Personal Upkeep

A. The Full Body Massage. Cusco, Peru

For some reason, everytime I am somewhere where the greenback is very strong, I am compelled to get a full body massage. India ´01- absolutly terrible, uncomfortable, and some sweat from the masseuse fell on me. Gross. Fiji ´04- on the beach, very sandy and sunburned, she insited on cracking my back and she put heaps of oil in my hair. Gross.

Peru ´05. I did it again. For a mere $15 I signed up for an hour long, full body massage. Again, good idea, but I think a massage is really worth the $60 or so dollars you would pay for one in the US. These discounted ones in developing nations are not worth it. I was completely covered, head to toe, in scented oil/ foreign lube. And at one point I thought she was attempting to give me a Brazilian wax. Luckily, it was just nervousness on my part, the woman had no intention of it. We just had a good laugh.

It was the best developing nations massage I´ve had. But, LBH, I ened up so greasy I could barely hold a pen in my last espanol class. And I had to have a cold shower that night before bed to get all of the grease off me.

B. Proffessional Haircut. Lima, Peru.

Myself, and new companion/translator, Sarah Erlinder, decided to get our haircut. There is a plethora of Saloons here in Lima that all look empty. We headed to the middle-class neighborhood of Jesus Maria for our trim. Selected a saloon, based on emptyness and proximity to wear the cab left us. A nice small place, two women/stylists, lots of mirrors, spanish soaps on the TV, and a small man doing construction. Perfect. Sarah, the translator, inquired about price s./ 7, and then we looked through the books of haircuts (circa ´96). We decided that we would get the same haircut, with the exception of the bangs (which Sarah had and I didn´t want.)

There is something about being far from home, far from loved ones that allows some one like me (a person, whose last proffessional cut was in ´96) free to experiement with her hair. We decided upon a "Rachel," like from Friends in the late 90´s. Sarah went first, upon the insistance of the stylist, and had a beautiful haircut. When the woman was finished she asked if she wanted it styled, of course. The styling was a very thorough brush and drying. Resulting in a cross between the woman stepping off the bus in the Pantene commerical and the done up lion from the wizard of Oz. Absolutly amazing.

I was next. The woman asked what I wanted. Sarah replied the same. And so, for the first time in nearly a decade I got a stylized haircut. Which has proven to be a bit traumatic, in that I can´t believe I have boarderline bangs. I too got stylized and looked like a bizarre cross between Pantene girl and the Lion. It just looked a bit weirder then Sarah´s because I don´t do my hair. Will I do it now? Probably not. Just put some bobbie pins in it when I tie it back.