Haircuts Under The Volcano!

We both needed haircuts and Norma needed a manicure and pedicure as well so off we went to Cuernavaca. We parked in the same parking garage as last time and set off walking to find some place to get the jobs done. We found a haircutters right near the Centro where they could cut both of us. The young man who did Norma’s hair spoke English and gave her a very nice razor cut for 150 pesos ($12). My guy was a little younger and obviously thought I should have a much younger looking cut. I finally got a “normal” looking trim out of him but when he finished, he applied a hand full of gel and had my hair all sticking straight up in the air! I tried to push it down flat with my hand but to no avail, it sprung right back up. I asked to borrow a comb but he did not understand and combed it himself, but right back to the sticking up straight condition. Oh well, I can live with it until I get home. His charge was 120 pesos ($9.50). A regular men only barber in Mexico charges 50 pesos ($4). These guys were “stylists”.

Norma’s guy recommended a place for her nails so off we went again. We walked two blocks and found it, a small two person nail salon offering manicures and pedicures. They could do her right away and told me it would take two hours with both of them working on her. I wandered down the street and found the Hotel Bajo El Volcan (Under The Volcano), named after a 1940’s American novel that was written in Cuernavaca by Malcolm Lawry. It was a nice hotel with rooms renting for 1050 pesos ($83) per night, breakfast buffet included. I doubt if Lawry wrote his book about the dysfunctional, alcoholic British Consul here but you never know.

I continued on to the Centro where I found a small restaurant where I got enchiladas de queso, ensalada chico (small salad) and a limonada for 70 pesos. Good deal. I ordered another limonada and people watched for an hour.

I wandered back to the nail place and arrived right as the two hours expired and they were done. Everything was to her satisfaction. Mexican women get little stars, flowers, stones, etc. added to their nails but Norma was careful to stop him from doing that to hers. It was only after we got home that she noticed he had snuck a few sparklers onto them without her noticing. Oh well, her sparkling nails go with my sticking up hair for the punk rock couple look. The charge for her nails was 300 pesos ($24) after tip. Remember there were two of them working for two hours = 4 man hours labor plus material. No machinery or grinders were used and you really have to look to see the sparkles. Norma says the same job back home would have been $100 (more with sparkles).

This is the view from my restaurant. My table was on a small balcony.