No, I Do Not Want a Tuktuk
The temples of Angkor Wat blew me away. But I was also looking forward to spending time in Siem Reap. From my research, it seemed like a cute little town with good shopping and tasty food. I planned for a week in Siem Reap so I could have some days off from temple hopping to explore.
This seemed like a good idea…until I met the tuktuk drivers of Cambodia.
Tuktuks are everywhere in southeast Asia. Most countries have their own variations on a theme. A small carriage attached to the back or side of a motorbike, or makeshift benches set up on the back of a pickup truck. It’s an easy and cheap way to get around and the most aggressive tuktuk drivers I had met thus far were in Luang Prabang, where they would lazily call out “Tuktuk? Waterfall?” and go back to napping when you smiled and said “No, khop jai.”
I am a professional pedestrian. I love to walk. This is both a cause and symptom of ten years in NYC. If there is a footpath, I don’t care how many miles it is, I will walk there.
So I set out to walk in Siem Reap, and immediately regretted it.
Tuktuk drivers line the street everywhere. Clearly supply has outstripped demand, even in this tourist town. At first, it doesnt seem so bad. “Tuktuk, lady?” “No, thank you.”
“Tuktuk??” Smile, shake your head no.
“Tuktuk, LAYDEEE?” Ok, now this is starting to get annoying. Didn’t he see I said no to the two guys DIRECTLY BEHIND HIM?. I’m going to ignore him.
“LAYDEE? LAYDEE? TUKTUK?!?!?!?”
Ok, guess ignoring doesnt work.
And so it goes. It is hard to truly express how frustrating I found the tuktuk drivers in the cities of Cambodia. Even as I type this, I realize it sounds silly. They are just trying to make a living. How hard can it be to politely say no? But when you like to walk, and you like to think while you walk, saying no thank you literally every 15 seconds is incredibly frustrating. And unfortunately it put a real damper on my enjoyment of Siem Reap. Going out and exploring was simply not fun when you are being harassed constantly. I even had one tuktuk driver ask me if I wanted a tuktuk WHILE I WAS IN ANOTHER TUKTUK.
I give up, Cambodia.
2 Replies to “No, I Do Not Want a Tuktuk”
“When you like to walk, and you like to think when you walk…”. Damn, it’s exactly that. I am a huge walker myself, but walking in Siem Reap is sumply not enjoyable. Those tuk tuk drivers are just simply plain freaking annoying, I have been here for 3 days and I could not stand them after 30 minutes. Oh, and you’re a girl. As I guy, I get constantly harassed with “Tuk tuk Sir? Massage? Boum boum? Smoking? Cocaine?”.
The government should do something about that, because it just ruins the cambodian experience. I heard that in Tunisia they it is simply forbidden for them to talk to the tourists unless they’re being talked to. Sad to say but this might be the solution.
It’s so frustrating! I don’t know what the answer is but it really impacted my enjoyment of Siem Reap.