Guting

Hey travel journal,
Today was epically awesome. Up and breakfast and headed downstairs and over to the classroom. To enter the class room, epically named 'the magic room', we first had to take off our shoes and walked into a wide open space with 8 massage tables, four on either side of the room, with the lecture podium and display table at the front. We all sat around and got some information on physiotherapy and had a lecture on cupping. Then the fun part - we got to start cupping on each other. It was so fun. They came around and made sure that we could individually do it without burning anyone or anything. And they showed us a few techniques. Simple cupping where we just use the flame in the cup and then attach it to the person's back. Once it's on you do four techniques - rolling which helps increase circulation, tension (which is just lifting the cup up a little) to increase the space between the skin and muscle, quiver (tension and shake) for preprioception and then flash. Flash is where you remove it quickly on a angle to help the pooled blood disperse. I was so cool. Then we learnt the slide and walking method. This is were you put baby oil on the patients back and use the cup to spread it all over their back. Then you heat and slide the cup up and down quickly and then remove it. Repeat this four times and on the fifth you leave the cup on. You do this twice, so there is two cups. One on either side of the back. Then walking is where you slide the cup up and down. It's tough but the baby oil helps. You can also stop at different points along the back and do the roll, tension and quiver. Walking uses high tension and suction and get deeper down into the muscle. Slide is more superficial where it works more toward to the surface. To do this we had to release some of the pressure. To do that you push down on the skin along the edge of the cup, just slightly to make a tiny gap. Too much and the suction is gone and the cup falls off. Then you do the same and slide the cup. Up and down and to different parts of the back. The girls said it was amazing. I did both types of cupping but didn't get any done. There is no way I was taking my shirt off in front of 50 odd people. Best part though - we got to keep our cups :) now I have a cup and acupuncture needle - it's like a mini traditional Chinese medicine starter kit is forming. After class we headed to food street and all got some lunch. I got fried rice and pineapple green tea. And then we headed back to the dorm to eat. After eating quickly we headed down to the bus where we were headed on an adventure to a traditional Chinese pharmacy. The bus ride was about an hour and we had a big bus so we all stretched out and had a double seat to ourselves. I mostly just watched out the windows and played on my phone a little. Once we arrived we separated into two groups because the pharmacy wasn't big enough for all of us. In my group was myself, Sharni, Sophie, Sam, Sara, sahama and Andy. We had the best afternoon. We did the pharmacy first. The owner is third generation of owning and running the pharmacy and he was absolutely awesome. He started by giving us all cold hybiscus Juice that had so many other ingredients in it and it tastes absolutely amazing. He then took us through some main herbs and fruits including gogi berries, red berries, dried plum, and whole bunch of others that were a mixture of woody, sweet, and sour. He went through how each different colour or category of foods (eg. Warm, cold, etc.) correlates to a different part of the body. For example the red berries are warm and correlate to the heart or circulatory system. Or water melon is cold and good for people with a sore throat and are phlegmy. But that it's important for everything to be consumed in balance. Then he showed us how to make an awesome tea for health and energy. And we all made our own and wrapped in a paper. And he let us keep it. We played a connect the dots game where we had to match the fruit or herb with its Chinese name and what it did, and after we got it right he gave us a little plastic container with sugar energy lollies in them. That taste amazing, I don't even know how to explain it. It's sweet but not and not really like sugar at all. I dunno it's just tasty. Then we let us behind the counter for a group photo before letting us go through the draws and containers. He then showed us a good pressure point at the base of the skull at the back for head ache and tension and one of the arm below the elbow for shoulder tension. He also showed us pressure points on the back of the hand to massage for different pain/tightness in the back. One for lumbar, thoracic and cervical spine. Then he pulled out a few random things for people to try. Andy was the only adventurist one who tried everything including cicada shell, cuttle fish and what they called bat poo (but it was small grassy pellets so I'm not so sure - lost in translation?). The cicadas are apparently good to help with digestion and the cuttle fish is actually best ground with a morter and pestel and can be used as an anticoagulant but rubbing into a wound. How cool. Then he played a little game with us that had two plastic beans in a little jar and you shake it. If both beans are facing up it means maybe, both down it means no and one up and one down is yes. So we got us all to do it and if it said yes we got a free tea bag. He had four to choose from chi, wellness, plum tea and destress. I got a chi tea. After we stood around and chatted for a bit the other group arrived so it's time to swap. We jumped back on the bus and went down to this funky part of town with what looks like a restored old building and they had a film festival on. Each room had different things from films like directors journals, animations, painting, costume items etc. And then this one room had three screens, one at the front and the other two behind just off centre and a documentary playing and the projector played off the screens and the walls beside and behind and the words in English were lights on the floor below. It was memorising, we all sat there watching it in silence for ages. I can't even remember what it was about or what I watched, but the colours and screens and images all around.. Just wow. Then we headed down the road a bit further and went to a temple. It was beautiful. A traditional temple with intricate carvings and a water fountain out the front but behind the main gates to the left and a waterfall to the right. Then. Through the gate and it opened up into a massive courtyard. The smell of incense was intense and people were everywhere. Up at the main temple the monks inside (and everyone, everywhere) where praying and chanting. Again we just stopped and stood in silence. The atmosphere was heavy but uplifting, it was really moving (Sara even cried at one point). It was awesome. I really thought that taiwan had lost its traditional temples and faith, at this level. But i am glad to be proven wrong. Then it was back to the bus and headed back to pick up the guys from the pharmacy before travelling the hour back to uni. Once we got back to the dorm, the girls and I sat and chat for a bit while we had some washing on. While the party girls slept because they are going out again tonight. Then a group of us went to dinner with Joanne and her bf jerry to a fancy Japanese restaurant. I had like a pork curry and rice thingy and it was so tasty. Then we walked back the long way so some people could get bubble tea and others could go to the bakery and I stopped at the pharmacy to get a yoga mat so I could do my physiologist exercises. And then we headed back to the dorm to get ready for bed and it's time to crash. We have an early start tomorrow. Night xoRead more