Last Days in Qingdao

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." --Lao Tzu

I've been back in the states for exactly a month now and yet I have over a month's worth of time in China to recount!  Perhaps it's a good thing that I'm taking time now to catch up after having procrastinated on this blog for so long.  It gives me a chance to stop and remember that I did go abroad for seven months and the experience is something I want to take home and not forget.  And now that I'm getting into the swing of things since classes have started for a week, it can sometimes feel like I never left this place.

So after two days of being with Joseph in Qingdao, my friend Naomi (whom I met the previous year in Xian), joined us in time to visit what is perhaps the most well-known tourist attraction in the city: Laoshan 崂山, or Mount Lao, the birthplace of Taoism.

Naomi is here!  We endured an hour-long, trafficked bus ride to make it to the foot of the mountain.

It was a rainy and foggy day, but beautiful nonetheless.

There are many paths you can take up the mountain once you arrive.  We chose the one which heads to Taiqing 太清 palace where Taoism was known to have been founded.  But we mostly chose it because we heard it was the easier path.

Taoist shrines everywhere.

Along with beautiful landscapes.

Laoshan is known for its spring water from which the first Tsingtaos are said to have been brewed from.

After a long day of hiking the mountain, I insisted we go to the nearby Shilaoren 石老人 beach where we made it just in time for sunset!  Letting my sore feet seep into the wet sand while staring at the colored sky was the perfect end to a tiring hike.

I remember us being really tired the next morning after a full day of hiking and walking so we slept in and then walked to the pier nearby to take a more leisurely cruise.

Little Qingdao from the ship.

There's a lot I don't remember about our day-to-day activities, but it was fun to experience another part of China and rely on my phone's travel apps to get to the many attractions in Qingdao (many of which I didn't even include here).  Overall, I loved Qingdao for its architectural charm and breathtaking landscapes.  The downside is it really epitomizes the Chinese tourist experience of large crowds and obnoxious hawkers getting in your face and trying to sweet-talk you into their tours.  Oh well, it's part of the experience.  I also feel very blessed to have had friends accompany me on the journey and enjoy good food with me.  Hmm...About time I post some food pictures again.  Our last night in Qingdao we ditched the local seafood specialties and dined Cantonese style.  As much as I love trying other foods, nothing will ever replace dim sum's place in my heart.

Pineapple bun 菠萝包 and radish cake 萝卜糕

Egg custard bun 奶黄包 and shrimp dumplings 虾饺