I love to walk. Walking is difficult in Cambodia. The sidewalks always seem to be in a state of repair. When they are in working order, they usually are being used as parking spaces for both cars and motorbikes, forcing pedestrians (of which there are few) to walk in the road.

Our office is a 15 minute walk from my guesthouse. I feel it’s silly to pay a motorbike or tuk tuk driver to drive me the one or two kilometers there. Until today.

I begin the stroll to the office. As I’m walking, I get no less than 20 offers from passing motorbike drivers and tuk-tuk drivers for a ride. “Moto, lady?” “Tuk-tuk, lady?” I smile and shake my head no. As I’m forced into the street to pass a parked car on the sidewalk, a motorbike driving on the wrong side of the road literally almost runs me over. He smiles and swerves. My heart is in my throat.

I continue walking. As I start to cross the street, a motorbike rounds the curve at an alarmingly high speed and almost runs over me. I jump and decide, that as much as I like walking, it’s worth the $1 for a tuk-tuk ride to ensure I arrive to the office alive. Probably the cheapest life insurance I’ll ever purchase.