That’s right. Cars, motos, and pedestrians are basically the extent of traffic in Phnom Penh. There are occacionally a few trucks or tuk tuks (moto-drawn-carriage), but the majority falls in one of those 3. The crazy part of this culture is that there are seldom traffic lights (or signs, for that matter) except for on the major intersections. So if you need to get across the street and your not at a major intersection, it’s time to play Frogger! Hope you were good at the game and payed attention because now it’s real. Although it is just a little easier in real life. The traffic here is so used to peds playing frogger, they will often move out of the way for you. That is a sight to see. Looking at oncoming traffic and seeing it divide right down the middle. Motos and cars wizzing by you on either side, but there you are in the middle, safe and sound…. Until the big cement truck starts comin’ your way. Then it’s time to leave your mid-street comfort zone and get movin’ again.
Isn’t that interesting. Even in the midst of seeming chaos and danger, we will always find a comfort zone. As soon as God parts the red motos, we think it must be a place of rest. We don’t want to continue on because, although God has gotten us this far, the rest of the way looks a little too dangerous and uncertain. We forget that His strong right hand is not only there in the middle of the road, but the whole street. And although we are content in our mid-chaos comfort zone, eventually, either God or the enemy, is gonna send somethin’ BIG our way. And we must remember that he’s taking us to a place of true safety and comfort, the sidewalk. Which in Phnom Penh is also used by motos when the road way is too conjested! Gotta love it! Then He sends us across another road and another and another until we finally get to a sidewalk paved in gold. And there we may rest forever.
P.S. I posted two blogs at once so don’t miss the one bellow this one about God giving me an extra special treat.
