Missy, Wan to Buy Somting?

Before I left the states, a lot of people asked "what on Earth" I would do in Cambodia, and I joked that it was all about the shopping! The truth is, you cannot avoid the shopping. Start to climb out of your car at an ancient temple or wat, and you are ambushed by sweet faced children selling everything from coffee to postcards.

Most have the same shtick… “Madame, where you from? I know your country… capitol is Washington DC… 300,000 million people… fifty states… What state you from?” One wowed me with some good multiplication skills when I said that I did not have a dollar for postcards. She pressed “4 quarters? 10 dimes? 20 nickels? 100 pennies?”

Another entrepreneur tried, "my post card best price EVER--only one million dollar!"

There is no answer you can give that they cannot counter. When they offered books, we tried “we do not know how to read.” Not sly enough, because the vender did not even blink before saying “this one only have pictures!”

This cutie was selling bananas and stuffing the cash in his hat.

Fortunately, shopping is easy for Americans as EVERYTHING is priced in US dollars, even printed menus in restaurant only list US currency on price lists. The down side? Our driver informed us that prices quoted to Americans are generally 3 times those quoted to Cambodians, at least when you are asking about his favorite delicacy… curried spider! I tried to procure some, but alas… it is a regional thing and we did not plan our travel accordingly…