Monk's, hair cuts and sweat

10/5/11

I awoke to find a monk in the kitchen! He was dressed in the customary orange and helping himself to breakfast. Is this a self service form are alms giving? Do the monk mafia just come and help themselves? Well not liking the monk in the kitchen as i neeed to cook i politly (we as politly as you can when speaking no Laos) usshered him out. Thinking that was the end of it i later descovered that he wa sitting on the front parch with 5 bags somoking a cigarette. He looked like he was set to stay so i thought i best offer him a coffee. Mid way though brekafast Chenapa turned up and it transpired that he was the "owners monk" and oftern poped in and would be staying for the day...

After lunch and a nap James held the fort and I headed out for a hair cut. Alighting on a hair salon I climbed into a chair was wrapped in a plastic show curtain and promptly began to seat profusely. The cause of this could have been the heat or it could have been the fear I have of having my hair cut abroad. In the end it was both as indeed it was humid even more so when wrapped up like a chicken fillet. The other cause for concern was the approach of hair clippers without a guard. Was the hair dresser going to give me an all over bare blade head shave? In then end she just cut the hair around my neck short and attacked the rest of my hair with scissors akin to thinning shears. Predictably I was not overly happy with the end result but with 15 minutes of judicious self cutting upon my return I had a fairly passable hair cut.

Despite having the full sign up we had two walk in guests arrive at 4pm. They inquired about a room and wanted to stay for 3 days so never one to pass up money (even if its someone elses) we gathered our possessions in two big sheets and moved from our room into the owners bedroom. James cleaned producing a fine sweat and near heat exhaustion.

The evening was spent watching a DVD in bed- bliss. It was almost like being at home... well apart from the 18 guests outside.