Making my way back to Hoi An, I drove around the market downtown & the little streets and alleys. Hoi An is a picturesque little town, which feels like one giant market. It’s amazing. I know several people who’s personalized heaven would resemble something like this… shops selling bags, shoes, pants, shirts, scarves… whatever you can dream up- and they’ll tailor them to your specific dimensions and make them for you within 2 hours. Amazing!
Trying to be thoughtful of others, I got at least one gift with someone-else in mind for every two things I got for myself. Ha ha. Just kidding. (= seriously though- I did have to get another fake North Face bag just to carry all this stuff home in. whew!
One of the most memorable moments for me was standing around, waiting for my 4th pair of pants to be made (from scratch!). This go-getter, entrepreneurial little 10 year old girl essentially pulls me to her mom’s shop,, so I can just have a look at her table. Sure, why not. Who can disappoint a 10 year old girl working that hard. I was proud of her actually. Haggling and negotiating the whole way, she pointed out chop-stix sets, bracelets, plates, statues, and a hundred other things I didn’t need or want. Bending my will a little after several minutes, I thought,,, ok- I could probably make use of this wood box, but I don’t want the chop sticks that go in them. How about it?
“240,000 Dong!” came the answer. “it’s a good price! Great quality”.
It’s the same box set as all the other shops are selling. I’ll give you 100,000 Dong ($6).
The patent frown formed on her face. Her mom was standing a few feet away watching her work, manipulating her oversized calculator like a pro.
“Ok, I’ll give you a discount. 220,000 Dong! This wood is better quality than those other ones! My dad makes these!”
I’m not sure why I stuck around a few extra seconds, but it was probably just in admiration of how hard this girl was haggling and working to make a sale. I dragged the negotiation out another 2 minutes & got her down to 150,000 Dong ($9) for 2 boxes that I wasn’t looking for, but was happy to buy from her… like a reward for her work. Her mom watched approvingly from a few feet away and wrapped them up for me in newspaper. I was thinking,, if this girl could apply that kind of energy outside of this market, there’s nothing she couldn’t achieve for herself. (=
There were a few other picturesque scenes around the town which capture some of the charm as well.
Trying to be thoughtful of others, I got at least one gift with someone-else in mind for every two things I got for myself. Ha ha. Just kidding. (= seriously though- I did have to get another fake North Face bag just to carry all this stuff home in. whew!
One of the most memorable moments for me was standing around, waiting for my 4th pair of pants to be made (from scratch!). This go-getter, entrepreneurial little 10 year old girl essentially pulls me to her mom’s shop,, so I can just have a look at her table. Sure, why not. Who can disappoint a 10 year old girl working that hard. I was proud of her actually. Haggling and negotiating the whole way, she pointed out chop-stix sets, bracelets, plates, statues, and a hundred other things I didn’t need or want. Bending my will a little after several minutes, I thought,,, ok- I could probably make use of this wood box, but I don’t want the chop sticks that go in them. How about it?
“240,000 Dong!” came the answer. “it’s a good price! Great quality”.
It’s the same box set as all the other shops are selling. I’ll give you 100,000 Dong ($6).
The patent frown formed on her face. Her mom was standing a few feet away watching her work, manipulating her oversized calculator like a pro.
“Ok, I’ll give you a discount. 220,000 Dong! This wood is better quality than those other ones! My dad makes these!”
I’m not sure why I stuck around a few extra seconds, but it was probably just in admiration of how hard this girl was haggling and working to make a sale. I dragged the negotiation out another 2 minutes & got her down to 150,000 Dong ($9) for 2 boxes that I wasn’t looking for, but was happy to buy from her… like a reward for her work. Her mom watched approvingly from a few feet away and wrapped them up for me in newspaper. I was thinking,, if this girl could apply that kind of energy outside of this market, there’s nothing she couldn’t achieve for herself. (=
There were a few other picturesque scenes around the town which capture some of the charm as well.
posted by jonathan adventures at 5:55 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home