DAY 24 - Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam) - The Barber of Saville/Ho Chi Minh

THE DAY I NEARLY DIED... AGAIN! Post second wedding we were just touring around, checking out what pies all the relatives had their fingers in (pottery, market sheds etc) - and it was at the markets that I had my "brush" or should I say "scrape" with death. The old man saw haircuts for $0.50... and after he had his and still came out resembling something other than a porcupine in a road accident, I thought it was safe to give it a go. The $0.50 hair cut was fine actually and probably a bit overdue... what got me was the next $0.50 for a shave. Me = traveller = unshaven = stubbly + barber with blade - any lubricants = PAIN! What made this slow motion nightmare worse was the whole family watching and making me laugh while I had a blade at my throat. Not even the sweat from the humidity and panic was enough to lubricate the blade... when the ordeal was finished I looked in the mirror expecting to see something from Nightmare in Elm Street 6. Unfortunately there wasn't much evidence of the pain I had gone through... nothing to get much sympathy from anyone (especially Yen).
LESSON FOR THE DAY: You get what you pay for!