Time for a fill-up

Seen here is a very “typical” gasoline fill-up spot in Phnom Penh. Old bottles of Johnnie Walker, Pepsi, 7-Up and the like have been refilled with gasoline.  Since proper gas-stations are not as readily available, many of the scooters, tuk-tuks, and small vehicles regularly fill their tanks at places like this. I especially enjoyed that the regular bottled drinks are sitting on the next rack back.

A dollar for the Johnnie Walker special!

These stations raise some interesting questions:

• Do the locals trust the quality of the gasoline?
• Would they opt for a gas-station if the option was as convenient?
• What regulations govern these unofficial stations? Any?
• Do accidents occur often, with all this gas held in these non-protected containers on busy sidewalks?

After noticing these small refilled-bottle style of gas station, it made me understand that the kind I stopped at the other day, with colored gasoline being pumped from a hand crank was the next step up in the evolution of gas stations.