As it turns out, a hot springs park is perfect for the winter because the husband, the toddler and I were refreshed, rejuvenated and raring for a return!

The Riyuegu Hot Springs Park and Resort boasts about 150 hot springs pools, team adventure rope course facilities and a spa.

Did he mention the word “spa”? That certainly got my attention.

Riyuegu is made up of three Chinese characters, meaning “sun” (ri), “moon” (yue) and “valley” (gu) respectively. In its entirety, “Riyuegu” refers to a valley with beautiful things in the world.

Having visited hot springs in Malaysia and Thailand, I was prepared for an au naturel environment of craggy rocks and slippery stones.

Instead, Riyuegu is a modern facility equipped with 5-star facilities and staff.

The Superior room we booked was spacious, tastefully furnished and equipped with its own hot springs granite tub. Hot springs right in your hotel room!

We spent some time examining the rectangular tub which resembles the water storage tank at my parents’ 80s-style house.

A note indicates that ONLY the ceramic tap with the red marker runs the natural hot springs water while the other taps ran, well, tap water.

Discolouration marks on the tub were due to the granite’s natural reaction to the hot springs water.

Realistically, the tub could fit 2 adults although you’d be in for a squeeze. We’d probably have to stack the toddler on top of us!

Hurrying downstairs to meet up with the other family, I was taken aback when I saw that a golf buggy was going to take us to the park, which was opposite the resort.

A very, very busy highway stands between the two – how was this humble ride going to get us there in one piece?

Familiar with the “free-for-all” driving styles on some of China’s roads, this mother’s sigh of relief was audible when we approached an underpass that outwitted the raging speed demons overhead.

Definitely Riyuegu’s best-kept secret because the ride became a fun one as the only traffic we encountered were bicycles or the odd car.

FEEDING THE FISH
A key attraction here, the the renowned Garra Rufu or “doctor fish” from Turkey make up one of the hot springs pool. The kids enjoyed looking at them while the adults mused about the upcoming experience.

As the warm water softens your skin, HUNDREDS of these little fish will swarm around to work their magic i.e. nibble on accumulated dead skin cells and bacteria to silky-smooth perfection. Be prepared for a ticklish sensation!

I personally feel slightly grossed out…

Check out the various ingredients to be found in the hot springs pools:

A DIPPING WE WILL GO
At the Park, we were directed to the locker room with a towel and a pink magnetic wrist tag. The cool-looking tag opens or locks your lockers, which contains a bathrobe and a pair of rubber slippers.

Parents with toddlers may want to bring their child’s own robes as the smallest fits kids 5 years and above. Equipped with showers, toilets and hair dryers, the locker room is a complete powder room. No photography is allowed beyond this point.

Wrapped in robes, we took our first steps into the cold and headed for the pictorial map laying out the pools spanning 90,000 sq M. Although the pool is open until 11 pm, we could only stay as long as dinner time.

In winter, pool temperatures average between 38-42 deg C indicated by LED-powered thermometers mounted above them.

We aimed for pools with less people. Clustered according to themes, we went to the first one themed “Drinks Galore” featuring a lemon burst.

I was mindful of the T.G.I.F. (Toes Go In First) principle. Sensing my cautiousness, the Chinese bathers assured me it wasn’t THAT hot.

It took me a while to get used to the hot water and fully immerse myself in it. But once you’re in, the water is quite comforting and this citrus pool was a nice, refreshing start to uplift your senses.

The next two we sampled were milk and oatmeal straw. The milk bath was every bit as moisturizing as I imagine Cleopatra felt during her heydays. The oatmeal one smelled heavenly and is nothing like the oatmeal breakfast I prepare for my son!

The boy was garbed in a pair of biker shorts and was waist-high most of the time. For safety’s sake, I’d sit on the edge of the pool with him on my lap and gently scoop water onto his body.

I continued to do so until he was wet and slowly eased both of us in. Each pool is designed with stone steps for a safe descent, though pregnant women and the elderly should take extra care to avoid mishaps.

The little tyke appeared to enjoy the “big baths” especially as there were floating bags and wooden scoops for him to play with. He didn’t lack company as the Chinese, who are very fond of children, happily made faces or called out to him.

Soon, we perfected a routine of my going in first to secure a position before Hubby disrobes the toddler, hands him over and gets in himself. Getting out, we reversed our roles to ensure the toddler’s safety and warmth at all times.

BLOSSOMS, BREWS AND BITTERS
We moved on to the teas, consisting of red, green, oolong, scented and specialty types respectively. We found the first three teas mild in flavour while the scented one slightly overpowering.

The “Beer Barrel” theme attracted quite a number of male bathers. A concoction made of the finest, freshly brewed beer gently stirred into hot spring water, the sign promised an “intoxicating and relaxing” dip.

I was attracted to this pool to test out the Chinese practice of giving newborns a beer bath to enhance their wellbeing and found it quite relaxing, albeit with a strong malt odour.

Hubby, of course, enjoyed it as much as the next man – it’s not every day that you get to soak in one of your favourite beverages!

Dusk approached at around 5.30 pm so skipped the wines and headed for “Herbal Garden” where my nose led us to the “dong guai soup”, “ginseng tea”, “peppermint tea”, “lemongrass tea” and “rosemary tea” pools.

Having double boiled quite a few chickens, we let the chicken have its day by stepping into the first one. The phrase “being in hot soup” takes on a different meaning when you’re literally in it!

Our last stop was the “Bouquet”, which has a mix of floral petals. Unfortunately, the floral bath I’d envisioned a la American Beauty did not materialize – probably because we were one of the last ones to get there.

If we should return, I’d head for this pool first when the petals are freshly sprinkled over the water.

THE ONES THAT GOT AWAY
By 6.00 pm, it was pitch dark that we hit the dinner gong earlier and joined in the throng tucking into Chinese cuisine cooked with hot springs water. Tastes the same to me…

Back in our hotel room, my plans for an evening body massage were shelved because the hot springs soak was so relaxing the three of us were snoring by 9 pm!

If we should return, Hubby and I would try out the hot stones (pic, left), the hot sand springs and the mist pool.

In the former, hot spring water flows continuously underneath granite slabs, helping to soothe your aches and pains – backache, anyone?

The hot sand springs promise a pseudo-beach experience in which you are buried under fine sands heated by the hot springs.

As the Park is open all year round, I wondered how visitors would fare in the summer when outdoor and pool temperatures reach a similar high of 39 degrees Celcius!

I was told by the hotel staff that soaking in the hot springs can help one cope better with a hot climate. Guess it works on the basis of “fighting fire with fire”!

A WARM GOODBYE
We ended our weekend there on a sweet note with mine smelling of lavender and other essential oils. Why?

Hubby offered to mind the boy while I spent an indulgent one hour in bliss under the gentle, kneading hands of a Thai-trained masseuse at the Spa center.

I was pampered the minute I stepped into the Spa center – I seriously enjoyed the welcome drink in as relaxing a position as the model above (minus the food!).

Led through some lavishly-decorated prep rooms (with indoor hot springs pools) and shower rooms, I had a washdown before I melted under the hands of the friendly and soft-spoken Chinese girl. Heaven for an hour!

Enclosed in a private room, the full body aromatherapy massage costs about RMB190 (MYR86), which is a real steal in the world of spa treatments, confirming Riyuegu’s promise of “quality spa treatments at a fraction of the price of international chain hotels”.

With that, we bid farewell to Riyuegu…

If you’re visiting Xiamen soon, check out this guide I wrote for Air Macau’s inflight magazine (available in English and Chinese).

Also, “What’s On Xiamen” is another useful site to browse.

NOTE: Photos without a watermark are courtesy of Riyuegu Hot Springs Park and Resort public relations department. No, this is not a sponsored post

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I know I had a *really* busy time wrapping up a much-delayed communications and translations project while working on a few articles.

The fun part about being a freelance writer is that you never know who’ll meet and what your next story is going to be!

One of the articles is an interview with Francesca Kiing (read her inspiring story “Beading Glory” published in StarMag), a creative, energetic and friendly entrepreneur I met at a wedding dinner.

Other articles I was working on included:

• a travel piece on the quaint city of Xiamen (published in Air Macau’s inflight magazine), which also has a Chinese version;
• a feature article on water quality issues around the world;
• a beauty feature on common hair problems and natural / organic solutions for them and
• the alarming decline of wild animals in Kenya

Another fascinating topic I was working on is the practice of trap-neuter-and-release for stray dogs and cats in Malaysia. And getting to know some truly self-less folks known as “independent pet rescuers”.

As much as I’d love to share these articles with you, some of them are only available upon subscription or in hardcopy format.

What’s in store for 2010? The crystal ball reflects 1-2 consultancy projects in the works and a bit of travel…

How about you? Have you listed your New Year resolutions?

Here’s to a healthy and happy start for everyone

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WHEN Francesca Kiing was wandering along the bustling shopping streets of Hong Kong a few years ago, little did she know that the roots of a booming business lay in a RM2 packet of multi-coloured plastic beads.

A native of Sibu, Sarawak, this former flight attendant of Chinese-Bidayuh heritage recalls that day in June 2004: New to a city of strangers, she was learning to find her way about the busy streets when she stumbled upon a stall selling cheap plastic beads; thinking she would make herself a pair of earrings, she bought a packet and was delighted when the shopkeeper also sold her metal hooks and other materials to make the jewellery.

A lovely clam shellpearl necklace from ekiingbeads.com. – Photos provided by FRANCESCA KIING

“Back then, I couldn’t tell one type of bead from another,” Kiing, 44, says in a recent interview, laughing. “I was lonely in Hong Kong and took up beading just as a hobby.”

Slowly, she made friends from Australia, Britain, Hong Kong and Taiwan through her daughter’s playgroup. She sold her first pair of earrings for HK$10 (RM4.50) when a friend spotted them at home, and she soon started getting more and more requests.

No flight of fancy
Kiing’s daughter, Elizabeth, now seven but a toddler when mum began beading, had always urged Kiing to set up a store, even to open one in Kuching while the family was still based in Hong Kong.

Then, when they were on holiday in Kuching in September that year (2004), Kiing was approached by a friend interested in helping to distribute ready-made jewellery after admiring the gorgeous crystals Kiing was wearing. That’s when the hobbyist realised making a business of beading was no flight of fancy.

Little did Kiing realise that her beading hobby would lead to an online retail site with international sales and, now, a brick-and-mortar store.

“I took three months to prepare a business proposal and a portfolio of samples to show her. Orders poured in and business got so good, I was flying to and fro (between Kuching and Hong Kong) attending to customers.

“A year and a half later (in 2006), we started ekiingbeads.com (the “e” is for Elizabeth) with one shelf of ready-made crystals. Now, we have a mini warehouse and have launched a retail shop,” says Kiing, glowing with pride.

The shop is in Kuching, just as Elizabeth had asked, as Kiing and her daughter are living there now; Kiing’s husband is still based in Hong Kong, though, so she travels there often, which also helps her look for beads.

World of wonders
Beadwork is fascinating, as different parts of the world produce different varieties of beads, explains Kiing. A majority of the beads comes from Austria, Australia, China, Czechoslovakia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan and the Philippines.

“In Malaysia, we have antique beads made mainly from glass. We also use natural beads like Job’s Tears (a polished seed with a ready-made hole for threading) and other types of beads found on trees. And some of our favourite beads are made from bamboo and duck or cow bones,” Kiing explains, as she shows off a stunning array of bead jewellery you wouldn’t imagine was made from bone.

Beautiful Czech glass beads are the basis of these pretty earrings.

Saddened by the deforestation in Borneo, Kiing tries to use local discarded wood like belian, ramin, meranti and tapang to craft her jewellery and make people more aware of the natural environment that needs protection.

Belian is a type of Sarawakian hardwood found along the streams in remote areas of the rainforest. Belian becomes driftwood when it falls into the stream and turns black from the water. This solid driftwood, some as old as 150 years, is found in the remote streams of Krokong in Bau, Kuching.

“Since it’s almost impossible to pick up the entire tree, we saw off a reasonable size (which takes 15-30 hours due to the wood’s hardness), dry and cut it into small pieces to be made into jewellery,” explains Kiing.

“Our jewellery, coasters and religious articles exhibited during the Rainforest World Music Festival (an international festival held annually in Sarawak) got a good response and we hope to promote conservation awareness,” she says.

“We are also refining our process of making paper beads. Currently, we source them from a lady in Manila. She softens shredded magazines in a chemical solution, mixes the pulp with glue, shapes them and sun dries them for a month. It’s a long process with amazing results! I hope to do the same in the near future.”

The beads are tacked onto earrings and chokers and wired together or strung into necklaces or jewellery sets that everyone from brides-to-be and students to celebrities and dignitaries gush over.

“Beads also carry a lot of history. I met this lovely lady from Hyderabad (India) who collects old and antique beads used as barter in the olden days in the exchange of goods or slaves. She visited our warehouse and bought old carnelian beads (made from carnelian quartz), local antique lukut and mini ‘striped pyjama’ beads, which are rare and expensive.” (The Kayans give lukut beads as gifts at engagements, weddings and other social events.)

People power
Besides bonding beads into beautiful, intricate jewellery, Kiing is also deft at building beautiful relationships. For instance, Ekiing Beads is an unusual partnership between an employer and her former domestic helper.

“Dyah Wulandari is a creative seamstress from Java who shares my passion for beadwork. Now, she is my business partner and has been with me for seven years. In fact, Dyah moved with us from Singapore to Hong Kong and now to Malaysia. She interacts with a majority of the clients and we travel together for meetings, marketing and stock purchases.”

Kiing is determined to build an empowering “business for everybody”.

“We employ homemakers, single mothers, single women, the disabled, working adults and even some in religious orders. Whether it’s a source of income for them or they just do it for the love of beading, it doesn’t matter, we train the committed ones and let them work from home. We deliver the beads, pick up the finished work and remunerate them immediately upon collection. They can also drop by our shop for more work.”

Future patterns
Profits earned are invested in new products, as Kiing believes it’s important to order new beads and launch new designs every two to three months. She is also looking to open more outlets to create more job opportunities and develop more women entrepreneurs.

One of her local clients, a VIP, suggested that Kiing start a beading club with different programmes for different age groups. Plans are in progress for such classes in schools for students to learn a handicraft and encourage interaction between teachers, parents and students. Interested individuals and donors are invited to contact Kiing (at info@ekiingbeads.com).

“I’ve just received a phone call from a gentleman who supplies pillows, liquor and headrest covers to the airlines. He wanted us to supply some of our hand-made jewellery to be sold on board Philippines and Singapore Airlines. We’re still working on it,” Kiing shares.

On being an entrepreneur, Kiing says that the challenges lie in being unique, passionate and patient.

“Whatever you aspire to do, do it with your whole heart and soul. It has to be something that you are so passionate about that you believe you can give it your best because you will not tire easily and think of giving up. Even when times are hard, keep going.

“And do not be afraid of competition, because that will push you to do even better. Most importantly, do not give up when you fail. I believe in the saying ‘to be successful, one has to experience failure’.”

What pearls of wisdom from a gutsy lady whose pretty brow has been grazed by beads of sweat as she builds on her beads business.

Originally published in Sunday Star (Arts).

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In the end, the editor decided on The Whole Enchilada, which is fine by me

I looked through my photo archives for a juicy, mouth-watering shot of an enchilada but couldn’t find any. It’s one of my favourite foods – I must remember to take a shot the next time BEFORE I eat it!

Here’s one taken from PreparednessPro (an interesting blog about being prepared for anything!)

Read on…

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There is a wealth of food-related phrases that add flavour to the English language.

WITH ayam percik, roti jala, nasi kerabu, ikan bakar, lotus paste mooncakes with golden egg yolks, murukku, vadai, laddu, thosai with tomato chutney still fresh on my tastebuds (and thoughts), various food-related phrases come to my mind.

The English language has sprinkles and dashes of foodie phrases which may or may not be related to food at all. As a firm believer in a balanced diet, I would like to share with readers some morsels (or metaphors) for you to chew on.

Bread and butter

Bread is a staple food in the West while in in our region, rice is the grain of choice.

Bread and butter refers to the way one earns a living (similar to the phrase one’s rice bowl) and a breadwinner is the one who supports the family.

Bread and water means “the plainest and cheapest possible food”, which has its origins in the way Christians observe a fast in imitation of Jesus surviving in the desert. To know which side one’s bread is buttered is to know “what will be to one’s advantage”.

For example: “Leela’s family was living on bread and water when their father, the breadwinner, died in a car accident. Although selling fresh cow’s milk was his bread and butter, her mother has now started a small business offering tailoring services. While she appreciates friends and family dropping by for a chat, she knows which side her bread is buttered and attends to her customers promptly.”

Potato is a staple food in South America. A common phrase that incorporates this root vegetable is a hot potato – a “thing or situation that is difficult or unpleasant to deal with”.

For example: “The issue of whether to teach Mathematics and Science in English is such a hot potato, I wonder if we’ll ever hear the end of it.”

A couch potato is simply a lazy person whose life is confined to the couch.

Butter-fingers

While bread has positive meanings, butter is very much like its greasy and oily properties. If you have butter-fingers, you are likely to drop anything you hold. If you tend to be extremely pleasant to someone in order to get something from them, you’re buttering somebody up. Worst of all, if you look as if butter would not melt in your mouth, you’re acting innocent, kind and gentle when you may be the total opposite!

The whole enchilada

An enchilada is a popular Mexican dish, which is a tortilla (corn pancake) filled with a meat, chicken or tomato-based sauce (or salsa), rolled and topped with sour cream, guacamole (avocado sauce), grated cheese and peppers.

The whole enchilada, much like the dish, refers to something impressive or outstanding e.g. “Did you know that Becky is a celebrity now? She’s got a blog, an agent, a chauffeur, a personal assistant, a personal shopper, endorsements, VIP invitations, speaking engagements – the whole enchilada!”

In the soup

The ultimate comfort food, soups are associated with warmth and tender loving care. However, you would not want to be in the soup because it means “being in trouble” in informal British slang as defined by the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.

In hot soup seems to be the popular phrase now especially in newspaper headlines highlighting the misdeeds of politicians.

Letting someone stew in his or her own juice means you let someone suffer the unpleasant consequences of their own actions without helping them.

Clams up

Most people enjoy a beach holiday and digging into seafood. Interestingly, seafood-related phrases are not as pleasant. For instance, if your brother clams up, he’s not talking and if he’s crabby, he’s bad-tempered or miserable. He could be feeling like a fish out of water or he feels awkward because he is in strange surroundings. Hopefully, he’s not a cold fish also because that would mean he’s a hard-hearted, unfeeling person.

Or he has bigger fish to fry i.e. to have more interesting or important things to do. Perhaps, he smells something fishy i.e. he is doubtful or suspicious over what you’ve asked him!

Salad days

Fresh fruits and vegetables are good for you but it’s not good if someone says that you’re still in your salad days as it means you’re young and inexperienced. Another favourite phrase, in a pickle, refers to “a difficult or unpleasant situation”, which reflects the fruits or vegetables preserved in salt or vinegar the phrase originates from.

Sour grapes refers to someone pretending that something they cannot have is not important to them e.g. “Alexa says she doesn’t care if her sister is prettier, more popular and getting married but her best friend says it’s just sour grapes.”

On the other hand, peachy refers to a situation where everything is fine e.g. When you ask Alexa how she’s feeling, her answer is always, “Just peachy.”

Dripping with honey

Always a hot spot, the dessert table serves a mix of metaphors e.g. if a man’s or woman’s words are dripping with honey, beware that they may be buttering you up. I’m rather suspicious when anyone tells me something is as easy as pie because in my experience, a pie is anything but easy to bake.

Don’t be flattered if someone dubs you a fruitcake for they may think you’re mentally unsound and unless you enjoy the pancreas of a young calf or lamb, do not order the sweetbread from the menu! Bon appétit!

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I’d like to refer her to “Wren & Martin’s High School English Grammar and Composition”* (an oldie but goodie which I’d used in my English classes for grammar discussion).

“Has had” is in the Present Perfect Tense, which is used:

1. To indicate completed activities in the immediate past e.g.:

- He has just gone out.

- It has just struck ten.

2. To express past actions whose time is not given and not definite; e.g.:

- Have you read ‘Gulliver’s Travels’?

- Mr. Hari has been to Japan (Note: We are not informed of the exact date he visited the country.)

3. To describe past events when we think more of their effect in the present than of the action itself e.g.:

- I have cut my finger (and it is bleeding now.)

- I have finished my work (= now I am free).

4. To denote an action beginning at some time inthe past and continuing up to the present moment, e.g.:

- I have known him for a long time.

- We have lived here for ten years.

The examples above from Wren & Martin clearly explain the use of the Present Perfect Tense. Students need to remember that the clause “has had” is made up of 2 verbs, similar to the examples above:

- She has had her breakfast.

- I have had enough of your nonsense!

- We have had too many durians.

“Had had” is in the Past Perfect Tense, which is used in these 2 situations:

1. To describe an action completed before a certain moment in the past or

2. If two actions happened in the past, it may be necessary to show which action happened earlier than the other.

For example:

- I met him in New Delhi in 1970. I had seen him last five years before.

- When I reached the station, the train had started.

- I had written the letter before he arrived.

Here are some examples of “had had” in use from the BBC World Service | Learn English site:

- After he’d had a good night’s sleep, he felt much better.

- She sacked him before he had had a chance to explain his behaviour.

- By the time he was twenty he’d already had four different jobs.

- If I hadn’t had a good education, I would never have got this job.

- If she had had children later in life, she would have been a better mother.

- If I’d had another ten minutes, I would’ve finished the examination paper.

I apologize for the late response and hope that you will still find this useful!

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