Our last day in Ta’ain. We thought we’d take the minibus to the mid-point of Tai Shan and walk down but were confronted with hordes of touts and minibuses that didn’t look anywhere close to full. So, we decided to walk (until we gave out) up the mountain. After the standard line of vendors hawking cheap plastic souvenirs, we got to the path up the mountain. It was actually quite lovely, a path through beautiful forests filled with steles. We walked to “Entrance Hall Land” and decided that $10 was a bit much for the privilege of continuing the march uphill. We found a small local restaurant and, with our picture book, ordered some lunch. 
Then, it was time for another Chinese train experience. The double decker train to Qingdao was quite nice and filled with quiet Chinese people that actually read newspapers (the first people in China that we’ve seen reading anything!). It was a great ride. We had a romantic dinner- noodles in styrofoam with a bottle of wine. We did have to get a bit creative when the train ran out of cups. John bought some canned drink with a top that came all the way off, dumped out the contents and we had our bottle of Tsingtao red wine served in an aluminum can.
The railway station at Qingdao was reminiscent of Ta’ain…lots of touts pushing their hotels on you. When we finally got to our hotel and realized it was completely empty, John negotiated a 40% discount off our room rate. The clerk who originally quoted the rate wasn’t too happy. At the end of our trip, we’re not making too many new Chinese friends….
Then, it was time for another Chinese train experience. The double decker train to Qingdao was quite nice and filled with quiet Chinese people that actually read newspapers (the first people in China that we’ve seen reading anything!). It was a great ride. We had a romantic dinner- noodles in styrofoam with a bottle of wine. We did have to get a bit creative when the train ran out of cups. John bought some canned drink with a top that came all the way off, dumped out the contents and we had our bottle of Tsingtao red wine served in an aluminum can.
The railway station at Qingdao was reminiscent of Ta’ain…lots of touts pushing their hotels on you. When we finally got to our hotel and realized it was completely empty, John negotiated a 40% discount off our room rate. The clerk who originally quoted the rate wasn’t too happy. At the end of our trip, we’re not making too many new Chinese friends….
No comments:
Post a Comment