A Walk in the Park

On the island here there is a exercise park/playground. Abigail soon found Chinese companions to play with after I turned out to be too big and not agile enough. She soon took over as teeter totter cop. She tells the younger children where to put their legs and tries to arrange people so the teeter totter would be balanced.

Later we took a walk in the park by the river. People were practicing their martial arts moves and a couple were also singing Chinese opera, karaoke style. They also were accompanied by some people playing authentic Chinese instruments. It's not an exaggeration to say that, to my western ears, this sounds exactly like fingernails on a blackboard amplified a hundred times, with cacophonous musical accompaniment. Abigail sat there, enthralled. She swayed and moved her hands as if she were directing the music. It was all I could do to not jump up and run screaming with my ears plugged in the other direction. Josh was with us and begged to go back to the hotel room, he was so tortured.