Qingdao · Yantai | Savoring Leisurely Moments Along the Coastline
No matter where you were born or raised, everyone yearns for the sea.
When mentioning coastal cities, Dalian, Xiamen, and Qingdao definitely come to mind first. When it comes to seaside trips, some are captivated by Hainan's Tianya Haijiao, with its undying romance; some linger at the filming location of 'The Continent' in Zhoushan, catching the spot where the first rays of morning sunlight strike; others pause in Guangxi to experience the 'Oriental Hawaii'...
Due to the pandemic, our European trip with good friends had to be postponed indefinitely. The travel we'd been planning since the start of the year finally took shape in June. This time, we headed to beautiful Shandong.
Having tried group tours and semi-independent travel before, we didn't hesitate to go fully independent this time. One reason was to avoid the unfamiliarity of a foreign place, and the other was that the attractions in both Qingdao and Yantai we chose were quite concentrated—taxis, the metro, and high-speed rail could easily handle our transportation needs.
So on June 10th, we set off. I'm still afraid of heights, as always~~~
The flight delay threw off our plans right from the start. I've got to complain about Ningbo Airport here—every single time, the flights are delayed~~~
As the plane emerged from the clouds, seeing vast patches of red-tiled roofs meant we had entered Qingdao's airspace. We reached the tarmac at 2 p.m. Now Liuting Airport has been relocated to Jiaodong, and it seems transportation there is quite inconvenient... Here's a little tip: we booked an airport transfer on Ctrip, which was better than Taobao—the service was great, and the driver recommended restaurants with transparent and reasonable prices, not the kind that take you to tourist traps. You know the deal. By the time we got to the hotel it was 3:30, so we immediately grabbed our flip-flops and headed to Badaguan.
This was the worst weather day of the whole trip—we were greeted by gloomy skies and rain. Not being able to experience the red roofs, green trees, blue sea, and clear sky was a real regret. Limited space, so fewer photos. In Badaguan you can see architecture from around the world; the road ends at the Second Bathing Beach. By the time we got there it was already raining, so we couldn't fully enjoy walking on the sand and feeling the seawater. Overall, Badaguan is beautiful, but we just weren't fated to properly explore it this time. When it was about time, we went for dinner at the Qianyan Coastal Home-Style Cuisine the driver recommended. Before the trip we had decided we had to try Shandong cuisine, and I have to say, this huge spread was only around 200 yuan, and every dish was a big meal.
In the evening, we went to May Fourth Square to watch the light show. What I'd thought would be just so-so turned out to be surprisingly impressive, but the humid weather combined with the sea breeze left me feeling sticky and uncomfortable, spoiling the experience. The seaview room we'd booked near May Fourth Square ended up being 'in the clouds'—pulling back the curtains only revealed mist; the sea was nowhere to be seen~~~
Even though I swear after every trip that I'll never climb mountains again, what can I say—China has so many mountains, haha. This time, we went to Laoshan. The No. 1 Mountain on the Sea truly won our hearts—and truly conned us too. Because of the distance and the tiring climb, we set aside a whole day for this. The scenery along the metro ride from our hotel to Laoshan made the trip worthwhile; a long stretch of the metro runs above ground, which somewhat made up for missing the red roofs and green trees at Badaguan. Unfortunately, the cable car in the scenic area was under maintenance, so we had to rely on our legs to go up and down. You can search online for Laoshan's cable car—it's different from others. Isn't it worth a ride? But after the renovation, it'll become an enclosed cabin, what a pity.
After descending, we went to Qingshan Fishing Village, passing along the most beautiful loop road. If I could, I'd ride on it forever. Arriving at the village, we hired a car to show us around; the driver took photos for us on the way, but in the end we did get ripped off—let's not dwell on that, sob. If you go, be careful.
Laoshan is so vast that I'm still confused about its internal transport and sights. Due to time constraints, we left for Yan'er Island, a place hyped up a lot on Douyin. I'd give it a 90. We stayed until evening, waiting for the lights to come on, but they took forever—a real test of patience. The moment the boardwalk finally lit up, it seemed like everyone let out an 'Ah!' in unison, kind of funny. Some scenes just can't be captured in a photo, not even a fraction of their splendor.
Since we had to catch the high-speed train to Yantai today, we got up early and walked to May Fourth Square. Thick fog was visibly everywhere.
After lunch and checking out, we headed to Signal Hill. Because Qingdao's roads are very hilly and we walked the entire way, this stretch made me question my life choices. But maybe by chance, you'll stumble upon Day&Night right in front of you.
After Signal Hill, we rushed to the train station—another day of walking like crazy. This must be the most beautiful train station...
Due to time limitations, we signed up for a one-day tour to Penglai. Penglai is home to many beautiful legends: mirages, the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, and more. The biggest surprise was that I actually saw the boundary line between the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea with my own eyes—truly amazed by nature's wonder and uniqueness.
The last stop of the trip was Wencheng, the filming location of 'Hello Mr. Billionaire.'
Day 5. Heading home, flying back to Ningbo.
In summary: Many of our original plans were disrupted, much like life itself—full of unexpected turns. But it's these very surprises that might give you a different kind of experience. Life is about growing through one surprise after another. I look forward to my next journey, and I hope the pandemic passes soon so everyone's lives can return to normal.
