Pigs Going to Market; Cambodia

Whether they like it or not, these little piggies are going to market.

Part of the fun of travelling is seeing things that you would never, ever see at home.  Like this.

A friend and I were on a six-hour bus trip from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. We had just crossed the border into Cambodia when I noticed the bus had stopped moving for several minutes.  I looked out the window and saw that we were on a ferry boat, being transported along with other vehicles across the muddy Mekong River.

I asked the driver to open the door so I could take a look around.  That’s when I saw – and heard – something that made me do a double-take.  Two motorbikes were hauling a cargo of several live pigs.

Crossing from Vietnam to Cambodia on a ferry across the Mekong River.

I learned later that motorbikes are a common way of transporting pigs in Cambodia to market.  The animals are covered with foliage in an attempt to keep them calm.  Judging by the incessant squealing and squirming, the foliage wasn’t working very well.

We soon crossed the river and the pig-hauling motorbikes zoomed ahead out of sight.  About an hour later we arrived in Phnom Penh, checked into our hotel and began exploring the city before heading out for a nice dinner.

I strongly suspect that my day was far more enjoyable than it was for the pigs.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Copyright © Dan Fellner 2012