Angkor Wat Warning or Danger Tips by thedouglas

Shopping delights at Angkor Wat! No browsing allowed - swallowed up by the sellers if your pace slows or you look sideways at their wares - all demanding explanations as to why they were not the chosen vendor! Persistence can pay off is the vendor motto! I ended up with more T-shirts and singlets from AW than I knew what to do with! Best advice is to grab what you want fast - on the run if you are decisive enough!
Kids tended to target my kids - and cajole with "you are so beautiful" - but if no purchase made - "you are not beautiful - you ugly!".
We had great laughs - and enjoyed this in the spirit of the location - and a situation where survival is the motivation - for them! The hunt of the shop is definitely a different ball game in Asia!
If you are not interested, and politely say no thanks, they will back off - eventually. There will always be another bus or van full of custom behind you. DO NOT tell them you will come back LATER - because they are blessed with excellent visual memories - and eye sight - and you will be spotted from amazing distances, and reminded of your "promise".

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We visited Angkor Wat temples as a family - and my kids certainly found their personal space invaded - from the moment you stepped out of your vehicle! Vehicles are met by a bevy of peddlers - with books, T-Shirts (by the thousand!), sarongs, little woven baskets, postcards, cheap bracelets etc - even when you went to the toilet! Eating lunch at the makeshift restaurants was also not safe - they hovered and waited for their chance at every destination! Daughter even had a staffmember at a restaurant ask quite seriously for her Billabong cap! A lot of these sellers were small children, and they often moved in "packs" - quite persistent, and targeting children. Although persistent, they were usually easily brushed off if you weren't interested - and plenty of other targets coming up behind you. Some of them were quite nasty if you took interest, and then did not buy - or if you were surrounded (as I was - because I love to shop) - and did not buy from ALL! "why you buy from her, and not me?".

The cry of "one darlar" will always be memorable - kids ask for this even if you take their pic!

Also confronted by a policeman in a temple, offering to sell his badge - well this was my interpretation!

Advised that the young men inside the temples offering to "guide" , and telling stories of needing money for their studies, is usually a "tale" - and, basically anyone in the temples making money, have to share with police etc. Nevertheless, the info they have is still quite good - as long as you bargain hard, and realise what the deal is. It is almost impossible for a Cambodian to get a guide license, as it costs rougly US $1200 (according to our driver), and this is not possible to save - by honest means.

We loved the holiday - and had many laughs about the barrage of people. Not a bad experience for the kids, as they needed to think about why these people are forced to engage in these behaviours - and maybe go home counting their blessings - and their space!

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We had some laughs in Angkor Wat temples, when we were constantly shadowed by begging children - who were amazingly persistent, agile and almost ghostlike! Once you demonstrate a willingness to get a photo with them, and PAY, they come from everywhere! Were chased away by the guards inside the temples, but this was a temporary despatch for most of the kids! The old saying about giving an inch definitely applied here as well - so, unless you're in the mood, best to just ignore and they will generally leave you alone.

Its hard not to relent and offer unkempt little kids some offering, and they were quite appealing.

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One of these kids basically tried to bully us to buy from him, over 2 days - amazingly, he remembered us from one day to the next! Would have hoped that the sheer volume of people would give you some anonymity. Told me very clearly "you not buy from me yesterday - so you buy from me today!" - and stalked me through lunch, despite the multitude of other targets - and then back to the car. I told him "you are being rude - and I do not buy if you are rude or show no manners".

While you may have some other underlying feelings and sympathies, I think its important not to reward demanding impolite behaviour, as plenty of other tourists have to suffer the consequences of reinforcing this behaviour.

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Staff who supervise in the temples are meant to ensure that tourists aren't encouraging the small armies of beggars, by giving them money etc. for photos and/or sympathy - and the kids often run when one of these attendants turn up. This was taken in Ta Prohm, where we had taken photograps of these kids, and gave them a little bit of money. Not happy Jan! She looked like a thundercloud!

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I always give a donation to the small bands of land mine victims who are seated outside many of the temples inside the Angkor Wat complex. However, I was made aware that basically anyone who is inside the region and makes any kind of money for what they are doing, are there with the tolerance of the police, and expected to hand over some of the money.

I got a rush of blood and gave these guys a few US$ - and then realised the implications of the onlooker.

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