After my brief foray into Dongbei, my delicate Southern California roots got the better of me, and I decided to return to warmer climates as winter approaches. I've been living in the coastal town of Qingdao for the past month, about a 6 hour train ride south of Beijing and home of the Qingdao brewery.
After 6 months on the road, I think I can say that the novelty of traveling around China has finally worn off. The foreign sights and sounds that once seemed so charming have grown mundane. And I must admit it feels good to settle for a bit in a city as modern and comfortable as Qingdao (by Chinese standards anyway).I would actually rank Qingdao as perhaps the most livable Chinese city I have been in. The crowds and traffic are relatively sparse, the air is relatively clean, and the climate is relatively mild (though the winters do get a bit cold for my tastes). And I must say that the women here are very nice to look at.
At the same time, I can go out to a movie theatre, eat from a wide variety of international cuisine, or go hang out at the beach just as easily as I could back home. The city actually has the largest Korean population of any city in China, so I have been treating myself to dirt cheap Korean BBQ on a regular basis. First decent Korean food I have had since Shik Do Rak, though apparently the "all-you-can-eat, stuff yourself until your stomach hurts, and you have made a public spectacle of yourself" business model has not yet caught on here in China.
Otherwise, I have been immersing myself in my hobbies - reading books, studying Chinese, and crunching basketball statistics.
That being said, it is getting colder by the day, and I will likely be heading south for the winter. I can't say for certain where, as I do not have plans booked beyond tonight, but when I get there I'll be sure to blog about it.
