Day 7 afternoon: Massage

After lunch we had free time. Now I was ready for that massage especially since it had been so highly recommended by others in the group. The place is quite different from a "spa" where you get a massage in the US. For one thing, they put several people in one room. Katy, Barbara and I were together. There was a TV but it wasn't turned on.

You sit in a comfortable chair, all clothes on, and a young woman (one for each of us) comes in to work on you. This Chinese-style massage was a new experience. It's more vigorous - they pound you and rub hard. I think the idea is to get the energy (called "chi" pronounced chee) to move.

One thing I never had before: they heat these glass cups by holding them upside down and setting fire to something inside. Then they put the cups on the bottom of your feet and as the heat dissipates (it's quite warm but not painful, just a little scary at first!) it creates STRONG suction and you really feel it and it's a strange sensation. I think the idea is that it's supposed to pull bad energy out of your body. Interesting. I liked it.

After the massage, Katy, Barbara and I went next door to the little restaurant with the nice bathroom (these are the things that become important when travelling!) and visited the facilities and also had an iced tea. Barbara had some kind of icey thing that looked like a mountain!