Qingdao and Tsingtao

Train #1, schoolkids, skewers, sausage, beer

I was anxious not to get caught in any rain on the way to the subway - there was a 75% chance of thunderstorms, they said. This caused me to wake early, like 6, but still I dithered. Weather was fine (I do see they had torrential downpours in Shanghai yesterday, so I’m glad to have missed that). I caught the #4 subway to Shanghai Railway Station, thinking it was just up the road a bit. I really should have checked the route, or even done a dry run the night before, but I was so tired. The subway actually does a big loop, under the river and back again, so its 15 stops. My train, #D209, leaves at 8:41 and I’m just getting off the subway at 8:13. Everything has to work for me to catch the train.

8:20, and I’m outside the station, luckily security has three lanes operating and there are very few people going through, though they are obviously set up for big crowds. One lane is empty! Result. Now I need to find waiting room #9 - ah, the station is well signposted. No time to explore food or coffee, check in has already started. I didn’t form much of an impression of the waiting room, except that its huge, full of people and not well lit. Messages are booming through the speakers, and a fellow is trying to shout over the top of it. Luckily, I know the machines won’t read my passport so I don’t waste time at the back of the queue, I go to the front and find a staffed line. 8:30, and I’m through, ready to board.

Carriage 10, seat 20. Confusion, as there are seats 20A through D. 2D you fool. I have to go to the other end of the carriage. A bunch of schoolkids don’t know to sit down - a lady tells them off, then blocks the passageway herself. 8:38, I’m in my seat. Three minutes to spare. Train leaves 2 minutes late. I grab a warm orange juice from the cart - its my only food for the next six hours. Good thing I had so much to eat the night before.

The train guard comes through, checking identity cards - she doesn’t even look at my - I’m the only obvious westerner onboard, so it would be quite the fluke for another to have stolen my seat. The schoolkids at the other end settle in to their school work - they’re going the whole way as well.

Two stops up, a young school teacher gets on, with a big floppy hat and about 20 schoolkids, they sit directly in front of me. There are actually two other adults with them - one’s a teacher, the fellow I’m not sure about - he lugs on a big plastic storage bin full of goodie bags (they’re on a science trip), puts his head on the table and sleeps. They seemed like good kids, mostly 6 - 8, and there was a friendly dynamic between them and the teachers - the floppy hat brim could be pinned up, but when the teacher did, kids put toys in her hat brim. One big boy, still under 10 I’d say, did get a bit huggy with her. I had a neighbour - he didn’t spend long in his seat, but when he did, he spent most of his time expectorating indiscreetly into a paper bag. Towards the middle of the journey, there were some standing passengers, but they only had to stand for a couple of stops as the numbers started to thin.

I can’t say it was a very scenic journey - it was practically flat the whole way, no tunnels, built up about 80% of the distance, with some hills in the distance. So an average start to my training.

In Qingdao, I had trouble finding my hotel. The Trip.com map had it miles away from where it should be, and I didn’t know if I could trust Google. None of the buildings had any English writing, so I went into a hotel at about the spot Google said I’d find mine. “Yes, this is the Hanting Express” they said (via translate). Then “sorry, we don’t take foreign visitors”. Luckily then they said “try the Hanting”, and took me out and showed me a building they claimed to be it. It was not. The people there didn’t know where it was. The people in the cafe next door, and the old fellow I trespassed on, didn’t know where it was. I interrupted a couple of off duty policemen, who just waved back in the general direction I had come.

I could see the entrance to what looked like a hotel, just round the corner from and in the same building as the first place I tried, so tried there. Finally, and its a very pleasant room.

My immediate need was for coffee - searching for one place, I found a very cute coffee shop called the Snail cafe, with a charming person behind the counter. In fact, I’ve found a lot of really stylish cafes here - and they seem to be spaced to be just there when I think its time for a coffee. I’ve put a bunch of photos of cafes on Instagram but here’s one of the Snail

Qingdao is the home of Tsingtao beer, a brewery started by the Germans after they invaded in 1897. Now my home town, Dunedin, is also the home of an old brewery (Speights) but the relationship between town and suds is completely different here. Everywhere I’ve been, at least in the old part of the city, promotes the hell out of Tsingtao beer, or 1903 - the year the brewery started. What’s more, there are beer taps everywhere - outside convenience stores, food shops, at least one bookshop and, of course, bars - where you can just get a bottle filled and away you go.

My first attempt was not a success: I thought my beer was strangely yellow - it was a passionfruit fizzy drink. I did go out in the evening and had another, and decided that Qingdao might be the best place I have ever been, and not just because of the beer. The architecture has a lot to do with it - the old part of the city was largely built by the Germans - but the whole centre of town is for pedestrians only, and several of the streets have food stalls.

I had some delicious lamb on a skewer, and chatted to a local who now lives in the US, but has brought his kids back to see where he came from (they recommended the sausage)

My night was not quite done - coming back through Silverfish Street (more on that later), I found a craft beer place - must be hard to compete with all of the noise from the big brewery, but there were only three tables, and all three had customers, some engaged in very deep conversations. The woman behind the bar - possibly the owner - was quite chatty and told me the beer was all made by them. I had quite a decent IPA and called it a night.

Cheers!