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O U R W A N D E R I N G W A Y S
Slow and easy
by ox cart
Saunter down any countryside road
and you’re bound to see one of these
ambling by. Powered by two wagon
wheels and eight buffalo feet, the
ox cart is the Cambodian farmer’s
equivalent of the pickup truck. In the
rainy season it delivers seedlings to
the fields; during the summer it carries
hay to the barn. It is a humble, yet all-
important vehicle that is as old as the
Khmer empire itself, its likeness even
sculpted on the walls of the ancient
Bayon Temple.
Not surprisingly, this old-school
transport has found new use as
a tourist ride. At the foot of the
Bakong Temple in the neighboring
town of Roluos, a handful of ox cart
drivers keep shop. Hop aboard for
a 30-minute tour — it costs around
US$10 — of the nearby villages,
market and rice paddies. The ride is
leisurely and the trail can be rather
dusty at times, but it’s a delightfully
easy change of pace from the usual
tourist itinerary.
Cebu Pacific flies to Siem Reap from
Manila.
Riding an ox
cart will provide
a nice change
in pace
