Barbershops of the world, part 17

"Ben, it's a clean shave! Ben, can you hear me? It's a clean shave!"

The rising panic in Debs' voice almost made me abort the mission, but that's against the rules, which prohibit me from interfering with my chosen barber's methods once he's started, whether or not he's making a balls of things.

So I just had to sit there and try really hard not to laugh, in case it resulted in a neck injury of some description. Two firsts for this cut:

• First trim in a completely outdoor barber shop
• First trim using only a manual set of clippers

In Debs' defence, it does look like a very close shave from this angle, but the end result was deemed satisfactory by all. Artistic commendations to Debs as well on this, the best cut shot of the series so far.

Cost $2
Cut quality 7/10
Fear factor 1/10 (not that the barber was scary, but there was always the possibility of a traffic accident on road behind me)

There are still quite a few uneven bits on my chin, and the sideburn fading is pretty crude, so the marks go down, but bonus points are added back on for location and tool usage. Also, a monk was watching from the window of what I guess was a monastery. Probably jealous of someone who actually has hair.

I would also like to take this opportunity to apologise to the barbers of Vietnam for not availing myself of their services. In the 7 days we spent there, I spotted several excellent-looking "Hot Toc" shops, but the timing was never right to go in. I'm carefully pacing my trims right now so I can get maximum benefit out of what will probably be the most expensive shave of the year in Tokyo! Do they have robot barbers there?

Ben