bicycling 'phnom penh'

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as i mentioned, i needed a new room. i also wished to check on a vietnam visa, so i rented a bicycle. much easier to go further this way. i didn't realize how crazy this bike ride would turn out.

it seems as though the concept of right or left-hand drive doesn't really exist in cambodia. for the most part it is right-hand drive, however if it seems easier to stay on the left side of the road, that is ok(actually it is the norm), wether you be a bicycle, scooter, tuk-tuk, car or even a truck.

mostly, there don't seem to exist rules of the road. if a car wants to turn he pulls in front of oncoming traffic figuring that they must yield. whomever is there first has the right of way. don't even think they look behind themselves when backing into oncoming traffic to leave the parking spot. though sometimes an attendant trys to stop traffic.

i guess the only road rules is that everyone watches out for the other idiots (i make a good idiot as i drive as if i have lived here my entire life) on the road and hopes for the best. it seems to work as i have only seen the outcome of one accident. it is a good thing that they drive relatively slow as any potential accident damage is lessened.

fortunately, i came away unscathed from my ride. i dare say i experienced more than a little euphoria from the ride. all that adrenalin makes for a great high!

** i should also mention that, unlike the u.s. of a., road rage doesn't seem to exist. perhaps i just don't recognize it?

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