Home again, home again...

Bye bye Taipei!

Upon our arrival in Phnom Penh, we were greeted by... the heat. Well, ok, we were greeted by the heat, and several friends of Eric and Ginny's (in-laws, to those just joining us). Good hearted (and strong) friends they were, and they quickly got us loaded up and shipped out, as it were.

We got some looks with this setup.

Our bags piled into the back of a pickup (not the most common transportation method... you'll see in a minute), they loaded us into a beat-up VW van that looked like it had taken a few hits in its day, and could take many, many more. This was excellent, as the first lesson of Cambodia was about to begin.

The rules of the road! (momentous theme music here)

Same matter cannot occupy same space... neither can 4 vehicles.

Ok, here's the rules for driving in Cambodia:

Rule 1: If I am bigger than you, I go where I want.

Rule 2: If I am smaller than you, I honk my horn and try hard to intimidate you into letting me in.

Rule 3: The lines in the road are more like guidelines than actual rules.

Rule 4: Same thing applies to one way streets, oncoming traffic lanes, and oh, ambulances.

You might think this a simplistic way of getting around, and it is. Surprisingly, I've seen no auto accidents since arriving despite the fact that the roadways are essentially one big game of 'chicken'.

You now see why I liked that van so much. :) Continuing on, we drove through Phnom Penh to my new home, Takhmau (pronounced either Tock-mauw or Tocka-mauw... I've heard both), which is an area attached to Phnom Penh. It's kind of like a suburb... sorta.

Random store. One of many. This one sells paint... maybe.

At last, we were home. Eric and Ginny spent a considerable amount of time and effort to make a home for us here. The house we live in is not typical for Cambodia. The first giveaway is that it's actually a house, and, well... I'll save that for the next post, where you can see some of where I live, some of where Aidan attends school, and what living conditions are like for a large portion of the rest of the people here. See you soon, and, as always, when it comes to Cambodian driving... don't try this at home.

Author is not responsible for acts committed by parties reading this blog. Author takes no responsibilities for any vehicular acrobatics (Reckless endangerment), chicken playing (Class C vehicular felony), or other Cambodian-like driving methods (Congrats on making the news! Enjoy your 15 minutes of fame... till they catch up to you).