Good Sales People and Smiling Monks

So I walked into a monastery and was immediately taken by a particular monk sitting near an open window with light streaming through. A picturesque, contemplative, beautiful scene. I smiled at him and he smiled a huge smile back complete with wrinkles around the eyes. He was bald, smiley and happy - - my favorite! So I asked Jguyjang (pronounced "gie yong"), our guide for the week if it was appropriate to get my picture taken with him. He asked the monk who happily agreed. So I sat down beside him and he warned me about his cat sitting beside him on the pillow (I almost sat on it!), then we posed shoulder-to-shoulder sitting in the sunlight. After paying him 10 Yuan (about .70US) I walked away satisfied. We continued walking around the monastery and I passed him again on the way out. I saw him counting a wad of money no shorter than 8-10" high - - seriously!! They put their top sales guy right at the front door to appeal to the tourist and man, did it work!

Good sales person #2: On a street in the backpacking district a girl selling jewelry kept asking me to "lookie". I kept putting her off until I saw something I really liked and it was only $3US so I started talking to her. She mimicked everything I said (as they do to practice English) but it was in a cute, happy way. She showed me the bracelet then showed me the necklace. I liked both but then her cell phone rang so she had to find it in her big purse and answer it (the ring tone was Pachabel Canon in D) all the while I stood there while she had her hand on my arm lightly as if to hold me there until she was finished. She kept trying to whisper talk to me (carrying on two conversations) but I couldn't understand her. So she hung up and said, "So we have a deal!" We did. I couldn't resist her. She was adorable and the fact that she had business to conduct on that cell phone made me laugh and it kept me there! And her prices were good.