Beer and Souvenirs

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This afternoon I went to the Beer Fest. Or the Qingdao International Beer Festival, if you want to be specific. It was quite a spectacle. Some highlights were the Chinese woman singing the “lonely goatherd” song and two men juggling hats and catching them on their heads, etc. There was a certain brand of chuanr being sold where all the guys selling it were dancing to music blaring from speakers at their stalls. Some were more into it than others. There was one guy in particular, who also had a whistle in his mouth who was enthusiastically dancing every time I walked past. There were lots of festival type rides in one section. Different brands of beer had different tents set up in another area, usually with a stage and a singer. It seemed like most everybody was having a good time. Some drama, some men falling off their stools, but a lot more civilized that other events I’ve been to that involve consuming large amounts of beer. Anyway, getting there and back was a little complicated because it’s in a completely different part of town than where I am. But I had just found a bus guide online, which made things very easy. It was a long ride out and back, and cost 2 RMB instead of 1 like all the other buses I’ve been on here. I bought a souvenir t-shirt which may be on the smallish side. They didn’t have any pig shirts left (this year’s mascot). I got a rabbit. I guess that means it was from 1999. The selling point was that it didn’t have the date on it and also it had writing on the back as well as the front.
After I left the festival, I had a version of the egg pancake wrap that I really liked in Beijing. I must say I like the Beijing version a little better. I also stopped at a different grocery store that was in the basement of a department store that I’ve walked past a few times. On the way out, there was a tea shop with quite a selection. The best selection I’ve seen yet. Granted, I’ve only been looking in Qingdao, but I was quite impressed. I got just what I wanted and managed to bargain a bit, which I didn’t think was allowed in a store like that. I guess the woman decided to cut me some slack because they wouldn’t accept my credit cards (they had a card swipe thing, but I don’t quite understand why they wouldn’t accept mine) and I didn’t have enough cash to buy the other kind of tea that she suggested and another variety of the kind I wanted. That left me with 15 RMB, and I took to the street to get that egg pancake wrap (2 RMB) and the must-have souvenirs of China. When I got back to the dorm, all I was left with were coins. I’ll have to remember the empty wallet bargaining strategy. I’ll have my hostel deposit back tomorrow, but I think I’ll have to get more money out to get a train ticket in Guangzhou. Unless I get a ticket directly to Kowloon, then I could pay in HK dollars. The other option is Shenzhen, which is supposedly cheaper. From there I’d take a train basically just to cross the border. I think it will depend on what’s available. The goal is to get back to Hong Kong with as little RMB as possible. I feel like I’m just getting used to Qingdao. It’s a pretty cool city from what I’ve seen.

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Comments

[lonelybiker]

TsingTao beer!My favorite!
TsingTao beer!My favorite! Cool!