15.04.09 Jingshan Park

After I got out of Chinese class, we went to the Jingshan Park with Matti. The south gate of the park is right on the other side of the street from the north gate of the Forbidden City. The park has an artificial hill in the middle and few pagodas on the hill. The biggest pagoda being, of course, on the top. The view from the hill was really nice and the weather was also good. We walked up and down the hill, and got some nice pictures. You could see Beijing and especially the Forbidden City from there really nicely.

The South Gate of Jingshan Park

After the park we headed north from there to a hutong street filled with everything a tourist could need, and met Santtu there. Despite the touristy place, we found a massage place and got a pedicure and foot massage with Matti and Santtu. The best 8 euros ever spent :) The only not so nice thing with the treatment was the end. Because when I thought the massage was over and was pretty satisfied with it, the woman whipped out two cups and put them on the bottom of my feet.

View from the top

The treatment is called cupping and I've heard they do it on your back, but for the feet! In cupping, you have these ball shaped cups, alcohol or something is sprayed inside and the alcohol is light up, and the ball is placed on your skin. The lighting up creates a vacuum and the cup sucks into your skin. On the bottom of the feet, at least, it feels quite interesting and they tried to sell me a cupping treatment also for the back, because my neck, as they said it, is no good. This time I didn't want it, and I'm not quite sure I'm ready to do it any other time. The felt very interesting on the feet and I'm afraid that I'd faint or something if they put the cups on my back. But the foot massage was really good, despite the cups. :)