A Walk Down the Street

The first thing to know, whether you're riding in a tuk tuk, a van, or walking, is that in Cambodia there aren't stop signs or stoplights, or any of those sign type things that define what you should be doing on the road. The first trip out, and really the next twenty five trips as well is going to seem like there isn't any order. But there is, in its own way. In theory they do drive on the right hand side of the road, like we do, but if someone ahead of them is in the way, they'll drive on the other side for a while. Eventually they're return to the proper side, usually when a few other vehicles are heading straight toward you at a shocking velocity. Downtown there are vehicles everywhere - parked everywhere, driving all over the place, turning seemingly whenever they feel like it. (There's everything from tiny carts being pushed by people to massive shiny SUVs and Mercedes.

 Today our tuk tuk made a left hand turn through a mass of motorcycles and carts coming through the intersection - he just pushed closer and closer to the stream of vehicles till some slowed down enough to make a space just big enough for us to fit through. 

Oh and I did see one stoplight today - in town - a big one with green arrows and a countdown. Nobody appeared to be using it.

On the roadsides there are small stands of people selling large glass bottles - often Jim Beam bottles of yellow liquid. It's gasoline. There are large gas stations for the vehicles, yes, but the moped drivers, the tuk tuk drivers and the people with generators buy their gas from these stands. 

Lining the roadways and piling up on street corners are tuk tuks and their drivers. They shout to us as we walk by, Tuk tuk? Ma'am, tuk tuk? but I learned quickly how to say "no thanks". I'm working on "I'm happy walking".

There are also markets in town - small ones with just a single line of shops, and big ones that are inside, taking up a whole block with one big building. Inside, are racks 10 feet high of household items, dresses (they're big on the 80s colours, frills and bedazzling), wooden crafts, handmade bags, scarves, fruit and fish. It's all organized by sections - so that while there maybe many people with stands that sell wooden crafts, and we'd assume there'd be huge competition,  they will instead go ask their neighbour if they are out of the item you are looking for. 

The roads are also wildly dusty and often the ones that aren't paved are watered down during the day. 

There are massive hotels as well as the small shops and restaurants - evidence of the tourism that is increasing massively year by year. New buildings are popping up, fancy guesthouses and malls. In Siem Reap there is Lucky Mall. It's tall and white and shiny with beautifully clean glass windows. Its the touristy mall, with a hamburger place inside, a massive grocery store with everything you could ever want from home, as well as some clothing shops, a Playstation store and aircon that's blasting. 

And down the street is the KFC. The first of any Western chain to infiltrate Siem Reap.

J.