The Food Chain: Lexus' - Tuk tuk's - Motos - me

Although I'm right now sitting in the Gecko's Cafe in Battambang, I'd like to share some more Phnom Penh impressions with you first (although they also apply to some extent to the situation here).
A very rewarding experience for me, was to rent a bicycle and cruise around the city, with the only purpose of taking pictures of some of the sights. Well, I did so, but I largely forgot about taking pictures, as it was such fun to take part in the City's traffik. As you can read in most tourist guides (I read quite a lot of them already), traffik is largely chaotic. It does not, for example constitute a problem to drive on the opposite side of the street or even to drive into a roundabout the wrong way. As long as you have mirrors and a helmet on your head, just about the only reason the police will stop you for is to collect some extra fee (as a police officer's wage is by far to high enough to support a family, this is very understandable).
The horn is commonly used to reveal one's own presence to anybody who could just potentially not have noticed you yet (in the consequence, it gets used a lot). The only rule that is almost universial is the rule of size. If you are big and your car fits through thew street, then you can usually drive, if you are small, you wait. By the way, there are some traffik signs, but those are almost completely neglected. The only traffik lights I've seen so far were on some major crossings in Phnom Penh (and were only partly observed).
All this might convey the impression of Phnom Penh's traffik being very, very dangerous. However, from my experience, this is not true. Let me give you some examples:
As a pedestriant, if you want to cross a street, you can just wait for a safe moment to start and then cross the street at a steady, determined pace (in most cases you don't even have to look right or left) - the motos, tuk tuks cars and other vehicles will simply evade you.

Also as bicycle-driver, you don't really get a feeling of danger or fear. This is largely due to the fact that trafik is pretty slow (it is rare to see someone driver faster than 4okm\h in the city). However, it is also due to the smoothness of traffik. It is almost like an invisible ballet, where everybody knows his part. A truly chaotic ballet, but a working one nevertheless, and beautiful in a special way.

Note on Motodubs (called motos) and Tuktuks: These constitute the
public inner-city transport of Cambodia. Motos are usual motorbikes with a big backseat, where up to two big (not too big maby, about my size) or three smaller persons can be accomodated. Tuktuks are moto-drawn vehicles with two seats. The comfortable number of persons to drive with one is 4, while you can easily fit in 7 or even 8.

In Phnom Penh, you tend to quickly develop a phobia towards drivers of such vehicles as they inviations for a ride accompany you everywhere. Logical barriers (you just descended from a tuktuk, so you are not very likely to ascend another immediately) don't hinder them, yet their questions can usually be satisfied by a dismissive hand gesture, mopst people quickly adopt. (Believe me, it is strenous to pronounce a "no" every third step).