Comments on: Day Two In Shangri-La http://leahandmark.com/2008/04/15/day-two-in-shangri-la/ Life is More Than You or Me, it's Us. Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:05:13 +0000 hourly 1 By: Nichole http://leahandmark.com/2008/04/15/day-two-in-shangri-la/comment-page-1/#comment-59 Nichole Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:56:40 +0000 http://leahandmark.com/2008/04/15/day-two-in-shangri-la/#comment-59 I agree about the sad decline of locals selling "gift shop wares" in most countries...when we were in Tahiti at the Straw Market in downtown Papeete we saw tons of wood carvings, jewerly, and beautiful sarongs only to look on the tag or on the bottom of the item to see "made in taiwan". Probably the same crap we could have purchased at Pier One or Cost Plus World Market back home! We had to get out into the countryside and away from the tourist areas to seek out the local artisans doing original native handi work. It was so worth it! We bought direct from the pearl farms, the vanilla plantations, the woman doing tie die sarongs on the side of the road. ps-excellent comparison of Tibetans' plight to our loss of Native American people......so sad! I agree about the sad decline of locals selling “gift shop wares” in most countries…when we were in Tahiti at the Straw Market in downtown Papeete we saw tons of wood carvings, jewerly, and beautiful sarongs only to look on the tag or on the bottom of the item to see “made in taiwan”. Probably the same crap we could have purchased at Pier One or Cost Plus World Market back home! We had to get out into the countryside and away from the tourist areas to seek out the local artisans doing original native handi work. It was so worth it! We bought direct from the pearl farms, the vanilla plantations, the woman doing tie die sarongs on the side of the road.

ps-excellent comparison of Tibetans’ plight to our loss of Native American people……so sad!

]]>