Day 13

Today was a pretty low-key day: it was really all about the Westin Brunch, which I've looked forward to for YEARS.

We went down to the lobby: they serve drinks first, so I had an orange-flavored spritzer and a white wine spritzer. When it was time to eat, I began by indulging in the seafood: scallops, shrimp, mussels. During the meal, I had goose livers, lamb chops, and medium rare prime rib. All great stuff! I also had some fruits (especially watermelon, which I've been stuffing my face with in Asia) and salad. They didn't appear to serve hummus anymore, but I did have some chicken shwarma in a pita and some guac and chips. Close to the end of the meal, I had coconut ice cream with chocolate chips and nuts.

While we were eating, the DJ (who'd been playing since the beginning) stopped and the orchestra began. Then they had a male opera singer followed by three entertainment acts: two female drummers, a male and female acrobat, and then a stuntman who could climb high heights! Very impressive. 

Amazingly enough, KERRY WON ANOTHER RAFFLE! His second one--another set lunch at Prego. But, unfortunately, he cannot use it because it expires on 8/23. We decided to leave it for one of my students to pick up. Unfortunately, this one really annoying gay guy with his short down to his navel and tight, tight shorts and 20 earrings in his ears also won some tea because Kerry apparently picked his name (they allow the winner of a raffle to pick the next name). This same guy insisted on dancing with a Chinese dancer once the raffle was over--apparently, he fancied himself as Beyonce or someone similar. 

We left the brunch at 2:30 and then napped for a bit. Once the nap was done, we tried to do a money exchange of Japanese yen, but the machine was not working...so we just decided to get ready to swim. (Kerry stayed behind a bit at first and picked up the laundry delivery.) The pool was roomy: they had two lifeguards, one male and one female. Fortunately, it was not crowded; only an Indian family was there. It was a bit cold but I enjoyed it. Kerry and I both enjoyed the whirlpool more: hot--but not too hot--and bubbly. 

Then we went back to our room and packed.....to get ready to go to Taipei tomorrow.


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