Deb here...We are constantly amazed by how hard Cambodians work. Even the simplest things, like getting from one place to another, or getting cargo from one place to another, is daunting in a country where few have cars and where cars are not even that useful if the roads have turned to squishy, rutted, clay car traps. Following are a few examples of how Cambodians transport themselves and their stuff…
Taken through a rainy windshield, so not the best clarity, but you can get the idea that vehicles do not go anywhere unless they are being used at or beyond full capacity. You may be worried about the safety of the people on top, or about all the unbelted people inside the truck bed… but fear not for the front seat passenger. A new Cambodian law requires the driver and the front seat passenger to wear safety belts. So… two out of thirty will be just fine… probably.
It is not uncommon to see several large pigs being taken to market on a motorcycle. Sometimes there may be a litter of small (but not tiny!) pigs in a bamboo enclosure on the back of the motorcycle.
Motorcycles are used to carry way more cargo than I could ever imagine they were capable of. This man is bringing manufactured items in from the Vietnamese border to sell in Cambodian markets.
Sometimes motorcycles carry monks! Hard to see, but there are two monks as passengers on this bike (count the feet…), and a driver at the front. Monks are a bit like the Amish, they can get a ride on the moto, but they are not allowed to be the driver.
Buddha sometimes catches a left as well. Not sure about the exact rules for him, but I have not seen him driving anything yet.
In Cambodia, when the say “manpower”, they really mean it.
If you don’t have wheels to work with, you may have to use your head!
So… these are some of the odd things we see while we are on Cambodia’s highways and by-ways. One last photo: Strange scenes seen by Cambodians as they travel the roads in Kampong Thom’s rice fields…Us!
You just cannot really imagine how they could get this truck any fuller than it is!
Taken through a rainy windshield, so not the best clarity, but you can get the idea that vehicles do not go anywhere unless they are being used at or beyond full capacity. You may be worried about the safety of the people on top, or about all the unbelted people inside the truck bed… but fear not for the front seat passenger. A new Cambodian law requires the driver and the front seat passenger to wear safety belts. So… two out of thirty will be just fine… probably.
It is not uncommon to see several large pigs being taken to market on a motorcycle. Sometimes there may be a litter of small (but not tiny!) pigs in a bamboo enclosure on the back of the motorcycle.
Motorcycles are used to carry way more cargo than I could ever imagine they were capable of. This man is bringing manufactured items in from the Vietnamese border to sell in Cambodian markets.
Sometimes motorcycles carry monks! Hard to see, but there are two monks as passengers on this bike (count the feet…), and a driver at the front. Monks are a bit like the Amish, they can get a ride on the moto, but they are not allowed to be the driver.
Buddha sometimes catches a left as well. Not sure about the exact rules for him, but I have not seen him driving anything yet.
In Cambodia, when the say “manpower”, they really mean it.
If you don’t have wheels to work with, you may have to use your head!
So… these are some of the odd things we see while we are on Cambodia’s highways and by-ways. One last photo: Strange scenes seen by Cambodians as they travel the roads in Kampong Thom’s rice fields…Us!
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