Outsmarting Jack

I got out of my hotel early today so I can feast on chicken rice, but I ended up at the store of Jack and his sister Kusum. Because I don't speak Chinese or Malay or Indian, I have to speak English and of course the next question is "where are you from?" Ooh, Philippines?

Jack started giving me his pitch of why I should buy a pashmina. Since he told me upfront that he's an honest robber, I stayed around for some lessons on cashmere and pashmina shawls.

Jack said that real pashmina is made from the beards of mountain goats in Tibet while cashmere is made from the fur of the same goat. The back of the neck is very sensitive to feeling hot or cold. So if you're cold, and you don't wear a scarf, you will get colds. (Now, I am reminded why I started wearing a scarf even when it's very hot in Texas. Because Arnel Pineda did.)

Most pashmina or cashmere are faked by Chinese artisans, Jack continued. It's hard to come by real pashmina anymore because Tibetans are getting lazy, even monks started fighting now. Jack says this with authority. But of course his was real- remember he's an honest robber. "Ok" I said, "give me your best deal on this "real" pashmina, but I have to pay in US dollars and you just give me the change in Singapore dollars. I have this 100 US dollar bill with a very small tear in one of the corners that 3 money changers in Cebu and a 4th one at Changi airport refused to change. So I sighed a sigh of relief when Jack agreed. I left with my purchase and 1 block away, here comes Jack waving my Franklin. "Do you have another one, the money changer won't change this one." What the....

Well, I already fell in love with my purchase so I paid him without any fuzz. I learned a lot from Jack, but one thing for sure, next time, I will make sure and bring only crispy, newly minted Franklin's to Asia.