Budget Master

I crossed the Cambodian boarder with $179 US dollars in my pockets and backpack, and I left the country with exactly $2. Apart from borrowing money from friends, I don't think I could have cut it any closer.

Cambodia is truly third-world with huge disparities between the ultra-rich and uber-poor, with Phneom Penh being the ultimate display. Rolling all around town were Hummers, Toyota trucks, BMW's, and Mercs. My three UK boys and I spend the evening in a hip-hop bar, shooting pool and drinking drinks with American and UK educated Cambodians. All are flossing the most expensive gear and seem to be pretending they are on MTV. Hoever as we leave the club, the bubble bursts: you see the streets littered with amputees; scores of grubby people sleeping on the streets; packs of young men hanging out on corners on their motorbikes; women of the night ready to eat your lunch if you're half inclined. The slightest slip or turn down the wrong street could spell certain disaster for the lone Joe. I am more than pleased to be safely ensconced in my own group of young fellows as we walk merrily home, surveying the wasteland; ever so grateful of the Western lands into which we were born.