Marc's Hair Removal...

Meanwhile, as Marc sat on the beach, here is his story of the day:

Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

N 10°11.124
E 103°57.963

I did get a massage today and the little lady insisted that she help me with my back hair "problem" for a small fee... "no good long hair on back, must take off. Yes, yes, no ouch, very easy." I can't believe I agreed to this idiotic idea, but once it started there seemed to be no turning back. I'm no pussy.

She used what I would consider a manual Epi-Lady. A ball of twine that she would spin around the hair on my back with both hands, one end of the twine was held in her teeth, she would then pull forcefully with her hands and use her teeth to guide a new segment of thread through her fingers... yanking the hairs off my back in a sweeping fashion... pulling at the same hair several times until it finally released.

Needless to say it was the same rare form of Vietnamese torture that I'm sure many of our POW's were subjected to during the war. The whole agonizing event lasted for what I believe to be 35 minutes, not quite sure since I was drifting in and out of consciousness due to the exquisite pain. I was actually laughing at the end of the "treatment"... I couldn’t believe I actually paid to have this little lady sit on my back and rip my hair out. I don't even care if there's hair on my back, but she sure did. She got every single last strand.

After the torture treatment ended I was treated to a full body massage... I think it was good, but anything after the torture I was just subjected to would be nice. She could have poured a can of hot coals on my back and I think I would have breathed a sigh of relieve.

Hair Removal...

San Diego, CA U.S.A./Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

June 29, 2007

Phu Quoc:

N 10°11.124
E 103°57.963

San Diego:

N 32°43.000

W 117°09.000

As Marc is hanging out on a remote island in Vietnam, I spent the day with Jenn preparing for her big day. The day included a lot of pampering, such as manis/pedis, some last minute errands for the wedding, and a day of recovery after the bachelorette party last night. Even though Marc is 7500 miles away from us, his day on the beach included some pampering too. The main theme of the day… hair removal.

Part of the "pampering" for Jenn included a Brazilian, armpit and eyebrow wax and just the brows for me. As the lady was applying scalding hot wax to Jenn’s delicate skin, Jenn immediately started to question what the hell she was doing. Jenn let out a little yell to let the little lady know the wax was too hot. The lady started blowing on the wax... yes, down there, trying to cool it off a little for Jenn.

The experience went downhill from there as the pain increased with each pull of the wax. Jenn thought about asking her to stop, but there really was no turning back. The wax underneath her armpits wasn’t exactly a walk in the park; this part was fast, but still very painful—making it difficult to put her arms down. This ways she won’t have any stubble under her arms on her wedding day—not that anyone would notice anyway.

When the whole painful process was over, about an hour, Jenn walked out into the lobby and simply said, "dude, I will never f’n do that again." I guess it is a good thing we only get married once. Or, according to Jenn's florist...twice...we weren't sure what this meant.

Meanwhile, as Marc sat on the beach, here is his story of the day:

I did get a massage today and the little lady insisted that she help me with my back hair "problem" for a small fee... "no good long hair on back, must take off. Yes, yes, no ouch, very easy." I can't believe I agreed to this idiotic idea, but once it started there seemed to be no turning back. I'm no pussy.

She used what I would consider a manual Epi-Lady. A ball of twine that she would spin around the hair on my back with both hands, one end of the twine was held in her teeth, she would then pull forcefully with her hands and use her teeth to guide a new segment of thread through her fingers... yanking the hairs off my back in a sweeping fashion... pulling at the same hair several times until it finally released.

Needless to say it was the same rare form of Vietnamese torture that I'm sure many of our POW's were subjected to during the war. The whole agonizing event lasted for what I believe to be 35 minutes, not quite sure since I was drifting in and out of consciousness due to the exquisite pain. I was actually laughing at the end of the "treatment"... I couldn’t believe I actually paid to have this little lady sit on my back and rip my hair out. I don't even care if there's hair on my back, but she sure did. She got every single last strand.

After the torture treatment ended I was treated to a full body massage... I think it was good, but anything after the torture I was just subjected to would be nice. She could have poured a can of hot coals on my back and I think I would have breathed a sigh of relieve.

Stories From The Beach...

Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

June 28, 2007
N 10°11.124
E 103°57.963

Introduction: As Marc sits on a remote beach in Vietnam writing little stories, I am in San Diego, CA with my friend who is getting married in two days. Sorry, Marc's stories won't have any pictures until I return to Vietnam on 7/5.

Here is one of Marc's stories...

Little boys, big sister and dog scampper down the beach.
Soaked, smiling, sandy.

Coconuts fight to stay at sea.
Floating travelers.
Tide rolls them up and down the shore.
Struggling, exhausted they come to rest.

Unknowingly, sister and brothers aid the stranded travelers.
Laughing, heaving the brown balls back to sea.
As far as their small arms will allow.

Bouncing, bobbing, afloat... again travelers.

Never Say "Goodbye", Say "See You Soon"...

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam

June 25, 2007
N 10°46.071
E 106°41.665

Note: Marc and I will most likely have parallel stories until we are back together on 7/5.

As with most things in life, all good things come to an end, and that includes the American Family Vacation. The five of us traveled in a pack for the last 19 days; Marc, Elise and I for the past month and I think all of us enjoyed every minute of it.

Marc, Elise and I boarded the bus for Saigon at 8:15 AM, leaving Bob and Teddy behind in Dalat. Bob and Teddy are heading to Luang Prabang via Hanoi on the 27th, Elise is heading to Cambodia via the Mekong Delta, Marc to Phu Quac Island and me to San Diego, California for my best friend’s wedding.

We all had so much fun together that saying goodbye was pretty difficult, which is when I reminded everyone to never say goodbye, but to see you soon. We will see everyone again in just a few months when we celebrate Joel and Lisa’s wedding (Marc’s brother).

There were even talks of our next family vacation, hoping more of the family would make it if we gave them plenty of time to save for the trip. The most likely destination for the next trip…South America.

We had one more night with Elise in Saigon; having heavy discussions around what is next for her, a recent college graduate. Marc and I both gave our opinions and reminded her that she has input from plenty of people, including her big brothers and sister-in-law, for any required career counseling. Luckily, she is bright with a good head on her shoulders and will excel in whatever she does.

As the three of us sat around at dinner that night, we realized we are all in the same situation. No jobs, no real commitments and endless possibilities in front of us. I think at this point, our parents just hope we make it home some day soon. If not, everyone else will have to meet us on the road.

For now, we will just say… see you soon.

Love,
Marc and Laura

An Easy Ride(r) in the Countryside...

Dalat, Vietnam

June 24, 2007
N 11°56.529
E 108°26.398

The American Family minus Teddy (she had to take a sick-day) headed out with the Easy Riders again today. This time we were with four of the original Riders. Our leader explained that the four of them were part of the Easy Riders back in 1993-94 and have been giving tours longer than any of the other “young kids”.

We didn’t really know what to expect during our countryside tour after seeing what we thought were a lot of great sights yesterday, but as soon as the wind blew in our faces on the motorcycles and my guide started talking to me, I knew we were in for another treat.

The Riders we had today all fought with the Americans during the war. As each one of them had an opportunity to lead the tour we heard their affection towards Americans as well as their personal impacts and hardships during the war.

One of the men spoke to us under the canopy of a greenhouse, surrounded by carnations and roses about the hardships of the war upon his family. He had tears in his eyes as he described the shot fired by an AK-47 that struck his brother in the heart, killing him instantly, and clearly tearing apart the heart of the man in front of us at the same time. It was a very personal memory he chose to share with us most likely because we are Americans.

As we rode from stunning Pagodas, walked through pine forests, visited greenhouses full of flowers, silk factories, and coffee plantations, the men, all in their late 50s/early 60s passionately talked about the improvements in their country, and possibilities for their children and grandchildren. Excitement in their voices, they talked about the recent visit by George W. Bush to Vietnam and the reciprocal invitation for the president of Vietnam to visit Washington DC. Showing again yesterday was yesterday, and today is today… who knows what tomorrow will bring. But it was clear these guys hope Vietnam will continue to heal and tomorrow will bring prosperity.

Vietnam will definitely be a different place in the near future. They still have a lot of improvements to make, especially around human rights and environmental concerns, but it appears everyone (at least in the South) has the desire to make it a better place tomorrow.