Getting a Haircut + Geocaching Walk

I went for my morning 5km walk beside the lake again today. Sarah wasn’t up when I got back after 7am, but she was awake. She had breakfast out on the balcony and is feeling a little better—still not 100%, but improving.

More book reading and coffee drinking for me, but at 11am I decided it was time to bite the bullet—I went to get a haircut. Even mundane things like that can be interesting. It was a stressful activity for me, given that Maree in Richmond has been the only person to cut my hair in the last 24 years! As some of you reading this blog will know, it’s something I get done every six weeks like clockwork. It had been seven weeks now, so I was overdue and figured it was now or never.

I found a local barber on the main street and showed him a photo of me from Cambodia that featured a fresh haircut. He didn’t speak much English—gulp! But he understood “number four on the sides and back.” I don’t think he quite got the “flat top” part, though—it’s a bit more rounded than I’d like. Still, it wasn’t a complete disaster. I’ll post a picture below so you can all judge (and/or laugh). On the plus side, it was the cheapest haircut I’ve had in probably 30 years: 240 denars, or about $8 NZD. That’s amazing value—maybe I should come back in six weeks? 🤔

While I was in town, I grabbed some lunch things as well: pizza bread, buns, and tomatoes. We still had some cheese back at the apartment.

After lunch, Sarah had another sleep and I nearly nodded off too. But instead, I went for a walk up the hill to find a few geocaches—one at the old city walls, then one at a church, another at the city gate, and finally a revisit to the amphitheater. I’d missed that one a couple of days ago, not realizing there was a cache there. A good walk to some interesting spots.

Sarah was feeling well enough by evening to cross the street and grab burgers for dinner, while I popped up to the supermarket. Less than $6 NZD for a basic cheeseburger and a few fries—bit weird though, they put half the fries inside the burger!

Sarah’s medical theory is that she may have had heat stroke from our walk the other morning - the one up to and back from the fortress. We’ve definitely been on hotter walks, but she could be right. Fingers crossed she’s still on the mend tomorrow.