By the time we arrived in Penang Malaysia, Joshua was in desperate need of a haircut. Strolling around the old colonial city in Georgetown, we stumbled upon Son & Dad barber shop, and we rolled the dice. They offered 3 prices and levels of service: Junior barber (20 Malaysian Ringgit, about $4.50), Senior barber (RM30), and Head barber (RM40). Joshua opted for the middle road, and waited for 20 minutes before he could take his seat. Soon after the haircut began, an older man entered the shop and sat down next to Ayumi on the couch against the wall, directly behind Joshua in the chair. We assumed he was another customer and thought nothing of it. The haircut was going well - nothing too radical, pleasant conversation from the Senior barber, a Penang native. But as we were finishing, the older man on the couch stood up, and walked over to the action, then began to critique the work of the stylist, which turned in to a full lecture, before finally taking the comb and scissors to commandeer the haircut, and turn Joshua's head in to his barber shop classroom. We could not understand exactly what was being said, but it was clear that this was the "Dad". Not happy with his pupil's work, he assumed control, and Joshua got his second haircut - two for the price of one !
We had entered Malaysia at the port of Kuah on Langkawi Island, by ferry from Ko Lipe, Thailand. Mainland Malaysia borders Thailand to the South along the Malay peninsula, which separates the Indian Ocean and Andaman Sea to the West, from the Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea to the East. We had yet to return to the mainland and were still in island hopping mode, which we will describe in a longer post about the wonderful beaches of Thailand soon.
BEFORE: Joshua is sweaty and shaggy in Penang, Malaysia
AFTER: Joshua is looking almost good
Check back soon for more on Penang and Malaysia. Thanks !