The Isty Bitsy Spider

Overseas Adventure Travel continues to receive my business because they seek out and plan unique cultural experiences for their travellers. We travelled overland from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, Cambodia in a small bus with no shock absorbers. Along the way, we stopped at "spider village" in Skuon. We arrived at a home where a woman approached us with a metal bowl full of tarantulas. 

As we were walking toward the harvest site of the tarantulas, a little girl of about 10 years took my hand. She asked my name and we chatted as we walked toward the tarantula den. I noticed she was admiring my watch, which is a cheapie inconspicuous watch I purchased at Target, exclusively for travel. I thought, "I should give it to her. I've always regretted not giving that Peruvian girl the bracelet she admired." Suddenly, I heard a voice, more like a growl, say, "You give me this!" It wasn't Regan from The Exorcist. It was this little girl! Her nails dug into my hand as she spoke. Moni, one of my travel mates, said, "How sweet! You've made a little friend!" I muttered, "Just wait until I tell you what she's saying." 

After we learned how to defang a tarantula, we walked back toward the house. The entire way, the growl continued, "You give me one dollar! One dollar!" No one else heard this! I tried to ask her some questions, but she had money on the mind.

It became apparent that we were going to cook and eat these tarantulas, so I got out my hand sanitizer. I offered some to my demonic friend, and it seemed to take her mind off extortion for the moment. Within minutes, I was surrounded by about six or seven children, all with their palms extended. I squeezed a drop of hand sanitizer in each of their hands. They rubbed their hands together and inhaled the tangerine scent simultaneously and incredulously. I recalled the scene from Airplane in which Elaine educated the Malumbos about Tupperware.

We sampled the tarantulas and shared them with the children. My little friend remained by my side, still eyeing my watch. As we walked toward the bus to depart, she became fanatical. "One dollar! One dollar! One dollar!" I smiled at her and said, "It was very nice to meet you. Goodbye!" At this, she shot me a dirty look, spun on her heel, and stormed off. I wondered where she had learned this behavior.

I don't mind helping people who need it. I know my new acquaintance was an impoverished little girl, but I just couldn't give in to her pressure. What was really on display here was the assumption that Americans, or any tourists, are affluent with funds to spare. Obviously, this little girl had been indulged by previous visitors and had learned the system. My hope for her, besides receiving an education, is that she creates a handmade trinket for her future visitors, in exchange for the "one dollar".