Shave and a Haircut

Sometimes a bit of perspective and grooming is all you need.

Saigon is.... Saigon. It lacks the character of Hanoi, the bustle of Bangkok or the beggars of Phnom Pen. To arrive here at the end of a long vacations is a bit of both a relief and a let down. I was already kinda burnt out before Hoi An and being here hasn't done much to recharge/deplete me either way.

But onto weightier matters.

Earlier today I was feeling a bit low and missing my family. The funny thing was it was more due to being alone on Christmas Eve than anything else. As someone who has expressed his dislike for Christmas on multiple fourms and mediums, including this blog, I felt like I shouldn't be feeling this way. It just seemed like a repudiation of all the anti-scharine bullshit I've tried to reject. Then a few things happened to put things in perspective.

First, I talked with an excellent travelling companion who has had a much rougher time of it as of late than I have. To compare:
-Mild flu/cough < Very serious undetermined tropical illness
-Feeling a bit alone on the day before a holiday you have hated on < Being very sick then getting stuck in some worthless city-state on a technicality when you just want to see your family
This smacked me out of my self pity. So I resolved to go out and seize whatever this city gas to offer.

I first got a shave and a haircut. The buzz cut I had given myslef before leaving was looking quite shabby.

I asked the front desk people at the hotel I'm staying where to get a bit of a trim. They advised me not to go anywhere nearby as I would pay to much, but to walk about 8 blocks away and pay a lot less. Which I did. My head newly trimmed and my face freshly shaved by a straight razor of dubious origin, I'm now ready to seize the night. Or what is left of it as Saigon shuts down at 12. I'm now headed to dinner and who knows what else.

Merry Christmas everyone!