Living here for an extended length of time will certainly put you in the path of speeding vehicles and dodgy overtaking manouvers, but sometimes close calls are less predictable. Sometimes not - and yesterday I had a traffic related close call that I should've seen coming. The outcome would've been horrific and incredibly painful, but thanks to a complete stroke of luck I emerged unscathed...

(Warning, long read.)

Riding to Stung Meanchey in the rain. I'm carrying a passenger and we've crossed the bridge, hit a clusterfuck of vehicles and crossed the potholed section of dirt. We're on the new paved section, and it's 2 lanes wide on either side of the central divider which is full of rain water, concrete posts and rubble. Motos weave in and out of SUVs, minivans and larger poorly maintained heavy duty rigs. The rain gets heavier, and that usual everyman-for-himself driving style is ramped up a couple of notches, as vehicles take on that rainy season brown hue from the bottom up. We jostle for that extra meter of forward progress, squeezing through gaps to be rewarded with a bigger lung full of carbon monoxide spewing out of whatever blocks our path. Our legs are mud splattered and my flip flops have that greasy warm mud feeling from putting my feet down whenever we have to pause to unlock the next section of the puzzle. It's competitive, revenge fueled, and a little exciting. Every now and again space opens up, and a quick burst of acceleration and a "fuck yeah!" gets us in front of someone whose needs are less urgent than ours. Then I get complacent.
A huge rig to our right, some kind of flat bed monster trailer, rumbles forward on the right hand lane. Oncoming traffic has to use our left hand lane, so we are funneled into a squeeze tube bottleneck. Motos in front weave around the Camry approaching us, and we are forced into tucking right in to the side of the rig. The Camry driver has about as much community spirit as a thieving smackhead, and he will not give an inch. He has 2ft on his off side before his wheels will drop off the concrete slab into the quagmire, but instead he wants to clear a path using lights, horn and hand gestures. The moto in front makes a daring dash for the pocket of space between the behemoth trailer on our right, and whatever is towing it. He lives, but we are forced to hug tight to the trailer to let this self important prick pass us. My mistake was to momentarily think the driver with the 86 wheeled trailer and I were somehow on the same team, and that he would not move until the Camry was clear. Deluded. The rig rolled forward, causing me, already stationary, to turn my bars and lean into the rig to help the Camry pass. Trying not to touch the car, I felt the trailer's wheel (whose height was up to my shoulder) come up on us. I felt the rubber of the front edge of the tyre start to pinch down on my forefoot. Time slowed to a glacial drip, as messages traveled along nerves to my brain and back. Move. Your. Fucking. Foot. Now. The sensation of weight increased 10 fold and my toes wiggled but the foot took an age to respond. I could see the tyre creeping forward in my peripheral vision, the rubber about to flatten my metatarsal to a bloody mess the size of a postcard.
'Having a lovely time in stung meanchey! Wish you were here!'

Without conscious thought my physical self went into preservation mode and made a decision to roll and twist the foot in time to limit the damage to the merest of pinches of skin between tyre and flip flop. My eyes widened as pain increased and faded, as tonnes momentarily pinned me in place until the behemoth released it's grip on my mud-covered morsel. Spat out, I exhaled. "Eh, wake up, were moving!" cried my pillion, having no idea of the emotional journey I had just endured. I wiggled my muddy toes, and laughed manically.
For the rest of the journey my mind played me a video of the alternative ending, as I rode extra cautiously, somewhat traumatized but thankful.

What lucky escapes or near misses have you had?

Well written, good read.

Unplated SUV crosses into the oncoming lane and guns through the red light during peak hour at the Norodom and MTT/Sotheros intersection while I'm on the 650 turning into the lane he's illegally occupying.

Choice: nosedive or die.

Outcome: Broken ribs and subsequent tropical pneumonia (always fun coughing up a lung with broken ribs), and a healthy dislike for drivers of unplated SUVs.

StroppyChops wrote:Well written, good read.

Unplated SUV crosses into the oncoming lane and guns through the red light during peak hour at the Norodom and MTT/Sotheros intersection while I'm on the 650 turning into the lane he's illegally occupying.

Choice: nosedive or die.

Outcome: Broken ribs and subsequent tropical pneumonia (always fun coughing up a lung with broken ribs), and a healthy dislike for drivers of unplated SUVs.

Ouch! And of course the driver stopped to help you up and rub the dust off your pants!
I'm currently battling a fortnight long chest infection. Brown mucus for breakfast lunch and dinner. Any idea what will shift it without resorting to antibiotics?

Of course, and the traffic cop on the corner who witnessed it arrested the driver, too. </sarcasm>

Lung oysters, my favourite. If its brown I'd personally go for steam and decongestant (e.g. Vicks or Tiger Balm) and leave it alone for a week. If it goes greenish or milky, time for antibiotics. No doubt someone will be along to disagree with me shortly, so 'up to you.'

^ actually if that chest infection hangs on for more than a week its worth getting it cultured at this time of year.

rick_o'shea wrote: Brown mucus for breakfast lunch and dinner. Any idea what will shift it without resorting to antibiotics?

Stick a note to your chest saying "pneumonia pathogens welcome."

Seriously: take Ciprofloxacin and something that contains Acetylcystein (cough expectorant).

Good read. I've had a fair number of close calls so can't really keep track of them to be honest. They're still pretty rare given the kms I do, but now and then I do get a moment that makes my heart skip a beat or two.

rick_o'shea wrote:

StroppyChops wrote:Well written, good read.

Unplated SUV crosses into the oncoming lane and guns through the red light during peak hour at the Norodom and MTT/Sotheros intersection while I'm on the 650 turning into the lane he's illegally occupying.

Choice: nosedive or die.

Outcome: Broken ribs and subsequent tropical pneumonia (always fun coughing up a lung with broken ribs), and a healthy dislike for drivers of unplated SUVs.

Ouch! And of course the driver stopped to help you up and rub the dust off your pants!
I'm currently battling a fortnight long chest infection. Brown mucus for breakfast lunch and dinner. Any idea what will shift it without resorting to antibiotics?

Have you tried an expectorant? Also known as a mucolytic. Mucinex is a brand but a mucolytic chemical called carbocisteine is very effective. Green or yellow mucous is not a sign of infection but neutrophils, an enzyme producewd by white blood cells. Never seen brown mucous before. Culture may bwe advised but where to do.
Found my expectorant bottle. Brand name Rhinathiol. Works well.
GL, be well.

Hi luigi,

Thanks for the advice. Ucare had rhinathiol liquid/syrup, and acetylcysteine sachets (200mg) for oral solution. Very cheap too. I'm giving it a try. It may just be the answer to all my problems!

rick_o'shea wrote: and acetylcysteine sachets (200mg) for oral solution.

Surely it will help, but 200 mg is probably not enough. You need 500 mg 3 to 4 times a day for a period of 3 or 4 days.