Osaom has always been the final destination, and we finally have a chance to explore this beautiful area in the Cardamom Mountains.
A Little Solar Insulation ☀️
Cambodia is a fairly hot, and there is little shade on the roads of this country, so you can imagine how hot a black canvas top can get. Even with the with all the airflow, the top of the tuk-tuk has always felt like a toaster oven, so I decided to try and fix this problem.
I found some interesting reflective bubble wrap while exploring in Phnom Penh, and I purchased a couple meters of it with the intention to insulate the Ape's canvas top from the scorching sun. I had to disassemble the tube frame a bit to get enough slack in the canvas shell to allow me to slide the bubble wrap in between it and the tube frame.
Towards the end it got very tough to pull, but I ultimately made it work. Even while inside the tuk-tuk installing this material, I felt a slight decrease in interior temperature.
I can thank @sreypov for being the camerawoman on this one. I literally shouted,
"Pov, it's late in the day and I have nothing for a Hive post, come document this!!"
We are full-time Hivers now, and back in Cambodia where our modest earnings can actually provide us with a life that we enjoy living. For now we aim to live solely on HBD and keep powering up as much Hive as possible. I am also super excited to see Osaom, a place which has become mystical to us while stranded in Suriname.
Monkey-B Rides, Very Big Deal 🚴♀️
I saved the best for last, and that is Monkey-B finally had her bicycle breakthrough, officially becoming a cyclist. I was lucky enough to witness the first time, but didn't catch it on film. I did however catch attempt number two, which is what I have GIF-inized above this paragraph.
Not in chronological order, but she arrived home from school in her Prius bus, got on her bike and conquered life. Seeing the ecstatic smile on her face after learning how to ride will be one of those unforgettable Dad moments.
Not to be left out, @sreypov wanted to do some mini-cycling, and a neighbor came zooming by on her moto while filming this shenanigan, making it even better. It's almost like our rental room in Pramaoy is a busy downtown area. That's all folks, signing out from Pramaoy.
P.S. We actually just got back from Osaom an hour ago, and it is heaven on Earth, more to come soon...
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Now you got me wanted to quickly jump to the next post to find out which is heaven and which is earth 🤣
I did the roof insulation on my cheap toaster box car as well, and I can only shout it hurts sitting in the oven looking up to stick those insulation 🤣 good DIY improvement!
Oh and one more thing, when I was in Thailand, one of the trike also uses the air-condition insulation tube to wrap the steel structure. But I imagine it could be troublesome to clean them after some time.
An unintended benefit of the bubble wrap is that it also helps to shed rain too. Without it water drips onto my crotch from the above stich holes, not an ideal driving situation. I think I have seen the things you're talking about in Thailand, similar to swimming pool noodles? I think these would be a good safety feature in the case of a crash, foam better smash your face on than a steel bar. In Thailand the tuk-tuks have street bike engines and the roads are good, allowing them to go lightning fast. Here my 10 HP gets me into trouble if I go over 50km/h. You never know when a water buffalo will appear from behind a tree.
Glad you found heaven on earth.
Am I invited? ;^)
Looks like your youngest didn't just learn to cycle, she also seems to master the art of drunk cycling ( a thing we learn in The Netherlands between the age of 15 and 18 ) Don't tell her that though.
She's doing great! :^)
Great job on the insulation improv. I hope it helps to cool things down
Um abraço to you and your family!
P.S. Living on HBD only is amazing.
I am unlocking the power of this ( pretty ) stablecoin myself, as of late and am turning into a fanboy.
P.P.S. I love your GIFs!
I forgot how much I loved making and enjoying GIFs. Osaom is out of this world, even better than the two years of virtual tours I took on Google Maps while in Suriname. I explored so much of Cambodia in Google Maps streetview, and it's amazing how realistic it is, even if the images are several years old. I used this view to see the soil in Osaom is a mix of rich red and black, the closest thing to volcanic soil we'll ever have in Cambodia. Well, I was 100% right, they grow everything from carrots to durian there, and not a rice field in sight. The mountains were covered in fog while we were there, absolutely mystical.
Monkey-B can't stop riding now that it's so fun and new to her. She's already expressed a desire to ride to school, but of course she'll have to learn not to squeeze a bunch of front brake when some lighting fast reflexes are needed.
An insulated tuk-tuk is a happier family, and turns out it helps with shedding water too. During heavy storms, water tends to leak through the stitch holes in the canvas. I am so glad we can live on HBD only, it leaves us in a position to be able to keep our HIVE powered up and only consider withdrawing when HIVE soars again.
For now HBD is great, I put in HBD savings until we get $500, then withdraw, and we've had ease with Pov's Binance P2P to her Cambodian account. I am still unable to register for Binance.US for Binance.com due to me being an American abroad, something supported by neither. Thanks for stopping by, much love my friend.
Wow Justin you really know vehicles so well. By a year, I can imagine your ride modified . Great to see daily post about what's happening in your life in Cambodia. The solar insulation looks pretty slick.
Hahaha first time seeing a bus Prius . Monkey B looks really happy coming down from her bus. 😀😀😀
The driver/teacher has removed the upper part of the back seat so more students can sit inside the trunk on crowded days. I can't imagine how the students decide who has to crawl to the trunk 😁. You are right, I already have lots of ideas for further modifications to the tuk-tuk.
Looking at that statement sent chills in my spine.. sitting inside a trunk. I am claustrophobic. I can imagine being inside. How many kids can the driver fit inside on a crowded day? Hope that the air-conditioning must be working well.
Hahhaa.. the Justin mobile is on its way. It's quite fun and addictive to DIY and mod stuff.. 😀😀😀 thank you and have a great night..
Well, the upside to being so crowded is that even the anti-social kids have to practice being fake friends to survive that ride. I would've taken the girls to English school in the tuk-tuk, but the transport cost was too cheap to refuse.
hahha..what you said is very true... about the kids having to socialize since it is pretty crowded. How much is it every month? really curious to know.. Hahaha.. how far is it to school?
The English school is around $30 a month for one student, a little more expensive as you get into higher grades. The school is nearby, but I guess everything is here in Pramaoy. I would estimate it's not even 2km, but it's still convenient not to make that back and forth trip 4 times a day. Only $10 per month to have both girls be taken from and to that school via Prius taxi.
I calculated I can easily earn that $10 on HIVE with the extra freetime I have from not making that short drive many times a day.
I see and continue to monitor what you show, while you are in Cambodia, it seems, your life is more harmonious than a few months ago, even we can all feel the happiness that you display in these few days...
I really like your beard which you often tie with rubber..
You are very correct, Cambodia is a place where we can live in more comfort and less struggle. Funny when Cambodians ask me about my beard and my look, I can only explain my way of life to them in terms of things they know. The Cham Muslim people are the largest minority in Cambodia, and there is also a relic of Hindu times that translated to "hermit" in English. The hermits are vegetarian like me, and have long beards, so I tell Cambodians I am like half Cham and half hermit, and then my look makes more sense to them 😁
Hehehe.. dugaan saya benar kali ini.... saya sangat senang mendengar...
👳♂️🧔
Reflective bubble wrap, I used to buy it and I felt a slight decrease in interior temperature as well. And your child, she's awesome, doing it well on her bicycle.
The bubble wrap is cheap but effective, I have also seen it used to line the insides of tin roofs in some homes in Cambodia. Monkey-B is hooked on cycling now, and there's never a more fun time than when you've just learned how to ride.
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