Book Club was unfortunately timed of course, but it did give Cass a chance to get herself a nice long hot shower, get some washing on, and have a good relaxing lounge around with Virg'n Mary. She did just that and got to bed early for a quick acting, long lasting slumber. Cass actually found the week to be slightly more bearable than most, partly owing to the fact that we were experiencing a mini cool snap all week. Without the enervating heat and humidity, the activities proved more tolerable and less exhausting: if only the weather could cooperate like this every year!
Big brother turned out to be an inspired choice for us and we were sequestered away in a large corner section of the upstairs verandah, 3 litre beer tappers on call, nice big table for our stuff and plenty of tall tales ready to be spun! Everyone eventually drifted in, and despite the slight reluctance of some to move much beyond Tienmu, they discovered that 4 train stops up the line isn't so bad after all. The slightly more provincial feel was evident, with boisterous drinking/eating parties taking place all around us. Suffice to say, we all had a great time!
Cass and I went over to Miramar to catch the reasonable movie "The Killer Elite", which had only just come out the previous day. We went mainly to see one of our favourites, De Niro, in action but were surprised to realise that this was pretty much an Australian movie, set in exotic locales around the world. The supporting actors were nearly all Aussies and we had fun picking them out, one after another, as they made their entrances. Anyway, for what it's worth, I gave it a B and Cass a B+. We took a few photos on the way out, including a shot of the mesmerizing escalators traveling down to the ticket counter level...hypnotic! After we emerged we came home for just half an hour before going to the traditional "post camp dinner" at Wendel's Backerei. Cass selects the prime beef fillet which just melts in your mouth and we share the mushrooms cooked in butter, a smoked salmon salad and various breads for entree. Washed down with a generous glass of red, and all the deprivations of Camp Fulong are commited into a vault of bad memories from which they will not emerge till this time next year. Cass even symbolically cleansed herself by wearing all white along with her new grey and white striped jacket!
As Cass prepares herself for a very awkwardly scheduled evening, I decided to get out and do some exercise up the mountain. It was a beautiful afternoon for it and the sun, although intense and bright, was dappled through the canopy and highlighted the lushness of the forest at the moment. The steps proved to be as mean as ever and my right knee screamed and bucked in protest, but I survived to the top to enjoy the rest of the walk. Surprisingly (as it was near neither dawn nor dusk) I had a close encounter with one of my mates, the Taiwanese Macaque monkey. He was only a little one and seemd uninterested in me, but I hurried onward nonetheless....those big suckers wouldn't be too far behind! I wandered as far as the river below Yangminshan and the side of the Cultural College before turning back.
Cassy's aforementioned evening begins shortly. She is one of the representatives of the Grade 8 faculty who have been asked to attend a cocktail party at the American Club in China. These evenings are being held for each grade level's parents as a way to introduce all the new programs and happenings at school as well as allowing parents of kids at the same grade to connect more closely: suffice to say, it is work, falls on a Sunday night and falls straight after a week away at camp....I will be attending a similar night in a couple of week's time, so I'm really looking forward to that (!)
Anyway, that's about it for the week. Photos: one at the start of book club with about half our members arrived, one in contrast at the end! Cass at the Miramar and then at Wendel's: sandwiched between is a shot of a bra shop with a weird kind of advertising inflatable outside. On my walk I encountered lots of beauty as well as a monkey and a chicken!!