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Published: January 29th 2009
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After a Chinese version of an English breakfast in the hostel the next morning, I met up with three other people in the hostel, a Polish, Cameroonian and German respectively. Together we walked down to the shore to catch a bus that would take us to Lao Shan. This took us to a beach at the entrance to the park. From there we walked past the 50 Yuan entrance gate and just followed the road that goes around it.
That coastal road was actually pretty nice! The mountains have quite a bit of vegetation on them, even in winter and with the road hoovering over the rocky coastline it reminds you a little of some places in the mediteranean. We walked for an hour or so following the road, when we decided that time wise it would smarter to lift up with one of the cars and buses to also ply the road. So we all jumped into a taxi that was standing at a gate where they checked (our non-existent) tickets. Apparently the taxi driver had some special deal with the guys, coz he got us a 30 Yuan ticket including the ride up!
We stopped at the
Lao Shan beer
'Laoshan beer is new, trendy and energetic. Every gulp is a fresh feeling that brings a lot of excitement and fun to every occasion you enjoy with friends' 'Purity Place'. Basically another temple kinda community built on the slope of a hill with a beach below it. From there walking tracks supposedly went up the mountain but we didn't get that far. Just walked around the temple's perimeter and checked out all the little nooks and crannies. Found a 'monk' chilling in front of his 'house'. When he saw me and the camera I was holding, he soon went inside. I noticed how even monks like their hair bright and shiny, seeing a well known shampoo bottle standing outside his window. Further along it really was kinda getting nippy and with the sun starting to set it was time to think about getting back. Beforehand we were told that there were busses going back, but after asking a few people, apparently that changed in a few hours time. We did walk up the road leading out of the bay in the hope to cath a bus from there but decided instead going by car again back to the beach were we started. There we knew was a busstop.
The hostel really is kinda nice. Although the place is a bit cold, the rooms all have aircon that
functions as a heater as well. Prime attraction of the place is the basement though. Really nicely decorated with a bar and the whole lot, good to hang out in for a while. So that's what I did in the evening talking to my fellow travelers from that day. A few beers and round midnight it really was time to get to bed. My plane to beijing was leaving at 7:40!
To save money my plan was taking a bus. So at 5:15 I was standing nicely but lonely next to the apropriate busstop, thinking an hour bus ride starting at 5:30 would get me there nice in time! Just to make sure it was leaving, I walked into the hotel adjoining it. There she told me it left at 5:40. Sure, good enough so bought the ticket. Then some mumbling came upfrom the side of the frontdesk. Some guy with his head on the desk actually broke up his sleep and be so friendly to give us the in formation that the bus actually takes 80 minutes. So took my money back and went by taxi instead, taking me there way too early and costing 74 Yuan. (My
guess is, the oh so friendly man was the bus driver in person, thinking 'I'm not going to go out for just the one guy1' likely knowing the departure time of Qingdao's first mornings flights and giving me the incorrect information that traveling time would be 80 minutes instead of 60....) (F%*";@#~K)
Spend most of the half day I had in Beijing in bookshops and around Xi dan and Wangfujing's shopping areas. (And have now discovered the luxury of having a few hours to spend before your flight, using this time in a coffee shop at the airport with free wifi, writing your blog and drinking a nice cold beer).
That's my traveling done for a while. Next time will probably be late May when I finally hope to go back home!
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maarten
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Great text below the pic. with the guy on the chair while sleeping;) So its done no for a while .. with the temp. going up you might as well enjoy the last months teaching till you get back below sea level ;)