Resurfacing in Qingdao

It's been a while since I last updated my blog, and I wish I could say that I have tons of exciting, new, blog-worthy adventures to write about. But the truth is I haven't been up to much. And I figured there wouldn't be much interest in reading about me sitting in my hostel watching NBA games on the internet and studying Chinese vocabulary all day.

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.