Early Morning in Yuyao

It's 5:30 a.m. and I wake to the sounds of life on the street below. Cars are already honking, buses are on the go and young women on motorcycles weave in and out of traffic. They wear a shirt that is put on backwards to protect their clothes from the dust? Some wear helmets with a visor that comes down over the face. Most wear colorful, nylon dresses. An old woman with brooms made of heavy straw works tirelessly sweeping the area around the hotel. My skinny little pedicab driver is stationed at the corner and talks to another driver across the street.

Sally and I had made a plan to join the ladies at the river for some morning exercise. At 6:30 we were on our way! Another beautiful hot morning. (Dave is a bit under the weather this morning. That's what happens when you decide to eat in a 'western' restaurant!... hopefully, he'll be feeling better SOON.!) My new Chinese friend from two days ago , Lu Ly Ahn, was so happy to see me again and to meet Sally. We did our best to mimic the graceful movements of our fellow dancers for about ten minutes, and then the ladies started to disperse. It turns out practice starts at 6:00 a.m.,not at 7:00. Oh well... 10 minutes of graceful movement is just about perfect.




Then, Lu Ly made it clear that she wanted us to come home with her. She grabbed Sally's arm and motioned, "Come my home." This was definitely an opportunity...

So off we went to Lu Ly Ahn's apartment building. She lives in a nearby complex in building #4 on the first floor. We walked in and took off our shoes. I could hear a man's voice coming from what looked to be a bathroom and wondered if there was a TV in there!! I looked at Lu Ly and said something about a TV... "My Mista", she said with a big smile.
We were seated on the couch and then Mista appeared. He was dressed in what appeared to be silk boxers and a nice shirt. He was very pleasant and extended his hand in greeting. By now, LuLy is serving slices of watermelon and bringing out photos of her children.



What happened next was too coincidental. Sally noticed that the girl in the photo looked like one of her students from the Experimental School. I didn't think much of it. But then, Lu Ly said that her grand-daughter was good table tennis player. Sally said, "She is my student. I played table tennis with her yesterday!" Unbelievable!! It's a small world after all, a small, small world!



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Location:Yuyao Business Hotel and along the Yao River (July 30, 2012)