Jun 27 2007
On My Way Home
Sure, there are no landmines in Phnom Penh as most of them are in the countryside. But living in this city could be no less dangerous (and verrrrrrry exciting) with traffic deaths rising sharply with more than four people dying a day in accidents this year. This is according to a report by Handicap International Belgium (HIB) which also states that the number of road traffic fatalities has more than doubled over the last five years and that there were 18 fatalities per 10,000 registered vehicles in 2006.
So you guys must be rolling your eyes thinking, “C’mon Toe, you’re from Manila. You’re used to driving in Edsa, Espana, Quiapo, Roxas Blvd., Makati Avenue. You ought to be used to traffic by now.” Well, since I bumped a moto (what they call the motorcycle, please see this post), I never drive here now. Let me show you why. These are some of the normal sites on my way home from work:
I could topple the passenger of this moto whose seat is the week’s market ration of vegetables:
Besides building great temples, the locals are also good at balancing.
I am so afraid I could hardly breathe when these motos and tuktuks (their version of our tricycle… yes, they’re allowed in all the main roads) swarm our car like bees.
These guys love their chickens so much that they’re taking them out for a joy ride around the city. Uh-oh, has anyone ever caught birdflu by driving beside a vehicle full of chickens?
Another uh-oh! My chances of getting home are getting slimmer by the minute.
Get me out of this intersection!!!!!
Sumbo, the elephant, and I keep the same work hours (he gives daily elephant rides in the park) so we always see each other on our way home from work.
Still not convinced? Check out this video I found in youtube.
For more photos on the streets of Phnom Penh, see this post. But no matter how much I try to describe it or show photos, you just got to be here to know what it’s like.
Technorati tags: Cambodia
Phnom Penh
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- On the Road to Sihanoukville for the Khmer New Year
- Phnom Penh Article in About.com
- Home Alone
- Good-Bye Cambodia
- Recall Order!
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Hehehe, in a couple of years, they’d probably surpass Manila and Thailand, traffic-wise. Lalo na diyan may elepante pa sa kalsada.
But then, that’s a sign of progress. A little more than a decade ago, the streets of China’s main cities were swarming with bicycles and motorcycles. Only a few can afford cars then. These days, their streets could hardly keep up with the ever-increasing number of cars and SUVs…
BTW, re those fully-loaded motorcycles, wala bang law against overloading diyan?
Oh and do check out this video too… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry3lfNg3roA
Mas grabe pala traffic and activity sa streets dyan kesa sa Siem Reap. Katakot din parang Vietnam. Natuwa ako sa elephant sa street. Hehe. Such exciting place
naaliw naman ako dun sa elephant
Oh,gawd,I needed that laugh Toe! Thanks!
Hanep ang resourcefulness ng mga Cambodians sa pag-pagalaw ng mga merchandise nila! Di naman nalalayo sa atin yan. Ika nga “if there’s a will, there’s a way” di ba? Kung nakita mo na sa atin yung home made na di-bearing na mini -tren, kargahan ng pasahero at tubig na gamit sa mga community ng iskwaters sa tabi ng riles ng tren, onli en da Pelipens lang yata yun ah! Toe, tingnan mo yung mga litrato ko nuong bumiyahe kami sa Alaska last year at di rin ako na-lalayo sa pag-karga ng gamit sa likod ng motosiklo tulad ng mga bumbay at Cambodians. http://www.flickr.com/photos/noypetes/
Hanapin mo lang sa Flickr site ko yung album ng Epic ride to Alaska. Galugarin mo na rin yung ibang mga litrato ko pati na yung mga kuha ko sa Kodakero days ko sa Maynila..enjoy!
Good grief! I was sure there’s gonna be an accident but… how’d they do that? haven’t seen a traffic like that in the Philippines, that’s for sure.
Run for your life Elie (the elephant)!
I don’t blame you for not driving, btw…
sa first four pictures naalala ko yung mga jeep at maliliit na truck sa probinsya na most of the time overloaded din. mas nakakatakot ata yun dahil dumadaan din sila sa bundok.
ang cute nung elepante! =)
nakakatawa naman!
Ang exciting pala ng buhay mo jan ah. Hehe. I remember one time when an elephant got out of the circus in Cubao and took a stroll down EDSA! Obviously the motorists wheren’t as blase as their Khmer counterparts! Hehe.
Wala akong masabe sa mga motorcycle drivers jan kundi–see our skylabs sa Mindanao! Hehe.
hala. wala bang traffic lights dyan? ba’t ganun kanya-kanyang takbo. at least sa atin tumatagal ang traffic kase may mga police na nagta-traffic :p yung elepante mukhang sanay na din sa traffic.
punta ko dyan sa PP! hehe. yung balancing work nila ang galing. pero marami din tayong ganyan sa South, yung habal-habal saka skylab. haneps sumakay dun.
and napapansin ko yung background na mga buildings…para talagang thailand sila at laos
sana makarating ako dyan
Upon seeing that video, only one word comes to mind – chaos.
Say hi to Sumbo, the elephant for me when you encounter him later on your way home
Stay safe, Toe
Parang nakakatakot makasabay sa paglalakad ang elepante, baka ma out of balance sya at bumagsak …hehehe.
Snglguy, madami ding SUVs dito… Lexus, Pajero, Prado… may mga Hummer pa nga. Yung mga mayaman kc dito, sobrang yaman. But yes indeed, development is quite fast… although parang probinsiya pa rin sa tingin ko.
Ferdz, oh yes… Siem Reap is a sleepy town compared to Phnom Penh. Ang gulo-gulo dito.
Karen, and that elephant is huge! I was quite shocked the first time I saw him.
Gina, everytime I see the elephant, natatawa na nga din ako at nawawala yung galit ko sa traffic.
Cge Noypetes, will check out your photos.
You have to remember though that this Phnom Penh is the capital of the city. Yung nakikita mo… ayan na yung Makati nila. 
Pining, accidents are really rampant. 4 people a day die due to the traffic accidents. Oh yes, I’m kind of terrified of driving now since my accident.
Carlotta, but remember these are pictures in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital city. Can you imagine the case in the provinces?
Mommy, you were here… you know how amusing it is.
Gypsy, yes I saw that in the news.
That elephant was in a rampage. 
Oh no… Sumbo is so cool. 
Rayts, oo nga… may utang pa kong mga hotel rates. Don’t worry. I’ll e-mail maybe next week.
About the traffic, you just have to see it to believe it. 
Tutubi, oh yes… if you come here, parang maayos at organized ang metromanila traffic.
I think Thailand is much more developed and Laos naman is more rural. Wala pa ditong skyscrapers like in Bangkok e.
Niceheart, chaos is indeed the perfect word.
Daphne, will high five Sumbo for you (he’ll probably be using his trunk).
Ann, ako din, takot sa elepante.
OMG those are real traffic hazards and at the same time I am amaze how they manage to do that. Talking about elephants, I remember that my future father in law was chased by one when my fiance were in Africa before
This is sooo funny! Finding an elephant in the middle of the road is very common there? I don’t think I can drive there
Looks like Phnom Penh needs a lot of re-engineering about their traffic policies. I can’t believe overloading is so rmapant there when in fact this could be the main cause why road accidents are so bad there. I wonder if the authorities there are contemplating about putting up restrictions.
By the way, I never thought chickens could be so “loved” that they were taken for a ride over there. That was funny.
I think I can still drive in Cambodia but I will not try because it entails a huge amount of concentration hehehe
I prefer to entertain myself with all these sights and have a good laugh instead…
I think I saw a statistic once that traffic accidents cause more deaths than cancer or heart attacks…. or something like that. In the US, I think it’s like 30,000 fatalities each year due to vehicle accidents. don’t quote me on that though. thankfully, I’ve only been in one accident…. with another car, that is. I spun my car out once, but that’s another story.
Anyway, I was trying to merge and I hit the car who was already in the lane. There wasn’t much damage since we were both driving slowly at the time, but I did end up paying for the scratch on his car. Could’ve been worse, I guess.
elephant????
pantapat ba yan sa mga buwaya sa EDSA? pero seriously natawa ako. naka-encounter din ako sa youtube ng ganyang eksena, this time sa india naman, naku, makakalbo si MMDA chairman Fernando kung sya ang in-charge sa india!
OT: i accessed your blog on a different computer, if there’s a will, there’s a way hehehe.
I am not surprised you don’t want to drive in Cambodia.
In Philippine provinces, I have seen a pedicab with more than 12 passengers packed in, a jeepney with about 35 (including those on the roof). While in fieldwork in Antique working with NGOs, I have gone up hills on board a motorcycle with two other passengers, buti na lang nasa gitna ako kaya more or less safe from falling. Signs of the times, i suppose.
crazy traffic! you don’t have traffic lights at the intersection? i guess it takes a lot of concentration to drive in Cambodia by constantly watching out for those slow going vehicles or animals. geesh, I will be better off walking home.
And some of them are driving motorcycles without a helmet. How reckless!
OMG…i think i’d kill someone if i ever drive over there (or manila for that matter!). i learned to drive in the streets of NYC, but it’s like driving in the country compared to the pics you showed us!
Off topic, check out my Tuesday entry. I have something for you…:-)
wahahaah! may elephant!!! ang cute! hahahaha
Except for the elephant, those things we see in The Philippines everyday. Yes, things aren’t so different.
hahahah gosh maloloko pala ako sa driving sa inyo Toe. Sa intersection sa video, siguro hindi ako makakalampas doon kakaintay kung pwede na ko sumingit.
Ay, Inay ko poh! E mas grabe naman pala riyan kesa rine sa Pilipinas!
Teka, teka.. nakarehistro ba yung elepante? May plate number ba? Aysus!
Chaotic nga. Parang karnabal, may elepante pa. I wouldnt want to drive there for sure.
toe,
i had a conversation with one vietnamese colleague here, he told me that motorcycle is their major mode of transportation. what’s with motorbikes in that part of the world – the philippines btw is gaining motorcycles, their so many in the streets these days, and yeah, traffic accidents will definitely rise….. sobra, bigla na lang sila magsusulpiutan… grrrrr!
Got a deadline to meet and can’t go bloghopping. Dropped by here to tell you i got a candy waiting for you at my site.
hi toe! long time no visit. I know I couldn’t drive in Manila, so I know I can’t drive there either. I don’t blame you. Traffic there sure is entertaining though
Scary! Parang obstacle course! Take care of yourself always!
I came from AnnaManila’s Blog!
Whoah! An elephant on the road?! That’s pretty scary. It’s possible they can get cranky and start stomping on people, right?
Anyway, any major city will have traffic problems. Here in Qatar, public transportation is almost non-existent (taxis are few, buses even fewer and there are no tricycles or any of the sort or camels for that matter) but we still get traffic jams and a rising death toll due to road accidents.
Road safety (and education) should be one of the major goals of any country especially the developing ones. How can the government move if everyone running it are stuck in traffic?
hmmm…interesting pics. looks like thailand din. they also have elephants in the streets, they consider it as a sacred animal and when people see them on the sidewalks, they feed it with bananas, usually sold by the one taking it for a walk. i usually don’t go near them, am also scared, heheh… my friends told me you’ll get lucky if you feed them w/ bananas though.
scary din yung 2nd pic, galing nyang magbalance. tsk…
These traders are really living on the edge with these acts. Anyway, yuo should see how they do it in India.
Update, update!!!
what if magwala mga elepante at banggain lahat ng kotse? naisip ko lang.
phnom penh is really an interesting place.
I haven’t been bloghopping for a while and I see you haven’t been posting. Are you here or elsewhere? Be okay!
Katok katok?
you make me miss Phnom Penh, too. i also miss some of my friends who are still there.
still no updates? lapit na mag-1 month ha
Suosdei, Toe.
Kumusta ka na? Missing in action ka yata.
Ako nga kahit nag-aaral pa lang mag-drive, takot na… kakaiba talaga ang traffic dito sa PP ano?
I hope everything is well with you.
Dami nang naghihintay sa update mo.
These photos are amazing! Wow! How do people carry and balance so much? This was so interesting to read. I’m going to have to link you at my new blog called Curious Villager (http://curiousvillager.blogspot.com). It’s a blog about cultures around the world. I would love if you submitted something some day, too.
Oh – and on my regular blog, Spilt Milk, I’m having a blog contest again.
The prize this time is a kid’s prize pack including 3 computer games.
Good luck if you decide to enter!
Chase, now that’s scary… getting chased by a wild African elephant!
Momoftwo, there’s only one elephant in Phnom Penh. There are more in the provinces. But I still get quite a shock whenever I see Sumbo, the elephant.
Major Tom, a lot of things needs re-engineering here…. hahaha..
I think it’s also their state of mind… they have no concept of danger of safety. Haha… chickens going sightseeing before the slaughter. 
Verns, it’s very funny… until accidents happen… unfortunately, ang daming aksidente.
Wil, good nothing happened to you. I’m sure it would have been much worse if you were both driving fast.
Zherwin, oo nga… I think it is much much worse in India. May mga sacred cow pa na hindi pwedeng igalaw.
Annamanila, haha… lahat yata ng moto dito, 3 ang normal seating capacity.
And remember, this is the capital… this is not a far-flung province in this country. 
Belle, would you believe… no sidewalks? It’s also dangerous to walk.
Abaniko, oo nga… I think it’s because they couldn’t afford the helmets, even the cheapest which is about $14.
Kat, oh I think it’s also difficult to drive in nyc… so many one-way streets.
Snglguy, ang daya mo… I remember we both won that award sometime ago and you didn’t do it.
Tin-Tin, hahaha… nakakaaliw talaga si Sumbo. Kuminsan, naliligo pa ‘yan sa kalye.
Ade, hindi naman yata ganyan sa Metromanila. Remember, I work in what is the equivalent of their Makati Business District and this is what I see when I go home everyday.
Mon, pag-pumunta ka dito, ipagd-drive kita… life here is exciting!
Rhodora, hahahaha… you’re so funny… rehistradong elepante.
Leah, I use the office driver now. And then I just try to close my eyes and pray… I’m also scared of his driving.
Rheiboy, ooooh… I think it’s even worse in Vietnam… so much more motorcycles there. I think it’s because it’s cheaper that’s why motorcycles are more popular. Most of them can’t afford cars. In the provinces, a lot of people use bicycles.
Oh thanks Annamanila, will work on it… promise!
JMom, oh yes… traffic here is always an entertaining conversation piece.
Oh hello Jigs! Thanks for dropping by! Sorry ha… kadadating mo lang, tapos nagpahinga ako sa pag-blog. Will try to make up for it.
Hi Jap, oh it must be scary to get into an accident in Qatar. Dito din… walang taxis and buses. Those motorcycles are the public transportation. The elephant is only for rides in the park.
You are right… developing countries should concentrate more on their road safety.
Carey, me too… I refuse to feed an elephant on the road.
I might run out of luck and the elephant would trample on me. 
I’ve never seen the elephants whenever I’m in Bangkok though.
Rey, I think it’s much scarier in India.
Abaniko, hehe… tomorrow.
Lazarus, oooo… I don’t want to think about that because that elephant is big. In Siem Reap, there are many elephants in the streets. So far, wala namang nagwawala.
Thanks Annamanila, just resting… will start again.
LIW, haha… tomorrow, promise.
Sexy Mom, come back and visit then.
Tin-Tin, one month na? That seemed fast.
Thanks ZJ.
Will update tomorrow. How are you? Lapit na ba? 
Oh, thanks Tee! I have been on a hiatus from blogging but I’m about to start again. Will surely check out your new blog and of course, also your regular one.
that video is crazy! I was so hypnotized watching all the cars and motos and whatnots, that I almost missed seeing the elephant! so the elephant has the right of way there?
This is far worst than Pinas !!! Grabe no wonder there are lots accidents ! I just hope that people should realize discipline is very important on the road ! I’m sure they know it but they need to be obedient too ! Teka bakit nakalabas ang elepante ? HILARIOUS !
Tina, haha… why don’t you and Rusty come over with the kids and visit? Then, you will really know what this is about.
Haze, hehe… that’s a tame elephant. He always walks home from his work giving elephant rides in the park on the streets of Phnom Penh.
this gave me a good laugh….super natawa ako sa traffic …habang nanonood ak nung video…sabi ko vroom…!! hala! eenng!….nakaktuwa tingnan pero nakakatakot din…parang nanonood ako ng kenkoy in action…hehehe…thanks for this Ma’am!
Jasmin, o diba, masaya sa Phnom Penh?