Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Souvenirs

Hawkers are everywhere, especially the tourist sites. You just have to push your way through and not make eye contact. When we are on the bus, the trip leader shows their wares on the bus. The bus is his territory and he can tell us the "real price" and whether it is a good deal. I'm sure he is disappointed by the trinkets we buy. The jewelry we buy he says is only for tourists. Real Indians don't wear it. We tell him the people back home don't know that! :-) But it is much easier dealing with him than the hawkers. And before I forget, Ben asked me if I saw the begger on the street at the ATM. I said "no" because I had just walked past her but then I did remember a little girl of maybe 7 or 8 with a baby in her arms asking for money. Ben was on the bus with the others waiting for us to finish with the ATM and he said she was beating the baby trying to make him cry! *sigh* Also, there was a guard with a rifle at the ATM and at the Taj. They search you very carefully at the Taj and at every hotel we go to we go through security every time we enter. You won't get any complaints from me about that!

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