Bargaining Fake Trekking Gear

My expedition came together rather ad-hoc.  a) Meeting
up with a South African fellow, Donovan, on my flight.
 b) Running into a guide, Shambhu, at a Buddhist
temple.  It's the off-season, and we cut out the
middleman by arranging the trek directly with Shambhu
and not his agency.  Two Canadians, Jennifer and
Trinity, will also be joining us.  I've posted a
notice on the board at my guest house to see if anyone
else wants to join us.

I'm preparing for the trek up to the Annapurna Base
Camp.  From here, I will be in the Annapurna Sanctuary
- 4300m high - and surrounded by what is arguably the
best panorama in the world (yes, better than the top
of Everest)!  I will also be standing in awe at
Annapurna, the 10th highest mountain in the world. 
It's a tough trek due to the alititude acclimatization
required.  I've only brought part of my snowboarding
gear, which means I have to invest in quite a bit of
equipment here.

Here in Kathmandu, there are dozens and dozens of
exhbition shops carrying real and fake trekking gear. 
All climbing gear (carabiners, rope, cramp-ons) are
real, but non life-threatening equipment are
predominantly fake and not to mention cheap -
especially North Face gear.  

The gear works, but one does expect them to have a
limited lifetime.  I also have to start bargaining and
haggling again.

"How much for the gaiters"
"300 rupees"
"And the camera bag?"
"550 rupees"
"OK. I'll give you 300 rupees for both."

haggle, haggle, settle at 300 rupees.

(conversion: $1 Cdn. = 62 rupees; $1 US = 72 rupees)


Typically though, the merchants don't go overboard on
initial prices like in China - they're bottom line is
only 20% of the initial asking price.  Being the first
person in the store also helps, as securing the first
sale is considered good luck over here.

So I'll need:

Gaiters for my trail shoes (I don't have boots),
decent trekking poles, thick waterproof trousers,
fleece trousers, fleece tops, and a -20 degrees
sleeping bag (there's likely to be no heating at the
base camp lodging).  Investing in some fakes that
should last the life of the expedition, my costs hover
around $80.  Plus, I can return the gear for a 50%
refund.  The windproof gear and fleece look all right,
but I really hope the down sleeping bag pulls through.
 The store owner is really honest though, turning me
away from certain sleeping bags when I question him on
true functionality, as he does feel some liability
that I will be using the gear at high altitude.

Now the real question - am I ready?  I haven't done a
long hike in a while, let alone 2 weeks worth linked
together.  I don't want to hire a porter - I want to
conquer the trek on my own - so I'll be carrying up my
whole pack.  The sheer thought of it is intimidating,
yet when I conquer the mountain, what an incredible
feeling I'll have viewing the entire range from its
core!

I've picked up my entry visa into the Annapurna
Region, and tomorrow, I'll be off.  

The trek will start in the colourful town of Pokhara. 
Then the ascent will be rapid.  I'll cross some small
villages, hot springs, and teahouses to stay in on the
way.  I expect some really cold nights, maybe
encounter some Maoist Rebels which I'll have to pay
off, but overall, it should be a relatively easy
undertaking (knock on wood).

Please wish me luck every day I'm gone!

Jesse