TWO MILES BAREFOOT IN SNOW

Yes, they are driving both ways! Full load! Gail in tuk-tuk

Remember when your parents would tell you about how things were in the “good ole days”? Without exception they would always include the exhaustive, miserable, grueling trip to school and back each day! Well, this is not just for my children to read but it is about my trip to school each morning.

Rick and I arise each morning at about 6 a.m. If you know us at all, you will know that is early for us. We can do that because we generally go to bed before 9 p.m. each night. We leave our rented room and walk about one half mile to the house where we gather with other Christians for breakfast and each of us begins his or her day. After breakfast Rick walks me out to the street and that is when things get “interesting”.

My driver’s name is Sok Vandy. He drives me to school each day in his tuk-tuk. A tuk-tuk is a 3 wheeler of sorts where a small carriage is attached to a small motorcycle and acts like a taxi service. What is really interesting is the things you see each day as you travel the 10 miles or so we drive to the University where I study Khmer. You see families driving to school and work just like at home but the whole family is on a small moped like cycle. I have seen families of 5 all riding on a single motorcycle! More often than not, they are also carrying large baskets or containers with them . I have seen a sofa and love seat transported on these motos! We have seen cows and large hogs and all sorts of live stock transported. We have been told that people have seen as many as 9 people ride together although we have only seen 7! On the way to school I stare a lot! I am thinking of documenting these things with a photo collection. I may not travel 2 miles barefoot in the snow each morning but oh do I have some things to share with my grand-kids some day!