Revisiting the West Coast~
Many may find it hard to understand how a native of Qingdao never grows tired of my love for the sea, and often dreams of escaping the city, heading back to soak up the “long” history of the West Coast, those exquisite landscapes from my dreams, and of course, “Qingdao food” (the main factor) that constantly tugs at my heart and lures me. You could say I’m completely captivated. Finally, last weekend, I couldn’t resist any longer—my wife and I decided on the spur of the moment, and we set off on a spur-of-the-moment trip!
Because of time constraints and not wanting to go home and disturb my childhood friends, I booked a hotel on the train. After dropping off our luggage, we first went hiking—we chose Dazhu Mountain. Actually, the West Coast has many scenic areas; this time we climbed Dazhu Mountain, and next time we can try Xiaozhu Mountain. In the morning, we visited Zhushan Xiugu Scenic Area, then had a farm-style lunch at the foot of the mountain. I’ve got to say, free-range chicken from the mountains is just so fresh! After that delicious chicken, in the afternoon we circled around to another entrance of the scenic area—Shimensi Temple. After all, one ticket covers two sites; we couldn’t let it go to waste. Of course, if you’re fit enough, you could hike straight across the mountain from Zhushan Xiugu and exit at Shimensi, but since we don’t exercise much, we skipped the challenge. Shimensi Temple is said to have been built during the Qing Dynasty, later abandoned because of war, and now reconstructed on the original site. We came in the afternoon, and there weren’t many visitors, but you could tell the incense offerings are thriving. Halfway up the hill, there’s a big bell you can ring. By the time we descended, dusk was creeping in, and the monks inside were doing their evening chants. I felt that what the classics describe—the morning bell and evening drum—truly has a cleansing effect on the soul.
For accommodation, we chose the Blue Horizon Junhua Hotel. Blue Horizon is a well-established Shandong hotel brand found in many cities; their quality and service are very trustworthy. Our work unit often dines at Blue Horizon, so we have a membership. This time, without hesitation, we picked it. The room was standard—it used to be the Hongcheng Yuehai Hotel—but it was very clean, and the service was thoughtful. Knowing we’d just come back from climbing Dazhu Mountain, they sent us a foot-soaking tub and an eye mask, so we slept particularly well. The breakfast was worth mentioning: it was sumptuous and delicious—savory tofu pudding, congee, milk, soy milk, all kinds of pastries, buns, bread, noodles, egg fried rice, fried eggs, bacon, small wontons, hot dishes, cold dishes, fruit, etc., probably fifty or sixty items. You could say it had everything you’d want.
A small but great detail: when we checked out, they gave us a packed fruit box with snacks and fruit—really thoughtful!
After checkout, we found we still had time, and the hotel was close to the sea. We stored our luggage at the hotel, walked to the City Balcony, felt the sea breeze, and cleared our minds. Then, seeing there was still time, we took a bus to Sunac Mall, had a bite to eat, did some window shopping, and then came back in the evening. Although the itinerary was simple, it was very fulfilling~
