Justin Parke

Khmerican Family Abroad #27 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 Life In Transit 🎒 Part 3 - Tuk-Tuks 🛺

Continuing from part 2, this post is about tuk-tuk transit and the memories we've made in this humble transportation. 🛺

Tuk-Tuks 🤙 & Auto Rickshaws 🛺

We're back in Cambodia again for this portion of the transit series. Tuk-tuks are the most abundant form of transport available for three or more passengers.

The foreign woman in the photos is not my Mom, but the mother of a former Khmer student of mine, and she makes annual trips to Cambodia to see her daughter. My family and friends in the USA are from the part that produces non-travelers.

Of course you all know the love of my life @Sreypov, who is a fan of tuk-tuk selfies. We often drove our Bajaj to a hidden beach outside Kampot, Cambodia, with a view of Phú Quốc in the background.

It is the perfect picnic machine for a family of 4, hands down.

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](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/justinparke/uB8ICYAh-44.JPG)

The cheap cost of maintenance and the fuel economy of our Bajaj made it possible for us to take a trip whenever we had freetime, and without out any financial worries.

Tuk-tuks are the only non-motorcycle transportation which doesn't cause them to get motion sickness. You can really interact with the world and breather fresh air from a tuk-tuk, so it makes sense.

The traditional Cambodian style tuk-tuk is an underbone motorcycle paired with a trailer. These are better for views, but the trailers lack brakes and they are very heavy, so you can imagine the risks.

It was around 2005 when the Indian Bajaj autorickshaws began to appear on the scene in Cambodia. They run on LPG, are very economical and much safer than the traditional style Cambodian tuk-tuk.

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](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/justinparke/ye35gHO4-27.JPG)

I am so glad we were able to own one as a family. Our best family memories were made while traveling around in our Bajaj. We miss the freedom of movement it provided us now more than ever.

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](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/justinparke/HXFMThcN-27.JPG)

We are so glad we were able to sell our Bajaj to a good friend, and we see pictures on Facebook every day of the joy it brings another family. That is the circle of life I guess.

I do hope tuk-tuks are legalized all over the globe one day. They provide so much freedom to small poor families, and a country without tuk-tuks isn't one we have great interest in.