For months we had been talking about it but we never imagined we'd get our chance while roaming the narrow lanes of Cartagena, Colombia.
We were visiting Cartagena for just one day, the first of five port stops on our 11-day Southern Caribbean Cruise.
Wandering through the walled old town, I spied una peluqueria and let the kids decide.
Indy wasn't keen at all but Dash gave a resounding 'Yes'.
And so it happened that Dash got his first 'professional' haircut at the bargain price of three US dollars.
It was just what the doctor ordered too, given the stifling heat and humidity.
Within Cartagena's old town, brightly hued buildings with overhanging balconies and tropical draping plants preserve the look of another age.
However after walking for a couple of hours, the boys had just about reached their limit, as had we.
While Nath and I love the raw nature of South and Central America, the inherent dangers you can minimise quite easily as a couple are magnified ten-fold with kids.
After the hundredth time of telling the boys NOT to drink from the bubbler and NOT to run down the street away from us and NOT to pretend to 'pow pow' the locals with their fingers, we took some time out for ice creams before catching another taxi from the edges of the walled city to Castillo San Felipe de Barajas.
This 16th Century fortress is fun to explore and provides a great way to catch the breeze high above the heat of the city.
It also makes a great vantage point to see how the old and the new of Cartagena knit together as a whole.
We explored the dark underground tunnels and climbed the fortress at leisure before returning to the port.
There we were delighted by the tropical birds and monkeys fed for the pleasure of the countless tourists swarming off the ships.
Once back on board, we reflected that it was refreshing to visit somewhere a bit gritty, having been firmly ensconced in the first world since the kids were born, but that it's way too early for us to contemplate taking them on an extended trip to anywhere in the third world just yet.
More photos from our day can be found
here.
