One thing that I’ve been meaning to write about, though, is haircuts. I love getting haircuts in foreign countries, because they are so cultural, and it is the type of thing that is so commonplace that most folks don’t think of it that way. Perhaps my most favorite was one that I got in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, the barber maybe said three words to me in total, did not seem to care about my interest in style, and gave me an awesome haircut that matched my equally ridiculous moustache. It was a good day.
In South Asia, haircuts are fairly cheap, in Nepal I was able to get them for about .25c, and here in Bhutan they usually around .75c. Which is good, because I hate spending money (side note, I rarely pay to get a haircut in the US, since its stupidly expensive for someone who just gets a buzz cut, many thanks goes to my Mom who has cut my hair since I was a little kid).
I used to get shaves in Nepal, which were done with a straightedge and were a very nice luxury, but the combination of a lot of beard hair and sensitive skin made me bleed quite a bit, so I haven’t gotten that done out in Bhutan yet. But they do shave the line of your hair with a straightedge, which produces a sensation not unlike a catscratch and which I oddly like.
But my favorite thing is the end, barbers out here always give you at least a short head massage. It’s a bit tricky because if they go too long, some will claim it as an extra service and try to charge extra for it, but you usually get the first minute or so free. The massage, by the way, doesn’t really feel “good” the barber basically gives your head a rub-down, which feels nice on muscles, but there aren’t many muscles on your scalp. They also basically form fists and hit you softly with the bottom of their fist. Why or how this tradition spread is of great interest to me.
Of course, it’s a rare time when a chilip gets a haircut out here, so often I get an audience, which is always mildly embarrassing and kind of funny. These pics are ones Rachel took on our trips when I got haircuts. The second shot was of when the crowd got so big she couldn't even take a photo of me anymore!
