hairdresser

One would think that after being here for 11 months now, that I might not need some of the modern conveniences that I was used to at home in the U.S.  To some degree that's true, but I have my limits.  I've been going to the same hairdresser here in Cuenca since I arrived in October.  I know that compared to some, where I go is a little more expensive & definitely more modern, but I've been satisfied & hair is important!  Due to my lengthy hospitalization, it had been a very long time since I've gotten my hair cut.  It could be described as lifeless, long, generally yucky.  Way overdue.  Esperanza has wanted me to go w/ her to her hair dresser, but up until now I've wanted to stick w/ the person I've been using.  On Monday I decided to go with her.  We took a taxi of course, because I cannot yet take a bus as they lurch & swerve & my back does not need to be tested to see how much it can tolerate.  Her hair stylist is a single woman (as opposed to where I've been going where there are several stylists & it's a bigger, more modern operation).  There were 4 people ahead of us, which meant a significant wait.  At 1st I didn't mind, especially because Esperanza wanted to go to a phone store to buy a new phone, which meant some walking, which I hadn't done enough of yet, & I'm supposed to walk 2-3x/day.  When we got back to the hairdresser, there were still 2 people ahead of us & the 1 that she was working on involved the lengthy process of having her hair colored.  At that point it was 5 PM & I was getting tired.  I figured we would be there probably 2 more hours, which was too long for me, but more importantly, the 1 sink didn't look like it worked.  When I saw the hairdresser put water from a bowl into a large uncovered coffee pot & plug the coffee pot into the wall, I realized that that was how she heated the water.  This was enough for me to decide that I wasn't going to get my hair done there.  I told Esperanza that I would wait for her while she got her hair cut, but I couldn't wait another 2 hours for mine.  Fortunately she  decided that she didn't want to wait any longer either.  So I spent $5.50 on the round trip taxi ride & never got my hair cut.  I did, however, see how someone could creatively heat water!  Yesterday I went to my regular hairdresser, spent more money than I would have if I had stuck it out at Esperanza's, but I guess I need the modern convenience of hot water coming form a sink to wash my hair.  By the way, I am used to no hot water in the sink at home, but that's for hands, not heads.