Trying to be clever on the way to Phnom Penh

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After a very relaxing 4 days in the 4000 islands is was time to put everything back in my somewhat 'used' backpack (well at least not as shinny and new as it was a few months ago!) and head to Cambodia.

Cambodia wasn't very far away, in fact only about 20km by road but once you crossed the boarder it was about 12hrs to just about anywhere... From what I could tell most people went to Siem Reap first (Anchor Wat etc) but that included an overnight stop on the way as it was too far for one trip??

Not me though, I decided to head straight to Phnom Penh instead. I have been wanting to get a 'proper digital SLR camera' since I started my trip ( I have been using my mobile phone camera etc to date) and I was told the shopping there was even better than in Bangkok... And trust me it certainly did not disappoint, I found exactly what I was looking for and I am now the proud owner of the new 'Canon 450D Digital SLR'.. still trying to figure out how to use it though!

Anyway back to my original story... Now for those of you who haven't travelled much around Asia before (as a backpacker at least) basically every little backpacker town has a number of what look like 'travel agents' 'tour guides' and spruikers on the street. In fact any hostel worth its salt can also easily sell you a ticket to anywhere you want to go.

After a few months of travelling now I have come to realise that each town really only has 2 maybe 3 actual tour companies. This means that each town as a very intricate little network or sellers and resellers. The reason you get different prices and can bargain with some of them is that the reseller is happy to take a lower margin if they want the sale. The interesting part is it appears the actual tour companies have a fixed price. Anyway I thought I would try and be clever and see if I could beat the system... unfortunately it didn't actually go according to plan and it ended up costing me more overall.

With the long trips you can get a set price (for example it was US$23) from 4000 Islands to Phnom Penh. That includes a boat ride, a mini van ride, a boarder crossing, a small bus and then a big bus... ohh and about 18hours of travelling.. I decided to be my own travel company for the day and try and skip the middle man... I was going to try and go direct to the three different travel companies I needed there and then, on the spot and as I arrived each time ... It wasn't that the US$23 was too much (in fact it's quite a good price for all that) it was that I wanted to see if it could be done... and for the record, it can't!

My trip ended up costing me about US$28 and could have very easily ended up costing me a lot more if I wasn't so stubborn and prepared to wait on the roadside for the next bus.. travelling around south east Asia is a bit like a game of poker, its all about who is the best at calling your bluff. In fact you really have to take your hat off to the local tour operators they are very street smart and very clever. They know when they have you by the you know what’s.

Imagine for a moment your standing on the side of a hot and dusty road, you've just crossed the border into Cambodia, you have no local money and there one road south. Everyone else has got their tickets and are scrambling to get a set on a bus that’s waiting for them and is about to leave. Now if it does leave and you’re not on that bus (oh and did I mention the heat.. it’s hot.. real hot) who knows when the next one is, if they'll have room and how much it would cost... In fact if it leaves, it’s just you, some old goats and the boarder police who can't speak english on a remote boarder like this one.

The normal answer to this dilemma is to simply open up your wallet and ask them how much they wanted out of it.. Now besides the fact that I don't have or use a wallet I was trying to see if could beat the system. So after telling them how much I wanted to pay (which was about US$18) and then them telling me how much they wanted (about US$25) I patiently sat down and waited.. there was some funny banta back forth between us about when the next bus was and that this was the last one for the day... but you just have to laught and smile and pretend it doesn't matter.. Overall this went on for about 15 minutes... it felt like hours..

To cut a long story short, I did get on the bus (only just) and I paid the normal ticket price ($US$23 like back on the island) and not the US$25 he wanted. I worked out in my head he still made even more money than normal as there was no middle man. It was fun and a good lesson in local tourism). From now on I'll be sure to find the best price I can before I leave somewhere, buy a ticket, hope on the bus and have a lot less stress!

Oh and I better mention something about Phnom Penh too. Sorry I didn't really rate it. I was there 3 nights and I just couldn't get a feel for it. I don't know why, it just didn't do it for me. The palace was definitely worth a look (as you'll see in the pictures attached )and I had a very moving afternoon with a visit to the 'Killing Fields" just out of Phnom Penh which was a horrible era in the 70's. But as I said the town itself didn't do it for me. If you ever go there I hope you enjoy it more then me!

Also I hope you enjoy the pictures on the new camera from now on!

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