Tuesday, 26 March 2019
Tianjin, China
Day 2
This is the Westerdam's second day in Tianjin, and after my nine-hour trip to the center of the city (75 minutes from the port), I have decided to stay on board today, instead of using a 45-minute free shuttle bus to a nearby (?) shopping mall.  When I returned to my cabin from dinner last night at about 9:30, several passengers just back from their all-day trip to Beijing and the Great Wall, looked like extras from "The Walking Dead."  When I asked one lady how the day went, all she could do was slowly shake her head from left to right, while her body was almost folded over at the waist.  I guess if one has never seen Beijing it would be important to travel there, but I am glad Will and I spent four days there, even though it was 25 years ago.  The bottom line of advice is, while there are many important port cities in China that can be visited on an ocean cruise, you really have to be on an extended land tour if you want to see Beijing.  The cruise lines are honest about the difficulties and the expense of getting to Beijing from their ships, but you do have to read the fine print very carefully.

So today I am remaining on board and relaxing.  While my body is here in northern China, my imagination returns to the more southern city of Qingdao.


Saturday, 23 March 2019
Qingdao, China

What is the name of the beer produced here?  It's hard to ignore the presence of Tsingtao beer anywhere you travel in this city of several million people.

Sprung up from a sleepy fishing village 150 years ago to a German beer-producing colony at the end of the 19th century, to a megalopolis of more than 10 million people today, Qingdao is the perfect representation of the new kind of China city.  More than a traditional city it is an agglomeration of purpose-built communities lined up one after the other against the sea on one side and mountains on the other.  Although there are few sites of specific interest to the tourist, the contrast between a traditional city like Shanghai and a new city like Qingdao is truly remarkable and important to see.

To avoid some of the walking I endured on my own in Manila, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, today I join an all-day tour, “The Best of Qingdao.”  We are warned before joining the tour group on board ship that the walk from the ship’s gangway to the tour bus is just under one mile (no kidding), mostly inside the port building. There are some moving walkways to help along the way, but this place is designed to handle the mega-ships of the future.

 A View of the Cruise Port Exterior from the Tour Bus

[As a side note:  to add to the difficulty of the walk, this morning’s room service breakfast is a total disaster:  the fruit on the fruit plate is so rotten my camera refused to take a photo, and the coffee was so cold, the cold milk actually warmed it up.  Since the shore excursion has an early start there is no time for ordering another meal, although I did manage one quick cup of coffee in the lounge on my way to meet the tour group.  This is the first food disaster of the cruise (on day 20)--not too bad a record.] 

Fortunately the day improves 
once the tour begins,   The sky is bright blue and the sunshine helps alleviate the 44 degree temperatures with which the day began.  The port building, while too large itself, is right close to the center of the city.  As we exit the parking lot we are immediately beneath an elevated highway, local train tracks, and buy streets.

Our first stop—primary driver of Qingdao's success (along with the train building industry)—is Tsingtao Brewery, where China’s most popular export alcohol is brewed and shipped worldwide.  If you have been on one brewery tour there isn’t much new at a second or third—everyone comes for the free samples.

Outside the Brewery, Signs Recognize the Longevity of the Beer's Popularity

Exhibit of Every Form of Bottle, Can, and Container Offered Around the World by Tsingtao

After some early-morning beer tasting, we drive through several dense high-rise sections of the city, each section reserved for a particular major activity:  e.g. banking, entertainment, government, social services, health, etc.  Since the city hugs the coast line of the Yellow Sea and the Pacific Ocean, we make brief stops at two beach areas, popular year-round, fronting large villas and estates.  

Zhaoqiao Pier--City Icon and Beer Label Symbol

We have a longer and more interesting stop at a large hillside complex, Zhanshan Temple, built in 1945.

We stop for a very large and very well-prepared Chinese lunch (with free Tsingtao beer, of course) at a local hotel after exploring the temple.  Our last stop before returning to the Westerdam (and the long return walk through the port building) is the large plaza outside St Michael's Cathedral (1934).  Part of the Germanic architectural heritage of the city, the square is a favorite spot for recently married couples to re-don their wedding clothes and pose for professional photographs.  Today being Saturday, the square is full of couples in varying degrees of formal wear and informal weariness.

The next blog will finally get to my two days in Tianjin--spoiler alert:  I do not go to Beijing.  Tonight, we sail out of Chinese waters on our way back to Japan, where we will move the clock forward one hour and hopefully return to more efficient wifi.