Shoaib slept in a temple for 3 days
After being turned away from the airport and finding no shelter, Shoaib and fellow Ugandans slept in a local temple for three days with no running water.
Where this was said
Stranded: Temples, Guesthouses, and Official Walls
At 8:58 · chapter starts 7:40
With his third ticket spent and his savings nearly gone, Shoaib found himself locked out of the city's guesthouses. The Cambodian government had announced that landlords housing foreigners without valid visas could face fines or criminal charges — so locals, frightened by that warning, turned him away. The immigration office offered no help; one official even directed him to a nearby temple. So Shoaib did the only thing he could: he found a local Buddhist temple called a Prasat and slept there for three nights with no running water among crumbling statues and the sounds of chanting. He tried everything — calling Ugandan officials, contacting the UN's IOM, and even showing up at the immigration department day after day, begging to be deported. Each time, he was told the same thing: pay the fine first. His savings were evaporating, his stomach ulcers were flaring up, and he started skipping meals.
Sleeping in a Temple: No Shelter, No Options
Turned away from the airport and rejected by landlords afraid of government fines, Shoaib and his fellow Ugandans had no choice but to sleep in a local Cambodian temple for three nights. The only shelter in Phnom Penh was full with a long waitlist.
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