Home Sweet San Francisco

How can it be that our year is over? Alas, all good things must come to an end. Or at least a temporary hiatus until our next adventure.

That being said, being back in San Francisco isn't so bad: friends and family and capybara-sized burritos make settling down feel more like settling in. And we do hope that all those we met along the way will come crash on our couch and drink our wine and regale us with tales. In the meantime, we're going to exaggerate our own stories of derring-do for all those that will listen.

But as a fitting end to our traveler's tales, it should be noted that Eric's last haircut around the world took place in our bathroom. Goodbye beard, hello job.

We also wanted to make a small plug for two organizations that have captured our hearts post-trip. There are so many people doing wonderful things around the world to alleviate poverty, provide opportunities, and do good in this world, and they all should be applauded. We feel blessed to have had the chance to galivant around the globe for a short while, and our trip did much to impress upon us how lucky we are to have the resources we do. In an effort to give back, we've embraced the efforts of Kiva.org and RoomtoRead.org, both of whom are making huge strides to make this world a better place for all that occupy it. We encourage you to get involved if you feel so inclined.

Thanks for reading and armchair traveling with us. We'll look forward to seeing you out on the road in the future....

Haircuts Around The World: Bolivia - The Final Adventure

It was our last night in Bolivia. We finished shopping for gifts and souvenirs, made a quick run to find a brewpub, and then we walked down to haircut alley near our hotel in La Paz. There were a good 20 places to choose from, and I made sure, much to Kathleen's frustration, that we walked by all of them. It takes a trained eye to spot (in less than a few seconds) the differences that could make or break my haircut. Disaster is always right around the corner. And this was going to be my welcome home hairdo. What immediately caught my eye were the pictures/posters of Kurt Cobain, Leonardo Dicaprio and 'N Sync on the wall. If these folks got their hair cuts here, it must be good. We walked in, I sat down, and the magic unfolded.

The first surprise was that he lit a flame to sanitize the blades and heat them up. He later used the same flame to heat up some oil (at least that is what it looked like) that was mixed into the shaving cream. It was a careful cut on top with just the blade (no guard) and it looked amazing. He took great attention with the beard, including the use of a straight edge and shaving cream. It was quite a magical experience and a wonderful way to end the Haircuts Around the World adventure. Overall this was a 9 out of 10.

Haircuts Around The World: Rurre

It was jungle hot and humid outside even in the early evening. We were in the jungle region of Bolivia and it was an amazing contrast to La Paz. We wandered the streets looking for haircut alley. What immediately caught my eye were the pictures of potential new hairdos all over the walls. We carefully scanned them all but never found one that seemed to fit my demanding tastes, so we settled for the clipper #1 on top and a trim up on the beard.

It did not take more than 30 seconds before I was dripping in sweat. The barber joked to Kathleen by asking her what the translation was for "flood," as he noted my forehead. The cut on top was simple and straightforward. I began to get a little nervous about the beard as he reached for a guard that was a little too short, but it all turned out well. The Bolivians don't sport beards very often, so I don't think he gets much practice. The best that I could get was a once over with clipper #2, a pat down of my brow, and a push out the door. Not a bad cut but none of the fancy moves I have had the pleasure of experiencing so far on the trip. In any event, a haircut for less than $2 is pretty good. Overall I would give this a 4 out of 10.

Haircuts Around The World: Chile

I never actually got my haircut in Chile, but we saw some excellent places for our next visit. We couldn´t help but share the pictures.

Haircuts Around The World: Mendoza

It has been a month since my last haircut and, and I was begining to shy away from the public because of my long hair. Although nobody said it, I knew they were thinking, ¨what is a hippie like you doing in this town.¨ Then again, I know that some readers have trouble telling the difference between the before and after photos. We had a surprisingly hard time finding any place in Mendoza, but once we found one we quickly found a few more. Arsenio (no relation to Arsinio Hall) was up to the task.

The peliqularia was clean and had nice tango music playing in the background. I now know enough haircut Spanish to get by on my own and secure a clean cut. A simple clipper #1 on top with a #2 or #3 for the beard. The straight edge razor blade came out late in the game, but he used shaving cream (which is somewhat rare). He did not take great care around the mustache, which is an important place to get right in Kathleen´s view. Everything else went smoothly and he added some after shave loation to my beard, which left me smelling like the haircut place for the rest of the day. Overall, a 6 out of 10.

As for why my head is cut, I walked into a tree. There are a few low hanging tree limbs on the streets of Mendoza, and when night falls they become hazards for tall Americans. It hurts!

Haircuts Around The World: The End Of The World

What better place for my next haircut than the southernmost city in the world. After walking the streets for a while, I settled on Osvaldo Coiffeur Peluqueria Unisex, a promising contrast to the men only places I had been to so far. (Notice the big ships in the background of the first picture...they are heading to Antarctica). This place had a pink wall on one side and a light green one on the other. There were young women getting their hair done and older gentlemen triming up what they had left on top. This place even had two helpers sweeping up the floor and preparing mate for the barbers (see the picture below).

My cape had a definite Christmas pattern (red, white and green), and the barber looked perfect for the job. His shirt was only buttoned half way up and he was drinking mate throughout - handed to him by the beautiful blonde helper lady. ¨We¨ never had those before. He was efficient with the clippers, forgoing the #1 clipper for a cleaner and shorter cut on top (I am still working on my Spanish). No straight edge razer blades were used (losing points), but he did clean up the beard nicely (Kathleen likes it). I went for a different atmosphere with this one and it lived up to expectations. But the beard never received the special attention it deserved and no head massage (like in Uganda). Overall, I would give it a 6 out of 10.

Haircuts Around The World: Buenos Aires Redux

My parents came to visit us in Buenos Aires for Christmas, so I had to clean myself up. As you my recall, my last cut in Buenos Aires was okay but nothing to write home about (although I did anyway), so we were looking for a different kind of atmosphere this time around. Just down the street from where we were taking Spanish classes was the perfect place -- Mostacho. I have one of those...and it needs a trim.

I was suited up with a nice red cape with Mostacho on the front (I wanted to buy one). The clean cut and professional barber took to the task quickly and efficiently. He used new platinum laced razer blades (quality gear -- bonus points). He handled the beard well, living up to expectations and their advertising. He followed some of the same techniques that I saw for the first time in Brazil but managed to do it in half the time (he was also half the age of my last barber). Overall, I would give it a 7 out of 10 (notice the smile).

Haircuts Around The World: Brazil

It was our last day in Brazil before heading back to Buenos Aires when we walked by this place. It looked perfect. Notice the guy sleeping in the chair in the picture to the left and ¨my guy¨ is half asleep in the foreground. These looked like two gentlemen who have been cutting hair for decades and may have seen a beard or two in their day. Were they cutting hair when Pelé helped Brazil win the World Cup in 1962, or when he scored his 1,000th goal (O Milésimo) in 1969? Could they...would they tell me stories!? Oh yeah, I don´t speak any Portuguese. I began to think about the last time I was at a men´s barber shop back in the United States. I think I was in the 4th grade. I always went to the barber shop that had the great red and white (and sometimes blue) swirling poll out front. But on that fateful day the barber practically shaved my head, and I got no end of teasing about it the next day at school. From then on I went to either the same place my mom used or a generic unisex budget hair cutting place. It was time for my homecoming, and what better place to do it than São Luís, Brazil with two 70 plus year old hair cutting brothers. The trim on my head was straight forward and easy. No worries there, and he used the straight edge to clean up the back and around the ears (bonus points). Then he turned to my beard and proceeded to spend a good 30 minutes carefully working on making it perfect. I looked like a million bucks! No Tupac posters (Tanzania) and no head massage (Uganda), but plenty of charm and style of its own. Overall, I would give it an 8 out of 10.

Haircuts Around The World: Argentina

It’s time for another installment, as my beard is getting unruly. I had to get cleaned up for the arrival of Kristina. We have not had visitors yet, and I need to look my best. While Kathleen took the razor to my head in South Africa, I never had a proper beard trim, so this is what it looks like after about two months. Unlike some cities we have visited, there is no shortage of hairstylists (and plastic surgeons for that matter) in Buenos Aires. Argentina is said to have one of the highest rates of plastic surgery in the world. We thought for sure that in this fashion-conscious and aesthetics-obsessed city that we would find plenty of quality places for my next haircut. Unfortunately we seemed to have wandered into the only neighborhood in the city without at least two barber shops on every corner, but alas we found this kind gentleman...

He looked more like a beefy rugby player (sorry to see the loss of Argentina to South Africa in the semifinals of the world rugby championships a couple of weeks prior) than a hair stylist. The shop itself was unisex as it clearly had products for the ladies, but was also dirty enough to be run by a guy. What happened to the Tupac posters?

The cut was okay. It is hard to blunder shaving my head, although you can now lose points by not using a straight edge razor to clean up the back and otherwise not taking the greatest amount of care and pampering of my precious scalp. The beard trim was rushed, and he did not trim up my beard neck line well. But I can´t speak Spanish yet, so who am I to complain? At least I look presentable again! Overall, I would give it a 5 out of 10.

Haircuts Around the World: South Africa

With most of the modern conveniences available to us, South Africa felt like home in many ways. Sadly there were not many interesting barber shops, and only on our second to last day when we visited a township in Cape Town did we find a place that looked right for this edition of -- Haircuts Around The World. But my hair could not wait that long, and we settled for a homegrown cut in our backpacker's hostel in Hogsback.

We shared a place with a great couple from London (Johnny and Juliet) who were traveling around the world but only in their second week at this point. Johnny was sporting a hairstyle similar to mine. He also had a new set of clippers with him. So Kathleen resumed her role of stylist and trimmed my hair on the front porch while it began to rain outside. Ahhh...memories of home. We did not have the proper gear to work on the beard, but once again the top of my head was looking great! For surroundings, comfort, familiarity, and style I would give it a 10 out of 10 (Kathleen reads this too).

Haircuts Around the World: Malawi

This is the one that got away. Instead, we leave you with Eric’s increasingly Amish look.

Haircuts Around the World: Tanzania

It’s time for another installment, as my caterpillar lip is getting unruly. We last left you with a fine haircut and beard trim in the town of Jinja in Uganda - an 8 out of 10 experience. We were fortunate that a barber shack was located at the end of the road next to our lodge in the town of Lushoto. This was a happing spot with lots of men waiting for a trim, Tupac posters on the wall, American hip hop and rap music playing on the stereo, and the maestro with the razor working his magic. Although I wasn´t quite sure what the deal was with the mouth protector he wore.

The cut went well, although it is hard to mess up a trim when you only use the #1 clipper. The tricky part is the beard. He went at it with no clipper guard but managed to do it well enough and trim the beard back into shape. I don´t think they have much experience with beards, as we rarely saw a Tanzanian man with a beard or mustache. No head massage or great care went into the cut, but the barber shack was excellent with great atmosphere. Because it was so small, they had a mirror angled from the ceiling behind the chair so you could watch all of the action by the reflection of the two mirrors. Overall, I would give it a 5 out of 10. Stay tuned for more...my hair keeps growing.

Eric's haircuts around the world: Uganda

This is the first part in a multipart series where Eric will share his impressions of various barber shops around the world. The first foray into the world of international hair salons was in the town of Jinja in Uganda.

It was getting close to four weeks since my last hair cut/shave. We ventured into a men-only barber shop run by an Indian man. There were a few of his friends also in the little shop and they were all watching a cricket match between England and India while also listening to songs on their cell phones.

The cut went well. The surprising twist was the use of a straight razor blade to trim my neck and around the ears. I felt a little nervous having an open razor blade scraping my skin, but it went well. I felt confident enough to also invite him to trim my new beard. Simple enough but a new experience for me. I highly recommend the professional beard trim and cleaning. The best part, and what needs to be introduced to the States, was the head and face massage that followed. He did some elaborate hand thumping on my head, stretched my skin, rubbed lotion on it, and applied some after shave. Overall, I would give it an 8 out of 10. It's the best yet, but it's also the first and only thus far. Stay tuned.