Singing Teaching in Paradise: Lots of photos, and not much music !!

I am very near the end of my 'half' festival now, and we had a superb Farewell Dinner last night and given a gift and warm thanks for our work. I feel much more human this time around, although I realise it is half the length of time, the work is still intense and in the evenings we all flop into our rooms with strains of 'Over the Mountains' or 'The Frog' ringing in the ears and brain.

Actually there were 13 of us at the dinner, so clearly this year a significant proportion of adjudicators have come for a shorter time. Very sensible ! I am posting the same photo that made my lovely lady pupils gasp at how gaunt I looked, last time, and I'm hoping this one looks like the normal me and quite in the pink still ! I think the pen is the same type !

I still have to work on Monday before I leave on Tuesday so although I have packed there are strategic holes in both my cases for the few things which are still hanging in the wardrobe !

This was an interesting advertisement for an eating place which was on the way to the venue where I last became 'Lost of Hong Kong'. I'm not sure I will be visiting it !

!!!!!

After a very nice coffee with another Swiss vocal adjudicator I visited the local shops to buy some bits and pieces including this exotic cake which was called a Purple Sweet Potato and Chestnut Tart ? I felt it was worth posting, although in trying it I was disappointed that is tasted of almost nothing ! All colour and no flavour sadly, still I shouldn't be eating it at all, at least much of it went in the bin !

This next item was bought for me by a delightful Chinese adjudicator from Hong Kong but who now lives and works in California. She wanted me to try a Water Apple ! It was sweetish and cool and watery and vaguely appley, and really rather nice - I ate all of that ! The actual pattern on the bottom of the ridged fruit was hollow, no seeds or pips - how on earth does it reproduce ?

Now for the best of days ! Six of us did the Lantau Budhha visit and after paying respects to this remarkable statue, and visiting the Monastery on the island which now also hosts the Hong Kong Airport, we went on a boat trip out of the traditional ( and rather exotically fragrant ?!?!) village called Tai O. The fishing boat was out quite by chance, and although we had been told about the famous white Dolphins which live in this part of the South China Seas. They are extremely rare, and perhaps only 1600 left around Hong Kong. Well I will let you enjoy these wonderful photographs taken by an Indonesian colleague with a camera the size of Inverness !

What a complete breathtaking joy it was.