The Best of Wanderlust (A GeoEx eBook)

The Best of Wanderlust

TIBETAN BARGAIN WITH A TWIST Apr i l Or cut t

P lease! Please!” the Tibetan woman pleaded, her young son trailing behind her. She approached me in the ancient market of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, holding an orange beaded necklace that hung around her neck and smiling sweetly as she implored me to buy it. I didn’t want orange beads. I was on an extended solo trip through Asia and, wanting to travel as long as possible, had to be judicious with my spending. “No, thank you,” I said. “Please!” she said. It must have been the only word she knew in English. “No. Tu-jay-chay. ” It was the only word I knew in Tibetan. “Thank you.” “Please!” China had opened Tibet for independent travel only three months before so my Western face was a novelty. Or maybe she sensed that I love unusual jewelry. “Please!” She was insistent yet endearing with her lovely smile and that mischievous twinkle in the eye that characterizes Tibetans. Red and brown yarn twisted through long black hair piled onto her

46

47