SCAMbodia 2013
Once again the adventures of Abby and Ryan continues...This time it's through Cambodia and Vietnam!
After we said our farewell to Korea we jumped on a plane ( did I say jumped? I mean sprinted) to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Our last few months in Korea were seemingly never ending and we couldn't wait to begin a relaxing vacation soaking up the sun in a stress-free environment.
After we said our farewell to Korea we jumped on a plane ( did I say jumped? I mean sprinted) to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Our last few months in Korea were seemingly never ending and we couldn't wait to begin a relaxing vacation soaking up the sun in a stress-free environment.
Well, we did end up in an environment, that's for sure. But instead of the constant nagging that we became accustomed to from little Korean children (as well as from our boss) we were hassled by the locals. I swear I've never been offered so many things in my life. After awhile it just became so stressful to even acknowledge them. We were asked to buy everything from tuk-tuk (makeshift vehicle) rides, to foot massages (which you bet we did), to petting a pet snake, to even joints sold by children. Some "salesmen" even decided to just cut to the chase and say "Tuk-tuk, weed?" We found this hilarious. No need for pleasantries in Cambodia.
Now you are probably asking yourself why did I title the name of this post "SCAMbodia", well the answer is simple: Cambodia is one giant scamming community all rolled into one, trying to rip off as many foreigners as possible. The second we stepped off the plane, we were taken to our hotel room and that is when the immediate hussling began. Our taxi driver seemed like such a nice man, until at the very end of our ride he began pitching his serivces to us. If you're anything like me, you try to see the best in people, and if so, then that will too be your downfall. We agreed to his tour of Angkor Wat, but of course when the time came for the tour he wasn't the one giving us the tour, it was his "brother". Yeah, I'm sure.... I need to learn to not be such a sucker. Cambodia taught me to question EVERYTHING, and for that I say "thank you, Scambodia". See, even if things go bad while backpacking, you still learn something.
After our time in Siem Reap we then ventured to Sihanoukville. The journey to this destination from Siem Reap involved a very slow moving 11 hour bus ride, with multiple stops along the way. The journey was even more difficult because what seemed to be the offspring of an ogar was snoring louder than an angry rhino across from us....ugghh. Then just to add to our already profound dislike of the locals, our taxi driver from the bus stop took us to the most remote hotel at the far end of the beach. Luckily at this point we have become bonifed bullshit detectors, and turned down their offer when they tried to charge us double the price of a hotel beach front. After we said no, he then dropped the price in half. Although the price was only 6 dollars for a night, we found an amazing place for 12! Go us. I would like to tell you that the rest of our time in Cambodia was scam-free, but nope, there is more...
Ryan and I decided to rent motorbikes (which might I add, is the BEST way to travel in any city you travel to). So here we are, just two awesome people cruising along enjoying the city landscape, when all of a sudden we are being pulled over by the Cambodian police. I immediately switched to "oh shit mode" and my adrenaline kicked in. The police officer ( who by the way spoke very poor English) tells us that we don't have our lights on...hmm...lights on? At noon? Weird. He then proceeded to ask us for our driver's license, which we didn't have. Then he continued to tell us that for these violations we will need to cover about $50 in lawyer and court fees. At this point I am livid. Clearly these officers are discriminating against foreigners and exploiting us to receive money. After we tell him we are from Canada (which we do a lot when we get in trouble traveling, everyone loves Canadians!) he then tells us that if we pay HIM only $10, he will let us go with no charge. Now, I know $10 is nothing compared to traffic violations in America, but it's the principle of the matter, and I really just wanted to sock this guy in the face. After Ryan calmed me down, we paid the man and left. FYI if you run into a similar situation, just take the ticket. We found out later that it is only a three dollar ticket. Luckily our predicament wasn't that bad. It could have been much worse, but it still disgusts me when people of authority take advantage of their powers.
Now you are probably asking yourself why did I title the name of this post "SCAMbodia", well the answer is simple: Cambodia is one giant scamming community all rolled into one, trying to rip off as many foreigners as possible. The second we stepped off the plane, we were taken to our hotel room and that is when the immediate hussling began. Our taxi driver seemed like such a nice man, until at the very end of our ride he began pitching his serivces to us. If you're anything like me, you try to see the best in people, and if so, then that will too be your downfall. We agreed to his tour of Angkor Wat, but of course when the time came for the tour he wasn't the one giving us the tour, it was his "brother". Yeah, I'm sure.... I need to learn to not be such a sucker. Cambodia taught me to question EVERYTHING, and for that I say "thank you, Scambodia". See, even if things go bad while backpacking, you still learn something.
After our time in Siem Reap we then ventured to Sihanoukville. The journey to this destination from Siem Reap involved a very slow moving 11 hour bus ride, with multiple stops along the way. The journey was even more difficult because what seemed to be the offspring of an ogar was snoring louder than an angry rhino across from us....ugghh. Then just to add to our already profound dislike of the locals, our taxi driver from the bus stop took us to the most remote hotel at the far end of the beach. Luckily at this point we have become bonifed bullshit detectors, and turned down their offer when they tried to charge us double the price of a hotel beach front. After we said no, he then dropped the price in half. Although the price was only 6 dollars for a night, we found an amazing place for 12! Go us. I would like to tell you that the rest of our time in Cambodia was scam-free, but nope, there is more...
Ryan and I decided to rent motorbikes (which might I add, is the BEST way to travel in any city you travel to). So here we are, just two awesome people cruising along enjoying the city landscape, when all of a sudden we are being pulled over by the Cambodian police. I immediately switched to "oh shit mode" and my adrenaline kicked in. The police officer ( who by the way spoke very poor English) tells us that we don't have our lights on...hmm...lights on? At noon? Weird. He then proceeded to ask us for our driver's license, which we didn't have. Then he continued to tell us that for these violations we will need to cover about $50 in lawyer and court fees. At this point I am livid. Clearly these officers are discriminating against foreigners and exploiting us to receive money. After we tell him we are from Canada (which we do a lot when we get in trouble traveling, everyone loves Canadians!) he then tells us that if we pay HIM only $10, he will let us go with no charge. Now, I know $10 is nothing compared to traffic violations in America, but it's the principle of the matter, and I really just wanted to sock this guy in the face. After Ryan calmed me down, we paid the man and left. FYI if you run into a similar situation, just take the ticket. We found out later that it is only a three dollar ticket. Luckily our predicament wasn't that bad. It could have been much worse, but it still disgusts me when people of authority take advantage of their powers.