miscellaneous rambling

There is a cafe in Lhasa that has a long history. Once long ago, a mysterious person visited the cafe, and met a beautiful girl there. This girl was never to be seen there again, but the man went again and again hoping to see her. She visited him in his dreams, and he could never stop thinking about her. This man, was the 6th Dalai Lama.

This cafe still exists and is a place I like to hang out in while in Lhasa. The food and atmosphere is great, and you can get great views of people from the roof.

The other night some of us were there and we saw a beautiful woman. It turns out she is the owner's wife. She came to talk to us, and she wore some of the most stunning Tibetan silver jewellery I had ever seen.

She had some older ones she no longer wears, and said that she would go home to get them to show us. We waited 15 minutes over some more tea, and when she came back, she showed us a large bracelet, a ring, and a pendant. All silver, with Turqouise, and coral.

Mr. Ren and I liked the items, but they were made for women. She offered a price for them, which if we wanted the items, would have gladly paid. Ms. Su, who was with us, started to bargain hard with the lady. She bought the pendant, and then we left.

Mr. Ren wanted the bracelet, and we waited out in the Barkor late at night, in the wind and rain, while Ms. Su ran back to bargain for the bracelet.

I have to tell you, this person has taste and class, and she is the owner of the cafe. Not a street vendor. Neither he nor I, had the guts to even bargain her down one dollar. It's a good thing she doesn't sell paintings or anything, because we'd both be handing money over.

So, 10 minutes later, Ms. Su runs back with shining bracelet in hand. She is now the queen of shopping in our little group.