After a 2-week whirlwind tour of Vietnam which left me wanting more, although not exactly sad to leave, I got on a boat from Chau Doc in Vietnam, to Phnom Penh in Cambodia.
The cruise through the Mekong was beautiful, bright sunny day, watching the world go by in fast-forward mode, as the boat sped north.
After a while, we stopped at the Vietnam border, got off the boat and got our exit stamps on the passports. Back on the boat for 5 minutes, and we stopped at the Cambodian border.
We had already handed our passports and $34 dollars to the boat guy, who gave all of our passports together to the border control. First problem: there's a big sign saying "Tourist Visa=$30 dollars". Where did the extra $4 go? Not sure if boat guy or border official. Couldn't do anything about it, had already given the money.
I'm sitting quietly under a tree, reading a book about the struggles of a Northern Vietnam soldier after the war, when the boat guy comes and asks me if this is my passport. Apparently it expires in less than 6 months. The border guy is asking for a bribe.
Triumphantly, I pull out my Uruguayan passport and say: "I'm not paying a bribe! *This* passport is valid until 2019!" So I go talk to the guy. However, he holds all the cards. He thought he was going to get a little extra padding in his pocket today, and by golly, he is getting it!
He said he couldn't do it. That he had already seen my Brazilian passport. That *he'd get in trouble!* After making me wait there, and telling me I could go back to Vietnam (which was no longer an option, since I had already stamped out and had only a single-entry visa), he told the boat guy again (in Cambodian) to tell me to just pay his bribe of $20 dollars.
I have a photo of the guy. I will update this after I leave Cambodia, just to make sure I actually get to leave!
Sensing I had no choice in the matter, I grudgingly agreed, whereupon he instantly put the visa on my *Brazilian passport,* the one which supposedly wasn't acceptable because it expired in 5 months and 21 days -- less than 6 months.
Outraged and impotent, I have, for the first time in my life, payed a bribe and therefore contributed to the cycle of corruption. I'm not happy about it. If I could, I would have actually gone back into Vietnam, gotten a Cambodian Visa from the embassy, and then come back. Alas, that was impossible, as I was trapped in no-man's land, having already legally exited Vietnam.
Back on the boat, a German guy handed me the Cambodia Lonely Planet, where it says that though corruption exists everywhere in Asia, it has become an art-form in Cambodia. Great. Just great.
I then continued reading my book until we reached Phnom Penh.
Leaving the boat, I had to go get a bus immediately, as I have to arrive in Sihanoukville by this evening. Tuk-tuk drivers abound, as usual, and I resigned myself to be scammed once again, as I have no idea where the bus station is. I tell a guy yes, and start walking with him up to the wharf. He says there's a bus that leaves from nearby. I don't have to pay for a Tuk-Tuk, he'll show me. What? Did I hear this right?
I keep walking, and he takes me to a place where they sell bus tickets. There are other foreigners waiting. He was still with me, so I expected to be quoted an inflated price, so he could get his kick-back. Nope. Normal price!
Then he says "you have 30 minutes, maybe you're hungry", and as I acquiesce, he walks me to a street-food stall, where I pay $2 dollars for a heaping plate full of rice, veggies and fried chicken on top. He then says "Have a nice trip!" smiles, and waves goodbye.
In short, I'm confused. I was expecting to be scammed at every turn, since even the police is openly asking for bribes. Little does this Tuk-tuk driver knows that he single-handedly erased the bad opinion I had already formed of his people, just a couple of hours earlier.
Lesson learned: not everyone is corrupt, there are still honest and friendly souls out there.
Hallelujah!
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