Bracelets, bottles of water, postcards.
Everything in Cambodia is three for a dollar to tourists. There are two parallel pricing structures operating. One for locals and one for tourists. A shady third way exists for locals who have done well and expats who have been here for long enough to know the ropes. The official advice is not to buy from the children who flock to your table and tug at your sleeves in the street. They are beautiful and extremely proficient negotiators but are run by gang masters and are denied the free state education that all children can attend to the age of 14, by the daily routine that they are bound to.
Some speak English better than children in the UK at the same age. All know every technique to make the sale. They are quick with the display of their wares to catch your attention, engaging in conversation, knowledgable about every country a tourist might come from and proficient in that language to the extent it is needed for the deal.
Finally, there is the pause while they look at their feet in disappointment.
It may or may not be a ploy but that is the hardest thing to say no to.
Everything in Cambodia is three for a dollar to tourists. There are two parallel pricing structures operating. One for locals and one for tourists. A shady third way exists for locals who have done well and expats who have been here for long enough to know the ropes. The official advice is not to buy from the children who flock to your table and tug at your sleeves in the street. They are beautiful and extremely proficient negotiators but are run by gang masters and are denied the free state education that all children can attend to the age of 14, by the daily routine that they are bound to.
Some speak English better than children in the UK at the same age. All know every technique to make the sale. They are quick with the display of their wares to catch your attention, engaging in conversation, knowledgable about every country a tourist might come from and proficient in that language to the extent it is needed for the deal.
Finally, there is the pause while they look at their feet in disappointment.
It may or may not be a ploy but that is the hardest thing to say no to.
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