Daily Life in Cambodia

Charcoal in the City—#1

29 July 2012

Phnom Penh is a somewhat schizophrenic city. It is desperately trying to be a first-world, world-class city so it is erecting its first generation of skyscrapers and hosting high-level regional meetings. At the same time, it is a city without traffic law and one that depends on open cooking fires to feed its population. Most families and households in Phnom Penh cook with charcoal which is the center of a local industry very much a part of daily life. These pictures are of the front-end of the charcoal business, the big and medium-sized wholesalers who deliver to the city and its neighborhoods.

The charcoal is made in surrounding provinces where they have the trees and kilns. Then motorcycle-pulled remarques (wagons) like this one bring it into the city.

There is enough lucrative charcoal trade in the city that some purveyors bring their loads into town by pickup truck.

Once into town, the big loads are divided among a network of small wholesalers who will deliver it to markets and shops around the area.

This van in its lifetime has probably hauled just about anything that would fit inside but now it is dedicated to delivering loads of charcoal.

Many charcoal sellers are husband and wife teams. Someone stays on the motrocycle going through the streets and the other hops off and weighs and sells bags of charcoal street by street in the neighborhoods.

---

Go to Daily Life main page
Go to Charlie Dittmeier's homepage