We explored some more ruins today that were very nice, but having seen Angkor Wat they were anticlimactic.
I thought instead of discussing the ruins I would show a little about life in “modern” Cambodia.
The only form of transportation we have used in the country are tuktuks. Tuktuk is a somewhat generic word for simple forms of transport in many third world countries from Africa through Asia, usually serving the function of a taxi. In Cambodia they take the form of a 2-wheeled cart pulled by a small motorcycle, usually about 100cc. Top speed is about 20 miles per hour (measured by my GPS app). The occupants are almost exclusively tourists.
Here Angela and Da Quan are getting into their tuktuk. Gisele and I rode another one.
Here are a couple of gas stations by the road, with an attendant standing by.
The attendant is adding a liter of gas to our tuktuk.
We drove for over an hour through the countryside today and saw lots of rural scenes.
Here is a typical house on stilts.
We are all really enjoying the fresh tropical fruits, including mangos, mangosteens, and many others I don’t know the names of. It’s common to get a fresh coconut for the drink with the meal. They cost about a dollar, and the milk (about a pint) is fresh, clear and sweet. Sometimes after drinking the milk we have them cut open so we can spoon out the soft flesh coating the inside. Nothing like the coconut we can get in the US.
This is my coconut, and across the table Angela is scooping out the flesh of hers.
Tomorrow we briefly visit a museum about Angkor, and then catch an early afternoon flight back to Saigon (HCM City).
9 responses so far ↓
1 Richard // Mar 6, 2014 at 7:14 am
Ah, the good ole days when the attendant filled your tank for you.
2 Mom // Mar 6, 2014 at 8:30 am
Those coconuts look so fresh and sweet, Grandma Lafferty wouldn’t have called them “carpet rags”. Just seeing them makes me salivate–so good
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3 Donna // Mar 6, 2014 at 6:15 pm
Looks like driving a tuktuk is a good job to have. No education required, and just riding slowly around the countryside all day. I guess the heat and humidity would make it less enjoyable, but no more so than mowing lawns in Phoenix in July. How expensive are they? Comparable to a taxi in the states (based on the COL)?
Interesting and pretty. Looks about like I pictured Cambodia to look.
4 Mom // Mar 6, 2014 at 7:21 pm
I wish that Angela didn’t have her arm across her face. I haven’t seen her in so many years that it would be good to know what she looks like.
5 Daryl // Mar 6, 2014 at 10:58 pm
Donna,
The tuktuk costs a dollar to go anywhere in town. We spent $15 one day and $25 another to have it all day. That’s a pretty good day for them, though they have to buy gas out of that. I think most of the drivers rent their tuktuk, so that cuts into their profit too.
6 Dale // Mar 8, 2014 at 12:47 pm
I’ve heard that they will put a family of four all on a little motorcycle and drive around town.
7 Daryl // Mar 8, 2014 at 4:47 pm
I’ve seen a family of 5 on a motorcycle, and someone else said they saw 6.
8 Mom // Mar 9, 2014 at 4:29 pm
Are there no two seated tuktuks?
9 Daryl // Mar 9, 2014 at 5:50 pm
Mom,
The tuktuks all have two facing seats wide enough for two in each seat, so potentially they could seat 4, but as your knees would be banging together we usually rode two in each for long trips.
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