In Her Rambles: My, my our time flies. 100 DAYS!

Gettin my hurr did...

The last two weeks have been full of guests and warmth here in Nhà KelseyStacey. For the first time since moving, I was able to play host and tour guide for DaNang and her surrounding cities. It has been fun showing friends my favorite restaurants, going to the beach, hanging out in local bars and sharing our home. Some of the smaller highlights of living here almost go unnoticed now that I am so familiar with them, such as ushering a frog off of the coffee table before we eat, or complimentary lounge chairs on the beach. Guests help me re-appreciate these wonders as they experience them for the first time. As much fun as I’ve had with the visitors, today I said goodbye to my dear couchsurfing friends, and realized how tired I was! Time for a little much-needed pampering.

It has been four months since anyone has touched my hair, and boy did it need some attention. I was really worried about finding a salon because, without a language barrier, getting across what you want someone to do with a pair of scissors is scary enough. I would have to surrender all control over what I think my hair should look like.

First, I was ushered back to the hair washing area and climbed onto a completely horizontal padded platform. Neck discomfort? No way – my head rested on a padded block that rose out of the sink basin. What happened next was the most intense hair washing of my life. As a former hair washer, (woop woop – first job!) I know that I was always hesitant to use my nails with scalps… some people have raised moles and other things on their head that don’t quite invite scraping. This gal, had no such hesitation. She raked my scalp with cat-like claws, almost to the point of pain, and just as quickly fell into a deep massage of incredible sensuality. I felt like she mapped out every region of my skull while lathering the shampoo – I even got an ear massage! Just when I thought she was done, the sides of her hands came down on my head in a repeated “hiii-ya!” motion. Before my head bliss could turn into a head-ache, she rinsed the conditioner and proclaimed her finish. “Wow” with a smile and a thank you was all I could muster.

Next, I was lead to the salon chair, wondering who was going to give me the very simple trim I requested through broken English and hand gestures. Through a sea of staff in black shirts, a very muscular, tattooed (rare in VN) man in a green button down shirt presented himself. He packed an air of confidence and wasted no time in beginning his art. It was a fluid dance between him and my hair. The staff seemed in awe of his every move and flick of hair. No words were spoken. When cutting one section of my hair, did he use clips to hold back the rest? No. He used men. There were five people standing around my swivel chair, spectating the magic of his snips. There were some pretty big chunks of hair falling to the ground, but I just kept reminding myself that he was the hair master and would construct something beautiful.

When he seemed satisfied with the cut, he whipped out the blow dryer and round brush and went to work with an assistant. His man would hold the blow dryer, lift and lower it when he instructed – with his eyebrows. I was -pardon the pun- blown away by his cut and blow dry. He gave me a great look, which reminded me of Michelle Obama’s ‘do!

Sadly, what was the fate of this beautiful creation? A Helmet!

First 100 days of tops and flops!

I’ve been here for 100 days and it feels great. I’m borrowing the heading from a blog I really enjoy reading.

It's believable that I’ve been here for over three months, although time continues to play tricks on me. The weeks seem to go slowly and fly at the same time. Here are some of the highlights and downers of my first 100 days abroad.

Best Foodie Moment(s)

I really got lucky with Vietnamese cuisine. It is (for the most part) healthy, diverse, and savory. You might ask – aren’t you just eating a ton of rice and noodles? And for the most part, I would say yes. BUT – they can do SO many things with those two ingredients, and each dish easily stands on its own.

Three of my favs:

Bánh xèo

Phở xào mềm

Cơm Chiên Tôm

Worst Foodie Moment(s)

FROG. I said I would try everything that was presented to me while traveling, and the only thing I would not eat a second time is frog. So. Many. Bones. Not worth it.

Best outside-my-comfort-zone Moment(s)

Jumping into a snake-infested cold springs pool ten times! (To be fair, we didn't see the snakes until after we were done jumping). Considering I'm not a fan of lakes, this was growth.

The second day in Hanoi (hell, my second day in Asia), navigating on foot from my couch surfer’s apartment 3km to the US embassy with no smart phone magic.

Hanoi's grid system

Worst outside-my-comfort-zone Moment(s)

Although I JUST said I would eat anything presented to me, there is one exception that I haven’t been able to convince myself into yet: The great food taboo of the fetal duck egg. Sigh. If Anthony Bourdain can do I, I can do it. Right?...

Yum

Best cultural moment(s)

The Temple of Literature in Hanoi – I regret not saving more time for this gem. Unfortunately I was carrying a backpacking pack on my back and a regular backpack on my front and dripping sweat through the short, sweet tour that I allowed myself. On an ordinary day, it would be a peaceful place to collect thoughts and spend time in absolute beauty.

Temple of Literature

Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue – This was a really surreal encounter with young monks living their daily lives, even as visitors walked around their rec activities.

Football at the pagoda

Worst Cultural Moment(s)

Hoi An during on-season summer months during the day. After getting used to the wonderful tourist-free lifestyle of Da Nang, I was pretty put-off by the crowds of tourism that swarmed Hoi An streets. Something about credit cards flying, westerners wearing conical hats, and street hawkers following families down the street made me want to run run run!

Hoi An is much more enjoyable now in the “winter” months, especially at night with their famous lanterns.

Best moment(s) in Da Nang