Either the body or the soul must be on the road — A journey that belongs to me (Part 10)

Every time I write a travelogue, I find the beginning really difficult, just like writing a composition in school, but back then I could write something I was fairly satisfied with in half an hour. Now I've been sitting in front of the computer for three hours, staring at the photos but can't squeeze out a few words. Maybe it's because I have to face annoying things at work when I come back, or maybe it's because men have one bad day every month. Haha, maybe I'm getting old. But we're not that old yet, even though we've already started being teased by the post-00s generation. While we're still not old and have enough time now, either settle down and read a book, or take a vacation to empty our minds, slow down the pace, keep company, and enjoy a light-hearted mood — let's just set off together. I'm still keeping the promise I made to myself: to go to a place I've never been to every year. —————————————————————————I am the dividing line—————————————————————————————— Qingdao, in my mind, is the fresh and clean red-roofed houses. Most of the residential buildings in Qingdao have white walls and red roofs. This is where the May Fourth Movement broke out, it was once a colony of Germany and Japan, it's also one of the top ten tourist cities, and it's famous for the 38-yuan-a-piece prawns. Together with the same group from last year, catching the Dragon Boat Festival and cheap air tickets, let's go wild in 2017. Day 1, A Gluttonous Journey The flight from Yibin to Qingdao is a direct one, about 1,800 kilometers, three hours. Haha, another reason for choosing Qingdao is that among all the flights departing from Yibin, this is the cheapest. We arrived in Qingdao around 1 pm. I booked a pickup on Ctrip, 100 yuan for a ride to the city center, which took us directly to the inn. This is a loft suite I booked on the Tujia app, with a sea view, 250 yuan per night. During the Dragon Boat Festival the price goes up, about 400 per day. It's indeed a sea-view room; the seaside is the Qingdao Ferry Terminal and the Qingdao Water Sports Base. But this is the back sea, that is, Jiaozhou Bay, not the front sea (the Yellow Sea). Still, the water quality looks pretty good. We dropped off our luggage, tidied up a bit, and headed out. A foodie's first stop is obviously eating. Pichaiyuan, in downtown Qingdao, right next to Qingdao Railway Station and Zhanqiao Pier. It's a snack street most favored by out-of-towners, with all kinds of weird and wonderful snacks. This is where an episode of "The Challengers Alliance" was filmed. The food is too expensive and not authentic, street stalls are better. Outside the courtyard, there are rows of snack stalls. This is Liuting grilled pig trotters, pretty average in taste, just not spicy — none of the chili peppers in Qingdao are spicy. Starfish, I bought one to try. You break it apart and grill it, then eat it. Damn, it was terrible, I'd say worse than shit. Shrimp, boss, give me a skewer of those 38-yuan-a-piece prawns — I can afford it. Oysters, scallops, clams, etc. are everywhere, incredibly cheap. Personally, I think the sausage is not worth 13 yuan, didn't try it. Large squid, grilled quite fragrant. But they use a sauce that's sweet, not my taste. The boss said it was king crab, but it didn't look like it. Small abalone, small abalone... Clam noodles, taste very similar to what Koreans make — after all, across the sea is Incheon, South Korea. Seafood hotpot, with big prawns, super large, seemed to be 50 yuan. All kinds of barbecue. It's said that Qingdao's barbecue is famous nationwide, but compared to Yibin's, it's far inferior. All kinds of seafood I can't name. After eating, we walked towards the seaside. There are many buildings here left by the colonists, as if telling stories of history. The sea breeze was quite cool. Huilan Pavilion, the very end of Zhanqiao Pier. Zhanqiao Pier witnessed how the Germans occupied Qingdao and Jiaozhou Bay, much like the Lugou Bridge, standing in Qingdao Bay. Leaning on the pier, listening to the sound of the sea, feeling the layers of waves. A panoramic view of the pier — looks like quite a lot of people. Along the coastal road there are also scenic buildings, giving a feeling of the Bund in Shanghai. Above the pier is the Naval Military Museum. A retired warship is moored there, the 105 Jinan, a missile destroyer, China's first independently developed destroyer. The home port of the aircraft carrier is also in Qingdao, but everyone says they've never seen the Liaoning. Seeing Qingdao's schools and students, I suddenly thought of Geng Geng and Yu Huai — that was filmed in Qingdao. The after-school roads, the seaside, the hillside parks, all show the image of Qingdao. When it was time to eat, we chose another snack street, Taitung Snack Street. Don't say it, it really has a bit of a Taiwanese style. Spicy crayfish, 38 yuan a catty, not a piece. It's said that people in Qingdao don't like crayfish; they prefer sea shrimp. A dozen bottles of Tsingtao beer, a plate of seafood, a plate of grilled skewers, enjoying the slow life in Qingdao. On the way back after dinner, I found cherries. So they produce these here, and they're very cheap — 15 yuan a catty, and you can bargain. The red ones are cherries, the white-yellow ones are crystal cherries. One is sweet and sour, the other is extra sweet. Durian is also cheap, 12 yuan a catty. I bought one; the durian smell lingered for days after I got home... That whole day was entirely about eating, eating everything, a truly gluttonous journey. Indeed, this city is perfect for a relaxing vacation. We waited leisurely for friends from Chengdu to come over and continue the fun.