The past few days have been "slow news" days. But I did have a "first time experience" today that albeit may not be truly news worthy - it was an interesting first.The last haircut I got just before I left the US - which was over 6 weeks ago. Needless to say I was getting a little shaggy around the ears. I couldn't find any fellow sojourners who had any Vietnamese haircut experience. There were several salons around my hotel that I checked - average costs around $6 - quite reasonable. I then asked my motorbike driver Hoang if he had any suggestions. I ended up going to his barber.
Found throughout most Vietnam, many barbers just set-up chairs and a stand with a tarp covering right on the street. The one Hoang took me to was in an alley and the space was shared with a pig intestine and ear street "restaurant" which had a surprising pleasant waffling aroma.Anyway - there was no electricity - everything was done with hand clippers. The barber had an attractive female assistant. While the barber cut my hair, the female assistant gave me a manicure and foot massage. He also gave me a straight razor shave which was followed by his attractive female assistant wrapping my face in a hot towel for several minutes and then her attending to the black heads on my temples.
The finale and biggest surprise/shock was an ear cleaning that the assistant did with a tiny, alcohol sterilized spoon! Duration = 90 minutes. Quality of haircut = not excellent but certainly Very Good. Total Cost = $1.50 but I also gave them a 30 cent tip - hey that's 20% by the way; the assistant commented on my clear, minimal black head complexion and clean ears! She and the barber really liked my mustache - many Vietnamese appear to be fascinated by it and comment on it. Although both the barber and his assistant wanted to trim my mustache - I made it very clear that only I did that!
Sorry I didn't get a pic - rain was threatening so I left the Blackberry in my hotel room - and yes it did rain.Well hey - what did you expect - I said it wasn't much of a news day!
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