The Day I Paid for Torture

13th June, 2015

Mostly everything is cheap here in Thailand, but Brandon and I haven't indulged too much in any extras. We eat cheaply, stay in simple accommodations, and spend our days snorkeling, swimming, hiking and just exploring. We typically get up around 6:00, make our Nescafe, and walk around the beach until the town starts stirring and everyone begins waking up. We find a nice, simple place for breakfast where we typically choose rice soup, or porridge - both traditional Thai breakfasts - and I write for a bit, while Brandon works on pictures.

Morning is my favorite part of the day - everything smells so fresh and I love having the village to ourselves, even if it is just for a bit. Life is simple, we don't pay much attention to the time anymore, we listen to our bodies and eat when we're hungry, go to bed when we're tired. Our entire day is typically consumed with exploring. I remember thinking before we left to travel, what will we do all day.. but there is so much to do and see we are never bored. In fact it's just the opposite, we have to force ourselves to rest every once in a while because our bodies are so soar and tired from running around all the time.

One thing that Brandon and I finally indulged in was a Thai massage. You can't hardly walk 5 minutes in any town without getting asked if you would like a massage. The Thais are famous for their pressure point massage and relaxation techniques and we needed to see what all the hype was about. After a long day kayaking we stopped into a massage parlor where we asked for a Thai massage. One full hour for $5. I knew that the massage may not be completely enjoyable during parts, as I've heard a Thai massage is more like a deep tissue, but it's something that has to be done when in Thailand.

My masseuse, who speaks little to no English, tells me through hand gestures to lay face down on a mat. I oblige and Brandon does the same, anxiously awaiting our massage. The instant my masseuse put her hands on me I knew I was in for it. One full hour of pain, torture actually. She stretched me, bent me, pulled me and popped me. The pressure, which sometimes included her entire body weight was for the most part unbearable. I said "ouch" about 15 minutes in which I think made her massage me harder. The entire hour I actually tried as hard as I could to fall asleep or at least think about something else, anything else other than the present. She rolled me over on my back and the pain continued as my body was stretched in ways only a small child should bend. At one point she was under me with her feet pressed against my back holding me up towards the sky as my body fell into a painful backbend. Exactly one hour later, it was over. I waddled outside to a sitting area and was given hot tea and biscuits, I guess my consolation prize for enduring the massage.