Haircut at Siddhi's

Keith tried to think of everything before he left Michigan . . . and he did pretty well. One thing he forgot, though, was to get a final haircut. So . . . Mark Manry came to the rescue, and introduced him to Siddhi's Hairdressers, Ltd.

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Siddhi's gives more than a haircut. They also give shaves and head massages, all for 10,000 shillings (about $6.50). So, at Mark's urging, Keith allowed his beard to get rather woolly, and he went for the full treatment.

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The name "siddhi" is a Hindu term, and refers to a spiritual achievement. The proprieter (Perlad) is a devout Hindu, and the walls are decorated with numerous images of Hindu piety. Keith was served by Perlad's son, Matisse, and Perlad arrived after the haircut began. He had just come from one of the local Hindu temples, and performed some ritual prayers around the shop before he continued with his business.

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Matisse used a razor cut, and was very meticulous. Keith looks remarkably well-groomed, now, and might make a return visit before we leave next week. The shave was especially interesting, because he had never allowed another person to do that to his face! The most memorable experience, though, was definitely the head massage . . . it included some rubbing through the scalp and it culminated with about a dozen powerful blows to the back of his head.

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The picture above comes from Mark's camera, and he has given it a title: "Matisse, Keith, Museveni, and Ganesh." Yoweri Museveni is the president of Uganda, and Ganesh is one of the most popular Hindu deities. Keith is the guy in the chair.