Sep 7, 2012 - Qingdao back to Shanghai

We left Xingang at 4pm and they where in a hurry to get to Qingdao this boat normally sits on 30ks at see but they had it up to 36 ks for 24 hours as they had been told that the next was navel day in the port. Qingdao is a large monden city about the size of Sydney with there tall buildings with a night time colourful light display with different colour laser lights from the top of the tall buildings made the Christchurch beacon of hope look parffeit. Unlike the other ports in China this one was right in the back of the city the city is...

Sep 19, 2011 - Rainy Days in Xi'an

When people think about Xi’an, they usually think about the famous Terracotta Warriors. I, on the other hand, will always think about the rain. Goda, Brandon, and I arrived in this rainy city Saturday at 4:00 pm. We had reservations at a hostel that was said to be the best in the city, and it just happened to also have one of the cheapest prices. Due to issues beyond our control we were unable to stay at this particular hostel (this part of the story is not mine to tell). So we whipped out our map and made our way to the second best hostel...

Sep 15, 2011 - Qingdao

Story time…Once upon a time the Germans had control over a little town called Qingdao. Their influence over the 50 years they occupied the Chinese port is apparent in most of the local architecture and the beer. They were eventually kicked out, but their influence remained, thank goodness. The city is now famous for its production of Tsingdao beer and the Tsingdao festival. Tsingdao beer was supposed to be given its name to represent the city; however, at the time beer was named there were no phonetic letters applied to the Chinese...

May 9, 2010 - BUSON

ALOHA ALL: Buson, S.Korea where sea fog rules! Our 8AM arrival turned out to be 3PM, but my tour went off anyway-just later. The visits were included but cut short time-wise. Two thousand of us on tour assembled in various locations at set times to catch the various buses waiting. This exercise takes almost an hour. I was C-2. Looking out the window of the bus "WOW" there was Nancy in line with about a thousand other independents waiting on the dock. I rapped on the window, but she didn't see me, so I took her picture as she looked like she...

May 8, 2010 - Boarding Diamond Princess

ALOHA ALL: We need to back-up to Tianjin where at 2PM we boarded 'Diamond Princess'. We were glad to have made the decision to stay in a hotel and rest a bit before the cruise. David went immediately to the laundry to do our 'touring jeans' and whites, while I unpacked. At dinner were the only ones at a table for eight, a rather wierd feeling but there were lots of empty tables. The next day we started to hear the horror stories of getting from Beijing to the port. A total of 5 buses following each other, got LOST! They circled around...

May 6, 2010 - QINGDAO

ALOHA ALL: QINGDAO-TSINGDAO: Both are correct. In fact Tsingdao is the name of the beer, for which this city is famous. It is our last stop in China so we have saved some Yuen to get a beer and maybe some seafood. The shuttles dropped loads off at the Friendship Store, rather like Duty free a/p shops. Since David has a Tsingdao beer in Tianjin and we heard that the Pavillion shown on the label was an actual building at the end of a pleasure pier at Bathing Beach #1. There are several beaches at this town, and they are supposed to be...

Dec 15, 2009 - Qingdao

Vrijdag na een heerlijk wersters ontbijt naar twee musea geweest. Het navy en het bier museum! Het bekendste chinese bier wordt in Qingdao gebrouwen, Tsingtaobier. En dat moesten we natuurlijk even zien en proeven! Lekker! Zaterdag op de fiets naar de tv-toren geweest, mooi uitzicht! Daarna naar het financiele district geweest, heel modern met hoge gebouwen. Goed het verschil kunnen zien tussen het rijke en arme gedeelte van deze stad. Verder gerelaxed in de bar van het hostel!

Sep 7, 2009 - Qingdao

Unfortunately in my last couple of days in Beijing i developed a slight case of food poisoning which, rather than passing by itself, simply got worse as time went on, ending in fairly severe stomach cramps by the time i was in Qingdao. The train from Beijing to Qingao is a new 'D' train [super fast] and only took about 5-6 hours whereas previously the trip took 8/9 and was often done on a sleeper. My tine in Qingdao was largely spent in and around the old observatory hostle, a great location on top of a hill with a balcony bar area...

Mar 19, 2009 - Qingdao

We spent 2 days in Qingdao, and it was really strange. This was where the Olympic water events were held (yachts etc) and as it was by the sea, we really expected a lot more. The hostel we stayed in was in the Old Town area, which was a little rough around the edges but nothing serious. The area down by the beach was a bit like a quiet Blackpool without the illuminations. It was just like the british seaside in the winter - no bugger around, and most things closed! We walked along the "boardwalk" - read concrete path by the sea - until our...

Jul 21, 2008 - Qingdao - China's Switzerland But Not Really

We flew China Southern into Qingdao and caught a ride to the Beijing airport with Jeffrey as he drove Rebecca’s parents to catch their flight back to Canada. It was difficult saying goodbye to Howard and Sue. We had a great time with them in Beijing and will miss their company. Rebecca, especially, was grateful for the time with her parents. We have to admit that we also enjoy the increase in our standard of life (with the strangely coincidental decrease in our spending) that seemed to coincide with their visit. Having seen all we wanted...

Apr 3, 2008 - Theres no apostrophe on the Chinese keyboards

Which leads me to do something I hate. Writing incorrectly. Quick update: Fukuoka, 6am in the morning - Shimonoseki - Goodbye Japan - 28-hour ferry ride - Qingdao, China - no money - ATM out of service - Jonas in the shower - Jonathan sitting next to a guy playing World of Warcraft in a Chinese internet cafe. See, I cant find the accent either, so thats spelling going wrong as well. We passed customs fairly easily. The only thing they wanted to look at was my paperback copy of "Kerouacs On The Road" - see, speechmarks arent that hard. Well...

Mar 31, 2008 - Step Forward for Civilization

Qingdao (east coast of China, former German concession port, brewers of Tsingtao beer): In the mall I went to pee and discovered this sign above the urinal: "Step Forward for Civilization" (The original Chinese essentially reads "Do the right thing and don't pee on the floor.") Of course, I couldn't resist taking a picture, but my attempt to be discreet failed when the flash unexpectedly went off and surprised everyone else currently peeing. Such behavior revealed my own failure to step forward for civilization, and thus, in the best...