I’m a haggler, not a fighter…

I’m not really a hoarder, I swear. But I do like to buy things that remind me of my trips. And I usually do well – not too much, not too little. But  then there’s the stuff that got away. There’s not many things that I regret not purchasing, but there are a few items that I’ve passed up that I still think about. Years later, like some dude who asked me out in my 20’s and I said no and now realize I probably should’ve given him a shot. How effed up is that? Anyhoo – I present the list:

1. The Tuareg ear cuffs. These things are all the rage right now (except they are knock offs being sold by designer labels for hundreds). And I could’ve had them first. UGH. There I was in TImbuktu, haggling my butt off and I just got tired and walked away. I saw a few more cuffs over the next few days, but thought, “I’ll come back.” And then the Civil War started and I had to leave. (Story on that later). It now KILLS me to see them on another woman’s ear. BUT – the woman below is selling hers on Etsy. I suggest you order a pair.

Very Mad Max… How it looks on whitey

2. The Leopard skin rug from the Khan El Khalili Bazaar. You’ve heard me bitch about not buying this before and I MEANT IT! Because, look at it – so fabulously grotesque, weird, odd, and… perfect for me. I do love me some taxidermy. To make matters worse – there were two of them. I tried to find the shop again and couldn’t. Yep. Fun fact.

I still cant believe I didn’t buy this guy.

3. The most perfect opal ever in Australia… it looked like a Monet landscape. And I still dream of it. Sadly, there is no picture of it (just in my mind) and I’ve never found another one that compares…

4. The Dinka Corset I found in Kenya – so Galliano! I have lusted after it ever since. Every now and then, one can be found on eBay, but damn are they expensive (I had mine haggled down to $100 – they sell on eBay for over $1000). The image below is from the book Africa Adorned, by Angela Fisher:

5. The Praying crocodile in Cambodia.. because again, I love me some taxidermy and well, its a praying crocodile.

6. And from NYC: the t shirt and bag i should’ve bought and have never been able to find since:

cher guevara!