Tuk-tuk drivers are as varied as anyone, from surly to ‘your favorite uncle’. The best tuk-tuk drivers go by Mr.____. If a tuk-tuk driver does not tell you his name or is not a Mr.____, you might want to get into another tuk-tuk. Our favorite driver, in Battambang, a Mister.
We spent a half day on this tuk-tuk. First we went to the Bamboo Train then further into the countryside to Ek Phnom. Along the way we stopped for Kralan, a roadside treat consisting of sticky rice and red beans cooked in coconut milk, stuffed into a bamboo stalk, and roasted over a coal fire, delicious! He also took us to the fish market where they prepare and sell fish paste, stinky! Next was the swing bridge (Which is covered in a separate post) then a delicious lunch in town.
Our most 'exciting' tuk-tuk ride followed a day of Indianjonesing around Angkor Wat.
The 'Mister' tuk-tuk driver was not available, so he sent his son-in law. I sadly don't have any photos of this particular ride, you'll soon know why. The first indication that Friday nights in Siem Reap are different from Wednesday or Thursday night was when we were very, very nearly rammed and toppled by a cow who raced toward us at great cow speed. Yes, a cow. A determined cow. An angry cow. A big cow. Our driver kept pulling left and the cow just kept coming. We must have had just a tad more speed in our sideways movement than the cow had in its forward. Having narrowly avoided the cow, we turned the corner and began rumbling down the man drag. When what do we spy? A completely naked man running along the pavement. We were next nearly taken out, again on my side of the tuk-tuk, by a white Lexus S.U.V disconcertingly reminiscent in size, shape and color, to the aforementioned cow. Gods be thanked the drinks at the Wooden House bar were delicious...
Because on our return trip, with the same unlucky(?) driver, we were very nearly t-boned by a Rolls-Royce! Again on my side of the cart. And the Rolls had a red light. Honestly, how many Rolls-Royce can there be in Siem Reap? The lesson: always take a tuk-tuk with a driver who is a Mister.
Generally speaking, a tuk-tuk is an auto rickshaw also known as an auto, baby taxi, bajaj, chand gari, lapa, 3wheel, or tukxi and is a motorized envisioning of the traditional pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt (on purpose). Japan was the first manufacturer and exporter of auto-rickshaws. Diahtsu first exported three-wheelers to Thailand in 1934. Currently, Bajaj Auto of India is the world's largest auto rickshaw manufacturer, selling 780,000 tuk-tuks in 2019.
Cambodian tuk-tuks are generally of the ‘cart pulled by a motorcycle’ type officially designated by the French era term, remarque. In some places you do see the Diahatsu type, particularly newer, electric powered tuk-tuks in larger cities. Both types are referred to casually as tuk-tuk. The two-wheeled carriages pulled behind a moto, the Cambodian style tuk-tuk, are a fun and breezy way to travel and are marginally safer than going by moto, mostly because they go at about half the speed. Any other feeling of safety is strictly an illusion. In Cambodia, a tuk-tuk is the best way to travel short distances. The south-east Asian habit of parking motos on the pavement, chaotic traffic on the streets, the generally very poor quality of pavements/sidewalks, and just the heat and humidity, makes walking even short distances a frustrating and dangerous activity. For longer journeys a tuk-tuk offers not only a strong breeze against the torridity, but excellent views and the ability to hear local sounds and smell local smells unobstructed by the steel and glass of an auto (for good or ill). While a tuk-tuk cannot squeeze into the small holes in traffic like a moto, it can squeeze more than an auto so can avoid some traffic. They also apparently make a great place to sleep, although I have not tested it myself. We even saw tuk-tuks with hammocks hung corner to corner through the passenger cart, adding a tropical edge to the drivers nap.
Nice sunset views too.
