Driving a Left Hand Drive Car

This morning I drove the car back to the office which is just round the block.

I forgot that the instrument for a left hand drive car and a right hand drive car are opposite of each other. I switch on the signal indicator and it turn out to be windscreen wiper. So any one of you who are not familiar with a left hand drive car, check out where all the instrument are before you go onto the road.

Good luck with a left hand drive car for those who are so used to driving a right hand drive car.

Driving in Phnom Penh

I am going to church today.. To rent a motor tutu for USD3.00 or not.. The CRV is outside the apartment building... I have the car key.. No Cambodian driving license.. I am on my own.. The temptation is there..

What the hack? Unlock the car. Got into the driver seat which is on the left hand side of the car. In Cambodia, you drive on the left side. Can you imagine driving a left handed car on your own for the first time. It is not as easy as in Malaysia.

Foremost, in Cambodia, it is defensive driving. You got to watch out for motorbikes that can come onto your lane from all directions especially at crossroad without or with traffic lights. It is an experience. To avoid driving through the numerous traffic lights on Monivong Blvd, I chose to drive a longer route through Norodom Blvd where I will come aross the Independent Monument which serves as a roundabout. I really could not decide which is the right way to give way at roundabout where traffic move anti-clockwise since this is a left hand drive traffic. Watching the traffic in Paris at the Arc (a roundabout too) last December, drivers are to give way to traffic coming from the right just like in Malaysia. But this place, drivers and motorists do not bother much about obeying traffic rules, you just have to force your way through the traffic.

What an experience! Needless to say since I am writing this in my blog. I have arrived safely back to my apartment.

Time flies

Time flies.. and two months have gone since I landed in Phnom Penh.

Like is not much different between here and back home. The only different is that you can't meet up with your friends. Here in Phnom Penh, I still got to watch cable TV.. You can choose to watch from 65 channels in different languages and the stations are from all over the world... China, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, France, India, Hong Kong (English and Mandarin channels), Malaysia, Germany, USA, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam and Russia. And if I am bore, I still can surf Internet and chat online with my friends through Gmail or Yahoo chat and also to chat using a mic and head set on Skype. The wonders of Internet is here in Cambodia. It is not as backward as some people think...

You can also buy DVD of the latest movies and TV series. Looks like I got to buy a DVD player too as watching them on my notebook is tedious.

Education of Traffic rules

Since the day I came to Phnom Penh, the way the traffic can be a terrifying experience as the motorists and drivers do not follow the traffic rules. Crossing the road when it is green does not mean that you can safely get to the other side. You need to watch out for traffic for all directions at crossroad.

A crossroad without traffic light is like back home, when the traffic lights are out of order.

Last Sunday, at a traffic light junction near my office, I noticed that there are some youths wearing "Red Cross International" T-shirt holding red coloured flags. These youths were flagging the flag horizontally in front of them when the traffic light is RED. There is a campaign to educate the motorists not to cross when the traffic light is RED.

A Cambodian Wedding

Since I have been here, I have attended two wedding dinners. I was told that a Cambodian wedding dinner is similar to a Malay wedding receiption. If you want to be served with your dinner first, all you need is to gather 10 people for your table and be seated and your dinner will be served. You do not have to wait for all invitees to fill up all the tables first just like a Chinese wedding dinner before dinner is served.

Below are the two gifts I have collected from by the brides at the entrance of the wedding dinner hall.



The pictures below is a wedding procession I came across one morning on my way to look for breakfast:

Malaysian Mamak Shop

Yesterday and today, I have breakfast at a Malaysian Mamak shop called "Mamak's Corner" which is located on the next block from my office.

Inside the restaurant, there are posters of "Visit Malaysia" on the wall and on the table, you can see worn-out old newspaper, everyone's favourite, "The Star" which most likely have been left behind by Malaysians for the others who patronised the shop.

Listening to conversation among the customers, you will note that they are Malaysians as they were speaking in Mandarin, Cantonese and Hokkien and fluent English too. Even the term "kurang manis" is understood by the local waiter.

A plate of roti canai plus teh tarik yesterday cost me USD1.60 while a plate of nasi lemak plus teh tarik today cost me USD3.00.

Next dish - of course, the "mamak mee goreng"!!

My First Week in Cambodia

I am now working in Cambodia after successfully obtained a transfer to one of subsidiaries. I landed in Phnom Penh on Sunday (8 April 2007) without one of my luggage - the big one which contains all my clothings and personal items. I went to work the next day in the clothes I arrived in. Luckily for me, I have another set of clothes for the night, otherwise, my clothes will be smelly. The next day I went to the airport to identify a luggage which has lost its tag. I was so happy to see it was mine-the tag was still on the bag with an additional tag - RUSH to PHN. Nothing was lost in the end.

It has been a week since I started work in Cambodia. Feeling bored, I have been coming to the office for the past 2 days yesterday and today, as the Cambodian are celebrating their Khmer New Year from 14 April 2007 to 16 April 2007. The town is quiet as my office is near the taxi station beside the central market. It was very noisy just before the new year as people are "balik kampung". It is an experience to watch the taxi passengers pack themselves into the "taxi" (van) like sardines, with motorcycle and people sitting on the roof too. Too bad, I did not carry my camera with me.

The weather is very hot right now which I am told will last until the end of May. The first thing I observed on the road, no one is carry an umbrella to shed themselves from the hot sun. It is very painful on your skin. Like me, I don't use an umbrella back home but I will need to use one here!!