In China - I have a badonkadonk.

I got my first Chinese massage today. For 70 yuan (a little less than $9 USD), I got a 1 hour foot massage and a 1 hour body massage. I didn't realize how many bruises I had on my legs until the little Chinese masseuse began to rub them. I ignored it and told myself that having my bruises rubbed is good for them. Besides, the pain was offset by the intense pleasure of having my mosquitoe bites rubbed. It's almost just as good as scratching them, except without the blood. I just wish I hadn't started giggling when she got to the thighs and butt. Rather inconvenient ticklish areas to have. Though, after the massage, she did comment that my bum "you hen duo ro!". Direct translation: "Your bum has a lot of meat." I've had my butt squeezed (unwillingly in clubs), slapped, but never kneaded. It was ...interesting, to say the least. My brother fell asleep during his.

Some tidbits about China:

1) I'm tall for an Asian gal in the U.S. In Shandong province (where my mom's family is from), everyone is tall. My brother and I are actually quite short for Shandong people.

2) Here - I'm considered to have a badonkadonk.

3) My brother and I are curiosities here. People think we're Korean, or from Hong Kong, or Japanese, and are surprised to hear we're Chinese. This always evolves into a lot of explaining our family history (fled from war in China to Taiwan, parents grew up there, immigrated to the U.S., we're vacationing in China). Siblings are also a rarity here due to the One Child policy.

Heading to Kunming tomorrow.

Li River cruise.
Originally uploaded by susiederkins.