Nha Trang: Mining for Earwax (For Fun and/or Profit)

Today's planned outing was written off about five minutes after renting a pair of motorbikes. For some reason, the rental agency had decided to drain the gas tanks almost entirely before handing over the keys - there wasn't enough juice to get to the gas station so we had to push our bikes all the way back. After a drawn out argument with the management (we're getting used to doing it here), we managed to get a refund and took to the streets of Nha Trang on foot.

For the most part, I've paid little attention to the barber stands that proliferate the urban side roads here. Essentially they consist of a chair, a mirror and a small tray of tools set up on the sidewalk. Well, it was a rare treat today that I caught my first glimpse of the "after service." What happens is, once the haircut is done, buddy here straps a flashlight to his head, pulls out a fancy Q-tip like thing (it's more like a mini feather duster), and goes to town on his customer's ear canal. Now, considering Vietnamese motorists (who travel only a few feet away) tend to sound their horns at just about everything they pass, one has to wonder what kind of masochist pays for this type of service:

In a country where restaurants commonly recycle drinking straws by soaking them in dirty old dishwater (something I accidentally stumbled upon when I passed through a kitchen), I'll bet good money that these fancy "Q-tips" undergo a similar treatment.