is the perfect anecdote to the stress of setting up a new home and learning a new job.
This morning, I went for a ride with two VIS teachers – Whetu, an English teacher from New Zealand, and Linda, a kindergarten teacher from the Netherlands. They both participate on a dragonboat team, so we rode along the Mekong River to the spot where their team keeps the boat. Our journey took us through bustling villages and verdant rice paddies. We dodged traffic, gaping muddy potholes, geese, dogs, goats, and chickens.
When we arrived at the dragonboat, it was filled with water but still floating. The villagers, who operate a ramshackle refreshment stand, didn’t seem concerned. They greeted us and seemed especially excited to see Linda, who speaks decent Lao. One old man took Whetu’s bike for a quick spin. Whetu and Linda figured someone must bail out the dragonboat every time the team wants to paddle. After all, it is rainy season, so that boat would fill up quickly.
We took a different route back from the river, sticking to a more direct main road. Last week on that road, Whetu and I got drenched by a sudden storm. Today, I got a pretty nasty sunburn. But it was worth it.
I counted 13 Buddhist temples on our route before I lost track. We passed orange-clad monks on bicycles, in tuk tuks, kneeling at the temples, and walking along the side of the road. That never gets old.
