It's been a lovely couple of days off. Drinks and bbq, sunny days and swimming. To start off, the good/bad news. Although Typhoon Lupit is no more, a new possibility has emerged for a windy storm, W23.

I realise that the last typhoon was completely unpredicted in its actions, and that even mentioning this one, so early on into its birth, is quite premature in alerting you, across the world. I am, however, a storm chaser at heart, so chew on it. :)
After talking with my other half and some Saskatchewanians, I left for the pool, meeting AD, Yannis, and David.

It's been quite a while since coming to this regular haunt of mine, and I made good use of it as such. The water had cooled considerably (it's fall, don't you know?) and with the daytime ambient temperature of 30 degrees still, it was quite shocking to get into water only slightly chillier than warm. I'd lost a bit of weight from being sick, and alonside had become a sort of homebody, but today began my swimming work-out regimen and my insatiable appetite returned (four meals a day).
I also sustained a fair sunburn, but the good thing about Zhuhai is that sunburns aren't as painful and never last more than two days.
(I put sunblock on my face)
Here we have a fisherman's meeting. Reminds me of a bunch of Gidos :) Can you spot the odd man out? I was about 300 yards away; dunno how he spotted me!

Early on into my trip I found a dead butterfly moth of gargantuan proportions. I didn't have my camera with me; alas there is no record of it, save my hope to once again find it. It measured nearly the width of my palm and in fact actual hair was growing from its belly, reminiscent of a bat. This next photo is of a similarily unique butterfly, albeit more beautiful, and only the size of a 1947 American penny.

Late this afternoon I had planned to visit the island in search of an insect/animal scavenger hunt, but made it too late and only had time to see a few things. The water has been quite choppy lately, perhaps from the barrage of storms the Pacific is throwing our way, but in any case I couldn't see the little crabs I once did that scuttle around. (to come later)
These human contraptions are heard hundreds of feet away, flying so quickly they often blur for the human eye, and produce a sound similar to the very fabric of time ripping away. You'll notice two of the men operating these things need to sit themselves on the ground, and for good reason, there is so much force exerted that perhaps small children have flown away on an excessively windy day trying to manipulate such devices.

I can only imagine in a typhoon.
At first I thought these were bats, but as I got closer I could hear a weird cry and see these flying bodies were much larger than the fist sized bats that always come out around dusk.

Also at dusk these white cranes (i think) mass into circular flight, settling for the night up toward the summit of the island. My next day off I plan to be at the top ready to see if I can't get a better view of the hundreds of these birds as they spin countless times around the island before finding their resting spot.

The arch covering the only entrance and exit to the island, bathed in the haze of a Chinese sunset.

And a lone walker, hitting the path by himself.