Two tales for your reading pleasure.
Tale #1: Muang Swa By Night
The cool towel, rather soothing on this warm evening, is placed on my neck. The older man moves around the towel. Then I feel his firm grip, on the back of my neck, and the massage begins. His hands knowingly and strongly begin to work the tension out of my neck. This is the sort of treatment you can expect to pay a few dollars per hour for in the countries we’ve visited.
Of course, normally I am expecting the massage. Normally, its relaxing, soothing and much appreciated. What’s different this time, you ask? Well this time I’m standing. And I don’t really want a massage. But I can’t turn around. At least not without making a bit of a mess.
Because I’m standing at a urinal in a Laos nightclub.
Muang Swa By Night, the disco portion of the Muang Swa hotel in Luang Prabang, Laos, looks, on the outside, like a place Al Capone would frequent. There are two discos in town, both must close at 11:30pm sharp, and at least this one only serves Beer Lao (at heavily marked up prices). The servers are dressed sharply and are attentive while a local band plays Lao hits with the occasional western song. As it turns out, there’s even a bathroom attendant.
Tale #2: Welcome to Phnom Penh
We are in Cambodia now, and after nearly a week in Siem Reap, visiting amazing ancient temples, we decided to take a bus to the beach. To get to the beach requires changing busses in Phnom Penh, and the changing process involved about a 90 minute wait at a Phnom Penh bus station.
The scene that unfolded surely could happen anywhere. Imagine you head to your city’s transit hub. Perhaps you arrive at Chicago’s Union Station and head up the stairs to Canal Street. You are waiting for a bus, and while you wait maybe one or two busses arrive and unload passengers. Plus there are other people already waiting, maybe some cars dropping people off, and plenty of taxi drivers trying to pick up a fare. The small, confined space is packed.
And then, in the midst of the hubub, a somewhat portly fellow with dark sunglasses and a bus company uniform, starts whacking people with a stick.
Yeah, we could be anywhere.
Hmmm. A men’s room attendant, giving masssages juxtaposed against the image of traversing Union Station. Perhaps it’s just as well there are no attendants there…
Still too damned cold here (snow flurries expected for Cubs’ home opener against the Astros).
Dave…
My comments for each incident: “LOL!!!” and “Oh, my. Right.”
I must say, it’s the most amusing post to date.
I’ll take a massage from a bathroom attendant while using a urinal, over a bathroom attendant telling me the toilets work while I’m using a urinal and he’s using the toilet next to it. I won’t say names, I’ll just say this happened to me in Chicago at a place that has a 60′6″ long bar.
I had a lot to read and it’s all enjoyable. Seriously, I laughed, I gasped when you hurt yourselves and shake my head in understanding at other times. I even teared up when you guys had to move on. Still don’t know if I could trade in my bed,toilette, dishwasher and Tide w/bleach for the experience. Happy trails to you.