Qingdao, P.R. China

Found Qingdao to be an alright place to rest for a few days. It is surrounded by beaches and ports and is sometimes almost quiet. Just sat at the far point of the harbor with my face in the wind looking out upon the ships at sea. Napping, exploring, reading. Became apparent that parts of the city have character while other parts are tourist dumpholes. But the charactered areas have a feel that is foreign to the rest of China. Little colonial alleys where the poor dwell in old buildings that were constructed during the German concession. Bright paint and twisting door frames and window sills all connected together in the European style. Mira and I went for a few nightime walkes through these neighborhoods and just dug on its real down trodded, real, unique feel. These neighborhoods, though colonial leftovers, are genuine and do not serve as tourist attractions- some parts are almost sketchy. I liked it. But it seems to be changing as the big wrecking ball of progress has inevitably elbowed its way in. Qingdao will be hosting the sailing events for the 2008 olympic games, and the town is being renevated. These little old neighborhoods are being destroyed as I write this, and cheap colonial “replicas” are being put were real colonial buildings once stood. The neighborhoods are being gentrified and the poor inhabitants are being shooed off into faceless highrise jungles. I walked through these unique little neiborhoods for the last time, for tomorrow they will be a hoax.

I am getting back into the stride of wandering again. Vagabonding is a paradox of sorts. On one hand life is simplified, as you just attend to basic needs, on the other all would be simple actions are greatly complicated. From Shui Hu Zhuan:

Any food when you’re hungry,
When your cold rags save life;
Any road when you’re frightened,
When you’re poor any wife.

Macho cadres excercise on the beach in speedos. Qingdao’s beaches are full of these chubby men in revealing attire. They were totally without shame and actually seemed proud to be showing their bodies off as they excercised up and down the beach. I dug it, Mira thought that it was “fucking gross.”
Qingdao beach. Of the thousands of people that were on these beaches, I did not notice one woman in a bathing garmet of any kind. I do not know why, as Chinese women tend to now be revealing dressers on the streets.
Man assed out in park with hand down his pants.
Sunset over docks.
The industrial docks of Qingdao.
Industrial waste land on train going into Qingdao.
Beach scene.
Old Sailor gazing upon the sea.
Wreakage that was made of Qingdao’s old town for Olympic preparation.
More wreakage.