Thorn Tree travel forum

Speaking of Bad Haircuts? Have you had a Lao Shave?

I got a kick out of the English woman posting that she recieved a Bad haircut while in Vietnam. I would have to think that a VN person cutting a Western womans hair could be quite a challenge, as most the hair in Asia is completely different, and the growth patterns on a westerner, and hair type, very odd compared to Asians...so live and learn..Personally, it makes a funny story I think...your friends would see you back home be like, "What is that?"...hahaha

But, in order to restore a tourist faith in the professional standards on the Vietnamese culture and Hair Cutting proffession, I would hate to see thousands of westerners running around the globe complaining about the bad hairdoo they got in SE ASIA...

So, I was in the south of Laos in mid-January, and on a rented moto, exploring the regions of the southeast part of the country. Next to my guesthouse in Attapue, was a really nifty barber shop, with really cute girls cutting hair, and giving shaves. I was on my way somewhere at the time, and figured I would stop in the next day for a shave..

But the next day I pulled up in the barber shop on my moto, and a old man was there cutting hair...darn...where are those cute girls?

So the next day I was in Salavan, and there was even a better place, with a bike/moto wash connected to the barber shop, boy, these Laos folks are sure enterprising, a bike wash while you get a shave...PERFECT!

3 cute girls were there, and I was ready...So, I lay back in the chair, and close my eyes, and feel the lovely soft caress of the girls hands on my 3 day stubble. She starts to giggle, and I open my eyes, and all 3 girls are looking at me like, they had a look on their face like-"Where do we start on this face " (Project).

They were not used to the heavy and thick hair a westerner has, and so they deffered to the older, wiser, more mature, know all, mother...now mother enters the picture...(Lucky me)

Well, no hot towel, just cream lathered on my face, and she starts on my beard, with a open blade, the old fasioned kind....I almost felt like I was at the dentist, hands clenching the arms of the chair, while I feel each stoke over my rough face....ouch!

Two razor blades later, and 30 minutes, I was done, I open my eyes, and half the village was watching the Falang get a shave, even the bike wash guys, some people from next door, and who knows who else, everyone was going OOOO, AAAA, UUUUU, EEEEE..and I looked at my face in the mirror, and it was nick FREE...Nice job..painful, but nice...

The bike was all washed and dried, and we had cookies and tea, and joked, and I paid the 8000 Kip for the shave, (50 cents), and 10,000 kip for the bike wash, (80 cents), and tipped the mother 5000 kip for the time, and off I went...

Do you hear me complaining...I could have been sliced up like a diced tomato...

Get a Guidebook, and Get Lost!

View PICS of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Costa Rica, Hamptons NY.... click on TicoTim...