22 May 2011, Sunday
We arrived in Hoi An and like always the bus dropped us outside a hotel where there are people trying to sell you everything the town has to offer, tours, transport, accommodation, food…everything!
We had no accommodation booked and I saw the lady from the Hotel out the front with a pile of brochures with a map on the back. As soon as she saw me look at what was in her hands she was heading my way, I said to Jasmin lets just see what she is offering. She offered us a room in her hotel for $6/night but I told her we were on a budget of $5/night for accommodation and said we couldn’t do it. She then agreed to the $5 and showed us the room. It was so nice, there was an indoor pool on the ground level just outside our room, not that we used it but it was nice. There was a restaurant out the back which was cheap and always very convenient. We put our stuff down in our room and I said to Jasmin I really need to get a haircut, I wonder if they have some information here about where I could get one. As I inspected the room and read through the information booklet, I found a spa menu with manicures, pedicures, massages, body scrubs, haircuts, waxing and everything was so cheap (not as cheap as I knew I could get it but compared to back home it was just ridiculous). I said to Jasmin, “I already love Hoi An”. I went to ask the concierge about the spa menu and if I could get some things done right away, she said, “I will call them and they will come here, what would you like”. After reading the menu and prices I decided that I wanted more than just a haircut. I decided to get a coffee and honey body scrub, manicure, pedicure, haircut and hair wash. She told me I had to go to the place to get the hair cut but that they would organize transport there and back. I was like, “OK, sweet, excellent (thinking oh my God this is so ridiculously good). I went back to the room and told Jasmin they were coming to pick me up and I would be back in approximately and hour or two, I said if you get hungry before I am back just eat without me. So they came and picked me and I arrived at this Spa place, I told them everything I wanted and they pointed out with the body scrub that for a little bit extra I could get a massage as well and that it was “very luxury” (broken English). So I agreed and was lead up stairs to a room. Normally back home when you get a massage they leave the towel on the bed and leave the room for you take your clothes off, but here no she just stood there and watched me take my clothes off and I was laughing and asking, “sooo… How naked am I getting?” She couldn’t speak much English so she just pointed to my undies and held up the “stop” hand action. I find it amazing how people communicate when neither people speak any of the others language, like constant Charades. So I laid face down and she began the massage I do not know what words could or how to describe this experience as it was “out of this world”. I could not choose or control my thoughts, they were coming to me! I would sound like a complete crazy person if I tried to explain my thoughts and feelings during this massage. Instead I will just say IT WAS AMAZING!!! Next came the body scrub, I don’t even remember what I was doing while she set up the bed with a plastic sheet because my mind was so bent, empty and relaxed. Next it was undies off time, cool! Standing naked with a lady telling me I am beautiful… wouldn’t be such an awkward comment if I wasn’t naked but whatever I will go with it! The body scrub was the first time I have ever been completely naked in front of a stranger and two have the woman scrub my chest with coffee and honey. Since we were basically best friends after the scrub she helped shower me off too, awesome! Another first. It all didn’t seem awkward at the time, I don’t know if it was because I am in a different country or because she did something to my head during the massage, or maybe I just don’t care about being naked in front of people anymore but I felt completely OK with all of this. After this session she lead me back downstairs (which I didn’t even remember coming up, she definitely did something to my head) to have my hair cut & washed, manicure and pedicure. I paid my bill of $31 and left about 2 or 3 hours later extremely happy.
