Judy and I start off the day relaxing, and marking a few home chores off our “to do” list.  Judy has an early afternoon “girls day” at Lily Nails.  A group of 6 meet up and have a great afternoon of pampering, food, and talking.

I head over to the park for some table tennis.  Not a big crowd today.  It may be because it’s the first day of the “Dragon Boat Festival” holiday.  Only one table is in use when I walk in, but they quickly pull out a net and get me started on another table.  Several new faces walk thru, and I have to play two of them.  One of the players finally gets me started playing a match.  I’ve been avoiding this until I was better, but she was insistent.  I managed to win all three games.  She could hit some great shots, but made a lot of mistakes.  I managed to keep hitting it back until she made a mistake.

While we’re playing, the “turtle guy” from a few days back arrives.  Eventually he places the turtle on the table while we’re playing.  Of course, others began to take pictures.  A lady put her dog on the table with the turtle, and eventually a baby joined the fray. 

Check out the pants on the baby. Many wear pants with no crotch and no diaper. It makes it easier to walk over to the bushes and “take care of business” for the parents.

After several hours of TT, I head home, grab lunch, and begin a serious nap as Judy leaves for Lily Nails.  When I wake up, I’m not in a mood for swimming.  Feeling better about my TT skills, I decide to see what the Table Tennis Club is like on a Saturday evening.  Oh My Gosh!  I still haven’t counted the tables yet, but there are at least 24, and every one of them was busy tonight.  There also seemed to be people waiting to take turns at most of them.   Everywhere I look there are great players.  The table nearest the entrance has 10+ observers.  I sit down and watch some amazing play.  As one gets beat, another steps up.  There doesn’t seem to be a dominant player.

A player eventually walks over who speaks English.  He quizzes me and gives advice about where the “less accomplished” players are.  He’s really helpful.  I walk toward the “amateur” end of the playing area, eventually finding some players who offer me a chance to play.  I played three different guys, and I did OK.  We just volleyed, but if we’d played a match, I would most likely get beat.  My game has already improved a ton.  Nothing makes you better than playing people that are better.

The TT club administrator (the old guy who sold me the membership a few days ago) comes by with a translator.  He tells everyone I’m his friend, giving me the “thumbs up.”  I shake lots of hands, trying to express my gratitude with my poor Chinese.  I’ll feel a lot less awkward next time I’m able to visit.

I leave around 7:00 pm, totally worn out and drenched with sweat.  Apparently the club is open from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm.