Foot Massage

So yesterday, the jet lag caught up with me and I just could not do anything. I was super tired, lazy and just incapable of leaving the apartment. So I decided to stay in, read and make friends with Simon and Lydia's ayi. According to this book I have, and ayi is technically a nannie, but since they have no kids, she comes in cooks and cleans like twice a week. I didn't want her to think I was like "supervising" her or anything, so I just stayed in my room reading for the first couple of hours and then I wandered into the kitchen for some water. She had made SO MUCH FOOD! She made pork balls, chicken and carrots and a salad. Apparently, tofu is considered a vegetable here, which makes sense, but for some reason, I always had it in the meat/meat substitute category. But no, it's a vegetable and she just cut it up and tossed it in the salad as if it was a cucumber. I think she could tell I was hungry and salivating, cause she offered me a big plate and I was in heaven.

Then we started talking about the difference between an American diet and a beijing diet and I took advantage to ask her to write for me in Chinese characters "please give me ice with my drink" and she answered my breakfast question, which is basically they don't really have breakfast and they certainly don't have bacon. I tried to explain our national obsession with boxed cereal, but she kept saying oh, that's good, it's so healthy. and I was like NO- not nice cereal like muesli or whatever they bring here. I am talking about Lucky Charms and candy cereal and she just laughed. I don't think she knows what I was talking about.

When Simon and Lydia came home, we got foot massages. I usually don't like massages because I am super ticklish and jumpy, so it gives me more stress than I already have, but they promised it would be memorable. OH MY GOD. Memorable is the understatement of the year. This was freakin' AWESOME!! First, they give you food or drinks, then they put your feet on this hot tub and rub your neck back and shoulders. This is all in a private (for the 3 of us) zen-like room, with dim lighting, relaxing music, reclining chairs. After half an hour, they do your feet. It was like a great pedicure, except they don't paint your toenails, but they massage every tiny little part of your toes and scrub you up to your knees and then use lotion and fancy sprays. They also have these pillows that are heated and have incense smells. I was in a trance! The whole thing lasted 1.5 hours and was $20!!! If I lived here I would go every weekend. My feet have never been so happy! Check out some pics of my last two days. I am going to upload pics to my facebook, because its much easier and quicker than doing it here. So stay tuned for more.
















Today I check into the hostel, so no more fancy living for me. I will update as soon as I can. Thanks for all the messages! As much as I am having fun-I am a little homesick already!