My Vice Principal told me I could leave after lunch today, since I was finished teaching my winter camp at 12:10pm! Wooo hooo! So, I packed up my stuff and headed down to the bus stop at the bottom of my school's hill! I stood there, debating for a couple minutes about which bus to take - a bus home or a bus to anywhere! I chose the bus to anywhere! I call this adventure-style-bus-riding, "bus hopping!" I take a bus for 30 minutes or so, people watch, and enjoy the ride, and then switch busses! It's a great way to see the city, and it's FREE entertainment! You can't go wrong there, right?!
Well, I had been "bus hopping" for about an hour and a half by this point, (I know, that's a long time!) and was around Nampodong, when I looked up and saw this sign out my window! THAI MASSAGE! mmmm! Perfect, just what I needed!
So, I got off at the next stop and walked over to the building. When I walked in the building's front door, there was a sign stating that the Thai Massage place was on the 3rd floor, so I jumped on the elevator and up I went!
When the elevator doors opened, this is what I saw! Now that's what I call a lobby!
The place is decorated to the tee with Thai statues, elephants, murals, and gold wallpaper! I had entered Thai paradise as far as I was concerned; and for 50,000 won ($44.00) for an hour long thai massage, I realized I had just hit the jackpot! This is the hallway leading to the massage rooms!
My masseuse was a lovely Thai woman (30 yrs old) name Aoy, like "Toy" without the T sound. She dug her elbows in so deep, I may have actually squeeled a couple times! She would always giggle and say she was sorry! We chatted for the last 10 mins or so, and she shared with me that she has only been in Korea for 3 weeks! She left her husband and 6 year old son in Thailand for a better wage in Korea! Her plan is to stay here for 10 months, save all she can, and then bring all her earnings back to her family!
If you ever need a massage, please go here and ask for her at the front desk! She's awesome!
As if the massage, the decor, and the masseuse weren't enough... they brought me coffee afterwards in gorgeous traditional Thai china!
I'm feeling more relaxed tonight than I have in a long time... almost as if my body is 15 years old again! It's amazing what a nice, spontaneous, Thai massage will do for the body!