Our first stop as we left the hotel was a local park, where the locals congregate and enjoy each other’s company while getting some exercise.
When we entered the park, the first group we saw was a group of women doing ti chi. They invited us to join them, so we all made an attempt to follow what they were doing. They were all really good at it, and although we didn’t know what we were doing, we followed along and had a great time. They we happy to have us there, and really enjoyed us trying their ti chi.
I felt like such an amateur in comparison to these women, but it was a ton of fun and a great new experience.
The men did Ti Chi with us, but they wouldn't join us for the picture. These women were amazing.
As we walked a little further, we came across a group of people who were playing shuttle cock. It is a lot like hacke sac, but the shuttle cock has feathers, which helps it to move a little slower. Several of us joined in on this exercise as well. It is a lot of fun, but also difficult to do if you have never played before.
When we finished with the shuttle cock, we continued on through the park. We could see some people off in the distance who were doing a form of acupressure combined with deep breathing. We didn’t have time to join them because it is a long process, so instead, our local guide Louise showed us how it works. By bending over and breathing deep, then exhaling and standing up, it brings a lot of oxygen to your brain and is very good for you. We all tried it about three times. Personally, it made me a bit dizzy because I am not used to it, but I can see how it would be very good for getting the blood flowing in the morning.
Our next stop was a large group of people dancing with umbrellas and fans. They seemed to have a set routine, so Louise told us to just jump in (with fans provided by Jason) and try to follow along. They made it look so easy!
So we jumped in and before we knew it, the local people were grabbing our hands and asking us to dance with them.
Our dance partners...We're so tall compared to them.
There was a women leading the dancing and a group of men playing the drums to accompany us.
Next we came upon a group of people playing musical instruments. According to Louise, they were more basic instruments than we are used to, and only have five notes. But the people playing them were very good and really enjoyed what they were doing.
As we continued through the park, we came upon a group of people who were singing. It was a huge group. There was a woman conducting them, a man drumming, and other people playing instruments to accompany them. They sang several songs and enjoyed that we were there with them. Then they announced that they were going to play a song for their “Western” friends. They played “Jingle Bells” and we all sang along. The Chinese people didn’t know this song, so they just watched us, clapped along and took pictures. When we were finished, they wished us a nice day and we left.
As we were leaving the choir area a gentleman walked up to our group and introduced himself in English. He was 90 years old and knew how to speak English! This little man was full of wisdom, and he was kind enough to share some words with us in a language we could understand. I love this park and I love these people!
After we listened for a few minutes, we made our way out of the park. Our interaction with this group of seniors was SO much fun! They were such gracious hosts and were so welcoming of us to join them. This was definitely a highlight for us.
I really wish that we had something like this in the U.S. It was the perfect way for seniors to get out, enjoy their morning with friends and get some exercise too.
According to Louise, when they finished their morning at the park, they would take their groceries from the market home and begin preparing their noon meal for the family. All I can say about our morning in the park is that I would be so conflicted about where I wanted to start!
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