It took quite a while to get going on the day, first because we got up late, second because there were so many chores to do, most notably a huge pile of washing. Val often criticises me for leaving all the big washes to her, but this time at least I really got stuck in. When it was all done, + we’d both managed to convince each other that we really wouldn’t be satisfied by spending all day sitting on the roof, we left to go on a walk. Our first notion was to go to the old town, but I’d also planned to go to the Post Office as well, so I was annoyed to discover we’d left all the mail we had to send behind. We never actually found the Old Town proper either, but that was only because we had a faulty notion of where it was. All that we discovered were long, busy, + dusty main streets. I’d been in a bad mood almost from the beginning of our excursion, + this didn’t help. In order to give the walk a focus we decided to aim for the museum, but first of all we had great difficulty in finding it, ending up at a brand new sports complex which we were told by one or two people was the museum, + then, when we did find it, discovering it to be closed. But it was as well that we had chosen to go that way, for that part of the walk was attractive, along by the river, with huge trees shedding golden leaves. It was wonderfully autumnal, just like home.
Heading back to the house-boat along the main road, we were approached by one of the usual sort of touts, inviting us to step inside his shop to view his goods, the only difference between him + his fellow-touts being that he was considerably better-dressed. At first we only talked about the man’s watch that we had, but soon enough, it widened to include the camera as well. This was a mistake, we decided later – far better to deal with one thing at a time, for the more there was, the more they expected a reduction in price. We were sat in his shop for about 2 hours (tho’ we were brought a cup of tea) but of course came to no agreement. We wanted our money all in cash, for one thing, for tho’ we did consider taking goods as part of the deal, (bearing in mind presents for home) he really had nothing at all that we were interested in. Some shawls, some saris, some shirts, but all that stuff we had no use for, + weren’t interested in. Eventually he offered Rs3500 for both things, but we wanted Rs4000 at a bare minimum, so walked out.
We were, however, able to do some business back on the boat, where we traded our cheap + cheerful Walkman for Val’s poncho coat, plus the heavy jumper that we’d borrowed to take to Ladakh. Plus a small cash adjustment of Rs25 from us to Sultan. On purely financial terms, it was not quite as good a return as we might have hoped for, but then we could hardly complain, in view of the price we paid for it, + the quality of the stuff we got in return. Val’s coat looks really smart on her – it has a separate lining as well. And the jumper too looks good on both of us, big + baggy + shaggy.
We decided that Val should go back to the shop again to try the bloke out on the watch alone. With her going alone, we thought, it might be possible to put a bit of pressure on by saying that she was acting independently from me, that I had changed my mind + didn’t want to sell it after all. The Man felt that he was in control of things, that was obvious, but we need to change that around if we wanted him to raise his price. So I went off to a small café to wait hopefully.
Things worked out reasonably well, actually, for as Val was walking along the street, it was the Man who grabbed her. Just as well, for Val was having difficulties finding the shop. It also meant that we could save the “My boyfriend isn’t interested” card for another time. There were problems tho’. The Man had a brother (of course!) who was interested in buying the camera + watch. But we hadn’t brought the camera out with us, so Val + the Man both turned up at the café together. Would I mind if we went back to get the camera to show his brother. I minded very much, as it happened, + I growled about it. This showed my true annoyance, but was also policy – I didn’t want to appear too eager to run around too much to sell the stuff. But we walked back to the landing place opposite the Mona Lisa, + Val was rowed over, for a small fee, by one of the boys who hung around there.
The Brother had an office next to the shop, + was fat + smarmy. We wrangled, in a not particularly pleasant fashion, for about an hour, + they did climb up to Rs3800. If they’d raised it to Rs3900, I think we would have taken it, but they wouldn’t budge, + I did not like their attitude, so out we went into the night once again. We felt depressed + bitter about it all – the making of enormous sums of money by selling stuff in India seems to be a myth, for the amateur at least. Our mood wasn’t improved when the first café we visited wouldn’t provide what we wanted from the menu, + the second offered us a reasonably expensive + indifferent meal. It never rains, they say. It hadn’t been a good day, + it was a relief to get into bed + finish it.
It must be just as tedious to read about all of these (failed) negotiations as it had been to undergo them… and I fear there may well be more to come, for we still have both watch and camera.
