I had the opportunity to spend my last couple of days in Qingdao, China. The people in all of China are very proud that their country will host the 2008 Olympics. Qingdao will be a great host for the sailing competitions as this is a city with great accommodations and many nice restaurants (for seafood lovers).

We stayed in a hotel that was right on the beach. There are great coastal views here, but the distance is not so great due to the smog. My hosts were very gracious to try and provide a dinner with "western" options. We ended up eating at the hotel where a Brazilian barbecue was served. Additionally, there was a Brazilian band (I think) trying to sing songs in English. We enjoyed drinking some of the famous Tsingdao beer and played snookers in the hotel. This hotel also had indoor golf, but we didn't have time to try.

The next day, our supplier/hosts were kind enough to take us on a tour of the city. There were many great sites to see and I took many photos. I was surprised to see that there were up to 100 brides in gowns in this area having their photos taken. At times there were so many around that it was surreal, like in a movie or something.

My last day in China consisted of a long work day trying to tie up loose ends. My friends in the Zebco China factory took me out to dinner at a very nice looking Restaurant. This trip to China has been interesting, but I am quite ready for everything about home...