When Sang Myung Hun first came to Phnom Penh from South Korea, he had a hard time

picking out the motodops. Apparently, the usual uniform of colorful face mask, flip-flops

and worn Gap t-shirts didn't scream "moto taxi".

So when the business Hun works for, water purification company Gang San Co. Ltd.,

celebrated its one-year anniversary in Cambodia this November, he got a promotional

idea: motodop hats.

Hun ordered around 1,000 blue baseball caps, reading "moto taxi" on the

front and branded with the company's name on the back. Gang San Co. staff distributed

the hats to motodops throughout Phnom Penh, and even sent around 30 up to Siem Reap,

said Tith Many, a secretary at the company.

So far, motodops, cyclo and tuk-tuk drivers alike have taken to the stylish billed

muak. Those not lucky enough to stumble upon a distribution site sometimes even buy

caps from their friends.

Motodop Em Earn praised the hats while perched on his moto near the FCC recently.

"It has helped my business," he said. "The hats are useful so passengers

can recognize us."

But some Phnom Penhoise predict that actual motodops won't retain this advantage

for long. Word on the street is that the "moto taxi" hat might join the

ranks of the (slyly sold) police badge as a must-have Cambodian souvenir. Motodops

were recently spotted on the riverside trying to hawk their headgear to foreigners.(photo:

David Reilly)