Yikes ! drastic change of weather!

The typhoon signal #1 was hoisted this morning, and it's still raining quite heavily, so we're pretty much hotel- bound at the moment. What a drastic change from yesterday! We had a strange encounter yesterday... my husband and I were taking a leisurely stroll along the waterfront back to our hotel when all of a sudden this monk turns up out of nowhere (we were the only people there) and blocked our way, grabbed my wrist and thrust this card into my hand. Talk about over-stepping boundaries! While I was protesting feebly he then launched into what I can only describe as his 'sales pitch' in his local dialect, every other sentence ending with 'peace'. Now I'm all for peace - but not with a price tag attached! While we were planning our route of escape he pulled out this booklet and blocked our way again. I don't mind donating money to a good cause, but not if it involves a number with a long row of zeros in the back! Our particular monk actually expected us to part with thousands right then and there. Sorry, but as it so happens my family is befriended with a 'real' monk, and I know that monks would never force anyone to pay such large amounts of money. He was really, really persistent. We finally managed to move past him, and yes, for the sake of 'peace' we gave him a small donation, but I couldn't shake the feeling that somehow we had been thoroughly duped. I still have the card, as a gentle reminder to be more alert while walking along unfamiliar and often deserted paths. So, while we are more or less stuck indoors we have no choice but to sample all the local delicacies on offer here. Yum :) Wishing for clear skies tomorrow...