Scottish bar in Chengdu...

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Och aye, there's a wee Scottish bar here in Chengdu! We were taken there by a Chinese friend last Wednesday night...and my was it an experience.

It's on the 6th floor of a random building in the west of Chengdu. You're greeted by a number of Chinese blokes in kilts that are hilariously too long, more like calf length than knee length! The manager later told us that apparently they are 'too shy' to wear them any shorter! Oh, come on!!! Loud music blares out (bagpipes as well as Ace of Base and the usual awful Chinese pop music), in fact you can hardly hear yourself think, let alone speak! It seems to be a place where you make 'friends'....each person on each table has a piece of paper where they can fill in their particulars, and they can pass it on to someone at another table who has caught their eye. Then, the MC reads it out on stage! Such as 'petite, pretty 27 year old teacher would like to meet X at table X for a drink.' The MC was also wearing an England top. In a Scottish bar. Hmm somehow I don't think he should try that in Scotland itself...

There were pictures of cows and sheep and kilts etc etc on the wall and even one of the Fringe on the High Street, and the manager was very excited to find out that I worked at one of the buildings in that picture, ooh!! However they did have a picture of a random dog which had the caption 'Scottish collie'. Er, not quite.

There was also an area where you could get your own cocktail made, with the help of a man of course dressed in a too-long kilt. I tried to pick one with no alcohol, but they said 'oh no, this doesn't have alcohol in!' and of course it did! I guess I have the same problem whichever country I go to, they don't believe me when I say 'I. Do. Not. Drink.'

Anyway to be truthful I don't think I will go there again as it was unbelievably loud and very OTT (well hey, this is China I guess, they are not subtle)...but our Chinese teacher friend seems to go there pretty regularly! But it was an experience, to be sure, to be sure (ok now I'm turning Irish...).

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Photos

at the Scottish bar
Felicity and Maxine

our wee 'Scottish' barman
...who helped us make our own custom-made cocktails

i pose with my drink
which I of course couldn't drink as it was alcoholic...they couldn't understand that I don't drink because I don't like alcohol! 'but you are a big girl now, you can have alcohol!' 'Er, yes, I know that.'