How low can you go?!

Every Friday there is a Masai Market near the school. That is a place where the Kenyans bring their items to sell, like beaded bracelets, drums, masks, batiks, soapstone, and other things. A few weeks ago, I went with some of the teachers to the market. One in particular, Dalina, needed to get 3 masks (they are carved out of wood with animals above the face part) for a teacher in Canada. She went the week beforehand and they were outrageous. This week I thought I would try with her. We found some that she liked and started the bidding. This is the beginning of the fun part ... If you are not used to trying to get the lowest price (for the sellers -- and typically the highest price you would pay), then you are in for a treat. The seller started off at 3800 Shillings for one (which is roughly over $50 for one mask). We started at 800 Shillings for one (about $12). As expected, he was insulted and demanded more. We went up a bit, but when he wouldn't come down, we told him that we didn't need them and we walked away. At this point, they will either let you go or run after you. Well, he kept following us. He would get us and ask us how much we would pay. This went on for a long time. He even had them brought to us at the very end when we were ready to leave. After a total time of 45 minutes dealing with this man, we got the masks at 1200 Shillings and some change (about $19). So the total price was below his original asking price for one mask. Afterwards, we were so drained, but it was a fun experience.