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1 Jul 06 - 9 Jul 06 Pg 2 |
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Beijing-Qingdao,
900km, 7.5 hours, maximum speed: 154km/hour. Got a surprise
when I realised that the train was pretty new but the Kongtiao
(air-conditioning) wasn't as desirable as other carriages.
During the journey, people were trying their very best to
look for a good position to take a snooze. Passengers leaning
on one another, sleeping under the seats after laying newspapers..
you name it, you got it. It was pretty cramped and I wondered
why trains don't provide all sleeper seats. It doesn't help
when I have not "officially" slept (lying down
on horizontally) or bathed for 30 hours. Felt very guilty
because poor mum have to suffer with me as well. Perhaps
I should also mention that the guys sitting beside us keep
fidgeting around for whatever reasons. Felt damn pissed.
It was plain sweet relief when train pulled into Qingdao
Train Station. We walked out eagerly and went to search
for accomodation. Lonely Planet recommended Railway Hotel
looks jaded in the hazy skies of this ex-German fort. We
didn't stay there in the end because they were performing
maintenance on the air-conditioning (why do I always face
problems with air-con?!) and it is only available from 8am-10pm.
Strange timings. Perhaps they assume people sleep during
the day.
Walked further down the street and found this nice hotel
called Zhongtian Bingguan (Junction of Lanshan Road and
Henan Road, RMB180/night). I quickly showered: the hot water
flowed down my body like a chocolate fonde. This was better
than sex, I think.
After breakfast, we made our way to the Tsingtao Beer Museum.
Asked around and took a bus to Tsingtao Beer Street where
the world famous Chinese Beer is made. The tour was really
no big deal, but the idea of being there physically was
really cool.
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Dinner
was very disappointing. The rice was hard and the preserved
vegetables were probably expired or spolit. We were not
particular with food, but this little eatery beside the
railway station got zero stars for cleaniness, taste and
price. |
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My
mum (sitting on our luggage, bottom right corner) waiting
at Beijing Train Station. We have not slept for nearly a
day. Felt very very guilty for making her to follow my silly
backpacker ways. |
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People
rushing to board the train. Don't understand what is the
rush as seats were assigned. You either got a seated or
free standing ticket. Asked a lady and she commented people
were rushing in order to get a good place for their luggages.
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Chinese
characters on manhole denoting Qingdao Beer Streets. There
were alot of eateries that sells seafood and beer (naturally).
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After
some 30 hours of hardcore travelling, I finally found heaven.
Haa, it was actually the Tsingtao Beer Factory/Museum. Me
posing pictures with 4 big cans of Tsingtao Beer. |
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A touristy
exhibit of a dummy fermenting rice and yeast for the dear
liquid. |
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Me and
mum posing beside a touristy signboard that denotes a cutdown
of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. "767 days 12 hours 6
minutes 59 seconds" to go before the Olympics was the
precise moment that we captured. Admission fee to the museum
was RMB50/person. You can choose to do the tour with a guide
and there is no differences in admission fees. The 2 rounds
of beer tasting (fresh and draft beer) really perks me up
though. |
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After
the beer museum, we wondered around in a nearby residential
area and realised they were selling peaches! RMB4 per kg.
Oh boy, were those sweet (the peaches, not the ladies)! |
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A cleaner
in Qingdao with a broom made of stalks with leaves. |
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Dinner
in Qingdao. There were plenty of seafood for sale. But being
a buddhist, my mum refuses to live seafood. In the end,
we had a steamed groupa (RMB68), fried vegetables with mushrooms
(RMB8), jiaozi (RMB8), a jar of fresh Tsingtao (RMB10) and
500grams of Oysters (RMB10).
The oysters were fresh and filthy cheap. Oh, I sinned again. |
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