More China...

I was just re-reading some emails I sent back home whilst in China, and I had forgotten about some funny things that happened! I am just going to copy and paste the emails here---

Email #1-

"My AC in the room wasn't working, and I called the front desk. They said it is against the law to turn on the air before May, and to just OPEN A WINDOW! I told them I didn't believe it because my dad's AC was working great. I demanded that they send someone up to fix it immediately. They sent someone up who didn't speak any English, who smiled at me, opened my window, and then left. I just slept in the heat because my dad was already asleep and I couldn't get him to fight my battle. This morning I called and asked someone 3 different times to come fix it. Each time they said someone was on their way, and each time, no one ever came!
I also decided to get a facial here in the hotel today, just to pamper myself. There is a huge sign in the lobby about the Facials and massages that are offered. I asked 3 different people about it, who all thought I was nuts (and it's very difficult to convey "Facial" to someone who speaks no English) Until finally someone told me that service had been discontinued for months. I guess when they can' t read the signs that are in English, they don't know that they should take down the facial and massage sign!"

Email #2-

"You might be wondering why I am emailing you at 11:41 am your time. Well, you would actually only be wondering that if you knew that with the time conversion it is now 2:41am China time! But there is a good reason, and I blame my dad!!
We got back from my foot massage (I will tell you about it in a second) and my dad and I were both fairly delirious with tiredness. It was 5pm, so we decided we would go to our rooms, take a two hour nap, then go out to find some dinner and walk for a while before going back to bed. Well, I don't have a watch, or anytime time telling devise in my room (housekeeping really loves me calling them at all times of the day and night asking what time it is...) so it was up to my dad to wake up and call me. Well he did call...at 9:30, and we groggily both said forget it, let's just keep sleeping. So, now it is 2:43am, and I got a wonderful 9 hours of sleep, and I am perfectly wide awake!
I guess it really doesn't matter because in 7 hours I leave for the airport and start my 24 hours of traveling, which will mess me all up anyways!
So my foot massage was very similar to a reflexology massage in the states. Except, remember how I told you the Chinese have no problem with being touchy feely? Well about ten minutes into my massage (which was making me more delirious with exhaustion by the second...) I felt something very strange...she was picking through my eyelashes. I opened my eyes, to which she then conveyed for me to close them by whacking me on the shoulder and making rapid movements with her hands and eyes, and then she kept going. She was keeping up a running dialog (all in Chinese) and clearly had never seen anything like it, and was trying to decide if they were real or not) Then later when my feet were done soaking and she was done with my shoulders and arms, she pulled my pant legs up even higher and started carressing my leg to assess the length of my leg hair. ( I had shaved the morning before, so they were only slightly prickly!) I just thought the whole thing was pretty hilarious."

2 comments:

AnnaMarie said...

It's Communist, and Asia. I believe it is against the law to turn on the AC. Dad's must have been a fluke. :)

You are crazy for getting a massage/facial in China. There's no way I would! Who knows what health codes they have.

Millie said...

that is sooo funny!!!