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Cheers
Give a Cheer
Give a Cheer
After we had seen (and smelled) enough flamingos we walked to the Hawkins Craft Market. It was like a very run-down flea market. Most of the craftsman just had a blanket spread on the ground with their handmade crafts but a few had small tables and a few of the craftsman had a small booth with overhead shelter. I hated it because every craftsman was selling the identical same beads, necklaces and souvenirs. I guess they know exactly what the tourists buy. They were very obnoxious and would not leave us alone. As we walked by each one they started showing us things and saying, “It’s very nice – I give you a good price” and they didn’t want to take “no” for an answer.
After walking through the market, Bill told me to wait while he went back to look at something again. While he was gone a local craftsman asked me to come see the items he had carved. I told him I couldn’t leave the spot because my husband would be right back. He asked my husband’s name and I thought he was just making conversation so I told him his name was Bill. I didn’t notice that the man was working on some of the hollow nut carvings while he was talking to me. (The nuts were about the size of walnuts and he barely glanced down at all at what he was carving.)
I had been talking to the man for 2 or 3 minutes when Bill returned and the man handed him two hollow nut shells - he had carved my name on one and Bill’s name on another, along with some jungle animals, and I didn’t even know it! (I had my cabin key card on a lanyard around my neck which had my name in large letters so that is how he knew to carve “Henri” into one for me.
Bill asked if I wanted them and I really did want them – what great local handmade souvenirs from Namibia so Bill bought them for me (They were only around $3.50 each in American dollars.) As soon as the craftsman got our money and walked away, at least 5 other vendors who also carve the nut shells came up to me expressing a lot of anger because I passed their displays and wasn’t interested when they wanted to show them to me.
They were saying, “I had those same nut shells and you passed by my shop first – why didn’t you buy it from me?” Another said, “I showed you the same carved nut shells and you weren’t interested – if you wanted one why didn’t you come back and buy from me?”
I was specifically looking for a necklace with small hand carved jungle animals. I looked at them at every vendor space and bought one near the end for $2.00 or $3.00. When the other vendors came to confront me about buying the carved nuts from another vendor, they saw that I was holding the necklace with the carved jungle animals and then they also wanted to know why I didn’t buy that from them too. They kept telling me that I passed their stores with the carved nuts and the carved animal necklace first so I should have bought it from them. They were relentless!
Note - not in journaling: I know there is an extra "he" in the 3rd or 4th paragraph but it is corrected on the part I copy pasted in the description and its also been corrected on the original now.
No products have been added to this project.
Thanks for spreading positivity!
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