European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 05, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Travel tips the Art of bargaining few americans know How to play the game by Cheryl Blackerby Cox news service if you want to buy something in the United Stales you simply go to a store ask the Price and then pay the Price. But in Many other countries purchases Are not that simple. You ask the Price and then prepare your strategy or a test of wits. The game is bargaining and it s the greatest International sport outside of soccer. The prize some unusual something at an incredibly cheap Price. Bargaining can be one of the most exhilarating challenges of a trip and it offers the Chance to acquire some treasure that will always remind you of the wonderful time you had. But few americans know How to play the game. I recently found myself helping out a group of american tourists at a mideastern souk or Market. They were too polite for their own Good and were literally cornered in one of the stalls by a dozen or so hustlers All pushing scarves and tablecloths in their faces. In the midst of All the shouting the americans were too overwhelmed to ask those crucial two words How much Here Are a few bargaining tips Learned the hard Way luring 10 years of travelling around the world first and Foremost look poor. Wear dirty and torn clothing on your trip to the Market. Americans broadcast the amount of Money they have and Street vendors Are Quick to notice the expensive jogging shoes the Nice watch. Looking poor which is not a problem for me anyway works every time. At a a car in Istanbul 20 shopkeepers surrounded a Well dressed american woman and ignored me in my Dusty jeans frayed Tennis shoes and old Backpack. Worn backpacks Are a sure sign you re poor. You might pack a Small one just for this purpose.1 a Good Rule of thumb is to offer a third of the Price and Don t go much beyond half. On rare occasions it s Worth it to go higher for something that would be valuable Back in the United states. The intricately carved Ebony figures in Tanzania for example Are usually Worth much More than the asking Price while a Basket in a bahamian Market in t Worth much to begin with. Keep various amounts of Small Bills in different pockets. If you have $5 Worth of currency in one pocket and the item you want is $15, pull out the Bills and say this is All i  it cuts out a lot of haggling Lime. I be gotten a lot of Good deals this Way in record Lime. Also a lot of limes they will say they Don t have change for a big Bill and then you re right Back where you started. Don t get emotionally involved. Arab salesmen in particular will try to make you feel guilty. I showed you All of this and now you won t buy they la say with Hurt verging on disgust. Don t fall for in. He showed it to you you did t like it and now you want to see something else. Don t be bulldozed by someone shouting at you. Well mannered american women particularly those stepping off tour buses at tourist attractions Are prime prey. If they Sec you As a weakling they la try to bully you into paying top Dollar. Tune out the hawking and concentrate on the wares. If you really want something Don t show it. Look Blase and keep easing toward the door until you gel your Price. Don t be afraid to leave if you and the seller hit a deadlock you can always go Back. It s a Good Way to see How serious he is about the Price. As soon As you see an item you like decide quickly what you will pay for it. Street salesmen Are Quick to Lake advantage of indecision. Go to a big City department store where the prices Are fixed and see How much certain things Cost before you go to markets of Small towns where prices will be lower. On a trip to Turkey i was in the Market for a turkish Rug. I went to an expensive Rug shop in Istanbul and even got a free lecture on How to Tell if a carpet is hand Woven or machine made then i found what i wanted in a Rural Village for much less. If you Don t want something just say no. Do not say no it s the wrong color or no it s too  the seller thinks this Means yes. Say no and walk on. And Don t look apologetic. And after you be bought what you wanted How do you Deal with All those people harassing you it s simple speak in unknown tongues. Say something in a language not even Streetwise linguists know. I always say Covo Ritelli Sopsko Hrvatska do you speak Serbo creation ii works every time except in Yugoslavia. But remember that Street salesmen Are people Loo. Every Day during a week s stay in Luxor Egypt i had to listen to a Bunch of Street vendors shouting at me in English every time i left my hotel. I did t acknowledge them and the Yelling Only increased. Finally one morning i turned and said Parley Vous Francais without missing a beat they started shouting in French in a frenzy now because they thought they knew my language. Then i said Sprecher Sie Deutsch they switched to a Stream of German. Hablas Espanol right to Spanish. It was a Good show of their linguistic skills and also a Good joke and everyone started laughing. I was a human being instead of a target in their eyes and we got along Well after that. On my last Day one of them gave me a Good Deal on a Gal Abiyah the flowing ankle length egyptian National dress fora Friend s daughter and he threw in a bottle of Jasmine Oil As a going away gift. Rattling door causes sleepless night in Turkey by Iames t. Yenckel Washington Post i won t say i succumbed to my fears but i admit i barely slept a Wink my first night in Turkey. I was convinced that i was about to be robbed kidnapped or murdered in my bed you see. My turkish hosts certainly were blameless they were As surprised to see me As i was to catch them peering into my hotel room. My Day had been Long. Had ferried from the greek Island of Rhodes to the port of mar Maris on Turkey s southwestern coast. From there i caught a local bus North up the coast of the Aegean sea to the ancient fortress City of Izmir by the time i arrived it was full dark. I was anxious to find somewhere to slay so i hoisted my Backpack and headed from the bustling terminal area toward the first sign that read hotel Down the Street. I quickly became aware that i was the Only non turkish traveler under the roof very much a stranger in what for a Lime seemed a very strange hotel. I was Given a reasonably decent room without Bath on the second floor and Only noticed something Peculiar after returning from dinner. The door to my room had a full length window in it Only partially covered by a Shade. At the Bottom a Large Gap opened the room to the View of anyone who cared to stoop for a look. I thought Little about it initially. For All i knew in was a traditional turkish door. But soon after i got into bed i began to have doubts which grew As the night progressed. I was still awake Reading when a Raulle at the Doorknob startled me somebody was trying to get into my room. The door jiggled again and then a bearded face ferocious i thought peered at me through the Gap in the window Shade. I sat upright and the face quickly disappeared from the window. Were they robbers kidnappers i looked very american and i carried some Cash and a Good camera. More than a dozen scary times that night the episode was repeated. First the rattle and then the face or sometimes two of them. The room had no phone and i did t want to venture into the hallway where i could hear loud voices arguing. If somebody was plotting to get me i was t going to make in easier for them. I kept my bedroom Light on intent on staying awake and propped a chair under the Doorknob As a backup lock. The thought occurred to me at least a thousand times that night that nobody friends or family knew where i was or even that i had arrived in Turkey. When Dawn finally came i hurriedly packed eager to get out of the hotel and on my Way As fast As i could. But As soon As i stepped out into the hallway the realization hit. How had i failed to miss it the night before from the outside the door to my room looked just like the adjacent restroom door. The men a sign in turkish was placed illogically enough that it could have meant either of the doors. All night Long my fellow guests new to the hotel As i had tried what they thought was the bathroom door and found it locked. Those faces that had appeared menacing in fact simply were puzzled. No matter i d had enough of that hotel. I checked out anyway although i did t move to a fancy hotel just one that had a solid door. By Daylight the people of Izmir proved Friendly and helpful to a visiting american. But of course i never again blocked anyone s Way to the toilet. 22 in Ripe it ghz me