Journal Post: Come on along on a fantastic Voyage...

I have spent a lot of time on a bus lately. I cannot do the trip justice in one post but do not fear, I will get some pictures on the blog tommorrow. Also, I took notes on the trip and will be filling you in. But for todays post: Haggling. It is necessary here. Absolutely essential. If you don´t, you will never make it. For example: While in Cuzco, we traveled with some Argentines on our tours of the ruins close to the city. One of those tourists bought a blanket for 60 soles. (around 20 bucks). I later purchased the exact same blanket for 40 soles for my mother. While 8 bucks more or less may not seem like a huge deal, it adds up quickly and it´s the principle of the thing. I don´t like getting taken advantage of. If something is of a certain value, than that is the fair price. A better example, my brother wanted a sweater, a street vendor wanted 40 soles for it. Later on, in a different area, I haggled the same sweater at around 15 soles. IF YOU ARE WHITE or TOURISTY, DON´T JUST BUY STUFF!!! Apart from the fact that you could be marked for having money to steal for always whipping out the old wallet, you artificially raise the cost for everyone else. So there you go, you can haggle the price of most everything: clothes, any products in the street, taxis, electronics, and sometimes even food and bus tickets. Haggle, learn it. Love it.