Perhaps out of gratitude all these years later, Mr. T is hell-bent on driving me to Siem Reap as fast as possible. His road style is bold, unorthodox and unnerving, and I'm beginning to suspect that he originally learned how to drive by watching "The Dukes of Hazzard."

Claude the Belgian, who shelled out $10 for the shotgun seat, is gripping the dashboard with a queasy, defeated look. The rest of the passengers, including Mr. Cham and me, are packed into the mini-cab so tightly that there's no point in trying to steady ourselves. With each road flaw, our heads bang back and forth in unison, like we've just been teleported here from a Judas Priest concert.

Mr. T slows down only for roadblocks that are manned by men with assault rifles. I have yet to figure out if these armed sentries are soldiers or bandits -- or if there is even any distinction between those two job descriptions in northwestern Cambodia. The roadblocks seem to be located only in shaded places where one can hang a hammock, and I suspect that anyone in this country with a spare AK-47 and a little initiative can find part-time work as a freelance Route 6 tollkeeper. Mr. T doesn't pay the tollkeepers much mind, slowing only to toss a 500-riel note (about $0.13) out the window at each roadblock.

When an old codger on a parched section of the highway tries to wave our truck down with a slingshot and a shoddy bundle of sticks, Mr. T slams on the brakes, jumps out of the truck and chases the old man off into the scrub bushes. I'm not exactly sure what nuances lurk behind this confrontation, but it's the most excitement we've had all day. Everyone cheers when Mr. T gets back into the truck.

The strangest detail about Cambodia Route 6 is that it is populated by so many children. Some of them are out fixing road defects with shovels; others help guide the trucks over dilapidated bridges. All of these kids demand a tip for their services, but Mr. T unconditionally ignores them. Lots of the kids are armed with Super Soaker water guns -- probably a holdover from the Khmer New Year's festivities -- and we get ambushed with water whenever we slow down.

Were I a sentimental ironist, I might make some dewy-eyed observation about how these kids represent the peace-loving hopes of post-Pol Pot Cambodia -- how these gentle, harmless water guns have replaced the tools of genocide. Unfortunately, I'm not so optimistic. The old ladies and chickens in the bed of the Nissan are completely soaked because of these spiteful little extortionists, and each time Mr. T drives past without tipping them, they shake their fists at him in pre-adolescent fury.

Next page | Wedding gunfire and a chicken for Mr. Cham