Drinking in Qingdao
Anyway I am very hungover today, so probably not the best day to start my blog as my usual sunny disposition is not evident. So if you get a negative impression of my life here, probably best to take it with a pinch of salt. Come to think of it, I do seem to have been hungover a lot recently. I blame the fake booze. Oh yeah if you have not made it to China yet, you will not be familiar with the rare pleasure that is the fake alcohol induced hangover. I was not shit faced last night, only mildly drunk and I got a good lie in. So why the hell do I feel like I was gang raped by a gaggle/caravan of silver back gorillas? Well the answer lies in the fact that most of the bars in China will serve you fake liquor. The beer is real but the moment you utter the words, “lets do a round of shots” you are moving into dangerous territory. My boss actually went to one of these fake liquor factories. You can choose pretty much any brand of any booze and get a perfect copy. Inside it tastes like piss but you cant tell when it is mixed in a cocktail. The sad thing is that I never learn my lesson and within a few days I will go through the whole thing again.
Anyway back to my point. I am hungover, and want to go to bed. Last night (Wednesday), I went out to Ladies night in Q-bar Shangrila hotel. It is a strange thing, but no matter where you go in China, Ladies Night is always on a Wednesday. But I digress. I was dragged out rather against my will by the only other ex CSAer in Qingdao. Night life here is quite limited. There are about 3 clubs and 10 bars to choose from, which after Beijing is a massive difference. But having said that the reality is much the same, because when I was living in Beijing, I always ended up in the same places anyway. But the real issue is that when you hook up with someone here, it is everyone’s business in about 5 minutes. It was like that in Beijing but it is 10 times worse here. Also if you are just sticking to the foreigners, then there are only about 200 of us. That means that if you have a random fling with one person, you will continue running into them time and time again. So the best advice is to learn Chinese quick enough to chat up girls in bars.
- Nick