Snapshots – meet Joe Sciacca (by Joe)

This is Joe Sciacca. He is a mid-fifties roofer from Long Island, New York State. We met him several times on the trail between southern Laos and Phnom Penh.

The first impression you get of Joe is exactly as you might expect if the only Americans you'd ever seen were in certain films: a combative, tough-talking Italian New-Yorker with an occasional Robert de Niro (in ‘Meet the Fockers’) menace, and at least his fair share of firm to strong opinions on any number of subjects.

However after meeting on a few occasions you soon realise that this persona belies a far more sensitive soul.

Joe is big on South East Asia and has been a regular visitor to Vietnam for the past 15 years. His relationship with the country began some 40 years ago when, aged 18, he joined the call to go to the Vietnam war.

He makes very little of his ‘Nam Vet status explaining that he was posted ‘far from the real action’ in a small coastal town. They were shelled ‘occasionally’ he tells me, but only once or twice a week and never for a prolonged period. He says that the sound of the alarm claxon 'sure sent your nerves racing though'.

He now loves the country and has many friends there. He is always keen to explain entertainingly the idiosyncrasies of the people and culture and to tell a few anecdotes about how things used to be 10 or 15 years ago.

Joe had been traveling with Bill, an old friend (from his army days). However it was noticeable that they were rather different people. Joe liked to be active and we’d invariably see him out and about walking, seeing sights or on a bicycle. Bill was rarely to be seen taking exercise, rather sitting in restaurants and bars spending 2 or 3 hours in the afternoon sipping Beerlaos.

When we last saw Joe in Siem Reap (north west Cambodia), he told us that Bill had stayed in Phnom Penh and that he himself had booked a flight out of the country … to Vietnam.

(P.S The other thing about Joe is that whenever you try to take a portrait picture of him he is happy to oblige, but only ever gives you a profile - see top).

Joe