This is a picture of the group outside of Notre Dame Cathedral.
While touring the plaza, which also included the famous post office (part of which was designed by the very same Mr. Eiffel that made the Parisian tower), I was approached by a woman who wanted to sell me souvenir postage stamps. She was asking for 100,000 Dong, which is about $5 US. I said no, thinking that postage stamps have a pretty controlled price (hard to find "discount prices" on stamps), so the only way she could make money was to sell me worthless stuff. Besides, I don't collect stamps.
Well, a simple no wasn't good enough. I politely said no over and over again. She kept following me down the block. What was interesting was that she kept dropping her price. First to 80,000, then to 70,000, finally to 50,000 Dong. I learned something about how it works here... Just keep politely saying no, but don't run away, and maybe you can buy stuff for half as much. I still didn't want the stamps so I still said no and she finally gave up, returning to the front of the post office in hopes of finding another traveler, but one who either wanted stamps or wanted to be left alone enough that they would pay her off by buying the stamps.
That brings me to a different story about the land mine victim at the War Remembrance Building. I'll save that for another post, though...
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