As we continue our adventures in Qingdao, I would like to mention that we finally found a more popular beach where the locals spend time rather with picnic, than with what we did. Families sat on plastic, white chairs under the umbrellas. They were either talking to each other or eating their meals (this is their favorite activity).
In China, eating is a really big part of the community activities. Therefore you can eat practically anywhere, anytime, except on the subway and buses (there is a ban). Traveling is always accompanied by meals or snacks, from the main meals - rice, vegetables, meat - to the classic hot pasta soup. There is a lot of meals you can enjoy when traveling between two destinations. I confess that since I also love this activity, I was very pleased to experience this habit.
Returning to the popular Golden Sandy Beach, where we had an insight into the local bathing habits, it really shocked us that no one was bathing here. In addition they wore street clothers instead of swimwear. Some music was played there, or rather the vocals of one or two songs repeating themselves, like endless tapes. After all, it was a strange experience, but if we travel to Asian countries, we should not have high expectations.
The local foreign community (mostly those working here for a certain periods of time) also have their spots. We discovered one during one of our explorations in the city. As it turned out, Knuckles Sport Bar and Grill was the only pub for foreigners in Qingdao Huangdao district, with classic hamburger menus, pizzas, Mexican cuisine, and imported beers. In the evenings, a Filipino band delights the guests with live music. We visited this restaurant four times during our three-day trip.
Our hotel turned out to be a cool one. The Qingdao Grand New Century Hotel outperformed all of my expectations. The hotel was enormous, our accommodation was on the 49th floor. From our huge windows (from the ground to the ceiling) after sunset, there was a very special sight of the lights of the city. Breakfast itself was practically enough for the whole day. There were plenty of breakfast, lunch and dinner meals, with plenty of fish specialties for seafood enthusiasts. The scale of desserts was also really wide; it was almost exhausting to go through everything. There was a huge fitness room and a swimming pool to suit everyone’s needs. I rarely say this, but there was an almost embarrassing amount of extra services. And prices are relatively modest.
(Cozyandspirit is official partner of agoda)
Comments