getting fleeced

Though it happens quite frequently, everything is so cheap in Cambodia that even the rip offs are ridiculously small time. Top tourist activities like seeing the countries number one attraction, the mother of all temples in Cambodia, Anchor Wat will set you back a Jackson. I don’t know how that compares to our national treasures, Disney and Universal Studios but its probably a months wages for a local person. Mind you, I don’t believe locals pay. This sort of blatant price discrimination is accepted here, and its hard to get upset that your asked to pay a little extra. you figure, they need the money more than we do.

That said, the boat trip to see floating villages was one of the bigger scams Ive fallen for. when they told me the boat ticket was $25, that seemed absurdly high. Other tourists were paying the same amount and there was a vaguely official looking ticket, but this is about a weeks accommodation (in crummy places most people might not consider adequate,, but still) Could it be that much? You could just turn around and say screw this, like I certainly would if I was to stumble on the metropolitan museum of art on any day other than when its pay-as-you-wish, but when your flight here took almost 17 hours you tend to cave. This reasoning probably costs tourists billions of dollars annually. after boarding my cute boat which could easily seat 6-8, it pulls away with me as the loan passenger. Oh, I see, ive just rented the entire boat. while the driver and his tour guide host were all smiles, and let me drive the antique thing most of the way there, much to the envy of all other tourists returning that weren’t at the helm of their very own longboat, they all probably split the rental fee.

Chances are, people living in these villages would hardly want boat loads of white people with cameras worth more than all their worldly possessions ambling into their rickety water borne houses, but still, it would be nice if you saw more than the ridiculous floating gift shop: a collection of crappy paintings, useless trinkets, and poorly treated crocodiles on display in a small swampy pool, white people with their pasty legs in a big glass tank full of fish that massage crusty feet by eating the dead skin,. After this complete tourist trap. we re-board on our way to an elementary school. At a stop to the local store on the way there, I am persuaded to buy some candy for the kids and am overcharged by an amazing 800%. The con cost me all of $3, so its not a massive loss, but sucks that my moto driver, earned the same 3 notes for the 30 minute drive there, a couple of hours wait while I did amazingly touristy shit, and then the fearful ride back home in the dark, since so many vehicles lack what we pretty much take for granted at home: headlights.