After about 32 to 36 hours of total travel, we arrive at Phnom Pehn around noon, just a little weary eyed and jet lagged. Greeted on arrival by Vy (or gracious host) and Betty. Betty arrived a day ahead (without luggage) and took in few sites (Royal Palace, national museum, Olympic stadium, Wat Bo, killing fields and genocide museum before meeting us on Sunday).
Next was a relatively short (4hrs) ride to Kep. Road travel in Cambodia is an experience where speed limits are not much of a factor and where one of your most important vehicle features is the the horn.
Our home in Kep for next two weeks will be the Spring Valley Resort.
Don Brimacombe
DWC Volunteer Team Leader
Cambodia: February 2015
Showing posts with label Phnom Penh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phnom Penh. Show all posts
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Monday, January 26, 2015
January 26, 2015: Arrival to Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh was nothing like anyone expected. All the stores in the main area were all so Canadianized with English words. We then later realized that kids are taught in school the English language. It's very hard for people to find a job if they don't know how to speak English. Yet it is so expensive to go to school for the children. You're forced to buy the uniform, the supplies, snacks and on top of that, teachers make next to nothing so they make students pay for their textbooks and stuff. You can't blame the teachers though because they do what they have to to pay the bills and support their families. It hurts to see how happy everyone is when they have nothing. But nothing is enough for them and that's what people don't realize. We who live in Canada have everything compared to them. We have no right to complain or be sad about what we don't have. To wrap everything up from the first day, it was shocking. I just hope that we can get a chance to find out more about the politics.
Kaitlin Mitchell and Yvonne Seles
DWC Volunteer Participants
Cambodia. January, 2015.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Friday, Nov 28: Back to Phnom Penh!
Back in the van for a long and bumpy ride back to Phnom Penh where it all began! By the time we arrived in the city it was just around noon and traffic was bustling. Full size vehicles are few and far between and it seems difficult to share the road with all the smaller tuk-tuks and motos whizzing all around creating ‘lanes’ wherever there is an opportunity.
Once we settled into our hotel at ‘The Eureka Villas’ we headed out to grab a bite to eat at ‘Romdeng’, which is a sister restaurant to ‘Friends’ where we had eaten before departing Phnom Penh two weeks ago. Although the two restaurants feature some similar dishes, ‘Romdeng’ has some items that appeal to a more adventurous clientele. The first item arrived at our table on a white plate with an over turned bowl on top, although we knew what was underneath it didn’t do much to reduce the shock value when we lifted up the bowl to reveal a live tarantula! No, we aren’t going to eat a live one, we aren’t that brave; but like they always say ANYTHING is better deep-fried, we hope that includes tarantula as well! I was brave enough to play with the live tarantula and I let it crawl on my hands and arms. Scott made an attempt at holding the giant spider but that didn’t go so well, and no one else wanted a closer look at the little de-fanged, fuzzy beauty.
Our buffet of fried insects and oddities came rolling out next, which included the famous fried tarantula, crickets, silk worms, and whole frogs. We all took our turn trying a leg of this and a bit of that and we actually ended up ordering another plate of the tarantula which some of us actually REALLY enjoyed!
We all ordered a main dish as well since we weren’t really keen on filling up on grubs; however, Scott and I, who both studied biology in university, continued on our culinary journey of creepy crawly things and ordered a Khmer dish of lemongrass beef with ants that also turned out to be quite good!
After lunch we split up as people went off to explore different corners of Phnom Penh and to book busses or flights for the next leg of the journey. We ended up reconvening for a final meal later on at night and went to the local performing arts to watch a live production.
Over the next couple of days, we would part ways. Todd and Sandra are heading on to Siem Reap via Battambang, by land and then by boat, and Cathy is flying directly to Siem Reap. Scott and I will be kicking around Phnom Penh for a few more days to explore and relax before heading on a leisurely tour of SE Asia for the next couple of months. We managed to complete the work we had set out to do and we have definitely walked away having shared smiles and laughter with new friends from Cambodia and back home, all in all I think we can call it a DWC success!
Sarah Armstrong
DWC Team Leader
Cambodia, November 2014
Once we settled into our hotel at ‘The Eureka Villas’ we headed out to grab a bite to eat at ‘Romdeng’, which is a sister restaurant to ‘Friends’ where we had eaten before departing Phnom Penh two weeks ago. Although the two restaurants feature some similar dishes, ‘Romdeng’ has some items that appeal to a more adventurous clientele. The first item arrived at our table on a white plate with an over turned bowl on top, although we knew what was underneath it didn’t do much to reduce the shock value when we lifted up the bowl to reveal a live tarantula! No, we aren’t going to eat a live one, we aren’t that brave; but like they always say ANYTHING is better deep-fried, we hope that includes tarantula as well! I was brave enough to play with the live tarantula and I let it crawl on my hands and arms. Scott made an attempt at holding the giant spider but that didn’t go so well, and no one else wanted a closer look at the little de-fanged, fuzzy beauty.
Our buffet of fried insects and oddities came rolling out next, which included the famous fried tarantula, crickets, silk worms, and whole frogs. We all took our turn trying a leg of this and a bit of that and we actually ended up ordering another plate of the tarantula which some of us actually REALLY enjoyed!
We all ordered a main dish as well since we weren’t really keen on filling up on grubs; however, Scott and I, who both studied biology in university, continued on our culinary journey of creepy crawly things and ordered a Khmer dish of lemongrass beef with ants that also turned out to be quite good!
After lunch we split up as people went off to explore different corners of Phnom Penh and to book busses or flights for the next leg of the journey. We ended up reconvening for a final meal later on at night and went to the local performing arts to watch a live production.
Over the next couple of days, we would part ways. Todd and Sandra are heading on to Siem Reap via Battambang, by land and then by boat, and Cathy is flying directly to Siem Reap. Scott and I will be kicking around Phnom Penh for a few more days to explore and relax before heading on a leisurely tour of SE Asia for the next couple of months. We managed to complete the work we had set out to do and we have definitely walked away having shared smiles and laughter with new friends from Cambodia and back home, all in all I think we can call it a DWC success!
Sarah Armstrong
DWC Team Leader
Cambodia, November 2014
Monday, November 17, 2014
Saturday, Nov 15: Hello Cambodia!
Our party of five arrived scattered throughout the day and each of us was greeted by a tuk-tuk at the airport that took us on a winding ride through the streets of Phnom Penh to our hotel for the night. I must say this was quite an authentic introduction to the ‘big city’ and everyone was thrilled to take in the sights, sounds, and smells as we veered through traffic in the typical Cambodian manner. Sandra and Cathy arrived in the afternoon and were able to explore a bit, while Scott, Todd, and Sarah arrived at the hotel just before midnight; just enough time to kick back and reward ourselves with a cold beverage before bed as we looked out at the Tonle Sap River.
Sarah Armstrong
DWC Team Leader
Cambodia, November 2014
Saturday, Nov 15: First to arrive in Phnom Penh!
Arrived in Phnom Penh and was met by the hired tuk tuk driver at the airport. What transpired in the next 45 minutes was a mixture of fear, chaos and exhilaration!
Though there are designated lanes, they seem to be there simply as a guideline - there is definitely more motorcycles on the road than anything else so any little space that can fit a moto will be filled. And every once and a while, someone will decide to go the wrong way just because they can! And amazingly no one seems to get riled up over the ones going the wrong way. Full families of four passed by on their moto, apparently seven is the limit before the police will take any notice!
Amazingly all seem to happily coexist and I have a feeling that there are far few accidents than we see back home. In any case, it was a wonderful introduction to Cambodia. As some of the group was arriving late at night, we were to spend the night in Phnom Penh.
After meeting my roomie for the next few weeks, we decided the hit the streets! We watched a Cambodian dance show complete with masks and shadow puppets - it was interesting to watch but likely more relevant had we understood the story! Afterwards we stopped for dinner to a noodle soup house where they had a burner on the table. You ordered the ingredients you wanted in the soup, and then they would bring them to the table where you would add them into the broth to cook! The spring onions were delicious but the "beef" was some sort of elastic tripe which proved more difficult than not to eat - but it was an experience and I think I'm going to like Cambodia - the people are friendly and quick to smile despite having crazy driving skills!!
Cathy Colborne
DWC Participant
Cambodia, November 2014
Saturday, July 12, 2014
July 12: Transit from Kep to Phnom Penh and Beyond
We packed up, relaxed just a little and said ‘goodbye’ to The Beach House,
our home for nearly two weeks, at 1400 on Friday. The drive back to
Phnom Penh was at least as harrowing as the trip to Kep, but this time I
sat in the front seat and took a few photos. This also allowed me to
use one of the few seatbelts onboard as seatbelts are mandatory in
Cambodia for the front seat.
Traffic was noticeably heavier due to the pop-up national holiday, with many families on the road in both directions. We made the same halfway stop at Takeo for drinks and to see a little more local flavor. It was there that we saw one of the most packed cars of the trip. While departing a stop a Toyota Camry passed us with at least nine people inside. To give you an idea how this is accomplished, the person on the far left of the front seat was NOT the driver.
About 30 km from Phnom Penh, the traffic was getting heavier though it continued move reasonably well. At this point, though, our lead driver took a turn to an off-road hoping to go around the city and it’s traffic a little. This led us on about an hour’s worth of the worst paved and semi-paved roads of the trip, back alleys, parking lots, and open fields that couldn’t possibly have save us any time. Twice the drivers had to stop to try to determine where they were.
By the time we arrived in Phnom Penh, it was almost time for our 1800 dinner reservations at Malis. We drove “straight” there and were greeted by a security guard that said that it was closed for the holiday. Clearly, the person with whom I made reservations by telephone the night before was unaware of these plans. We called a couple of other restaurants and then settled on returning to Khmer Surin, the large guest house and restaurant where we’d dined before flying to Siem Reap (seemingly) ages before.
The drivers got us there easily and we went to the third floor for an open air seat and were soon joined at the next table by six Chinese business men who decided that they needed to chain-smoke through their meal. Luckily, there was a breeze and the ceiling fans were working overtime, but it was still annoying.
Our flight didn’t leave until 2320 that evening, so we had plenty of time for the meal, ordering drinks first (Beer Lao for Dylan, Dan, Winston, and me) and more frilly drinks for the rest of them. We were glad Vy was dining with us one last time and I announced that her meal and Dan’s was on me as their “tip” for great, great help and guidance for the trip. For appetizers, we had fresh and fried spring rolls and some excellent chicken satay in peanut sauce. Winston was now on stag two of what was his typical diverse choice of beverages: jasmine tea; beer lao; followed by a white Russian and then a cappuccino.
Our waiter hovered over us for quite some time, though we resisted him, wanting to stretch the meal out a little more since we weren’t planning to leave until at least 2000. The waiter actually warned us that a couple of plates would take longer to prepare than others, but they seemed to arrive with the others. I had a grilled whole tilapia that came out undercooked and raw in the middle. Three of the cadets ordered Pad Thai, Vy had the frogs' legs, Dan ordered grilled whole catfish, Winston had fried rice in a pineapple, and I can't remember what Dylan got but think it was some noodle dish, too. My fish came back recooked and was actually quite good. Most of us ordered dessert, too, and we were ready to go at 2000.
Outside the restaurant, we said our goodbyes to Dan and Vy. Both were like part of the team and they fit in well with us throughout their time. There were hugs all around and promises of visits. (I'm planning to visit Hong Kong where Dan lives in October with Becky) Both said that they would highly recommend any of us (even me, with some reservations) as team leaders for upcoming Developing World Connections/Equitable Cambodia service trips because of the great work we'd done and how well we'd embraced the culture and experience. They again expressed their amazement that we'd survived three full weeks in Cambodia without any serious illness and only one person-day of work or touring missed. I can't thank either one of them enough--we were so lucky to have them on the trip as well as the great guides and drivers.
Once again, traffic was terrible going to the airport. We didn't arrive until after 2045 and finally pulled up to the curb to get our bags and tip our drivers. I gave our part-timer $5 for safely bringing us from Kep and then I had to chase down Dee. The cadets had given him $5 tip already and he'd hugged all of them with just a huge smile. He'd really adopted us even though he spoke almost no English. He's a REALLY excellent driver who we trusted implicitly. Anyway, I ran him down in the drive-through area of the departure gates and knocked on his slowly moving window. He pulled over and I gave him another $10 and he hugged me and we shook hands to say goodbye. He also got a USAFA lapel pin.
Things got more interesting at the airport, though, for check-in. The Korean Air agents were confused by our tickets and the fact that we were traveling to Denver on a total of three different airlines (Korean, Delta, Alaska) even though the Korean Air flight was code-shared with Delta. When they finally worked all that out and told us that they couldn't give us boarding passes for Seattle to Denver, we hit another snag... The agent noticed that Luke's passport lists his first name as Lucas, but the airline ticket was issued to "Luke." She said that she couldn't issue him a boarding pass and apologized. I started to raise a stink by pointing out that he's made it to Cambodia with the same credentials and ticketing, but she held firm. We continued to try to explain and she finally got a supervisor. He looked very concerned and said that the names didn't match. We told him that we knew that and I became more assertive. At this point, I didn't know what we were going to do--call the Embassy? Call the government travel agent (Manassas Travel) or what. It didn't help that, technically at least, the airline was right and this was something that we just hadn't caught. He said that he would check with his manager and he came back with yet another person who finally approved the boarding passes for Luke/Lucas. By now, our check-in process had gone on for over an hour and we were very glad that we'd arrived early. We had only about 30 minutes from that point until we actually boarded the flight. Here are the photos from our journey back to Phnom Penh.
All the Best,
Marty France
USAFA Faculty Chaperone & DWC Volunteer
Phnom Penh, Cambodia: July 2014
Traffic was noticeably heavier due to the pop-up national holiday, with many families on the road in both directions. We made the same halfway stop at Takeo for drinks and to see a little more local flavor. It was there that we saw one of the most packed cars of the trip. While departing a stop a Toyota Camry passed us with at least nine people inside. To give you an idea how this is accomplished, the person on the far left of the front seat was NOT the driver.
About 30 km from Phnom Penh, the traffic was getting heavier though it continued move reasonably well. At this point, though, our lead driver took a turn to an off-road hoping to go around the city and it’s traffic a little. This led us on about an hour’s worth of the worst paved and semi-paved roads of the trip, back alleys, parking lots, and open fields that couldn’t possibly have save us any time. Twice the drivers had to stop to try to determine where they were.
By the time we arrived in Phnom Penh, it was almost time for our 1800 dinner reservations at Malis. We drove “straight” there and were greeted by a security guard that said that it was closed for the holiday. Clearly, the person with whom I made reservations by telephone the night before was unaware of these plans. We called a couple of other restaurants and then settled on returning to Khmer Surin, the large guest house and restaurant where we’d dined before flying to Siem Reap (seemingly) ages before.
The drivers got us there easily and we went to the third floor for an open air seat and were soon joined at the next table by six Chinese business men who decided that they needed to chain-smoke through their meal. Luckily, there was a breeze and the ceiling fans were working overtime, but it was still annoying.
Our flight didn’t leave until 2320 that evening, so we had plenty of time for the meal, ordering drinks first (Beer Lao for Dylan, Dan, Winston, and me) and more frilly drinks for the rest of them. We were glad Vy was dining with us one last time and I announced that her meal and Dan’s was on me as their “tip” for great, great help and guidance for the trip. For appetizers, we had fresh and fried spring rolls and some excellent chicken satay in peanut sauce. Winston was now on stag two of what was his typical diverse choice of beverages: jasmine tea; beer lao; followed by a white Russian and then a cappuccino.
Our waiter hovered over us for quite some time, though we resisted him, wanting to stretch the meal out a little more since we weren’t planning to leave until at least 2000. The waiter actually warned us that a couple of plates would take longer to prepare than others, but they seemed to arrive with the others. I had a grilled whole tilapia that came out undercooked and raw in the middle. Three of the cadets ordered Pad Thai, Vy had the frogs' legs, Dan ordered grilled whole catfish, Winston had fried rice in a pineapple, and I can't remember what Dylan got but think it was some noodle dish, too. My fish came back recooked and was actually quite good. Most of us ordered dessert, too, and we were ready to go at 2000.
Outside the restaurant, we said our goodbyes to Dan and Vy. Both were like part of the team and they fit in well with us throughout their time. There were hugs all around and promises of visits. (I'm planning to visit Hong Kong where Dan lives in October with Becky) Both said that they would highly recommend any of us (even me, with some reservations) as team leaders for upcoming Developing World Connections/Equitable Cambodia service trips because of the great work we'd done and how well we'd embraced the culture and experience. They again expressed their amazement that we'd survived three full weeks in Cambodia without any serious illness and only one person-day of work or touring missed. I can't thank either one of them enough--we were so lucky to have them on the trip as well as the great guides and drivers.
Once again, traffic was terrible going to the airport. We didn't arrive until after 2045 and finally pulled up to the curb to get our bags and tip our drivers. I gave our part-timer $5 for safely bringing us from Kep and then I had to chase down Dee. The cadets had given him $5 tip already and he'd hugged all of them with just a huge smile. He'd really adopted us even though he spoke almost no English. He's a REALLY excellent driver who we trusted implicitly. Anyway, I ran him down in the drive-through area of the departure gates and knocked on his slowly moving window. He pulled over and I gave him another $10 and he hugged me and we shook hands to say goodbye. He also got a USAFA lapel pin.
Things got more interesting at the airport, though, for check-in. The Korean Air agents were confused by our tickets and the fact that we were traveling to Denver on a total of three different airlines (Korean, Delta, Alaska) even though the Korean Air flight was code-shared with Delta. When they finally worked all that out and told us that they couldn't give us boarding passes for Seattle to Denver, we hit another snag... The agent noticed that Luke's passport lists his first name as Lucas, but the airline ticket was issued to "Luke." She said that she couldn't issue him a boarding pass and apologized. I started to raise a stink by pointing out that he's made it to Cambodia with the same credentials and ticketing, but she held firm. We continued to try to explain and she finally got a supervisor. He looked very concerned and said that the names didn't match. We told him that we knew that and I became more assertive. At this point, I didn't know what we were going to do--call the Embassy? Call the government travel agent (Manassas Travel) or what. It didn't help that, technically at least, the airline was right and this was something that we just hadn't caught. He said that he would check with his manager and he came back with yet another person who finally approved the boarding passes for Luke/Lucas. By now, our check-in process had gone on for over an hour and we were very glad that we'd arrived early. We had only about 30 minutes from that point until we actually boarded the flight. Here are the photos from our journey back to Phnom Penh.
All the Best,
Marty France
USAFA Faculty Chaperone & DWC Volunteer
Phnom Penh, Cambodia: July 2014
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
July 1: Notes on Money, Tuk-Tuks, Motobikes, Driving, and the Population
I wrote these notes on Sunday trying not to watch as we drove to Kep from Phnom Penh. They're just my personal observations to date:
Money: The Cambodian currency is the Riel ($1 = KR4000), but the standard currency here in practice is the US dollar. It was explained to us that so many NGOs work here that the dollar has become fault because most of the NGO employees (from whatever nation) are paid in dollars. All UN activities are in dollars, too. There are no US coins here, though. Instead, the 1000KR and 2000KR bills take the place of quarters and half-dollars, while there are a few 10,000KR bills floating around, too, worth about $2.50 each.
Tuk-tuk rides to all about $2 or $3 from hotels and they tend to be a little more coming back. The price is the same whether there is one passenger or six, and we’ve seen as many as 12 in and on a tuk-tuk in something that looked like a family challenge. The tuk-tuks are just two-wheeled carts with front- and rear-facing seats and a roof, open-aired, that attaches to the back of the motorcycle. Most of the drivers where helmets, but there are no seatbelts on the tuk-tuks. I think top tuk-tuk speed is about 25 mph, maybe 30 but that’s pushing it. On most tuk-tuks, we could fit three across with our relatively narrow hips (for Americans), with some tuk-tuks being more comfortable and wide than others.
There are a few full-fledged taxis around, but most of the transpo—including 10 km out to the airport is by tuk-tuk. Individuals can catch rides on the back of motorbikes for a cheap price and there are some pedal-powered tuk-tuks as well, but again, not many.
Motobikes pull everything here—from the pig going to market photo I posted to a flat-bed cart with a family of 15 on it, charcoal bags, water jugs, mattresses. You name it ana motorbike pulls it around here. And EVERYONE’s on a motorbike. Families of four routinely were seen on them with mom of dad steering, the other parent in the back, one kid in between them and one standing (for scooters) in front or sitting on the driver’s lap. Many drivers had helmets, but most passengers did not. We saw some kids on motorbikes that could not have been 18 months old and the largest number that we’ve seen (several times) is five.
We noticed another thing along the sides of the roads in little shops. Lots of Coke-style beverage bottles (glass, one liter, and two liter) in racks, filled with a strange looking yellow liquid. I was afraid to ask what it was, but when I did, Sing told us that they were all filled with gasoline for motobikes. We see plenty of gas stations around, but he said that the people don't always trust the metering on the pumps and that it's a pain to pay at them, so when they want to be sure they're getting what they want in the amount that they want, they just guy it liter by liter on the side of the road.
Driving here is just crazy. Signals mean nothing except at the largest intersections and the only governing rule is that the vehicle with the highest overall momentum has the right of way. Minibus and automobile drivers honk constantly to warn motorbikes that they are coming from behind and the motorbike needs to get over to the shoulder or at least make room. Left turns are made at any point in time and are shaved off and shallow so much so that form sometimes 50 or 100 meters, the driving turning left is driving on the wrong side of the road. No one fully stops at uncontrolled intersections—they just slow down and find a gap to merge or cross, no matter how small. When traffic is snarled in one direction, most drivers think nothing of just moving over to the left and commandeering one of the oncoming lanes that may appear to be unoccupied a the time. Once occupied, though, and a face off is set, gridlock ensues.
Driving in the countryside is free form. The only rule is: don’t hit something. All else goes. It doesn’t matter what side of the road you’re on at any point, so long as you’re not about to impact someone else in the next microsecond or two.
Driving through villages is very much like what we experienced in Rwanda about seven years ago. The driver barrels through (as traffic allows), with dogs, children and bicyclists performing a calm but effective Darwinian Dance to avoid and evade. In Cambodia, you’re either aware, or you’re dead. The idea of distracted driving here (cell phones) is terrifying. We’ve seen very little cell phone use by drivers.
Population: According to our Intrepid Travel guide, Kean, Cambodia has about 15 million citizens with 58% of them being 18 years old or younger. Kids are just everywhere here.
All the Best,
Marty France
USAFA Faculty Chaperone & DWC Volunteer
Kep, Cambodia: July 2014
Money: The Cambodian currency is the Riel ($1 = KR4000), but the standard currency here in practice is the US dollar. It was explained to us that so many NGOs work here that the dollar has become fault because most of the NGO employees (from whatever nation) are paid in dollars. All UN activities are in dollars, too. There are no US coins here, though. Instead, the 1000KR and 2000KR bills take the place of quarters and half-dollars, while there are a few 10,000KR bills floating around, too, worth about $2.50 each.
Tuk-tuk rides to all about $2 or $3 from hotels and they tend to be a little more coming back. The price is the same whether there is one passenger or six, and we’ve seen as many as 12 in and on a tuk-tuk in something that looked like a family challenge. The tuk-tuks are just two-wheeled carts with front- and rear-facing seats and a roof, open-aired, that attaches to the back of the motorcycle. Most of the drivers where helmets, but there are no seatbelts on the tuk-tuks. I think top tuk-tuk speed is about 25 mph, maybe 30 but that’s pushing it. On most tuk-tuks, we could fit three across with our relatively narrow hips (for Americans), with some tuk-tuks being more comfortable and wide than others.
There are a few full-fledged taxis around, but most of the transpo—including 10 km out to the airport is by tuk-tuk. Individuals can catch rides on the back of motorbikes for a cheap price and there are some pedal-powered tuk-tuks as well, but again, not many.
Motobikes pull everything here—from the pig going to market photo I posted to a flat-bed cart with a family of 15 on it, charcoal bags, water jugs, mattresses. You name it ana motorbike pulls it around here. And EVERYONE’s on a motorbike. Families of four routinely were seen on them with mom of dad steering, the other parent in the back, one kid in between them and one standing (for scooters) in front or sitting on the driver’s lap. Many drivers had helmets, but most passengers did not. We saw some kids on motorbikes that could not have been 18 months old and the largest number that we’ve seen (several times) is five.
We noticed another thing along the sides of the roads in little shops. Lots of Coke-style beverage bottles (glass, one liter, and two liter) in racks, filled with a strange looking yellow liquid. I was afraid to ask what it was, but when I did, Sing told us that they were all filled with gasoline for motobikes. We see plenty of gas stations around, but he said that the people don't always trust the metering on the pumps and that it's a pain to pay at them, so when they want to be sure they're getting what they want in the amount that they want, they just guy it liter by liter on the side of the road.
Driving here is just crazy. Signals mean nothing except at the largest intersections and the only governing rule is that the vehicle with the highest overall momentum has the right of way. Minibus and automobile drivers honk constantly to warn motorbikes that they are coming from behind and the motorbike needs to get over to the shoulder or at least make room. Left turns are made at any point in time and are shaved off and shallow so much so that form sometimes 50 or 100 meters, the driving turning left is driving on the wrong side of the road. No one fully stops at uncontrolled intersections—they just slow down and find a gap to merge or cross, no matter how small. When traffic is snarled in one direction, most drivers think nothing of just moving over to the left and commandeering one of the oncoming lanes that may appear to be unoccupied a the time. Once occupied, though, and a face off is set, gridlock ensues.
Driving in the countryside is free form. The only rule is: don’t hit something. All else goes. It doesn’t matter what side of the road you’re on at any point, so long as you’re not about to impact someone else in the next microsecond or two.
Driving through villages is very much like what we experienced in Rwanda about seven years ago. The driver barrels through (as traffic allows), with dogs, children and bicyclists performing a calm but effective Darwinian Dance to avoid and evade. In Cambodia, you’re either aware, or you’re dead. The idea of distracted driving here (cell phones) is terrifying. We’ve seen very little cell phone use by drivers.
Population: According to our Intrepid Travel guide, Kean, Cambodia has about 15 million citizens with 58% of them being 18 years old or younger. Kids are just everywhere here.
All the Best,
Marty France
USAFA Faculty Chaperone & DWC Volunteer
Kep, Cambodia: July 2014
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