From Vientienne we took a bus across the border into North Eastern Thailand, staying for two nights in the border town of Nong Khai. We didn't really do much while we were there, just appreciated having somewhere nice to stay again and at a more reasonable price for our budget. The town itself was quite nice, with a modern promenade running alongside the Mekong and a few colourful temples.

During our stay I decided to take the plunge and have my hair cut. After 6 months, it was getting pretty ridiculous and far too hot for the weather. I picked out the most modern place I could find, and described to the girl what I wanted done in a mixture of hand gestures and pointing at pictures. She nodded enthusiastically saying she understood and sat me down at the basin. She must have washed my hair for about 20 minutes (I know i'm dirty, but not that dirty surely?!) and the head massage was more of a harsh scratching with her long false nails. At one stage she lost concentration and soaked me with the hose directly in my face! I couldn't help but laugh, although I was very nervous by this point! By the time she was finished my hair was so tangled it looked like an afro, and it took her another 20 minutes to comb it through. Her cutting method was the most random I've ever seen, and I think she cut her finger with the scissors. The whole way through I was so scared, watching more and more of hair land on the floor. It didnt help that the Thai language uses lots of "aaaaaaaaa" and "ooooooooow" sounds, which kept making me think something terrible had happened! The end result was actually pretty good, despite the trauma. At only 2 pounds you cant really complain can you?!

-S