After Saigon, Kris and I spent four days cycling south to an alternative border called Chau Doc. Alternative because it involved a boat, and to our delight the boat picked us and our two wheeled babies up from right outside our hotel, which was situated on the river front and took us all the way into the centre of Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh. Chaos awaited as we were bombarded my tuk-tuk and moto drivers eager to take us to a hotel. Once they see the bikes, they back off. Excellent. We found the backpacker alley way with ease, once again thanks to the map in the Lonely Planet. We checked in to a decent enough hotel and the relaxing begun.
So much has happened since Saigon, I don't really know where to start, but for what I am about to write, I hope it is received in the way it is meant and I am not judged.
Kris is a very dear friend to me and the last seven years of knowing him have been crucial in our development as people. We are two very stong personalities. Kris has helped and taught me a lot about bikes and touring, as well as other great subjects such as science, English, politics and history; he is incredibly intelligent. Unfortunately though, since cycling together we were scowling at one another more than we were laughing and I could see our relationship was getting more and more strained. Spending every single waking moment with another person for so long is hard. After a lot of thinking, lots of tears, and internal debating in my troubled little mind, I decided that I would end my time cycling with Kris before our relationship and sanity was damaged beyond repair. It has been the hardest decision I has ever made.
As far as I could see at this point, I had two options: I returned to the UK or I carried on alone. Neither I especially wanted to do. James M helped me prepare for this trip and ever since has been my confidant. After discussing my options with him, he told me he had been inspired by what I was doing. Then a third option became available when he suggested that he come out and join me continue on to Australia. After more deliberating and discussing (and much to my Mum's relief), we agreed that James would join me in Phnom Penh once he had managed to sort everything at home.
So for me, big things have happened and the dynamics of my chairty bike tour will change completely. I hope that Kris will continue on to be safe and happy and I know there is no guarentee that James and I will not end up going our separate ways. I now need to pass on all my knowledge about bikes and touring on to James, who has never done anything like this before. Spreading the love for bikes has been great and I have surprised myself with how much I know already.
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