Traveling man

An older oriental man is traveling home after a trip abroad. He has a satchell full of things he had collected on his trip, little knick-knacks mostly. If he finds something that he likes, the old man attempts to trade or barter for it. In an airport terminal, he comes across a woman selling tiny trees in pots. He trades her a seramic panda for one. Along the way he meets up with a strange man, and it they always seem to be traveling on the same bus, or plane or staying at the same hotel. They start to talk whenever they meet, however the destination or starting location is never discussed. The elder man trades a piece of thumb=-sized quartz for a watch. Stops at a dinner one night, offers to sweep the floor for his meal. In walks the traveler, who offers to help him. There is no indication that the old man is rich or poor, but rather that he is content, and the traveler appears to be well off.