Qingdao, Tsingtao

Both words are pronounced the same; "Chingdow". One is a city--Qingdao, and one is a beer Tsingtao. They are pretty much inseparable. Tsingtao is made in Qingdao. And much Tsingtao is drunk in Qingdao.

We arrived on the new "bullet train". The maximum speed I saw was 244 km/hr. That's just over 150 MPH. Faster than any train in the US, but not too fast compared to other high speed trains. But the trip took 6 hours instead of 13 hours on the train I took four years ago.

We are here to visit trading companies that gather tools from the many manufacturers in China and ship them to the United State. While their catalogs are surprisingly similar, they all have strengths in different areas. One trading company has the best selection and prices on machine accessories, another specializes in measuring tools. We have visited five companies so far.

At one stop we visited a new warehouse under construction. It's going to be a very nice facility.

To save on water fees, they are drilling their own well. The well drilling crew simply moves on site for the duration of the project.

That new warehouse is a mile down a small country road. This is typical of what one sees on that type of road.

Last night we had dinner at the Tsingtao brewery. Well, the original Tsingtao brewery. There are 4 or 5 around town. Plus a beer theme park. And yes, they serve food as well as beer.

The street the brewery is on is Deng Shou Road, but it is generally known as "beer street". The brewery is on one side, the other side is lined with restaurants with sidewalk dining.
The beer truck comes by a couple times a night to restock the restaurants. Look closely. It is a flatbed truck with kegs of beer on the back.