He shaved the faces of gentlemen

This morning I woke up and took the boy and a book to the pool. He was unable to control himself so sadly he had to come back home. I hung out and swam and read a bit and thought to myself it was a great way to start the day.

Later I went with my co-worker to the fabric district where we bought fabrics for my room. Turkey is a fabric exporter so everything is incredibly inexpensive. We bought this year’s IKEA fabrics for $1.75 a meter; they are $26 a meter in America. Our meeting place was at the oldest building in Adana – a mosque. I am going to back tomorrow to take pics!

If you haven’t already checked them out I put up some pics of the world’s largest mosque on Facebook already!

So without future adieu, today’s adventure!!!!!

BARBER BLISS

I have been looking a bit like Grizzly Adams over the past week since I am technically on vacation and HATE to shave but I figured it was time. I heard that the barbers here were an experience and I am always up for a good story so……… here goes one!

I walked down my street in search of a barber and decided before I left I would stop at the first one I saw. This way I don’t debate about which one to go to or which one might be better. Before too long I ran across one and went in. I was greeted by an old man who was just shy of his 190^th birthday. The walls were a pale lavender but the barber chairs, tables and accessories were a bright royal blue with white trim. It reminded me of a Greek village right before a storm. I motioned for a shave by rubbing my beard and thumbing out the window. He smiled a toothless smile that was at once knowing and startling. He motioned me to a chair and I sat. The man moved around the store in 2 speeds: 1.Turtle and 2.Turtle stuck in molasses. As he puttered around I prayed to God that all would be well.

He leaned me back in the chair and began preparing my face with some warm water and tonics. He then prepared the straight razor and creams. Every time I get a shave with a straight razor that scene from “The color purple” comes to mind where Celie is about to shave Mister and well… cut this throat. At the same time the entire score of Sweeney Todd goes through my head. The shave itself was pretty basic. Foam, shave. More foam more shaving. It only got interesting AFTER I was cleaned.

After the shave was complete the man grabbed a small bar of lemongrass soap and rubbed it all over where he had just cut. It literally felt like 1000s of little bees stinging me. I am very pampery with my skin using only the highest quality of products on it and nothing with chemicals such as alcohol but to have lemongrass soap rubbed over freshly shaved skin is tantamount to torture!

He then shaved my neck and well upper back! The neck is common the upper part of my back, not so much!

Just when I thought it was all over I realized the fun HAD ONLY BEGUN!

He then decided to shave THE REST OF MY FACE! Of yes, he shaved every inch of my face. Now, I am a fair haired boy and not really Jo Jo the dog faced boy so I really didn’t think this necessary but apparently he did. It is HIGHLY disconcerting to have a razor so close to ones eye, let me tell you! Blinking is NOT an option! He shaved everything: my ears: INSIDE and out, my nose – INSIDE and out, and even the small baby hairs that still linger at what used to be my hair line.

He then reached into his little drawer pulled out what appeared to be an incense stick, light it and put it on my face! I simply closed my eyes and began the rosary and wished I were catholic! The heat touched my skin quickly followed by a light smack. If I had thought a razor next to my eyes was petrifying, I had obviously not anticipated FIRE! I can only guess this was to kill any small hairs that might have existed unseen on my visage. My eyebrows were then plucked within an inch of their lives.

Then I was showered in oily water that smelled faintly of Old Spice and cinnamon and my entire face was massaged. Have you ever had your eyeballs and eye sockets massaged? I HAVE!!!!!! It wasn’t entirely unpleasant; as a matter of fact it felt really good, it was just bewildering at first. I was then instructed to lean over the sink in the table. My face was then washed THOROUGHLY with a lathery soap that was made of, of course, LEMONGRASS! Again the 1000s bees revisited my ugly mug.

I leaned back once more and was given an astonishingly strong upper body massage. Shoulders, upper back, arms, and OH YES!!!!! HANDS!!!!!!!!!! Thank you grandpa! He then reached into his drawer of horrors and pulled out a familiar friend, nail clippers. He then picked up my hand and shrieked and recoiled in horror at the sight of my exceedingly over bitten finger nails. He simply looked sad and slowly – even more than usual – put the clippers back in their home.

I was then lotioned, massage once more for good measure, saturated in an extremely pungent and very manly cologne and handed the customary cup of tea.

And all of this happened for $3.25