Massage in West Lake

I got my massage yesterday and it was both very good and very relaxing. There is a very nice place for all these kinds of treatments, near West Lake. The place is called Dragon Fly and although it is a high end massage therapeutic center, it is very inexpensive. As I mentioned before, it costs RMB135 which is around $21, and this for a full deep tissue, Japanese, one hour massage.

It is hard to tell if the lady was from Japan or China, but one thing is for sure: she was very tiny but had the strength of a big Norwegian woman. She could squeeze all those pressure points really hard, making my muscles almost feel numb and totally relaxed. If you haven't taken a massage, you should, specially if you feel any stress. The reason I am telling you is because you can feel when she starts putting some pressure on a specific area where the muscle feels tight, almost as if it had a knot. As she goes around that area, you can feel your muscle stretching out and almost becoming flat, back to its original shape and position. I am not sure of what amount of pressure is good, but every time she would ask if the pressure was OK, I would say yes; despite a little discomfort at first, it is worth all the while later. Perhaps even a massage goes buy the same principles I have written about before: To enjoy pleasure, you must experience pain. Well, it goes for a massage, no doubt there.

After the massage, we went to another local market to buy some presents to bring back, as well as more green tea and Jasmin tea. I have now an acquired taste for Chinese tea, and besides being very healthy, it is actually good. It was very warm and humid yesterday so we didn't spend much time there. We grabbed some dinner and headed back to the hospital.

I almost went crazy because I thought I lost my blackberry, which was later found on the driver's car and brought back to me. If you have a blackberry (and I don't mean a cell phone or an iphone, I mean a blackberry) you know what it feels like to loose it, specially being far away from home. The little time I can dedicate to work with my office in Miami, I do using my blackberry.

Marujita is doing good during daytime, but waking up in the middle of the night, every night. I have a problem, and it is that if I wake up in the middle of the night, it takes me about two hours to go back to sleep. There is not much to do around here at 3AM in the morning, not even reading because if I turn on the lights than nobody goes back to sleep.

Today I had to fill out a survey from Beike, the biotechnology company behind all this. I felt a little confused because based upon what the doctors have told us, we can see any improvements to start showing up between three and five months after treatments. The survey kept asking if I saw any improvements on different aspects and behaviors of Marujita; I guess that not everyone is the same, and since this is still an experimental procedure, anything can happen. Actually, CNN had a report on stem cell treatments outside the USA and basically telling that it makes no sense to pay for a treatment anywhere if it's something not proven yet. Well, I guess in the acronym CNN there is no "H" for hope; all numbers and figures, the US way of handling things. And of course, since all research and development was banned until recently when Obama lifted the ban, I guess they are realizing all the revenue they are loosing to international medical centers who have adapted this treatment and are conducting it on a commercial basis.

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but Duke University in North Carolina has spent years doing research on stem cell treatment, and they have treated kids with conditions similar to Marujita's. Well, we contacted them, applied for treatment and sent them all possible medical history records, including MRI and CT scans. Although they have successfully reversed the condition on some kids, we where rejected. Marujita did not fit the profile based upon their research criteria. What a waste don't you think? Being able to give someone the opportunity we all have but having to back up for some bureaucratic policies.

Anyways, we are here, she will have one last injection tomorrow before we leave on Friday. I really want to get back now, I am tired and I miss my life!

I took some video of part of West Lake. This is just one part of the lake, it is actually at least five times as big, but since I mention it so often, I took a short video for you to see how it looks like. You can see one of the Pagodas far behind, just as the video starts. There are several around the lake, as well as temples and museums. It is a very interesting place to come visit, if you don't mind the eternal flight over here. Also, I took some pictures of the park adjacent to the lake; it i very well taken care of and perfectly groomed everywhere.

Well, it's going to be a slow day today. We can't go out because she has an injection tomorrow. Besides it is raining outside so we might as well stay indoors.

I will meet you here next time, but for now, love you all unconditionally, always and forever.

Tuto.38