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| The market opposite our hotel |
Cambodia - one has to see it to believe it. Immediately after crossing the border, it was clear that this place would be very different to Vietnam. Our bus, careering along now very bumpy highways, began overtaking (among other neck craning sights) giant agricultural trailers, piled high with a variety of goods such as rice sacks, charcoal, trees, sugar canes and chicken cages. As our bus roared past, a handful of people could often be seen, balancing precariously on top of these carefully balanced loads, their skin dark and sun baked. And then we'd see the vehicle dragging these ridiculous trailers - and they were all scooters! Yes, again, the mighty chicken-chaser is king in Cambodia.
This fact has paved the way for one of the more annoying aspects of exploring the cities here. In Vietnam, it was 'moto' drivers (basically chaps who will take you around town on the back of their scooter for a small fee). In Phnom Penh, it is the 'tuk-tuk'. Imagine a horse and carriage, then shrink the carriage a bit and replace the horse with a tiny scooter connected to it with an oily hinge. The problem is that along all of the roads around us, and at major junctions, tourist attractions and markets, these guys will lounge around in their carriage calling 'tuk-tuk' to any potential customers passing by (ie. the white skinned tourists) - 'hey, tuk-tuk, hello, tuk-tuk'. Sometimes they will follow you down the road, wait for you to finish your meal and step out onto the street again - 'Hello Sir, where are you from? You want tuk-tuk today? Tomorrow? You wanna going to the killing-field?' The latter question being an offer to take you to a nearby Khmer Rouge execution ground (more about that later). Without exaggerating, I probably say 'no thank-you' to these guys 15 to 20 times a day - more if we do a lot of wandering - one after the other as they line up along the streets. 'Tuk-tuk?' 'Tuk-tuk?' 'Why you no wanna go killing-field? You go tomorrow? Where you from?' And there are still 'moto' drivers and 'cyclos' vying for your business too!
Although we are currently declining as politely as possible, it is starting to get tiresome - when I want a tuk-tuk, I will get a tuk-tuk! And indeed, this morning, that is what we did, hiring our own driver for the whole day to take us to the killing-fields and other sights that can't be reached on foot.
It's something of a weighty subject, the horrific rule of Pol Pot, his Khmer Rouge regime and the historical context surrounding it, but I will do my best to give a potted history (as I understand it) and explain some of the sights we saw today in my next post.
It's something of a weighty subject, the horrific rule of Pol Pot, his Khmer Rouge regime and the historical context surrounding it, but I will do my best to give a potted history (as I understand it) and explain some of the sights we saw today in my next post.
For now, please enjoy some unique images from this fascinating country:
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| Cambodian Taxi (Tuk-tuk) |
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| Cambodian Ice Cream Van - A scooter with sidecar converted into a shop, and parasol stuck on top! |
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| Cambodian Public Transport |
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| Cambodian Petrol Station - water and Pepsi bottles filled with fuel |
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