Beer in a Bag!

Well the photo didn't turn out great but I still had to post.  At the Qingdao Beer Festival and really in all of Qingdao you could get beers in a bag!  I guess the idea is to get a pitcher, liter or gallon from a local place that is super fresh, walk home and then pour into glasses.

It wasn't the easiest to work with at the festival but it was still well worth it to drink out of the bag!

Cheers!

Beer Fest!

Well this has been too long to get posted, I'm sure some of you thought my liver took a beating at the Qingdao International Beer Festival, and you would be correct.  For those of you in the midwest, specifically Milwaukee, think Summerfest on steroids!  It is literally dozens of brewers with major tents and inside each tent was either live music, entertainers, auctions of art, etc.  Oh yeah and tonage of beer drinking!

From the front entrance, this part seems to be a permanent structure up year round.

This photo was taken Saturday afternoon before too much of the drinking began.  This is also towards the front of the festival.  As you can see this is four very large western guys as I'm by no means the tallest.  So what does that mean?  Well it meant we really stood out.  What happens to westerners that stick out at the Qingdao Beer Festival?  Locals buy you LOTS of beers!

Inside the Tsingtao beer hall.  This foreigner in the plaid shirt was quickly realizing what happens to a foreigner who thinks they can chug a beer...or a full pitcher of beer.

Or you could be like this buddy of mine who somehow got pulled into an arm wrestling competition with one Chinese after another!  The guy on the left literally came from probably 50 feet away and it was like the red sea parting as he came through.  Everyone cheering for him to take out the foreigner!

This photo was actually taken on Saturday afternoon down on the appropriately named "Beer Street."  Literally fish restaurant after fish restaurant with their main focus being on selling beer.  As you see at the top of the building this is part of the Tsingtao brewery.

All in all a great weekend but I'm glad it only comes once a year...

Qingdao Beer Festival

The Chinese equivalent to Budweiser is a beer called Tsing Tao.  Not quite sure where the name comes from of course but the beer actually comes from a city called Qingdao, which incidentally is basically pronounced same as Tsing Tao.  In any event every year they have the Qindgao Dao International Beer Festival in August running for about 3 weeks.  And yes yours truly is heading there this afternoon and will return to Shanghai on Sunday night, probably with an unhappy liver but plenty of good stories.

After all how many places have you been where the beers are served in plastic bags?

So I'll see you all later and should have plenty of stories after this weekend...

Duke vs China National Team

Tonight I got some very different entertainment for me.  I went over to the Mercedes Benz Arena to watch the Duke men's basketball team take on what was hyped as the China Men's National Team.  However it turned out to be the under 23 Olympic Team but so what, all good fun!

Very cool stadium!

And the game is about to get under way....

There were a few celebrity sightings including former Duke player and NBA All-Star Grant Hill who was accompanied by his daughter.  There was rumors that Lebron James is in town and was going to be attending but we never saw him.

The game itself and the entertainment was rather funny.  Duke played well but I've never seen a home court advantage like this.  The refs were atrocious and seemed to blow the whistle non-stop against Duke.  Coach K was livid on the sidelines and this was supposed to be a "friendly" match.

In terms of entertainment they played music throughout the game, most of which was good.  But for probably the first time at a sporting event ever we heard the song "If you are happy and you know it clap your hands."  Everyone looked around just shocked.  And then there was this guy, the China mascot...

What you can't see in this photo is that he is wearing a Superman body suit including the "S" logo.  Nothing like copyright infringement in China!

And the obligatory cheerleader photo.  Duke even brought along 4 cheerleaders of their own, I guess their travel budget to China was a bit limited.

All in all a great night of fun and a totally different experience.  Oh yeah, Duke did win 78-66.

An insightful article on China and specifically Beijing

I haven't spent a ton of time in Beijing but I've been there 3-4 times now.  A couple visits for work and once for an amazing three days during the 2008 Olympics.  The city boggles my mind in many ways but I think that's because I don't know much about it.  I just read this article on CNN from an American who spent 4 years living there and thought I would pass it on.  As the article starts out many people and certainly many Americans really don't have an understanding of China as it is today.  Enjoy...

http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/08/14/beijing.welcomes.you/index.html

Best Photo opportunity missed!

So the aftermath of the fake typhoon came in the other day as we drove out to Hangzhou.  All of a sudden we were hit with a deluge of rain.  Unfortunately I took out my camera too late to capture the good ones, like cars stalling in the deep water or trying to back up in the water.

However the absolute best photo missed, maybe of all time, was in the middle of the downpour there is a truck in the left lane of traffic.  What is that truck doing you say?  He was using what looks like a firehose to water the flowers!  Really?  Those flowers needed watering in the midst of the storm.

Camera was out too late so this was all I got...

90th Anniversary of CPC

Well for those of you worried on the Muifa it was nothing.  It was downgraded on Friday from a Super Typhoon, down to a regular one and then on Sunday it became just a storm.  A real drag as some of us were excited to see it.  The streets were very quiet on Saturday and Saturday night.  But all for nothing as the direction changed and therefore it wasn't coming right at us.

On another note, China is in the midst of celebrating 90 years of the Communist Party of China.  There are some cool exhibits and reminders of the group that started the party back in 1921.  This photo is not far from my home and will give you an idea to the lengths they have gone...

Muifa coming to town

Below is an excerpt from Shanghai Daily the local English newspaper.  Muifa is the first typhoon this year and some articles are calling it a "super typhoon."  Last night out for happy hour even though the weather was nice, most people wanted to eat inside instead of outside fearing the storm would come.  Well it's now a pleasant and calm Saturday morning with no storm yet...


"Shanghai has ordered all its local government departments to be on emergency alert to prepare for the approach of Typhoon Muifa. This year's first typhoon alert was issued yesterday morning as the powerful typhoon moved closer to the city, packing winds of up to 162 kilometers per hour and threatening havoc over the next two days, the weather bureau said. 


The possibility of Muifa directly hitting Shanghai has not yet been ruled out. Only two typhoons had directly landed on the city before, one in 1977 and the other in 1989, the weather bureau said. 

Shanghai is expected to suffer winds of up to 117kph downtown and 133kph in coastal areas tonight with the stormy weather lasting until tomorrow.

"We are facing a big challenge in our utilities, especially the subway and tunnels, as the city hasn't met such a level of typhoon since Matsa in 2005," said Shen Jun, vice mayor of Shanghai. "Everyone should be on alert."

All outdoor events today and tomorrow have been canceled or delayed, Shanghai Flood Control Headquarters said last night.

All construction projects in the city's coastal areas or involving high-rises have been suspended with workers evacuated from their temporary accommodation. 

Shanghai-based China Eastern is suspending online check-ins on flights leaving from the city's Hongqiao and Pudong airports until 5pm on Monday. 

By yesterday afternoon, thousands of vessels had taken shelter at local ports while ferry services had been suspended for the weekend, said Wang Jiqin, a local maritime official."

Headless Horseman

Since December 2009 I've always come into our office building and been confused by this massive artwork on the wall.  Rumor is that it is actually made from gold (but there are lots of rumors in China that I don't believe or even listen to).  However what really makes zero sense to me is that this has always been a "headless" horseman.  What happened to his head?

If you click on the photo you can get a bigger image of it and you will see that it almost looks like there was never a head on this man!

August 2011 and the return...

I seriously have little comprehension of where the time is going.  I absolutely can't believe that we are already into August 2011.  Time flies even when you aren't having fun, although I try.  Speaking of fun, for those of you looking for an update on the bird here goes.

Yesterday after lunch my Angry Bird made a miraculous comeback.  He was "shipped" back to me or so they wanted me to think.  They even filled out some Chinese paperwork with shipping documents.  Inside the box I found my bird and for my Blackberry...

They gave me a protective cover to show my allegiance....

So for now I've got me a cover on my phone to keep it safe and protected.

Bird Update

In response to some of my valued followers I wanted to give you this update on my Angry Bird.  To this point I have not responded to the ransom request, nor do I plan to negotiate with the terrorists.  So I still haven't seen my bird in some weeks.  Late last week I got this email...

Now that doesn't mean I don't plan to do anything about this blatant disregard of my personal effects.  Stay tuned for my revenge plot...