I’ve realized that I write a lot of my thoughts and opinions, alluding only occasionally to experiences, so I’ll now attempt to do some more storytelling and share some of my adventures.
Very zen.
Let’s start with a wonderful spa experience at a place called Let’s Relax. I discovered it when I was in Phuket, Thailand. At a getaway place like that, I couldn’t resist indulging in some spa services, so I looked up a few sites and went for this one because they were one of the few places with a hot stone massage and of those, had the best price. I opted for the Executive Hide Away package because it included the hot stone massage that was my main target, plus it included an herbal steam (a nice bonus) and a facial that I probably needed. A three-hour experience, all for 3600 Baht (at the current exchange rate, around $107.37). Not bad at all!
Well to start off with, I didn’t get the best of directions and probably should have copied the map better. The bus driver and my fellow passengers had no idea what I was looking for and couldn’t tell me where to get off. By a stroke of luck, I was looking out the right side of the bus and the building had a large sign, so I found it. I got off the bus and made my way to the entrance, where I was greeted by a nice little landscaping in the front area and huge wooden doors. As soon as I stepped in, I knew I had chosen wisely. This place was impeccably clean and very nicely decorated. It was quiet and peaceful and the ladies working there were all well-mannered and well-dressed.
Take your pick of aromas and treatments! Top left: herbal scents for the steam room. Bottom: facial treatment options.
After I checked in and paid, I was given a cooling green tea to sip while waiting. All too soon, a lady was there to lead me up. We got on the private elevator and I changed into a bathrobe in a nice bathroom before she took me to my first stop: the sauna. Well, I guess herbal steam room is more appropriate, but you get the idea. I had chosen the scent I wanted (I think it was lavender, but now my memory fails me) and got the place to myself. I sat and lay on the cool stone inside as my lungs filled with the aroma of sweet flowers. It’s hard to stay in there for long, so I had to come out a few times and made good use of the ice cold water they provided. When time was nearly up, I came out and took a nice rinse in the shower to clean up and cool down.
Nice place to just chill.
Beautiful decorations and delectable tea.
Iced water tastes so much better coming out of the steam room.
Everything you need to enjoy a hot stone massage. That black thing was knit underwear.
I was then taken to another room for my hot stone massage. I was given a funny little black underwear thing to put on, as well as a shower cap and towel. A nice little lady came in with the hot rocks and began to work on my weary muscles. She used two stones to stimulate my muscles and would trace the bones in my ankles or other areas where it felt really good to have something hot and firm running along it. Sometimes it would just be one stone or her hands and some lotion. The heat of the stones was just enough to leave a burning trail wherever it went, but certainly not enough to burn or hurt. She knew just how long to leave the heat there before it would start to generate more pain than relaxation. I wondered how her hands could handle the stones – as far as I could tell, she did not use gloves or anything to protect herself from the heat. When she wrapped up a few stones for me to lie on to soothe my back, I began to see how the prolonged heat could cause discomfort. We made a quick adjustment to protect me from the heat a bit more and I comfortably lay there for awhile. At the end, she had me sit in positions I’d never tried before, then pushed or pulled just the right way to make my neck and back crack. I’d never been cracked like that before and I imagine that’s what they’d do at a chiropractor’s. I fully intend on finding out one day.
Delicious ginger tea that was just sweet enough, yet with a slight kick.
When that was complete, it was time for the final installment – a facial. I hadn’t been given a choice of treatment type, so I’m assuming they used a generic one or chose for themselves what was best for my skin type. As usual, I fell asleep during the process. There’s something so soothing about lying there with someone massaging your face. When I woke up, I was given a little hairbrush to straighten out the mess that I’d gotten since coming out of the shower. Back in the lobby, I was given a warm cup of ginger tea and an almond cookie before being sent on my way. It was a wonderful way to end and I felt invigorated as I departed!
If I get the chance, I’d definitely want to do that again. It was a great service experience. Next time I’m opting for the four-hand herbal massage… two hours of synchronized movements from two masseuses at 1400 Baht! How many people have four hands massaging them at once? Until then, I’ll dream of going back, or getting the unique jade stone massage at Le Petite Retreat, right here in LA.
What a fabulous experience at Sentosa! I touched so many creatures I can’t even count them anymore. From butterflies to sting rays and even a dolphin, it was an absolutely thrilling time for me. Though I enjoyed the views from the Tiger Tower and Merlion, what stood out the most was the time I spent at the Butterfly Garden and Insect Kingdom, Dolphin Lagoon, and Underwater World.
The Dolphin Lagoon provided good entertainment as the pink dolphins there showed off their speed, balance, and accuracy. They even showed off for us before the show and posed for pictures. They are still adolescents, so only their bellies have started to turn pink, which was interesting to see. After the show, we were allowed to pose for a picture with one of the dolphins for a small fee, so I happily lined up for my turn. My dolphin’s name was Splash and loved the ladies, but swam away when the only guy entered the water! He was good for me though and struck the best pose. 🙂
Continuing on, there was a pool entirely of rays that would whisk by and occasionally stop to say hello and see if you had food. It made me want to have a pet sting ray – they’re better than dogs! I spent a lot of time there, petting their soft bodies as they went by and marveled at the opportunity. There was a display showing sharks at their stages of development with live examples! Then it was case after case of bizarre and brilliant species, like jellyfish, cuttlefish, seahorses, crabs, and sharks. There were these “angels” that flapped their wings and cuttlefish that changed skin patterns in the blink of an eye. Some leafy-looking sea horses floated around near the seaweed they resembled and some giant crabs scuttled slowly across the sand.
That’s what I thought, anyway. Then I saw pictures and it was undeniable; these things are PINK. Like little girl playing hopscotch and blowing Bubble Yum gum pink. Like pink rose pink. Like how flamingos are neon pink, they are baby pink. Nothing like the “pink” tint of human skin or other such wannabes. So, I was really excited to go out to see some of these creatures for myself. I almost couldn’t get on a tour, but we managed to book me for a tour before I was due to leave (though I had to delay my intended departure time by a few hours).
When we were first heading out, we were right around the area where the planes were coming in for landing at the airport. Distracted, I took pictures and videos of them as they roared overhead and came down for a smooth landing. By the time one plane landed, another was appearing from the clouds, making its descent. One by one the planes took turns coming in, like clockwork, as others left going in the other direction. I marveled at how many people and how much cargo I had just seen arriving in Hong Kong. It was the first time I’d ever spent some time watching the operations of an airport and it was pretty cool.
At one point when we were further out, I was sitting in front, staring down at the water when a little fish jumped out and quickly got overrun by the boat. I continued staring down and soon more came, jumping just ahead of the boat, then falling off to the sides to avoid being hit. Excited, I started to film and snap away, trying to get a good shot of these little flying fish. Maybe it was just my imagination, but they looked a lot like mini dolphins. I spent a long time observing them and noticed that when they are in groups, they all jump at more or less the same time in some sort of coordinated effort. They also really seemed to like jumping in front of the boat in the rushing water, but once they went off to the side, they seemed to resume swimming more. I guess they’re looking for the adrenaline rush!
I so wanted to hop in the water, toxins and all, and go join them. I wondered if they’d come closer to explore if I had some body parts dangling in the water. Still, it was so rewarding to finally find them, after so many hours of searching. I had even begun to entertain the idea of how I could go on another trip (they offer a free retry if you don’t see any on your trip) – perhaps I could get an IOU that wouldn’t expire, so I could use it years down the line, or whenever I return. Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about that in the end and we ended the trip on a happy note.
When I went to visit Patong Beach, I was delighted to find the sand teeming with live little clams that could be caught burrowing whenever the tide washed away the sand hiding them. I happily spent the next two hours digging them up and taking pictures and videos of them climbing back down again. It was truly an amazing time for me, since I love creatures of most sorts and it was my first time seeing clams in a natural habitat and not at the market. The next day, I went to check out a different beach with the hopes of finding more of them, but the sand was rougher and there was hardly any life to be found.
At the hostel, I wasn’t sure about the policy on bringing back such things, so I quietly took them upstairs and went out to find a container to put them in. I ended up finding a styrofoam bowl and transferred them over. The sea snail with the pointy shell was an active one, always coming out to climb around whenever I put him on top of the sand. He left a little slimey trail with sand clinging to it and made a small indent in the surface of the sand as he moved around. The clam, however, was super boring and just lay there for hours. I guess he was trying to get used to the still water and the little bit of stirring I did was not enough to simulate the ocean’s waves.
It’s a pity I couldn’t keep them, but as a fellow hosteler pointed out, they wouldn’t get through customs. However, Panda is willing to get an aquarium one day, so I can get some then! I also want starfish and sea cucumbers and anemone and sea horses and sea urchins and shrimp! It’s going to be one intense aquarium, I tell you. However, I’m going to have to wait a few years before I can afford to maintain such a thing. So for now, I’ll just enjoy the life that I can find when I go to the beach to play around.
