Tuk-Tuks

Although the guide books refer to them as remorque-motos, everybody else calls them "tuk-tuks." Inexpensive, comfortable ways to get around town, tuk-tuks are two-seat carriages pulled by motor scooters. Apparently, tuk-tuks are a fairly new addition to the tourist industry in Cambodia, coming from places such as China, Thailand, and India. Although all tuk-tuks have the same basic design, they differ greatly in style, age and cleanliness. Some drivers have remodelled their tuk-tuks to include a supplemental gas tank in the form of a five-gallon plastic jug duck taped to the carriage with a siphon hose to feed the scooter's gas tank. (I can only imagine the headline: AMERICAN TRAVELS IN BLAZE OF GLORY-- literally).

Drivers generally travel very slowly by western standards. They possess absolute nerves of steel. It is common to see them (and anybody else) traveling the wrong way on a one-way street if it's convenient to them; or turn directly into on-coming traffic without the slightest hesitation to make a u-turn or drop off a passenger--everyone else simply adjusts! My favorite example so far though happened a few days ago on Sihanouk Blvd, which is four lanes, two in each direction. It is extremely busy all the time with hundreds of motos (motor scooters), tuk-tuks, bicycles and taxis. Crossing the street on foot is very challenging if not impossible. We were on our way to the Lucky Supermarket (the one with the Buddhist temple in it), which would prove to be on the opposite side of the highway--of course, why make it easy?

For several hundred yards in that stretch of Sihanouk Blvd the on-coming traffic is divided by a concrete barrier (I guess to discourage turning, which is all but impossible anyway.) Upon approaching the concrete barrier our driver simply crossed over the double yellow lines (tell me why there are lines) directly into the on-coming traffic. (I do admit that for one of only a few times, I became concerned. I wasn't sure if it was more like being in a Monty Python movie or being the pretty girl tied to the board in a knife throwing act.) No horns, no yelling, no problems--everyone else adjusted; delivered safe and sound, sort of.