The Cusco Cut – A lesson in international haircuts.

Unlike a large number of people I’ve seen. I try to keep myself relatively smart whilst on the road. It is for this reason that you haven’t seen me sporting insect infested dreadlocks, ethnic tattoos and lead based face piercing. If your like me, and like to return from a trip looking vaguely the same as when you left, you will at some point need to see a barber. Here are a few personal experiences on what it might be best to expect.



Generally speaking you will have to wake the barber vigorously. Where the rest of town goes for their trim is a mystery, but you can guarantee its not the place you’ve found, and probably for a very good reason. So sit down, and accept the fact that you are probably his first customer since he bought his new pair of kitchen scissors with the orange handles.

Now is a good time to weigh up your surrounding, and decide just how much you would like to be banjaxed. Those displaying an arsenal of tools that look more suited to the days when barbers performed amputations are best avoided. Shed the cape and aim for the door pointing at your watch and making foreign noises. Instead try and find a guy with a solitary pair of cut throats, he’s generally a safer bet, despite his frail and shaking hands.

Depending on your location, and hence the size of the language barrier, now comes the tricky bit. Describing what you want. On the whole the most effective method by far is, using a faded and dated copy of the local paper, to point at a series of disgraced politicians and indistinguishable celebrities to aid your plight to the perfect trim. Now sit back, relax, and its probably best to close your eyes.

Try not to be alarmed by the fact that he’s liberally spraying water in the direction of two sparking wires powering clippers he shaves his llama with at the weekend. Or by the stray dog that has just wandered in off the street, and is yapping at your feet not exactly adding to your customer satisfaction. Within a time window of one minute to sixty minutes it will all be over, except for that is in Laos.

Compulsory to the conclusion of every haircut in Laos is a quick shoulder massage. Pleasant. And then without the slightest warning, a full 120 degree neck crank. The decibels of the “crunch” always being directly proportionate to the size of his smile.



Well, its still raining outside and so I am taking the opportunity to set up an online shop. Think of it as the real “Amazon”. If you spot anything you would like in the photo below, drop me a mail and I’ll see what I can do.