Russian and Central Markets

Flying visit to the markets this morning with Carol who is the wife of the Senior Liaison Officer here. She was a great help and introduced me to the stall holders that she uses on a regular basis so that I will not have to barter ALL the time to get a good price. I must admit, I do find it difficult to barter when your jaw nearly hits the ground at the original asking price. Paying $6 for original ADIDAS running t-shirts is ridiculous to begin with. Mind you, barter I did and I only paid $4. I feel like I am stealing from them! So your average T-Shirt is $2 with the ADIDAS gear and the "real" fakes going for about $4. Mind you, I found a shop across the road from the market with what appear to be Factory over-run True Religions for $25 bucks. I started salivating! (for my blog readers who may be of a certain age, they are worth hundreds in Aus!) Cambodia is also quite famous for it's gems. She introduced me to her Jeweler. She has had quite a few things made here costing a few hundred and has had them valued back home in the thousands. MMMMM.....Birthday, Christmas......I hope N subscribes to this blog!!!!

I picked the kids up at 12 and they had had another great day. Christopher already has a birthday party invitation for Sunday. I get the impression their dance cards are going to be busier than mine! That being said, we have the Embassy Christmas Party tomorrow night at the Ambassadors residence. Rumor has it that the big man in the red suit will be attending. God I hope my cyclones do not destroy the residence. We may get repatriated already!