PANDORA’S SIEM REAP TRAVEL TIPS (Tip 5)
January
2009
Tip No. 5: Bear the dust and take the Tuk-Tuk.
When Padma and I stepped out of the modern Siem Reap International Airport, I expected a bus or taxi to take us to our hotel. Surprise, surprise…we were picked up by a Tuk-Tuk. I later discovered that the same Tuk-Tuk would be our mode of transportation for the entire duration of our stay in Siem Reap.
If you are wondering what a Tuk-Tuk is, think of a love seat with a soft cushion seat. Attach two wheels under the love seat and put a roof over it. Then attach the entire contraption to a motorcycle, and viola, you have a Khmer Tuk-Tuk. Our Tuk-Tuk was spacious enough to allow us to slouch and stretch our legs out. The seat was also comfortable. Unlike a car, a Tuk-Tuk has no door or glass windows. So, as we went cruising in our Tuk-Tuk, I felt more in touch with my surroundings. I also loved the feel of the cold air on my face. Of course, I did not appreciate having reddish foundation (called dust) on my face after every trip on the Tuk-Tuk. Yup, some parts of Siem Reap were very dusty. Having dust on my face is, however, a small price to pay for a cool ride on a Tuk-Tuk.
This entry was posted on Saturday, January 24th, 2009 at 12:08 am and is filed under Siem Reap, Cambodia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
January 26th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Hey, great blog! Looks like it’s really coming along. I haven’t lived in the Philippines long so it’s cool to read about things like the way they celebrate Chinese New Year here. I have to tell you though, I have been to Cambodia, and tuks tuks, while a very pleasant (if loud) and world famous mode of transportation, is a three-wheeled tourist trap! You got taken for a ride
(pardon the old old OLD pun). I never knew a local who rode those things for anything else other than emergencies. Makes you wonder why we Filipinos don’t do the same with our jeepneys so we’d have the funds to build a “real” mass transit system. But I digress. Great blog, great blog. Happy writing! Oh btw, tell your sister hi for me!
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:04 am
Hi Zindy! You are the first person whom I do not know who posted a comment. Thank you. Your post put a smile on my face.
I mulled over your comment about the Tuk-Tuk ride for some time and actually asked my friend Toe how much a Tuk-Tuk ride really costs. Toe said that a Tuk-Tuk ride costs about US $ 0.50. Padma and I paid our Tuk-Tuk driver, Tony, US $ 2.00 to bring us to nearby restaurant and pick us up after we ate. I hate to admit it, but you are right. We were had!
On hindsight, I did not really see many Cambodians taking the Tuk-Tuk. I realize that a Tuk-Tuk ride is too expensive for them. According to Tony and our guide (whose name I cannot remember), the average Cambodian earns a little over US $ 1.00 a day. So, one Tuk-Tuk ride will eat up almost half his salary.
I do not, however, regret taking Tuk-Tuk rides because, through Tony, I learned a little more about the Cambodian people. That Tony earned a little from us is alright. He shared with us his thoughts and that is priceless.
I will, however, be sure to tell my friends to be wary of Tuk-Tuk drivers who charge too much.