1.man.among.13,607,069.fists

as i type you this entry, much of my body is throbbing and only 9 out of 10 fingers are pain-free. this is because last night, i escaped a near fatal moto accident.

my brother's friend and wife are in town invited me to kolap tmey, one of the khmer style restaurants dotted on national road going to siem reap.  their departure is the 15th.

my motodop, sophanny, was a very cautious driver. he had a helmet (i didnt) on and was not speeding. when we cross chroy changvar bridge, he was extra careful of the traffic and the limited visibility that the area is accustomed to.

we spotted the restaurant to our left. he slowed down, signaled with his lights and his left arm for a turn. while both of us looked back, a lightning flash of a moto pulverized us causing all 4 involved to fly out. i was in shock.

i fell on to the hard paved cement. initially, the adrenaline numb all the cuts and burns on my arms. i recovered my bag, a shoe that flew off my feet that now rips at the tongue, and checked around for my valuables. by this time, several dozen onlookers have congretated to the scene of the crime.

i had minimal dialogue with the two young men who hit us from behind. evidentally, both bikes had missing pieces. i asked my moto driver if he was okay, but just like me, we were still in shock to give me a response.

while the locals conferenced among the drivers, i walked away from the area. by now, the burning sensation in my right arm iwas unbearable. the left side of my head feels like its slightly bruised, luckily, nothing serious. my left leg felt sprained.

after my brother's friend and his family scuffled among the crowd to find me, they had apply some type of antibiotic to rub over the cuts. i shed some man-ly tears fighting the pain.

by now, my moto driver was long gone. according to the locals, he jetted several minutes later without no resolve with the other driver. its ashame, bc in my view, he was not guilty. he was obeying the speed limit and signaled appropriately.

when over 20 people had come together to the table, all of us started dinner. i could hardly bend and reach as my muscle starts to stiffen up. my short trip to bathroom was a bigger challenge.

i arrived home at around 1030pm completely exhausted and worned out. one of my roomies, who earlier last month got in an accident was sisterly concern of my condition. i applied some cream she had used during her injuries and called it a night.

its the present now. a pencil length streak on the back shows a deep blue bruised. my left leg seems worst than before. i can't put too much pressure while walking. the big cuts on my right arm is still visible but starting to regenerate itself. the left pain above my ear is still the same.

i am thankful that i only escaped these cuts and sprains. in all honestly, without a helmet and the velocity in which the other moto was going, i anticipated the worst.

this weekend will be a time to recuperate.