Sunday, May 20, 2012

Spa day & Luoyang Trip

Hello hello!

Two exciting things have happened since I heard about Fulbright. Sorry if this post is a bit wordy, but I'll include some pictures too.

1) I took a spa day and went to a hot spring in a nearby city!!
The spa featured a yin and yang pool that had fish to nibble off my dead skin.
It also had 12 different hot spring pools meant for each of the Zodiac signs (Taurus, Capricorn, Aries, etc) Each pool was meant to do something different (help you to be more organized, more reliable-- basically it was meant to enhance whatever traits were associated with your Zodiac sign)
And they had 8 Chinese Medicine pools- meant to help with your skin, or internal heat, overall blood circulation, liver function, etc.
And then they had fun pools, like a coffee hot spring (meant to help with your skin softness), a flower hot spring (to open your pores and help to refresh your pheromones), a few pools titled "The Lover's Hot Spring" which was meant to help your libido, your overall passion, your sexual chemistry, etc, and then 5 pools meant for each of your senses.

I had a great time relaxing in each of the pools, just absorbing whatever minerals happened to be in each one. I also had a personal assistant, who helped me to get undressed and dressed, helped me put my robe on and off, got me tea with every pool I went in, and later helped me shower and dry my hair. It was definitely a spa day! Getting to the spa and getting back from the spa was really difficult but when I was at the spa, I was just so happy and content: It was definitely worth the trouble to get there!

Sorry no pictures from that trip. :( I'm going to try to go back and take pictures...hopefully.

EDIT: Chris came for a weekend and we went to the spa! Pictures are below.

1.5 hour bus ride to the hot springs.




His favorite was the tea hot spring.

Most amazing meal with the best company.



2) The week after the spa day, I went to Luoyang. I wanted to see the Longmen Grottoes. I left on a Friday afternoon and I got back on a Sunday. I met a lot of cool people and had a very relaxing weekend eating homemade dumplings, exploring a night market, and seeing one of the greatest things in Buddhist cave art. Pictures are below.


It's very common to have overcrowded trains.
Thankfully I had a seat.
Military men prevented tourists from seeing the Grottoes from 8:30-10:30 am.
Which would have been the best time to see them...
Hundreds of little Buddhas. All with their heads removed.
There was a "cleansing" awhile ago and most of the heads
were removed.

Longmen Grottoes!!
So amazing.
Head removed, again. It's very sad to see.

In China, it's very romantic if your bf holds your purse.
Strawberries & cherry season!
Steamed dumplings! 5 RMB, or less than 1 USD
Night market in Luoyang.
It's very common for men to show off that belly to cool down!
Cockroaches for dinner? Anyone?
Available at the night market!
Frog legs and cockroaches for dinner?
She was picking her nose and selling watermelon. .