Funny Travel Experiences: Drink Don’t Drive - Cambodia

Festival in the rice fields - Cambodia

Today I thought I’d share a funny travel experience with you.

One thing I absolutely love about Cambodia is how laid-back it is. The people are friendly, polite, incredibly helpful in most cases, and they love to celebrate any chance they get.

In Cambodia, that seems to be all the time. I’ve been invited to numerous weddings, attended a three-day water festival for Khmer New Year, and on this particular occasion, I was heading to a festival held in a rice field - I believe it was to celebrate the working animals of the field.

To get to the village, I had to rent a scooter. I’d visited a few places before and found a rental shop that offered good prices. They even gave me a discount when I mentioned I was a volunteer teacher out in a rural village. The lady boss said sincerely, “I am happy and grateful to give you a better price because you help my children.”

I love how strong the sense of community is here—it's like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.

As I was filling out the paperwork, I noticed a graphic on the form that read: “DRINK DON’T DRIVE.” I laughed as I read it—something felt off. The lady boss looked up, concerned, and asked, “Everything okay?”

I replied, “In Australia, we have similar signs, but they say ‘DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE.’”

She raised an eyebrow and said, “So?”

I explained that her sign kind of suggests it’s okay to drink—as long as you don’t drive—whereas the Australian version implies both are bad when combined. She burst out laughing and said, “Yes, but us Cambodians love to drink, more than we like to drive!” We both laughed together. I couldn't argue with that.

Apsara dance at the festival in the rice fields - Cambodia

It was dark, and the road was a rickety dirt track, often used by working buffalo.

Later that evening, after a few cans of beer and enjoying the incredibly loud music and festivities with other volunteers and villagers, my host insisted on driving us back on the scooter. It was dark, and the road was a rickety dirt track, often used by working buffalo, with patches of loose sand and uneven ground. I obliged, as I knew how bad the road was—I had driven us to the festival in the rice field earlier, and it had been a mission just getting there.

As we were making our way back, my host - being a local and expert on these kinds of tracks, pulled over in the dark to a plume of dust. I asked him why he stopped to abruptly, thinking we must have almost hit something! He dug around in his bag momentarily and pulled out two beers. He handed me one and cracked his open. They were ice-cold—he must have had a plastic bag with ice inside his backpack. He half-turned on the motorbike seat and said, “Choul moi!” (Cheers in Khmer) and started drinking.

Rickety dirt track heading back to the village.

I jokingly said, “Mate, you shouldn’t drink and drive.” He grinned and replied, “It’s okay, I am drinking and not driving.”

I spat my beer out laughing. He glanced at me with a look like, “What the hell, mate? It wasn’t that funny,” and then we both burst into laughter.

It seems that sign really is open to interpretation!

Have you had any funny travel experiences abroad you’d like to share?

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Thanks for reading! - Humble Traveller