Bangkok beetle
(Huge beetle: Bangkok, Thailand)
We found this guy scrabbling at the outside of the Pete’s kitchen door. He looked a little worse for wear as insect poison had been put down to quell the flow of ants all over the garden and into the house. He couldn’t really walk well, but we sat him back outside in the hope that he would recover – he was beautiful and about six centimetres long.
After my first massage experience two weeks ago, (http://china.analoguegirl.co.uk/thai-massage/) I have been for a couple more. The encounters have varied a little in their styles and structures, so I wanted to document them before I forget.
The first was a Thai massage, involving a lot of squeezing, twisting and slow manipulation, if that makes any sense. Ying calls it ‘yoga in slow motion’ and that actually sums it up quite well. The second massage was also from my trip to Thailand in the swanky hotel, but it was free, so please don’t gasp at my frivolous spending. Pete had somehow secured a hotel package in which we both received a free ‘four hand’ massage. I was anxious before this, after only having one massage etiquette practice run back in Bangkok. They offered us robes, Pete some boxer shorts and me a sarong plus a range of ladies undergarments. I was confused by this choice as I assumed I would be wearing the robe and sarong, and since Pete advised that I didn’t need to wear any, I didn’t.
So that’s roughly how I ended up completely naked, much to my surprise, with two ladies, yes two, massaging me from ankle to shoulder in one movement. It was all very decadent, but perhaps not a style I would repeat; in the other three massages I’ve been lucky enough to partake of, the masseur / masseuse is attempting to alleviate the tension of the body, pressing out the muscle knots and calcified bubbles that most of us have lurking under our skin. This one however was aromatic and sensual without much substance, in a sense. Although new to me, the sensations were fleeting and I felt very little afterwards, except a feeling of calm (but that could have been catalysed by cocktails shortly afterwards). With all other massages I have had, I can feel that the state of my body has been altered and this leads to a feeling of wellbeing. More on the other massages soon – I have gone on far too long already! The second two I have had in China in the last two days; a back massage (clothes on this time) and an even better foot massage.
