Category: Daily Life in Cambodia

Why?

An enduring mystery for me about Cambodia is one of their driving quirks: drivers of three- and four-wheel vehicles don’t drive in the middle of the lane as might be expected. Instead it is normal for the driver to straddle the lane marker–not to center the car or tuk-tuk on the white line but rather to make sure one wheel is over the line. In this photo of a three-wheel tuk-tuk on a definitely not-crowded street, the right wheel straddles the lane marker. Why do they do that?

New Wheels 2

Back on January 1st, I showed some pictures of the small motorized tuk-tuks that have become the new norm for public transportation in Cambodian cities. Four models with LPG-powered engines were featured.

Well, there’s a new kid on the block. The Onion is a new version of the now familiar motorized tuk-tuks but it is different for two reasons. First, it is produced in Cambodia! It was completely designed here and is locally manufactured. And secondly, it is electric. It has a lighter plastic body and a really quiet electric motor to propel it.

Is it safe?

When I opened up a new box of soap (from Thailand) today, I noticed it had an expiry date printed on it. Given that food dealers are super cautious about things like expiration dates because of the risk of getting sued, I’m betting that even a year after 8 November 2024 the soap will still be safe to eat.

No mailman

After I wrote an article for the Catholic newspaper of the Archdiocese of Louisville family, former students, and others donated to help pay for our work with refugees here. I wanted to write a personal thank-you to them but we have had no outgoing mail since it stopped in May, 2020 because of Covid. I decided to write the thank-yous and send them by courier to Louisville where my sister would drop them in a mailbox. Yesterday I contacted UPS here and they wanted $92 to send the letters; DHL wanted $82. I then went to Express Mail Service of the post office and sent them for $37. But after I paid, the clerk told me it would take five to ten days to get to the US!

Oh, well….at least my investment years ago in Forever stamps paid off. I bought them for 32¢, I believe, and now they cost 60¢+.

It’s the way we do it here….

This photo shows why Phnom Penh’s traffic is so horrendous–and deadly. Notice 1) there are no lanes painted on the road; 2) there is no attempt by drivers to stay in anything resembling a lane of traffic; 3) physical barriers are widely used in Phnom Penh because lane markings are ignored, but here an opening is provided to nullify the effect of the barrier; and 4) allow a truck to make a U-turn right in front of the sign saying no U-turns. Cambodia averages about five traffic deaths a day.