FAREWELL LANZHOU!

The view from outside our building

Well, I am all packed and ready to go. I've been informed that my last meal simply has to be Lanzhou niurou lamian so I'll be off to my local shortly for the last supper.

Goodbye Lanzhou, it's been fun but I think I'm ready to move on to something more...

See you in Hong Kong!

Oh, one last thing, since Lanzhou is notorious for its dirt, a shoe before and after -

FRUIT OF THE MOMENT

Pineapples are nowhere in sight, watermelons are still everywhere but I'm sick of eating them. Right now, it is all about the peach. So delicious!

Today I got some passport photos taken in preparation for the endless paperwork that will be Tibet, Taiwanese visa application and university enrollment. I asked for a passport photo, and this was what I got...

HONG KONG DREAMING..

Milk tea, peanut butter and condensed milk waffles, rice pudding, ginger pudding, mango and coconut rice pudding, PUDDING in general... brisket, deep fried oyster cakes, claypot rice, egg tarts, bizarre east meets west hybrid foods......

Shopping you say? Who cares when there is all of this food.

Get ready for a whole lot more of this...

STICKY SWEET

Sticky glutinous rice studded with Chinese dates and covered in liquid honey... Similar in texture to a zongzi, this stuff is awesome. One of the Muslim influenced food additions to be found in Lanzhou.

COUNTDOWN

10 days until we are in Hong Kong! I am starting to get very excited- I think I'm ready for a change of scene. There to get my Taiwanese Visa and then fingers crossed we'll be off to Tibet!

To get myself in the mood, I celebrated with an iced tea, the drink that I will forever associate with HK. I'm trying to spend a bit of time outside everyday to prepare myself for the heat that will be awaiting us. Not the best time of year for a visit but what can you do? We'll just have to spend a lot of time inside shops with AC.

LYING LOW

After an unfortunate case of food poisoning following a trip to a village just outside the city, I've not been feeling terribly active the past few days. Today I skipped yoga and sat in the square. Attempted to study, read and people watched. The weather is getting hotter so it is lovely to get out of the house and sit in the shade. This place is I suppose the Chinese alternative to a cafe.  People come here to drink and hang out with friends. In order to pay for your seat, they charge you double for the drinks! Oh China.

TOURIST STYLES

It is the summer holidays here so plenty of tourists had invaded Qingdao. While the crowds were tedious when I was actually trying to get somewhere, when it came to people watching, they delivered. While the tour groups have matching hats, families or couples go the whole nine yards with matching outfits. Crocs are this seasons footwear of choice, in all manner of colours and every photo taken needs a fierce pose. Their commitment is totally impressive.

QINGDAO PHOTO DIARY

I spent the majority of my time just wandering around the city. Highlights included the Olympic Sailing facilities and various installations, German Old Town, Little Qingdao Island, my local market, the famous local water, fresh seafood (I can't believe they eat starfish!), not to mention the tacky shell souvenirs available everywhere.

MY FAVOURITES

Qingdao seemed to have all of the usual suspects on the menu- jiao zi, wonton soup, noodles, rice, bao zi, various stir fried vege etc so I wasn't too inspired to eat a great deal, it wasn't at all like Chengdu with the myriad of different snack foods.

Despite some bad memories (from overdoing in Shanghai) I did have one jiao zi meal as I figured they would be better than most, the seafood being so fresh but.... they tasted just like they do at the Grand Century so nothing to rave about there. (or perhaps jiao zi are just ruined forever for me now?)

Luckily, some other items did really take my fancy..

SUCCESS...FINALLY

So, after 5 days the fog finally lifted, the sun came out, and we could see the ocean. Honestly, after all that hype, it was disappointing. Still, at least now I can say I've seen it!

ROAD RAGE

Qingdao once again really turned on the charm today. I'm beginning to think that it will be extremely unlikely I actually see the sea while I'm here.

It felt like I spent most of today on or waiting for a bus.

THE MIGHTY COAST

I thought I had today all figured out. The weather report said sunshine so it seemed like the ideal day to walk along the waterfront. I decided on Qingdao mainly because I wanted to be by the coast. Lanzhou is the furtherest I've lived from the sea and I was beginning to miss it! However, higher forces conspired to deny me my wish. This was the sight that greeted me when  I got there. There was absolutely no chance of catching a glimpse of South Korea across the water today.

GUESS WHERE

I've taken a little trip, can you guess where?

SUNDAY MORNING

This morning something was definitely up. Dashing policemen at every street corner, helicopters circling overhead, crowds of people surging past me. Granted none of this is totally foreign when in China but at 7.30am on a Sunday?

TEMPLE TIME

So I changed my mind about not seeing any temples this time round. In Chengdu I was persuaded to visit the Wenshu Temple. It's true, it seemed exactly like every other temple I've seen but it had one very important point of difference - a highly praised vegetarian restaurant onsite. Of course, I had to try it!