One more 老Joe post.

Whenever a guest comes into town they're always good for a few quick posts - and the return of 老Joe is no different.

We had a fun Saturday of drinking at Me & You 2 and The Key followed by an easy going Sunday tour of Gu Lang Yu and fishing for our dinner at the shrimp restaurant. Monday night we had agreed that we would meet him in the evening over at the Millennium Hotel for drinks up at the bar.

The Millennium used to be the Crown Plaza, back where we first stayed when we move here, so we still know a few of the people that are staying in the hotel (they've been there for years) and a few of the workers. So we sat around and caught up with Roy, Jasmine, and Joe for a while and then Joe mentioned that he had purchased a discount foot massage card from the hotel and since he still had several more free ones available would we like to join them for a relaxing massage.
The last time I had a foot massage I found it a tad painful, but Roy and Tina explained that the massages at the hotel are much more like a spa in the states then the rough clinical massage that Tina and Edlin dragged me too last time. This, and there was some name calling, convinced me to try it again and down to the massage parlor we went.
They were right, this massage is nice and easy, very relaxing - the occasional point the is a little sore but nothing compare to my first foray in letting someone massage my feet. All is good, maybe I'll try this again some day.

Weekend recap

This weekend we just enjoyed ourselves, relaxed, and caught up on lots of little errands that we needed to get done. We're still behind on some things that we need to complete - but we are getting them done.

First thing on our task list was to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather the Xiamen is having. This weekend the high was 27C (about 80F) very different then this same time last year when Xiamen hit a record low of 3C (about 40F) - this was the weekend last year that we gave up and bought a heater. We enjoyed our Friday evening by cleaning off the months worth of dirt on our balcony (Tina did this), dragging our ipod and sounddock outside and just relaxed with music, whisky, cigars, and happy conversations about the weather...

Saturday was apparently a holiday here in China and Siew Yih wanted to know if we would be celebrating this Valentine's day over at Temptations with their special dinner. Of course we would - not having to cook and getting a special, probably overpriced, meal - how could we say no? Most of day the we relaxed at home organizing our music files on itunes. Dinner was pigeon and pork, it was delicious and not too expensive - and of course there was good wine to enjoy with the meal.

Today was another full day of things to do, a fog as wrapped itself around Xiamen and the temperature dropped down to 20C - the heat wave is over... So with colder temperatures we head through the market to our friendly shoe shine girls to get our shoes all cleaned up. A little extra work on mine raises the cost so that for the two of us it totals out just over 1USD. From there we do our grocery shopping in the market and I go spend another dollar for a haircut.

A happy plate of nachos for lunch and then we wander off to get a nice massage and cupping. It had been too long since we forcibly removed the toxins from our bodies...
Look at how clean my body was - hardly any toxins this time. You can look back at our first time cupping to see just how dark the spots were on my back then. I think that it was the whisky from Friday that helped to keep my system clean....

Cupping

The other day we allowed our friend Siew Hong to take us to the spa for the traditional Chinese health remedy of cupping. Sounds fun doesn't it?

Cupping is supposed to be a great way to help remove toxins from your body and apparently fix a whole list of other ailments. Basically, it's just a bunch of cups stuck to your back with a slight vacuum so that it pulls your skin up into the cup, this leaves some nice marks on your back that they tell you will take about a week to fade away.

Me having the first round of cups removed.Tina with the first round of cups on her back.

Tina getting her second round of cups added to her back.

Me getting my second round of cups.

So they tell you that the darker red the spots are the more toxins that are in your body. Tina was the healthiest of the three of us. The girl told us that was probably because Tina is always doing the TaiChi and that helps to keep the body clean.

It's nice, a little painful at points but nothing worse then a deep massage. It's relatively quick taking only about 30 minutes and inexpensive at 30元 (4.50 USD), and you do actually feel better once it's finished.

Yep, that's how unhealthy I am.

And for added fun you get a video of the cupping process.

Return of the Guest Blogger...

We are back from Guilin and what a beautiful countryside. I'll let you know about this area later. We've finished our sightseeing in Beijing and now we are onto our next destination. Xiamen. Here we will stay at Wichmann Bed and Breakfast, hold off on the breakfast. Actually, we had to bring our own from Canada. Accommodations are pleasant, extra space was converted into a bedroom. I have the luxury of a portable bed (better known as an air mattress) with an extra feature of an instant wake up call. Basically, once I hit the floor I have to get up. Its not all bad, I can look forward to breakfast?????

Today is a relaxing day according to our hostess, I thought maybe we would just hang around. Nope. Actually, we had to look for a bank. Banks are a little different over here, instead of waiting in line for a teller, you have to take a number and wait. And wait. And wait. Luckily, you have nice seats to wait on.
Tina mentioned a foot massage today. I was looking forward to this as this will be a real treat for me. My concern was dad. According to him, it is a waste of money and time. If you knew DOD (dear ol' dad) he tells it like it is and doesn't stop until you are convinced. He was pretty much convinced that a massage was pretty much a useless endeavor. He thinks that a massage is an extravagance. He really had no say at time. His arguing and bitchin' would prove to be waste of energy on his part. We are now finished with the bank and on our way to lunch. We met up with Siew (Mark and Tina's friend) and enjoyed nice lunch at a crocodile farm.
Now it is time for the massage. Yep, he's still yapping. If you knew Tina, she basically said "enough already sit down and enjoy." We all sat and waited. First, large vessels with water to wash our feet. We're still hearing DOD's "2 cents" . Once our feet were washed the conversations were becoming less animated and more relaxing. Now the fun part, the massage. First, the back. I could say that is was really relaxing and exhilarating, but I won't. It was painful. I didn't realize how tense the muscles were. I did hear a lot of 'ughh' , 'oh, my God, this hurts', 'wow they've got strong fingers' and that was just from Tina. Actually, everyone felt the pain. Next came the feet, this was really painful. Again, all of painful comments. Again, they came from Tina. The real funny part was not a PEEP from DOD!!!! He was just enjoying himself. He was really getting into the message.
After an hour we were done. We really did feel rejuvenated and wonderful. We then parted from Sue and took a cab back to our Wichmann B&B. The first question out of my dear Dad's mouth was 'when are we going to have our next foot message??? Go figure. So far I heard this question a least once a day. So we'll see.

Migration Begins

Well, it's that time when the next wave of expats are coming while others are heading back home. The next to leave Xiamen, will be Jose and Edlin. They will be departing back to the U.S, in about 3 weeks. Like the Crazy Mexican they were one of the first group of expats that we met, and we will miss them.

So for the next few weeks there is a list of things that need to be accomplished. Oh yes, of course packing and all that boring stuff, but more importantly Edlin has enough time, to get a couple of foot massages, facials, pedicures, manicures and most importantly getting her clothing needs met.

Hey, during these times, you need the support of your friends and who am I to refuse a good ol' foot massage. We have the next three weeks planned so that she can use her last few weeks wisely and get the most out of Xiamen.

Calm before the Storm

Mark and I were just told that not only is the Mexican and family leaving Xiamen very soon, so are Edlin and Jose. They will be departing China to go back to the U.S in September.

The move will be stressful for Laura, the Mexican's wife, as she, along with her three children, will be leaving one month before her husband, Renee, and will not only look for a new home, but. also a new school for her children. She is leaving in two weeks.

I decided that Laura needs a bit of a break. Consider it the calm before the storm. Laura and her daughter Alejandra, as well as Edlin, Giovanna, and myself planned an afternoon of indulgence.

First we met up for lunch, followed by a very nice, long, foot massage. Alejandra enjoyed it, considering the first time she had a foot massage, it was a little too intense. She got to watch some T.V show, while the rest of us enjoyed a glass of wine. We talked about the first time they landed in Xiamen and their reaction to China, and how life has changed so much for everyone. We discussed, what they will miss, what they wished they could have done or seen, and the memories that they will have of China.

Edllin, myself, Laura, and daughter Alejandra

It seems very strange, that both Edlin and Laura's families, were to be in China longer and now within two weeks, due to circumstances beyond their control, they both will be leaving within the next 8 weeks. They have become good friends and we will truly miss them.

We wish them the best!

Siew's first Foot Massage

Last week, my dear friend Siew treated me to a pedicure and manicure one afternoon and as one good deed deserves another, I told her that I would take her for her first foot massage. Yes, Siew, who has been living in Xiamen for the past two years has never had a foot massage. One of the best things here in China, and the women has never experienced such pleasure, though if you ask my husband he will give you a totally different opinion.

Part of the issue was due to Mark, recounting his story of his painful experience of getting a foot massage. After I explained, that it wasn't as bad as Mark made it out to be, she agreed.

So today was the day to have her massage. Ben, her eldest came along for the ride as well. I tried to talk him into getting one, but, being 7 years of age, didn't want anything to do with it.Ben preferring to read than getting a foot massage.

We had lunch and then headed to one of my favorite places. Here, they place a bucket of hot herbal water in front of you, where you place your feet and sit on an ottoman. They first massage your back, arms, and head. After 30 minutes of the upper body, you sit back in the big reclining chairs, remove your feet from the bucket, where they will begin the foot massage. They massage every part of your foot, from your toes, to your heel, inside as well as outside of your foot. The massage also extends to your legs as well. After 30 or 40 minutes, they bring hot stones wrapped in a towel and massage your calves and feet. It's quite lovely, and Siew enjoyed it very much and for the price of 50 RMB or about 7USD, it's one of the best deals in China.

Siew is still smiling, so it can't be that bad, Mark.

In fact, Siew loved it so much, when she returns from Malaysia in August, we vowed that this will become a biweekly treat.

Now, if I can only get Mark to enjoy it as much!