You put one foot in front of the other and you know that the odds are against you. They have it in for you and there is nothing you can do but to continue to plod along. They use every type of machine, object or animal. Some are slow, some very fast, none predictable and all very dangerous and potentially lethal. Like the asteroids scene in Star Wars, they come at you from every direction, and there is no where to hide! They will get you in the crosswalks; they will get you on the sidewalks, walking in a park, no where outside is safe. Motorcycles, cars, mattress, pigs, ox carts, cows, kitchen sinks and living room furniture all have your name on them. No one is safe from man or beast walking on the streets of Phnom Penh!

In almost all cities except maybe the cities up near the north pole, or Wisconsin, you will see people out for a leisurely stroll, or even a brisk walk, some do it for exercise, some to take in the sights, for others it is a form mobile meditation, and it is something every doctor will tell you is good for your health, except in Phnom Penh Cambodia. My life insurance agent came here on vacation and the first thing he did when he got back home was to double my rates and his insurance company actually put it into the exclusions of things they will not cover along with blindfold mountain climbing, bomb juggling and wire walking on high tension lines.

It is a sport that is enjoyed by the local expats however; as they lay wages on how many will get run over an hour in the tourist areas, watch the bets really fly when there is baby carriage involved. They also like to sucker bet new guys on the dogs crossing the street, because for some reason the dogs always make it instinctively, nobody know why? The best theory is that if they hit a dog, the dog will not have any money, so who is going to pay them for their efforts?

Like the song “no body walks in LA” Nobody in their right mind walks in Phnom Penh except on a dare! Don’t believe me, Go ahead, try your luck, I double dare you!

Fred Tittle has lived and worked in holiday vacation resorts his entire life, from Lake Geneva’s Playboy Club, as a rock jock for KSPN FM in Aspen Colorado, he became a PADI Pro Scuba Diver in Hawaii, diving on Maui, Kauai, Kona on the big island, and Waikiki on Oahu. He now owns EcoSea Dive in Sihanoukville Cambodia where he teaches SSI and PADI scuba diving courses and runs liveaboards in the gulf of Thailand and Asia adventure tours, http://www.ecosea.com

Fred’s new project http://www.CheapCharliesHotels.com where he reviews cheap hotels , budget guesthouses, discount accommodations and cheap international flights, but is really an excuse to go scuba diving on vacation more, Fred is in Phnom Penh Cambodia the next stop Bangkok Thailand.