Sorry I haven't been updating regularly. Afternoon thunderstorms have made the Internet access really spotty so I update when I can. But the rain is keeping the temperature down, which is fantastic.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Soothe your sole
Today was our first day out in Bangsar, the area of Kuala Lumpur that we're staying in. I guess it's kind of like Wrigleyville is to Chicago - a neighborhood within the city. Lots of restaurants and boutiques.
After brunch at La Bodega, we headed to Garra Rufa Fish Therapy. Customers stick their feet into one of the spa's "ponds," and small fish come up and eat the dead skin off. Yeah, that's right. Instead of a foot scrub, why not exfoliate those tootsies with fish?
Here's the deal: The store imports the garra rufa fish (aka nibble fish or doctor fish) from the Middle East. Lchthyotherapy, as it's scientifically known as, has been around in Turkey forever as a treatment for conditions like eczema and psoriasis. And now it's growing into a posh spa treatment here. Garra Rufa Fish Therapy definitely has a chic atmosphere: black wallpaper, huge mirrors and tanks with exotic fish - the kind that don't eat you. There's two ponds with about 6,000 garra rufa and a wooden deck to sit on and hang your feet over. What's nice is that it doesn't have spa prices - 38RM for 30 minutes, less than $15US. Plus, they have Happy Hour specials - have fish eat your feet, then grab a beer.
It's hard to describe the feeling when you first put your feet in there. I was freaking out a little. It kind of tickled, kind of grossed me out. But as you sit there, you get used to it and it starts to feel like an electric current running through your lower legs. It's hard to tear your eyes away from all those fish swarming your feet; if you focus on one fish, that feeling intensifies. When my half and hour was up, my feet definitely felt softer but I think it'd take more than one session to really make a difference. But it's the experience that counts.
After brunch at La Bodega, we headed to Garra Rufa Fish Therapy. Customers stick their feet into one of the spa's "ponds," and small fish come up and eat the dead skin off. Yeah, that's right. Instead of a foot scrub, why not exfoliate those tootsies with fish?
Here's the deal: The store imports the garra rufa fish (aka nibble fish or doctor fish) from the Middle East. Lchthyotherapy, as it's scientifically known as, has been around in Turkey forever as a treatment for conditions like eczema and psoriasis. And now it's growing into a posh spa treatment here. Garra Rufa Fish Therapy definitely has a chic atmosphere: black wallpaper, huge mirrors and tanks with exotic fish - the kind that don't eat you. There's two ponds with about 6,000 garra rufa and a wooden deck to sit on and hang your feet over. What's nice is that it doesn't have spa prices - 38RM for 30 minutes, less than $15US. Plus, they have Happy Hour specials - have fish eat your feet, then grab a beer.
It's hard to describe the feeling when you first put your feet in there. I was freaking out a little. It kind of tickled, kind of grossed me out. But as you sit there, you get used to it and it starts to feel like an electric current running through your lower legs. It's hard to tear your eyes away from all those fish swarming your feet; if you focus on one fish, that feeling intensifies. When my half and hour was up, my feet definitely felt softer but I think it'd take more than one session to really make a difference. But it's the experience that counts.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
It's about damn time
Twenty-two hours later and we finally made it. We flew Korean Airlines, and I can't say I have too many complaints. We got to sit in the first aisle behind business class so there's was lots of leg room. The downside was we sat next to three little Vietnamese girls - about 2, 4 and 6 - whose mom kept falling asleep and so they were running up and down the aisles. The mom didn't speak much English, and she acted like she didn't know we were stopping in Korea... Who knows.
A tip for those international travelers out of O'Hare: eat before you come through security. There aren't any restaurants once you get in the terminal. However, they did keep feeding us and feeding us on the flight. You'd finally get comfortable and maybe ready to fall asleep and then they'd turn those piercing lights back on and come through with the cart. About every two hours! Travis' first meal was interesting - a Korean dish with a bunch of chopped up who-knows-what and rice and this chili paste that was in a toothpaste tube. Once he got it figured out, he said it was good though.
I tried to update from Seoul, but every time I opened Blogger, it switched to Korean and our layover didn't give me enough time to figure it out. But it's good to be back on the ground - and in the pool!
A tip for those international travelers out of O'Hare: eat before you come through security. There aren't any restaurants once you get in the terminal. However, they did keep feeding us and feeding us on the flight. You'd finally get comfortable and maybe ready to fall asleep and then they'd turn those piercing lights back on and come through with the cart. About every two hours! Travis' first meal was interesting - a Korean dish with a bunch of chopped up who-knows-what and rice and this chili paste that was in a toothpaste tube. Once he got it figured out, he said it was good though.
I tried to update from Seoul, but every time I opened Blogger, it switched to Korean and our layover didn't give me enough time to figure it out. But it's good to be back on the ground - and in the pool!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Leavin' on a jet plane...
In just a couple hours. Of course, I waited until the last minute to write my first post. But I hope you'll stick with me - I promise they'll get better from here. I'm flying from O'Hare to Seoul, Korea, and then down to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. All in all, it's over 20 hours in the air. I just hope there's no setbacks...
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