The First Time I Was Robbed

I'll keep this short. 

I had been travelling for over a year straight and still had never gotten robbed. Maybe I had even become more gullible from the surprising amount of legitimate kindness I experienced around the world. 

However, in Cambodia I was reminded that the Earth also holds shitty people too. Now, I will never make the same mistakes again. 

I was still in my super cheap-ass phase, trying to make the little money I had last as long as possible.  

I arrived in a fairly touristy beach side city. Instead of busting out 3 entire hard-earned dollars per night for a bunk in a dorm room, I figured camping was better. 

I walked far down the beach until I was away from civilization. Ironically, I did that for safety... And I even tried to increase safety by setting up camp discreetly in a heavily- wooded forest. But unfortunately, I was attacked by a ton of mosquitoes as soon as I entered so I gave up and set up my site in a less dense area:      

Everything was chill for a few days. I had my hammock set up to relax in. A tent to sleep in. I could listen to the ocean waves. Whenever I wanted, I walked back into the city and ate at various restaurants, many of which were selling, um, "happy pizza".  

I wasn't totally dumb. Whenever I left the tent I would carry my most important stuff (ie. laptop, camera, passport, etc.) with me. In hindsight, I know that since I had been there several days the locals probably noticed I would walk back and forth along that beach everyday. Lets just blame my lack of insight on the pizza. 

One night, I came back to tent ready to sleep and unzipped it. I poked my head inside and noticed that it looked different somehow. My stuff was scattered all over the place in a pattern which was different than the way I had left it. Then in the dark I found something scary, inside my tent near the entranced laid a sharpened stick. Basically, a bamboo pike weapon. Were they planning on stabbing me?

Luckily, I was out during the heist and surprisingly, they didn't take a lot. They stole a jacket, my pepper spray which I always slept next to, my bag of, um, herbs and my flip flops which I had left near the hammock. Funnily enough,they took mine but left their own flip flops in the same place. I guess they liked mine better.   

.. Afterward, I depressingly and hurriedly packed up. By the time I had walked into town, it was after midnight. I thought about trying to hide somewhere until morning but ultimately I decided I would give in and pay the $3 for the rest of the night. :( 

I hate checking into places late because its a worse deal since its the same amount of money for less time but no other choice. Life is priority. 

 Don't camp in the third world y'all. 

Pawsome