A bad day traveling is still better than a good day anywhere else.

We arrived in Siem Reap around noon, figuring we’d spend our day exploring the town and then wake up early the next morning to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat. Unfortunately, Siem Reap had other plans.

As soon as we jumped in the cab, the driver started recommending that we visit the Chong Kneas floating village. We explained that we were tired and wanted some time to decide, but with his insistence, we eventually agreed to let him pick us up at 3:00.

Once in our hotel, we were informed not to trust these drivers, as there are many scams in Cambodia, especially surrounding the floating village. This seemed odd but we agreed to use the hotel driver to take us on this excursion instead.

Before we knew it, we were in the back of a tuk tuk riding through the bumpy dirt roads on the way to the river. We paid quickly and hopped onto the colorful wooden long tail that would take us on our tour through what appeared to be  a swamp.

Our tour guide, who informed us his name was Michael Jackson, seemed pretty friendly, offering to take pictures of us and telling us all sorts of information about the floating village.

We dock at a so called alligator farm where kids are begging for money in return to take pictures with their pet snake. Instead, we decide to buy two half finished paintings as souvenirs.  Our “friendly” tour guide insists that we buy shrimp and beer for the boat to watch the sunrise.

Next up, the grocery store, so we can buy some groceries for the orphans. Now, we didn’t ask to do this, but we like to give to a good cause so we were excited about it. We pull up to the floating store-a couple of bags of rice, some hanging candy, and three boxes of vegetables. My friend and I attempt to purchase the vegetables, but the worker tries to talk us into the $50 bag of rice. You have got to be kidding me. 50 dollars? Now, I’m no genious, but I’m pretty sure I can ship a bag of rice from the US for less than that.

They won’t allow us to buy the vegetables, and we won’t allow ourselves to  spend $50, so we end up putting money towards a bag of rice (which we begin to realize is probably pocketed by these con artists, and not actually given to the kids).

Back on the boat, it is Michael Jackson’s time to eat the shrimp and slam down a few beers that we purchased. He tells us plenty of stories, mostly about how he is poor, while wearing more jewelry than both of us combined. I’m thinking if I stay on this tour much longer, I may be poor as well.

What started out as a fun and interesting experience, is slowly turning into a deceitful one. We couldn’t help feeling like we were being taken advantage of.

It’s getting late and the sun starts disappearing as the darkness rolls in, and this is when Michael starts explaning that he’s a freelance tour guide and he doesn’t actually work for the boat company. Moral of the story, he needs a tip and so does the driver. Not just any tip though, Michael specifically requests 100,000 (relax, Cambodian Riel, not USD). But still, 25 dollars is more than the  cost of the tour.

Sitting in a boat after dark in the middle of a muddy swamp with two Cambodian strangers, we decided to oblige.

Hopping off of the boat, we were approached by chidren that wanted (surprise) more money. I told them that they could get their money from their friend Michael Jackson.

The floating village was an eye opening experience. Everyone lives in a floating house, they attend floating schools, and there is even supposedly a floating 711. However, after visiting, it is really hard to believe that this village is anything more than a scam. I don’t mind giving money to people that need it, and I enjoy doing so. However, in this part of Siem Reap, the people see you as a dollar sign instead of an actual human being, constantly asking for money and scowling at you if you don’t pay up.

Cost of the Floating Village Tour: $15 for transportation, $20 for a boat, dinner & drinks for yourselves, the driver and the tourguide, donation to the orphans, money for souvenirs, plus a tip as much as the tour, and your mood for the rest of the time you are in Siem Reap.

If you are looking for a laugh, here are a few trip advisor reviews…

“there was a lot of emotional blackmail and an expectation that we would bow to it … ”

They need to find a different way of raising money – one which does not resort to making tourists feel guilty otherwise they will “shoot themselves in the foot” and no one will want to visit at all. The whole experience left a “nasty taste in the mouth”: It turned out to be an unpleasant afternoon and not particularly interesting one.”

“We were actually frightened that they were going to cut the tour short or leave us there because we weren’t able to buy a bag of rice. ”

“I wonder if the orphanage is real at all. There was no teaching going on, all the kids were walking around with their backpacks inside the school and most of them were munching on all sorts of sweets. Most of the adults were either asleep or drunk or both. And we saw a “teacher” count a huge stack of cash… I just hope the children are not abused!”

“All in all, it’s such a shame they didn’t put more effort into showcasing the village rather than just shaking tourists down for cash.”

“Its dirty and they had to pay 35 dollars just to see the smelly place.”

I was only in Siem Reap for a few short days, and I have to admit that this tour really ruined it for me. For a more positive experience in Siem Reap, read Michelle’s article “48 Crazy Hours in Siem Reap: The Truth Behind Happy Pizza, Cambodian Massage and Boozy Mornings at Angkor Wat”.