Hello all again,
When in rural Cambodia is a shared taxi a taxi cab or van with multiple unrelated passengers or is it a pick-up truck with wooden seats in the rear or could it be both? Thanks, Paul Sarno
paulsarno
1
sanityclause
It can be all of the above although the pick-up trucks are now in a minority. By the way many of them used to have NO benches.
2
chiltern
Expect a second hand 13 seat Korean minibus with 21 people inside and 2 motos strapped on the back, 6 people on the roof and various sacks containing who knows what. Oh! I nearly forgot the cracked windscreen bald tyres and the fog horn that is blasted every few seconds. If you are a garment worker expect a open backed truck with standing room only that frequently overturns after the brakes fail with the driver fleeing the scene
3
thrive
As said, it can be all. However, we encountered few trucks with boards as seats, usually only out in very rural areas. Most shared taxis are somewhat to greatly battered smallish Toyota sedans in which they will cram 6 people (2 in front, 4 in back, not including driver) with no consideration to passenger size. On top of this they most likely will add 2-4 small children sitting/sleeping in a parent's lap and be assured they will be sleeping partly in your lap too. The driver will most likely honk a lot and pass other vehicles/ox carts/cows/people on every blind curve as if that is the preferred place to pass. Be prepared for the possibility of a "Mr. Toad's Will Ride".
Avoid mini-vans if you can, they will cram in 12 to ∞ people, many sitting on each other's laps, along with a warehouse full of freight that can be anything from furniture to motorbikes. Sacks of rice or luggage will be under your feet and people sitting on top of the freight that is strapped to the roof. The mini-vans will stop every 10 minutes to pick up more passengers and/or freight or even to wash the van (seriously, it happened to us). It will end up taking for ever and definitely longer than a bus or taxi.
Sometimes one has no choice, but I always choose car taxi over mini-van if I can when I am not taking a bus. One can pay for 2 seats to get extra room. However, if the route has lots of passengers the driver may ignore that you have paid extra and try to fit more people in. Remind him if you did and try not to feel guilty when everyone has someone sitting in their lap while you have extra room. I couldn't and ended up giving my extra seat to a 10 year old child whose father was very grateful and gave me a bag of Cambodian snacks which I shared with the child. I let him play with a drawing app on my cheap tablet and we had a great time giggling and snacking.
4
hotdigr
To paraphrase Thrive, (who got it completely right btw) - This is Cambodia, it is a completely unpredictable adventure! ALWAYS expect the unexpected and you will never be disappointed.
5
chiltern
A lot will depend on where you are travelling to, most travelers/tourists travel between centers of populations where more choice of transport are available. Most dilapidated minibuses you see on the road are area or even village specific which will take you from PP and drop you off in your village and often at your door. If I am doing a long journey I will take a regular bus just because of the leg room as I am a tall lad, however when I travel to see my adopted Khmer family I take the local minibus or a tuk tuk which takes much longer but more comfortable. The tuk tuk option enables the driver to spend time with his family in the province but still earn money taking me to and from the village but of course you do need a little local knowledge
6
thrive
hotdigr is absolutely correct. It is the crazy unpredictable nature of Cambodia that makes it such an amazing place and unlike any other S.E. Asian country. Some many be similar, but none quite like it. After 5 trips since 1998, I am still hooked. Even the car wash had us laughing. Although, at the end of the 5 hour trip that should have been 3 my bum was not laughing. With an open mind and a good sense of humor you'll be fine.
7
anonymous
@hotdigr
Perhaps visitors will need a drink upon arrival in Phnom Penh after a share taxi ride in the Cambodian countryside? :-)
9
anonymous
Yeah. :-) You should have seen Phnom Penh back in 1992 / 1994. Welcome to Cambodia.
On the other hand, hotdigr, if you wanted to step away from the bars for a while, see this page
https://www.youtube.com/user/Snookyville
This guy recently spent a lot of time documenting the recent changes in Kampong Som (Sihanoukville).
Maybe you could pick up where he left off? Internet users might find it interesting.
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