Photo Gallery & Impressions 27 -
Cambodia - Transportation
We
present in this album several photos of various means of transportation we
observed in the Siem Reap/Angkor Wat area. We hope you in the West view
these images as we did - not as being humorous examples of
"backwardness" or of being less developed - but as examples of moving
people and products efficiently without gross waste. We returned to the
U.S. after our time in Southeast Asia, and were sadly impressed with the
contrast of how wasteful our country is regarding transportation. It is
common to see an American lady driving to get her hair done in a huge,
gas-guzzling S.U.V., or a single man commuting many miles to work in a
one-ton, four wheel drive pickup with no cargo other than his Star Buck's coffee
cup.
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| One of the first
things we noticed in Cambodia is the higher percentage of bicycles in use
compared to Thailand. |
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| Here pedal power moves
many people as well as merchandise & farm products, like this load of
coconuts. |
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| Many baskets & woven
trays can be carried on the back of one bike. |
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| Here we see more people
going to work or school on smaller motorcycles than cars or bicycles. |
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| And, like Thailand, it is
very common to see many on one motorbike, like the couple in the background
also carrying 3 children. |
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| Here a sleeping child is
wedged between mom & dad. |
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| A large basket on the
back can carry much on these lightweight cycles. |
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| Sometimes the load looks
larger than the bike & driver - sometimes it is! |
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| Three live piglets &
a bag of feed is easily transported by this farmer. |
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| In addition to
a bike & motorcycles,
here we see a group being carried on a motorcycle trailer. |
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| Here we see 3 different
"motor trailers" carrying different kinds of loads. |
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| Here is a close-up view
of one of these little work horses rigged with the trailer hitch to pull
these trailers. |
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| Two large hogs & a
passenger are pulled by this rig. |
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| The motorcycle here is
dwarfed by this large trailer. |
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| Two workers & a large
load are being moved by this small bike. |
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| A large load of wooden
poles & an extra worker is in front of us here. |
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| Another huge load for a
small motorcycle. |
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| Six workers & their
tools go to the job on this rig. |
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| Cambodia's version of the
people carrying tuk-tuk. |
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| Of course larger vehicles
are used, but usually carry very full loads. |
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Out
in the countryside the classic water buffalo is still dependable
transportation.
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Our emergency
medical personnel friends might point out the dangers of cycle riders not
wearing safety helmets among those in our photos. Granted a helmet
program could very possibly prevent head injuries,
but somehow this risk pales for us as we return to the States & our
hazardous freeways. We were especially struck by this contrast when we read
Gladwell's New Yorker article, "Big and Bad; How the S.U.V. ran over
automotive safety," in the January 12th issue. Read this & ask
yourself which is more sensible....? [Sorry, the New Yorker article is
not available online, however an
interview on this topic with author Malcolm Gladwell is available in
the New Yorker's "Online Only" site.]
Day
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2 AM
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3 PM Trans.
Sampler
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