We round the corner of the parking garage and careen up the ramp.
I’m in charge of bump spotting
Elephant offers.
Bumpity, bumpity, bumpity
He calls as we pass gentle potholes.
Lined up three, this motorbike has become our normal. We take wrong turns, amble this way and that. The boys don’t care, busy taking it all in stride.
The pace here is simultaneously calm and full of energy. Nobody is in a hurry, but everyone gets where they’re going. They are purposeful, in this dance. Pushing, darting, minding and then taking the gap. Not a whiff of rage or offense to any unexpected moves.
Move along, and keep things moving.
Vietnam is like that
Symphonic, in concert.
And ultimately, pulling in the same direction.
Get Up Eight 
I’m reminded of the bravery it took in Ho Chi Minh city to step off a curb and wade into a sea of traffic. “Pushing, darting, minding and then taking the gap” – such a dance.
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Your ending gives a bigger picture- such a sense of place.
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I love that here in Cambodia too. As a pedestrian, I often feel okay crossing the street, because the drivers are used to the dance.
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An interesting combination “calm but full of energy.” Your use of descriptive language helps us try to perceive what the environment is like.
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What I love about this is how seemingly disparate everything is. It seems like everyone is going different directions, with different plans and paces. And yet, like the symphony you mention, it all comes together in one chaotic piece of beauty. Love this post!
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You draw us into your flow of life in a different culture. I have also felt this, in Bangkok and Siem Reip- it seemed to me as if people who live by water drive as if in water. I love hearing Elephant state his job and do it. My favorite line is how your boys are “busy taking it all in stride.” Such a clever phrasing.
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