Something I’m learning from Asia, take the easier route if it comes to choices.  That’s not say don’t chose but sometimes you may be like me and go for the choice that is ‘right’ in a social sense, or win for all.  But this doesn’t always benefit me in the end, although I don’t lose either, I am generous (to a fault at times hence I don’t tend to benefit as much as I should.

Haggling does not come naturally to me, nor is it much more comfortable if I think its cheap already, but if I think I’m being take. advantage of then I will stand my ground.  But too often, I still give more than is ‘right’ in the sense of values and expectations – honesty and integrity are not words I feel I can use for Asia.

Whether that’s the boat trip, today for 60k VND which I now se as 15k on other boats, albeit I had my own boat, but was hard constant sell of clothes, cards, etc.  I bought the overpriced cards ‘her mother painstakingly painted’ which I challenged and she laughed, or on driver asking for more than the eventual 100k for an hour, but was taken to the citadel I’d just left, to a shopping area I hadn’t asked for and only got 3/4 of the hour as he was hot pedalling me instead of dropping me places, I guess, to rest!!!  I also got taken for a ride literally today by bike to a temples that should have been a tomb with great statues … but was closed and like a building site, with noisy dogs and asked to leave none. too politely again ( like being waved

Still, I feel ok as justified I got cards to frame as memories of Asia for me, one each  for the girls as motivation to travel, and loose trousers I do like and will use, although I haggled and got a lower price for all,  it was still to much comparatively to the costs here!  But I keep falling for it and allowed it, and again the local regimented  tours and obligatory sales visits well do, but its reasonable for me, the easiest way to see key places in a short time, and benefits the economy of hotels, tour companies etc.