One of the things I love about travel is the unexpected encounters with people. Today I had a day off in the city of Ningbo. My substitute tour manager Fiona and I were strolling through a garden after lunch when we heard music. Turned out to be a group of older folks singing in a pagoda. We peeked in.

They were startled and pleased to see a, gasp, foreigner enjoying their tunes. I asked Fiona to ask if I could take pictures. Of course! And they wanted pictures with me as well. We took several, inside and outside the pagoda. There was a lot of interested chatter as Fiona told them where I was from. They smiled and patted me, making sure I was right in the middle of the pictures.