Walkers Around the World

A Special Haircut

2010-09-08T02:21:00.000+08:00

When you have one unusual haircut experience, you shake it off as part of living overseas. When you have another, well, that’s a blog entry. Let’s go back to China. Walk down any side street in Shekou and numerous salons await you. Greeted by a very metrosexual stylist who has hair bigger than a beehive do in the 50s (and probably with a pink streak in there somewhere), you were escorted into the parlor of your choice. But this isn’t your typical shop.

Hair is everywhere. Sweeping up isn’t a priory and a day’s worth of shedding coats the floor. Smoke fills the air as both employees and customers puff away during the procedure. You are asked, most likely, what you would like, but you don’t understand a word so you just point stupidly to your hair and they point mockingly to a chair. Once seated, a ballad of charades gets the work started, yet the questions in Chinese continue as if they think somehow you would suddenly snap out of your monolingual ignorance.

So how do they cut hair in China? A regular trim up the sides starts you off, but when they cut the top, that’s where it gets weird. A pair of scissors that look like two combs that clip together is randomly and aggressively passed through your hair. In short, I believe these layer the hair and give it definition. In reality, by the time it grows out, your head looks like it was last trimmed with a kitchen blender. Next, out comes the straight razor, and you know how human life is valued in China. So is that razor, new, sharp, or sanitized in anyway? Of course not. Rust lines the edge of the blade which is scrapped mercilessly around your hairline as you pray that you aren’t slit Godfather-style and that your tetanus shot is up-to-date.

Now, the winner, and I am not joking that this happened. The guy finishes my hair and then asks me something. I nod stupidly again because I have found it is the only response when you are asked a question and have no idea what they are saying. But in this case, it wasn’t, “Are you pleased with your haircut?” He walks over to a large curtain and pulls it back to reveal a semi-passed out woman, scantily clad, laying on a cot. She looks 10min from her last heroin blast. A sexually explicit gesture breaks down the language barrier like a tank and there is no longer any confusion on my part about what he asked me. Now, it is the middle of the day and I am married. Not that these are the most immediate problems with the situation in front of me. There is literally a curtain separating this service from the rest of the shop, and I don’t want whatever I am going to contract in the long run from this encounter. I pay my $2 US (for the haircut only) and bolt out of there.

It isn’t just the massage service that ends this way.

South Africa

Barber shops aren’t as plentiful here as China, so when I saw one I made a mental note to go back to get the mop chopped. When I strolled in, three Middle Eastern men were staring at the ceiling. I immediately looked up and seeing nothing, could only assume they were bored. When they saw me they jumped up and rushed over. My cashmere sweater was carefully hung and a woman came by to offer me coffee or tea. The next few minutes were haircut as usual. Out comes the straight razor, a new blade is put on and he starts shaving my hairline only in the up direction. It felt weird but came off without a hitch. So far, status quo in the hair department.

Then the guy stops, eyes me up and down, and asks, “Is this your first time with us?” I nod that it is and he wanders off, returning with what looks like a spool of thread. He bites a bit of it, twirls it around and comes in close. I swear I am about to get a tooth flossing and although this seems odd for a barber shop, hey, I am in a different country, a different hemisphere even. Then he zips the thread, which is more like fishing line, and starts zipping the hairs around my eyebrows clean off. It hurts like a mo-fo! The fuzz on my forehead, between the eyes, on top and even in my ears, all ripped away with a flick of the fingers. I want to yell out but I can’t give my torturer the satisfaction. When it stops, I am ready to tell him all my secrets but he walks off, clearly not interested in national security. Every facial feature from the neck up is beet red and burns like someone sprinkled cayenne pepper on a blistering sunburn. I pray for death.

But it isn’t over. He returns with a Q-tip dipped in wax. This isn’t going to end well for me. He blows on it to cool it to a mere singe then crams it in my nose. Hardly loving that someone just blew on something that went it a mucus membrane of mine, I sat and waited till he filled my other nostril with green goop. Off he sits in the corner, bouncing his leg and humming a tune. I look at myself in the mirror, see a red walrus staring back, and look over to the guy, curious if this is all just a joke for his benefit. It isn’t. He rises, walks over, grabs the tip and yanks. Blood rushes to my face (again) and tears fill my eyes. I try to glance at the cotton swab he is holding in front of my face like a hunting trophy, but my vision is blurred. Knowing what is coming, I brace for the second nostril raping, but it is worse than the first. At least 30 of my nose hairs are perfectly removed on a chuck of wax.

I pay my money, get suggestions on shaving so as not to ruin my sideburns, and leave, a little pissed that I paid, then tipped, for getting my ass kicked. As I limped to the car a broken man, my finger picked green boogers from my nose. The next morning after my run, a little blood still trickled from my nostril.

My suggestion: Do it yourself.

Cambodia & Singapore

2008-10-01T13:44:00.003+08:00

We were looking forward to this trip for a while! Cambodia was a blend of some of the most amazing accomplishments of man coupled with some of the darkest moments in history. We started in Phnom Penh. Everything was cheap, the food was good, but the history was horrible. One hostel had drawings of a girl who was a child sex slave. The pictures were dark and sad.
Across from our hotel was Tuol Sleng (S-21), the genocide museum. Once a school, it became a prison where 14,000 men, women, and children were tortured. Black and white mugshots of everyone of them still haunt visitors.

Not far away were the Killing Fields or Cheoung Ek. A 100-foot tower of skulls marks the entrance, and shallow graves are everywhere. It is estimated that only 8 people from Tuol Sleng didn't end up here. It was one of the most sobering places we have ever seen.
On a lighter note, we took a bus to Siem Reap, the gateway for the Temples of Angkor. This town was awesome! Food and beer for under a dollar, night markets, silk, - the shopping was endless! Then we hired a moto and hand a tour of Angkor Wat and about 15 other temples in the jungle. They were amazing! It was an excellent end to such an emotional trip.

But before we left, we went to Singapore. Although clean and beautiful, this place was expensive!! We had great dinners and ate at the Paulner Brewery, but we couldn't afford to stay long. The Singapore Zoo was one of the best around.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Vietnam

2008-05-30T13:24:00.000+08:00

All we knew about Vietnam was the war. But what we found was a country that was very interested in the US, was very kind, and took US dollars! We spent a few days in Hanoi beating the heat with some good beers, buying cheap dvds and silk ties on the street, and planning the next leg of our trip.
We were picked up in a van and transported to HALONG BAY, one of the world heritage sites. We spent the day on a boat, floating between islands and hiking in caves. Then we had dinner on the boat and met some people from MSU!! The next day we kayaked in the water. Pretty amazing.
We took an overnight train to the mountain town of SAPA. After hiking all day in the terraced rice fields, we were quite exhausted (I guess we shouldnt have done it in Teva sandles). We really saw how primitive people live.

The Philippines

2008-01-30T13:22:00.001+08:00

When it was "freezing" cold in China, we got out and went to the islands of the Philippines. After the craziness of Manila, we flew to Palawan in the southwest. After getting on a jeepney (a jeep with a bed in the back, where up to 40 locals hang on for deal life), we drove 3.5 hours across the island on dirt roads, all for the cost of about a dollar.
Our home for the week was a thatched-roof hut on the beach. Blue and green waters made up our front yard. We didn't have power part of the night but when meals cost no more than $2, we were living pretty large. Our days consisted of runs on the beach, swims in the ocean, and hikes in the jungle. There was an underground river and wild monkeys, in addition to 6ft monitor lizards.
One night we went to the resort on the beach. A bottle of wine, appetizers, surf & turf, cocktails, and dessert ran $50. That was a pretty good night.
We moved back to Puerto Princesa and went scuba diving with turtles and sharks. Overall, nice and warm and it was dreadful coming back to China and the rain!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Thailand & Malaysia

2007-12-21T18:34:00.000+08:00

Bangkok - One of the hottest, busiest cities in the world. Seeing a real Muy-Thai fight made my trip. Elephants walked the streets and little motos (tuk-tuks) whizzed through the humid air. If that wasn't enough, we moved south to Phuket and rode elephants in the jungle. We risked our lives white-water rafting and ATVing (not recommend in Asia). Sarah and I also go certified to SCUBA dive. We spent time hanging out with a cool couple from England.

Then it was on to Malaysia. After a few days in Kuala Lumpur, we flew over to Borneo and intoone of the most amazing outdoor places in the world. Mountains, rivers, and wildlife, this place has it all! The true benefit was going to the orangutan preserve. Even though the weather didnt cooperate, we crashed an all-staff New Year's Eve party. Sarah sang, we all danced, and being the only white people there was an amazing night. Most of our friends we sick the whole time.

First China Trip

2007-10-23T06:50:00.000+08:00

October 2007
We could not have had a better trip in China. We went to the beautiful cities of Guilin and Yangshuo to relax on the Li River, shop, and eat. This town had everything you could want to do each of these.
We attended light shows with 2000 performers. We biked to a giant cave and swam in the mud! Every meal was excellent.

We went on to Xi'an to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. The walled city was amazing. More polluted than where we are from but the ancient look was worth the trip.

Shekou, China

2007-08-23T20:11:00.000+08:00

We live in Shekou, China, a sub-district of Shenzhen, just across the water from Hong Kong. It is a busy city with lots of commercial shopping. Our area is filled with restaurants, bars, stores, and massage parlors (some legit, others not). The weather here is extremely hot and humid in the summer and it rains a lot. Then in the winter, it cools nicely and the palm trees are nice.