My sleeping pattern this trip has been unusual for me… consistent 8 or 9 hour per night sleeps, up without an alarm before 7 am, absolutely no trouble falling asleep. I wish I understood what variable is causing me to sleep so well so I could replicate it in the future.
Yesterday we ate greasy eggs for breakfast before wandering into a newly opened beauty studio hilariously branded as “Let Me In.” Sahil had mentioned that they were offering free treatments and massages the celebrate their grand opening.
The woman who greeted us outlined the free services: mole removal and skin whitening. We politely declined. Avi negotiated for a free facial and ended up spending the next two hours being pampered for 0 doll hairs.
Sam and I shot the shit and played chess back at the house as the drizzly day progressed. For dinner we took Sahil out for a thank you meal for all he’s done during our trip. Due to the religious significance of the day he was unable to eat meat and his mother was fasting. He mentioned that due to her religion she fasts one day per week. I didn’t really understand the explanation well enough to explain why she does this or the significance.
Afterwards we met with Aryan and followed him to a local spot to try to Tongba, a tibetan alcoholic beverage. Small maroon seeds filled a metallic mug before the waiter added hot water from a large thermos in the center of the table. The drink was vile, and improved in strength as you stirred the beady seeds. I’m curious chemically how the fermentation works… Sam guessed that the seeds are already fermented and that the hot water only served to split them open and release their contents.
We’ve had lots of opportunities to negotiate this trip, and the best strategy I’ve found is as follows:
- Approach store with disinterest
- Give no indication that you plan to buy anything, and definitely don’t hint that you may want to buy more than one item
- Ask about the price of an item you think you may want. No matter what, flinch at their offer. Depending on how touristy the area was this price would often be halved by the end of the negotiation.
- Bargain the price as low as possible on the single item. *Note: only make an offer if you are serious about making a purchase*
- Once you’ve locked in the lowest price, start asking ambivalently about buying two or three to further decrease the per item cost.
- If they don’t negotiate further, walk. This proved most effective with cabs and often knocked off an additional 20-25% off the “non negotiable” price
A vendor last night explained to us that he regularly convinces American tourists to purchase basic tibetan singing bowls for upwards of $200. Louise and I purchased the same bowls for $5 a piece. I have a hard time feeling bad for someone who gets swindled that badly… you would have to have your head so deep in the sand to not notice the insane markup. Maybe this is a good moment to start practicing empathy?
Side note: I think Shiva, Ganesh, and Krishna would all make for excellent dog names.
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