Thanks to all of you for taking so much time on this. I appreciate all the insights. I know the feeling about bargaining and being overcome by large numbers of vendors. I am like you Jan in just moving on and getting nothing. I also understand you Kipper and, when I do bargain, try to keep in mind that my few dollars saving is nothing to me and meaningful to the vendor.

When we were in Tanzania we came home with very little other than a few small carvings for gifts--well, other than an old, authentic mask, obviously worn, that had migrated from Northern African down to Tanzania. There is a long history with it. Cody saw it when he was here last month. It's pretty impressive. I didn't get jewelry or beads. Our way of traveling is to come home with something quite special and unique rather than small things.

Interesting as to the year of the bills. We will be certain to follow that advice.

I'm sure I'll have more questions.

Argh Jan.

The more I hear about Kenya the further it slips down my list of places to visit!!

Tips on bartering?

Very easy, you do nothing till the final stages of the transaction, you let the vendor barter for you!!!!

First let him remove the other vendors for you!!!

Once you have selected the item of your desire from say vendor "A" let them know that that is what you want! But then as other vendors clamour for your attention Ignore everyone even the vendor you intend to buy from!
Just watch him/her clear the rest away rather than lose a potential sale!!

Now you have the excellent carving of mating monkeys in your hand to study properly! they're asking $50 for it!
The maximum you want to pay is $25 but really want to pay only $20
Remember it's worth to you is only as much as your willing pay!
Pull negative faces! Keep hold but lose interest!
The vendor will drop $5 to test your resolve
Head shake from you!
Now $40 is his new price!
"How much you give me??"
"$10"
Much horror at the crazy European! "$10? Huh!"
Lot's of chatter how good the carving is, how unique, "Have you ever seen monkeys like missionaries before?"
Lose interest completely, hand the carving back!
"OK! You special lady I do special price" Vendor checks no one else can hear "For you $30"

So far all you have done is look disinterested, & offered $10

Now the bartering starts! But remember what is an extra $5 to you really worth?

And if your in the area for a couple of days.... You could always buy it tomorrow or the day after but remember another tourist could buy the passionate monkeys later in the day!

I have a large carved painted Chinese mask in the office, a real monstrosity but I love it, bought earlier this year from a souvenir shop while waiting for a bus!

The asking price was $650HK!
I purchased it for $300HK using these tactics, the vendor him self dropped it to $400 with out any prompt from me except my disinterest & my refusal to view his other wares.
I could possibly have bought it for even less but Hey! I was happy at that price & so was he, We even settled that we were both related to Budha, me because of my bulging waistline & he because he was totally hairless!
Remember respect & humour go a long long in way!

Kipper: Thanks for the awesome lesson. I'll have to print it up and take it with me the next time
and review it before I try any haggling on price.

Sounds like you actually have fun doing it.

Kat

I LOVED LEWA - it was awesome. When we visted we stayed at the main house in a duplex suite wioth gorgeous views! I only once watched a huge male lion RUNNING towards a lioness which were "visited" by another male I won't forget his flying mane while he was running to secure his harem.

The same feeling towards MERU. Also very different and very beautiful. But the male running pasha always comes to my mind when I hear/read LEWA!

Time to get back.....hmmmm

Hi Pippa - I stayed at Lewa Safari Lodge and I highly recommend my driver/guide, Nissa. He was superb!
The lodge manager was an Italian fellow who was constantly complaining about not getting enough Italian tourists. I told him maybe he was in the wrong place and should go to the "Italian Riviera" - Malindi on the coast!

Amboseli was green and lush and the surviving (from the 3-year drought) elephants, hippos, and buffalo were having a great time eating all the wonderful fresh luxuriant grass. All the wilderbeest and zebra died during the drought and KWS was supposed to translocate some from Nakuru Park in order to keep the many lions and hyenas in the park as they couldn't mount an effective attack on the large herbivores - adult eles, hippos, and buffalo and might stray into the Maasai villages.

Sadly, I photographed a beautiful 14-member lion pride - which then disappeared. I heard from a KWS ranger that the lion pride had raided a Maasai village for its goats and the Maasai killed them all - every one of the 8 adults and 6 cubs. I didn't see another lion in my next 5 days there. So Amboseli was a definite mixed-bag of good and bad. I had an interesting visitor in my Serena Lodge bedroom - a Black-tipped scorpion. Very deadly but only dangerous when bothered - stepped on or when you put your shoes on and he/she's in them! I got a stick and put him outside and he ran into the rocks for shelter - he survives to live out his scorpion life!

East Tsavo got a lot of rain and I was bogged down several times in the mud. There were a lot of eles in the park but not at the Satao Camp waterhole. I saw 6 cheetah - one right around camp and the rest in the park. Three solitary females and a coalition of 3 males, possibly brothers.

Cheers, Kat

Here is my 2 pence...

US Dollars etc can be changed at any national bank in any town for local currency. Every international hotel takes foreign exchange and will chnage into local currency; thir usually charge more than the banks.
The airport has places to change but they also take a nice little fee.

If you take your C Card to the bank to get cash out - make sure you take your passport for ID.

Cheques - travellerscheques etc; Forget them, they are of the past. Do not waste your time anymore as you will get charged around 7% now to chnage them.

Purchasing items on safari, tourist markets etc - they will always try and rip you off. 1st do some window shopping - get a feel and then bargain.
Make sure that you do NOT purchase anything that has been removed from an animal - like bangles, bracelets etc made from elephant hair etc etc. hide ....