Massage accomplished

Massage music must come from the same factory, supplying all the world. :)

I went to Dragonfly which I saw mentioned in the Shanghai LP, and it is a chain of treatment salons. I was shown a menu which included Chinese Massage, Shiatsu and fragrant (lavendar) massage. I picked shiatsu for 135rmb ($22) for an hour.

I was led into a dim foyer with a fish pond and rooms came off this main area. The room itself was barely 1.5m wide and fragranced with that earthy wood smell.

I was given trousers and a tie up top to change into and experienced trouble with the language. How do I call you/ how do i tell you when ready? Eventually the guy said his English was poor and he would be waiting by the door, so luck would have it he told me what  i needed to know anyway.

The massage was great. I managed to tell him that I use computers and therefore the tension in my arms and shoulders an I learned the Mandarin word for mouse. Shu Dan.

Outside I walked around for a while and had a look - this seemed to be a bit of a hospital district. I saw a restaurant that had a fish tank all the way around the inside with koi in it.

Failed to find a public toilet, even in the subway. The subway was interesting - you get xray screening as you go in. I stared at the subway map for a while and then decided could not face trying to buy and ticket and making sure I got off at the right stop. Went back out the other side and found escalator had broke, so walked up about 50m of steps.

Got a cab back and learned the word for Australia (O dah ley) and even though the cabbie knew I could not speak it he just kept on talking and asking questions. Referred to my Mandarin dictionary and must have made some of the weirdest sentences, but I told him my family was from Guandong (jian ting - family. different language therefore) and that I had a souvenir for him (jintin pin - souvenir). He got a boomerang magnet, which probably was made here to start with. But as they say, just because it is made here doesn't mean it is sold here.

It's good to tip the driver, so the fare came to 18 and I gave him 20, then we fought over the 1 he was trying to give back to me. So then there was much laughing and thanking going on. It's now 4pm which leaves me with a bit of a question mark. 4pm is rush hour and it is hard to get a cab. Do I just go for a walk around the block or try and get over to the art district?