Copyright (C) 2007 by F. Scott Sinclair. All Rights Reserved.
Click the picture to enlarge the photograph.
When I have time, it's nice to travel to Chiangmai, Lampang
and other spots in Thailand. One of the most fun aspects of
such trips is visiting numerous furniture stores along the way.
If you take a sightseeing tour of Thailand, undoubtedly your
tour guide will have the bus stop at several "tourist traps": Oops,
I meant to say, shops en route to your destination. If you happen
to notice huge price differences between shops, don't be alarmed.
More than likely, the higher priced shop(s) will be able to send
your new teakwood dinner table and chairs back home. Why
is that? Because a store must have an export license before the
authorities will allow them to ship any teakwood products out of
Thailand. Hence, that's probably the reason for the price difference.
If you choose to live in Thailand, then by all means by the lesser
expensive furniture because in most cases it's of the same quality.
But not always... Buyer beware is a good motto. In either case,
try and dicker the price to your liking. It does no harm, and
it's expected that you will at least try to bargain with Thai
merchants. That practice is as old as the hills. And if you're
wondering how you're going to place a cup and saucer on that
intricately inlaid picture, don't fret. If you haven't guessed it
already, you'll need to buy some pane glass back home to cover
the carving. Anyway, last but not least, I shot the above picture
with a Kodak P850 digital camera.
Bottom line: So, why don't you think about coming to Thailand
sometime? You'll fall in love with its culture and greatest asset:
it's people. Just a pleasant thought. Take care.
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QUOTE:
F. SCOTT SINCLAIR'S NOVELS.
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