Some rules I have learned...

Some rules I have learned since arriving:




1. All things are possible in Cambodia.




 This rule is ever present. Seems if you have money or influence than you can do whatever you want. I mean anything. I have watched people drive through police checkpoints without stopping. I have heard of people getting out of criminal charges by bribing judges. Child prostitution is a real problem here (although not common or at least not seen in my area). If you want to shoot AK47s or even a rocket propelled grenade you can go to shooting ranges and do it (about $350 to shoot a RPG). My friend Mony had several military officers come to his restaurant and order a big meal. They ran up a tab of over $100 then walked out without paying. He couldn't do anything because they are well connected.










2. Darwin's School of Driving




 They use the Darwin school of driving here - survival of the fittest or in this case the biggest. There are no rules here - so yield to whatever can hurt/kill you! A pedestrian must yield to a moto or risk getting hurt. A moto must yield to a car, since the moto driver will get thrown off or worse. A car must yield to a truck or SUV since most cars here are compacts or smaller models. A truck or SUV must yield to buses and tractor trailers or face a unhappy ending! It makes sense in the jungle so why not on the roads, dirt paths, and trails that make up this province? They also like to beep their horns as they come to a blind corner or turn - to let others know they are coming and to get out of the way. Who needs street signs and stop lights, just beep your horn and everything will be ok.




3. Safety is optional



 They have this rule that the driver of a moto must wear a helmet or risk a fine ($1.25) but it is perfectly ok to have 6 or 7 people on a moto (including toddlers and infants) all without a helmet as long as the driver has a helmet. Somebody explain the logic of that? Also, many food stalls in the market or on the street like to BBQ meat (pork, chicken, beef) on sticks then leave them out in the sun. I have noticed that if a place doesn't sell them that day they leave them out to sell the next day. Simply warm them up and voila - "fresh" meat on a stick. Not sure that is very safe - thus I'm rather selective about where I eat. One final example is building codes. There doesn't seem to be any. People can build a house however they want and nobody comes to inspect that it is done right. Guess that could present a problem if there is ever a fire or electrical issue or if the house collapses. But again, safety is strictly optional here...




4. Dirt and dust are a fact of life




 Living in this province has taught me dirt is a fact of life here. During the dry season the wind picks up the dirt and dust and covers everything in a reddish/orange film. You can't escape it. I watch the staff at my guesthouse sweep the floors and wipe down the tables and within a few hours there is more dust on everything. Even in my room, with the door closed - the dust finds a way to seep in and cover the floor. If you walk around after a shower with wet feet you will notice within a minute that your feet are a bit orange and you are leaving a small trail of dirty footprints. So dry your feet right away and get use to the dust.




5. Just because someone nods doesn't mean they have any idea what you are talking about.




 The people here are super friendly and always try to be helpful. At times this works against you. I hired a moto driver in Phnom Penh to bring me back to my guesthouse at night and the guy nodded his head when I showed him the business card with the address on it. After a 10 minute ride he pulls into a gas station and motions for my business card. I hand it to him and he goes inside - seems we are lost. He comes out and a few minutes later we arrives at my guesthouse. Seems he didn't know how to read but was thrilled to have a customer that night. So even when I asked if he knew the place and showed him the card he simply nodded. That nod seems to have been in agreement to me being a customer and not of having any idea where I wanted to go. Luckily I had agreed to pay him $2 for the ride (double the price since it is at night) so other than getting lost it didn't cost me any more.


These are just a few of the simple rules I have learned since arriving. I know there will be more to come...