From Osan South Korea --- a couple oil paintings, one of a sailboat harbor, one of a forest a gorgeous gold star of david necklace From a Dutch flea market -- antique wooden shoes antique wooden side table with marble top From a German bazaar -- two green leather footstools From Chamonix France -- two woodcarved scenes of a cobbler and a small village shop about 8" x 11" What are your treasures?
I know someone who buys almost an entire traveling wardrobe from second hand shops wherever they go. That wouldn't work for me but it seems a sensible idea.
The ONLY things I ever bought in a foreign country, that I brought back, and still have: -A small vase from Yokohama, Japan -Two wooden picture frames from Madras, India -Casual dress (kurta and matching cotton pants) from Calcutta I also bought a sari top from a street vendor, to match a drape that someone had given me back home. The one I liked looked a little small (SMALL tag on it). He went in the back of a wagon and brought out a matching one with a LARGE tag on it. He had just switched the tags. Not uncommon shopping in India. It didn't cost much. The memory was worth it.
I guess the best thing(s) would be when I lived in Mexico. The Pima Indians make some fantastic chess and checker sets made out of Malachite, onyx and turquoise and were extremely inexpensive to buy. So, I would occasionally buy one for about $35 and send it to a friend in New Orleans via a trucker friend of mine. He would sell them for anywhere between $250-$500 at his store in the French Quarter and send me 50% of the sales.
You folks wouldn't believe what Sailors/Officers bought on a WestPac Cruise to Vietnam. It was all "duty-free" items. Actually, on our way back to the U.S. (San Diego) in June 1969, I was on the deck of the Destroyer I was stationed on, looked at the Carrier (U.S.S. Kitty Hawk) that we were escorting, and part of the flight deck was full of cars and motorcycles. The Recreation Room, next to our berthing area, was full of items bought on the cruise.