Bike keys locked in my bike in Cambodia

Bike keys locked in my bike in Cambodia

Picture this.

I was backpacking with a friend of mine through Southeast Asia. It was great. We had a whole 6 months of travel to look forward to together!

However, after the first month or so, for one reason or another, I decided that I wanted some of my own space. To explore the world on my own for a while. 

I wanted to experience solo travel: the independence, the social aspect, and the rather inevitable mistake-making!

Anyway, this idea aligned roughly with the new year, and one of my resolutions was to focus more on my own goals and personal development. 

That settled it – from the beginning of January, I was going to travel SOLO!

Fast forward a few days, and I had bid farewell to my friend and gone in a separate direction. It was like something out of a movie; he waved me off from the beachy shores of Koh Rong Samloem as I set sail back towards the mainland of Cambodia.

The first week of solo travel had been fantastic. And much to my own surprise, I was handling being on my own just fine! 

Where it started to go wrong

I was staying in a hostel on the edge of town in Kampot. A friend had recommended it as a “must-visit” due to the fact that it doubled as a waterpark and was a great place to meet new people.

Sounds pretty quirky right?

Unfortunately, I arrived just as a large group of people had left, leaving me as one of the only guests! And let’s be honest going down the same big slide over and over again on your own is a bit sad! 

But that was fine. I figured it was a cue for me to explore a different aspect of the area and head into town!

The only issue was, that I had to rent a moped to get anywhere.

There was a rental place about a 15-minute walk away down a long, dirt track. And the strong-yet-silent man who served me handed me the keys to a rather, let’s be kind and call it a “well-used” looking bike.

For once, I was given a bike lock along with the rental bike – very unusual in Southeast Asia. 

I really didn’t think anyone was going to steal this lump of metal but the man was surprisingly vocal about using it!

It was a big, hefty bike lock. One which you unlocked with a key attached to the moped key. And if I’m brutally honest, it was an absolute pain in the backside because it only fitted through the wheel in a certain way!

After a couple of days at the hostel and zipping around on the bike, I decided that I wanted to move to the center of town. I told myself it was so I could walk around more and get more exercise, but really it was the bike!

Ready to leave the hostel, I had all my bags packed. The hostel had scheduled a tuk-tuk for me due to arrive in two hours. This left me just enough time for me to return the bike I had rented and then chill out until it arrived.

For the last time, I took the bike lock off the wheel and put it in the bike ready to drive off and… Oh wait…

Yep. That’s right. 

I had locked the bike lock, with the keys to the lock AND the bike ignition keys underneath the seat. 

The seat which, unfortunately, you needed the keys to unlock…

I was stuck.

No bike. No hostel. Nobody to call for help.

What Now?

Thankfully the bike rental place was just a short walk down the track. So I headed there immediately to face the embarrassment I’d just put myself in!

When I arrived, Mr Strong-yet-silent wasn’t there…

I called hello to see if anyone was around and thankfully his wife appeared. 

She recognised me from before. But without a bike alongside me, it was pretty difficult for her to realise what I was doing here. She gestured for me to take a seat as I tried to explain the situation. 

She didn’t speak much English (or so I thought), but said, “okay, wait” once I’d finished blabbering and she disappeared to make a phone call. I could only assume that this was a positive sign.

I waited patiently as she returned to the kitchen. Her two children came out and watched me for a while and the lady stuck her head through the doorway and smiled at me occasionally. Probably laughing at what an idiot I’d been!

30 minutes had passed and still no sign of her husband who deals with the motorbike business.

I was starting to get a bit nervous.

The lady reappeared and called her children into the back for lunch. Shortly after the little ones had scuttled through, I too was invited into her house and off of the street where I had been waiting. 

Just as one of her children, she gave me a bowl of food. 

I guess by locking my keys in the bike I too deserved to be treated like a child! But still, I did not expect such generosity!

The food was incredible! The best Khmer curry I tried throughout my entire time in Cambodia! The flavours were rich and warming, though I’m sure she held back on the spices so it wouldn’t kill me off!

We all sat there quietly enjoying the food, TV blaring in the background and one of the kids running his toy car over my knee while I ate. 

Midway through dinner, her husband came into the doorway. Probably thinking, why the hell is this stranger eating curry with my family in my house! 

A brief word was exchanged and he left immediately, without even speaking to me. I assumed he had some more errands to run and would come back later to speak to me about the bike and how to sort it.

Apparently not!

20 minutes later he reappeared, keys in hand (at least, before he threw them in my general direction)! 

Turns out, he had guessed where my bike was (parked outside the hostel a 15-minute walk away)! He’d ridden there, unlocked the bike, and rode back.

This still meant that I had to once again do the walk of shame back to the bike, just to try and return it again. But I could accept that as my punishment. 

The day had certainly turned out better than the initial bleak outlook.

From locking my keys in the bike, thinking that I would be charged more to sort it and miss my ride to town. I ended up being invited for lunch with their family, experiencing true local food, and playing with their kids all while their husband sorted everything!

And guess what, the tuk-tuk that I’d ordered never even turned up anyway!

I truly love these little acts of kindness. This generous family will never be forgotten!

Before you go

Thank you for reading my story. If guides, itineraries and travel content like this interest you, head over to my blog page to find out more. Let me know in the comments of any solo travelling mishaps have you had and if they turned good in the end.

If you are new to Matt’s Next Steps, check out the About Me page to find out a bit more about who I am, my travel adventures, and why I wanted to become a travel writer.

Please comment below and let me know your thoughts and experiences, or if there is anything else you want information on.

Happy travelling!