Thrifty folk suffer in Hanoi

welcome back, it's a big night for your long lost blogger as there's a lot to say and it's been a far too long.
after halong bay, it was back to Hanoi for a day before catching the night train to hue. one of the things that we will never forget is the bargaining (or lack thereof) in that city. we'd be walking around the markets, both indoor and out, admiring the fake lacoste, polo, nike, adidas, the aforementioned diesel, etc...laughing about how that jacket would cost $80 back in the states, and it must go for $8 here since it's made my 8 year olds down the street:(...when i saw one i wanted(thanks kids!;). i sauntered over, never seeming really that interested, playing the game i have played before, it all coming back too fast. for those who are smiling, no, this is not how i act when i cruise up the cash register at vons with a handful of coupons ready to take them for an extra 20 bucks...i act way cooler! so i look at this one and that one, both sides having a laugh when nothing fits (not many 6'4" kids around here!), when i ask how much for the one i really liked, and miraculously it fit...mostly. i pretended to be agast when she told me $20 (350000 dong) , no no no, i can only pay $5 i say...expecting the 5 minute negotiation to start. and to my surprise, she didn't say a word and just pulled it out of my hands and walked away!!! wtf!? hmm, maybe she already has the nicest moto on the block i thought? maybe it's a bit too soon for americans to be visiting vietnam? where did i go wrong? but alas, it became ever more clear as we walked down the street and we received the same reply to whatever we were trying to bargain for...that calculator is $5? how 'bout $2? walk away. those tights are $5? how about $2? walk away. hmmm, either they don't have the best business sense (come on! we all know you got it for $3-5, so charge me double, make money, and maybe the next guy will pay triple!), or the gray hairs on the big tour buses taking photos through the window at only the most touristy of spots are paying list price and ruining it for all of us backpackers (young and old, by the way).
ahhhh, oh well, we passed on everything but the tights (broke her down to $3) and told ourselves we'll stick to our guns and hopefully our luck will get better as we move south...
shakeNbake