I was resigned to hiking in Sapa with worn Tevas hoping glue and a prayer would get me through my mountain trek. Then the strangest thing happened. Waking down the street in Hanoi this morning a guy literally grabbed my foot, and expressed dismay over my soles. He plucked a bottle of glue from a little basket he was carrying and started to take off my shoe. He motioned for me to sit and supplied me with a slipper for my exposed foot. "Super glue. Fifty thousand dong and I fix", said the neighborhood street cobbler. I agreed, the extra insurance was certainly worth $2.50. Then he pulled a thick thread from his basket and punctured the side of the sole with a pointed instrument. Apparently, he didn't think the glue would do the trick. I was feeling lucky, grateful and generous. As he started to repair the second sole he muttered "900,000 dong for thread and glue." Forty five dollars!!! Almost the price of my hotel room for a night. I've had pairs of boots resoled and heeled at home for $15. In a country where the average annual income is about $550 dollars I knew this was a ridiculous price. I replied an emphatic "no". My magnanimous spirit was deflated, and he was angry with my unwillingness to pay for his service. Of course I would pay, but I wanted a fair and reasonable price. I held firm at 300,000 dong. He wasn't happy and what started out as a fortuitous experience was wrecked by the art of the deal, or lack thereof.
