Be ready to ride motorbikes in Cambodia
If you come to Cambodia for any business, you must know that motorbikes will enter into your life. As soon as you leave the Pochenton International Airport in Phnom Penh, you will see motorbikes everywhere. Taxis still few and expensive and urban buses do not exist. They are only for travels from province to province. But you will not “take the metro” or “wait the buses”in any Cambodian city (or village) to get from a district to other. What to do? Relax and enjoy motodops and tuk-tuks!The urban public transportation is not yet developed, although some taxi companies give a fair service in Phnom Penh. From the Pochenton Airport to Phnom Penh downtown (about 3 kilometers or 1.8 miles), you can get a taxi for 10 dollars (that technically is expensive if compare with taxis in Bangkok.) But take care, there are plenty of alternatives: for example tuk-tuks. If you read this post already in Cambodia, I can assure you that you paid almost 10 dollars to the tuk-tuk to run the same distance. If you are about to leave for Cambodia, then take the taxi: it has air condition and will bring you smoothly through the chaotic city!
When you arrive to any province by bus, you will find several men with motorbikes waiting for you at the station. They will surround you saying “sir, sir, I help you, sir, where do you go“. If you come to the Sihanoukville’s station, but you have booked in the Don Bosco Hotel, you should know that this car is waiting for you, so just look for the sign.
Tuk-tuk
A tuk-tuk for two persons in Siem Riep. Photo Adam Carr.
Even if you think that tuk-tuks are a part of the Asian culture of the Cambodians, actually no. They are a recent foreign introduction from countries like Thailand, India, the Philippines and Indonesia.
They fit very well to the transport’s need of Cambodians and their visitors and conquered the main urban cities of the nation in the last decades. It is a motorcycle with a cabin attached to the rear, but creativity can produce many versions. You can find tuk-tuks that reassemble those of other Southeast countries like the colorful ones of Philippine. Technically, the tuk-tuks are the current taxis in cities like Phnom Penh, Battambang, Sihanoukville and Siem Riep. You can find tuk-tuks with enough space for 6 persons or smaller ones for two persons.
In the countryside there is a version of rural tuk-tuk, a cause of several accidents actually. The machinery of tractors have been converted in vehicles for the transportation of people. It is a big motorbike with a long cart that use to be crowed with farmers, school children and animals. Of course, measures of security are poor, but still they do not have a proper mean of transport for farmers at all.
Getting a tuk-tuk to visit town still fun and relaxing, for example, it is very appropriate in Angkor Wat. Just agree the cost before you have the service. Remember that foreigners are victims of over prizes. The tuk-tuk drivers become also natural tourist guide if you get the fortune of a good one.
Motodop
Motodop is the way a “moto-taxi” is called in Cambodia. There are plenty of motodops in all the country, showing an evident problem of unemployment for young people. So far, anybody can be a motodoper or moto-taxi-driver. Traffic rules still to be enforced. For example, moto-drivers have to use helmets now (since this year), but open disobedience to the rule is common. At the same time, many motodopers will wear their helmet, but they let the passenger without it. In this case, better take a helmet with you when you go around by motodop.
Women are expected to sit down sideways. You will see disorder everywhere in the traffic. At least they do not drive fast.
In Cambodia foreigners can drive a car if they have the international license. However, it is very rare that officials ask for the license (nobody have checked mine, although I have my Khmer license.)
Hotels provide for rent motorbikes for their customors. Normally, those motorbikes are to be used in town and rarely they allow it to take out of the province. It is expected that you drive slow and safely in Cambodia. If you touch somebody, the unwriting rule is that the foreigner will pay any damage, even if the Cambodian was technically the mistaken. If you drive in this country, better be pacient and try not to have the smallest accident.
waw you suspended the blog? Nobody is going to that hotel?
Brian Roth said this on July 12, 2009 at 1:33 pm |
In my opinion a tuk tuk is a much safer mean of transportation than a motorbike taxi, and more comfortable ; in case of rain is essential to avoid getting wet. The only cons is the price: try to bargain, remember that the driver had to pay around 4000 $ to get the vehicle, and has to pay for the license and for bribes here and there to keep his job, and , as in the most of cases, he will have a wife and a couple of kids to feed and to send to school, so forget what magazines and guides say , be realistic and human, and give the guy the right fare, which shall be a couple of bucks (max 3 $) for a trip within town.Try to flag down a metered taxi back home and compare the 20+ dollars you’d likely pay for a short haul there with the couple of dollars paid here for the same distance.There is a worldwide crisis, it’s true, but there is no need to be cheapskates.
Pietro Hublitz said this on June 11, 2009 at 2:23 am |
rule of the law? I am the law.
the sheriff said this on June 10, 2009 at 4:35 am |
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr,r,rrr,rrrrr.Rrrrrrrr,rrrr,rr,rrrrrrrrrr.
Rrrrrrrrrr rrr rrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrrr rr.
Mr.R said this on June 8, 2009 at 10:12 am |
hey Mr.R take better this: tratratratra… that is in do mayor.
Mr Tr said this on June 8, 2009 at 4:16 pm |
QUOTE : “If you touch somebody, the unwriting rule is that the foreigner will pay any damage, even if the Cambodian was technically the mistaken. If you drive in this country, better be pacient and try not to have the smallest accident.”UNQUOTE
well, Mr.Blogger, apart from your bad English, what you are saying it is not true, pretty puerile and goes also against all pedagogical/educational principles: there are clearly written laws and people have to respect them . Do you educate your students like that in your place?
concerned said this on June 8, 2009 at 2:11 am |
Thank you Mr.Perfect-English. Of course, there are plenty of well written rules and WE teach our youth to follow them. But outside in the wild things do not happen like we would like. Then, if you foreigner are in Cambodia, drive safely and touch nobody until international drive rules are fully understand by all the Cambodian society.
Albeiro Rodas said this on June 8, 2009 at 9:28 am |
agree with Mr.Perfect English .The rule of law is such a difficult topic for the average Khmer to fully understand and we don’t need any apology for transgressions , nor keep on encouraging the impunity myth ( so hard to eradicate) in the country, and we don’t need it all coming from foreign professional teachers . Better you stay at home, sir.
Ho Chi Minh said this on June 9, 2009 at 2:22 am |
mr.Rodas is perfectly right, here the bigger (or the richer) pays, and every foreigner is considered richer than average khmer people.
The best thing to do is to have an insurance (here it costs a tenth of what you usually pay in the West for a full bonus-malus type policy)
Regarding the rule of the law, one of the reasons why I love this country is that I don’t feel harassed by the laws as i feel back home, so let’s appreciate this exotic anarchy!!!!!!
pussybuster said this on June 9, 2009 at 2:48 am |
In Cambodia there are not medical facilities and/or ER, and the best which can happen to you in case of an accident is to be surrounded by dozens of curious Khmer, frisked upon very attentively, and when you recover after the shock, you’ll notice that your money, your watch, your mobile phone and your gold bracelet strangely are not anymore in their places.If you’re not that lucky, you’ll likely to get a med-evac to Thailand, which, if you have no insurance, will cost you not less than 30,000 USD.
Finally, remember that 90 percent of travel insurance are not covering accidents had driving a rented bike, so check with your insurance company before renting a motorbike.
Unfortunately in Cambodia there are neither public buses nor metered taxis, except for Phnom Penh , so your choice will be limited to a mototaxi (motodop) or a tuk-tuk.
When you hire a motodop or a tuk tuk, please take care to use reputable ones, usually amongst the ones who usually station in a certain place.Flagging one down at random will mean that at a certain point of your journey, especially at night , you will find yourself at the business end of a gun’s barrel.Be warned.
Motodoped said this on June 2, 2009 at 12:46 am |