the great corn 'rip off'

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In Cambodia,
Tourist beware of pricing,
'Falang' overcharged.



in asia many locals see foreigners as a ready source of cash. it doesn't help that the government charges more for certain services. i.e. buses in laos have on the price sheet, foreigner pricing next to local pricing.

in cambodia, i have experienced the same problem. many locals charge me four times the going rate, and those are times i am aware of. examples: bottle of water is 2000vs500 riel,
a CORN on the cob was offered to me for 2000 riel.

i made the mistake of saying i would watch what the local paid. they told the same local to overpay then return for his money later. how do i know this you wonder? it is because i happened to walk off in the same direction as he. he pulled me aside to tell me and to apologize. when i walked away without purchasing the corn you should have seen the show they put on, as if i was the BIG, BAD 'falang'.

after said patron pulled me aside, we sat down and had a long chat. he didn't like it but he felt he had no choice in this attempt at deception, and he an outnumbered geekish guy went along with it. he also doesn't like his government and i was surprised to hear 'bota' say this as that can be dangerous. and he is in officer training school. what a pity for him.

to make things right despite my saying not to, Bota, bought me a corn on the cob.

NOT ALL ARE BAD!!!!!!

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