Joe Louis rides through a flooded street
When we left in the morning it was a beautiful, sunny day in Phnom Penh with clear skies stretching across the horizon. But fast forward a few hours while we were riding a tuk tuk (a cart hitched to a motorbike) back home and it was a different story. And that is the nature of the rainy season in Southeast Asia – it comes on fast, furious, and suddenly. Then it leaves as quickly as it came in.
A simple ten minute drive turned into an adventure. When the heavens opened up and let loose a deluge on the streets below, everything slowed. The roads had rivers of water a foot high flowing through. Cars exercised extra caution in driving through. Our intrepid cab driver pushed on but his motorbike stalled every couple of blocks and it took him a few minutes to jump start it each time.
The best part was watching the local pedestrians who were clearly used to such wet conditions. The children saw it as an opportunity to play – the front yard pool they never had. Groups of children splashed around in large potholes, smiling and laughing the whole time. Rain was an occasion to be joyous, not upset.
Finally the motorbike wouldn’t go any more. Our driver began walking it forward, but this was not going to last. He pulled it over to a nearby sidewalk and asked a man for a few tools. It was apparent that this wasn’t the first time this happened. After some tinkering and a few minutes of kick starting, the bike was ready to go and we were on our way. The rain eventually stopped and we made it back to the hostel a little later, but the delay was worth the experience.
See what other blogs are saying about the rainy season in Cambodia:
“Though everywhere I’ve been people have moaned about the rainy season or had doubts about going to some places because of the weather, the bottom line is: rain could always affect your trip and plans no matter where you go any time of the year. It’s not worth worrying about too much and it’s not worth not visiting a place because the season or weather isn’t ideal.”
–Wanderlust and Lipstick
“Aside from getting drenched, the main disadvantage of travelling in wet season in Cambodia relates to flooding and degraded road conditions. The bulk of roads in Cambodia are dirt and in wet season they turn to heavily rutted and pot-holed mud pits. Travelling in rural areas, particularly the north and northeast of the country, can be slowed considerably. You will still be able to go just about anywhere, it will just take longer.”
–Travelfish (Weather in Cambodia)
