Category: Daily Life in Cambodia

Tourism is one of the pillars of the Cambodian economy. These two items appeared in the Khmer Times today. It might be better, though, to address the issue of common crime rather than cover it up.

Plastic statues of Jesus on a car dashboard are part of American highway culture (and also American country music). Inspired by a country singer or his Buddhist beliefs, this tuk-tuk driver has a rather large wooden Buddhist statue on his tuk-tuk dash.

Ice is a big business in Cambodia, especially in the cities, because refrigeration is not widespread due to the high cost of electricity. Especially in the morning, trucks go around to the restaurants to deliver huge blocks of ice to keep their businesses going through the day.

In the US, especially in the past, many cars had a plastic Jesus on the dashboard. Recently, riding in the newer motorized tuk-tuks in Phnom Penh, I encountered a driver with his plastic Buddha–and a few other figures I can’t account for.

Last year Cambodia’s garment factories exported more than $13 billion worth of apparel. The clothing, footware, and travel gear industry is a major sector of the kingdom’s economy, along with tourism.

There are more than 1,300 garment factories in Cambodia, employing upwards of 840,000 workers, mostly young women. Most of these workers travel from their villages to the factories in open trucks, standing in the back with no seats, no seat belts, no safety measures.

Road accidents involving factory workers are common. More than 70 workers were standing in the back of this truck when it was in an accident with another truck. They may have been lucky there was so much mud to soften the impact when they were thrown from the vehicle as it rolled down an embankment.

“Anybody want a banana? Not many left!….”