Best Waiban Trip Ever!

What we call "the waiban" is properly translated as the Office of International Cooperation at our school, formerly the Office of Foreign Affairs. They are the ones who deal with our visas, provide us with housing (and deal with any problems that arise with said housing) and generally make sure we're doing our jobs. This office is also in charge of the foreign students who come to study at our school (currently two students from a college near Busan in South Korea). Every term, the office takes us on one all-expense-paid outing to keep us happy and make sure we all get to enjoy some of our time in China.

Last term, the trip involved eating a big lunch of a freshly butchered (within earshot) pot of chicken soup with pickled vegetables (fresh and tasty but disturbing), followed by a trip to the driving range at a golf course outside the city. When we arrived, we found the driving range had recently been closed pending demolition to make way for more "villas" (aka. Western-style townhouses) so we ended up just hitting balls from the tee-off area of the course for several hours. This was followed by another large meal of traditional Sichuan-style food. We came home feeling tired and full, but it wasn't anything to write home about (until now).

This term our waiban liaison actually asked us what we wanted to do. She listed climbing a few mountains as options, or rafting in a river on the border between Chongqing and Guizhou province. We expressed preference for the river trip (climbing mountains in the heat and humidity is less appealing). Unfortunately that plan was nixed by the waiban director because of liability issues. Granted, I am sure Chinese river rafting trips are not heavy on the safety equipment. Instead, our liaison choose to buy us all a spot on a tour of Hei Shan Gu, or Black Mountain Valley. I had heard of other PCVs being taken there by their host families, and they seemed to like it, so I was reasonably excited about it. The tour can be done two ways: hiking the whole way, or hiking part way and taking a tram and a cable car at either end of the valley. Our group opted for the tram and cable car route. Despite the fact that Richy and I would have liked more exercise, one of the student assistants accompanying us had decided that four-inch platform suede heels with silver studs would be appropriate footwear for a nature trip.

The scenery was gorgeous, the air was clean, and although we were able to surmise from our tour guide's Chinese spiel that the area was famous for monkeys and red fleshed kiwi fruits, we didn't see either. It was rainy enough to keep the air cool, but not so rainy that we couldn't enjoy ourselves. The pine trees, mist and clear water reminded me of home, and the frequent rope bridges kept us entertained (including one built like an obstacle course specifically for entertainment). It was a perfect break from the jackhammers and hustle of Chongqing city.

But our trip wasn't over yet. After taking the tour bus back into the city, we caught a cab to enjoy dinner at a hotpot restaurant, an experience we have come to enjoy as long as it happens less than twice a month. Being almost all foreigners in attendance (two Koreans, three Americans and two Chinese), the dishes were all basic meat, tofu, and vegetables, with the exception of one plate of cow stomach lining which I think Miss Studded Platform Heels ordered. Quenching the burn with a pitcher of freshly made peanut milk, it was one of the more pleasant hotpot experiences we've had thus far. After dinner, we bid the Korean students and Miss Studded Platform Heels adieu (or rather, "annyeonghi gaseyo") as they boarded a bus back to their dorms on the new campus.

With a few hundred kuai leftover in the petty cash envelope, our liaison invited the rest of us to enjoy a massage at a nearby foot massage parlor. Richy and I still had yet to experience Chinese massage, so we readily agreed, while Carol (the other American teacher on the trip) declined since she goes to the same place to get foot massages weekly anyway, and she was ready to turn in for the night. So the three of us headed off to a place called something like "Foot Massage City." Our liaison said that less than a year ago, a 90 minute massage at this place was only 35 kuai (like $5) but that with a recent renovation the price had jumped to 68 kuai (more than $10). Nonetheless, it was said to be the best spot in town, so it was probably worth the higher price.

The massage room included three large recliners with tea, blankets, and a big screen tv on the wall. We settled in, and three women came in and washed our feet in buckets of hot tea. They dried us off, then came back a few minutes later, oiled up our feet and poked, prodded, and pulled on our toes for about 30 minutes. Next, they massaged our legs, then had us flip over as they mashed their elbows and knees into our thighs and backs. The liaison asked me if I wanted them to "use a special massage tool" on my back, as it was an option included in the price. She said she forgot the English name for it, so I suggested "Is it like a back roller?" and she said "Yeah, I think so." So I laid there, thinking they were going to come back with a back roller. Instead she came back with a little bowl with some sort of stick shaped object in it. Our liaison said, "Oh, by the way, you can't take a shower for six hours after you have this done." What were they going to do? Before I had a chance to think about it, the masseuse had pulled my shirt over my head and unhooked my bra. Oil was smeared all over my back and I was being repeatedly scraped by something. It didn't hurt any more than the gruff massaging, so I just relaxed and tried to enjoy the strange sensation. After a few minutes, she wiped off the excess oil, and came back with a hot grain filled pillow which she rolled all over my back. It was very nice. She hooked up my bra and pulled my shirt back down, and continued to massage my neck, face and hands. When 90 minutes was up, we gathered our things and headed home, thanking our liaison profusely for what turned out to be quite the awesome and relaxing trip.

It wasn't until I got home that I looked at my back and figured out what they did to me! Upon looking in the mirror, I realized the tingling that I had been feeling on my back since the massage was emanating from bright red, hickey-like marks. Turns out it was Gua Sha, sometimes called "spooning" or "coining" in English, the purpose of which is to cure ailments by "scraping bad wind" out of the body. Although it's folk medicine, its similar to acupuncture in that some Western medicine practitioners are starting to pick up on the practice, although its efficacy in actually treating anything are yet to be proven. It also follows along the same theory as the practice of "cupping" (glass cups heated on your back to suck up your skin, leaving distinctive red circles) which we saw a lot of at the bathhouses in Korea. I can imagine with all the tingling it might be eliciting some kind of immune response, but I'm no doctor. Either way, it looks pretty cool.
~ Katie