Vacation to Dalian

A couple weeks ago I went to Dalian.

On my summer vacation, a couple teachers and I travelled south to the province of Liaoning to visit Dalian. Check out the video I made about the trip; I basically tried to give you a feel for the whole thing. Now you don't have to go through all the work of going to Dalian yourself! This video has it all: penguins, parks, and even some puppies. So if you like any of those things and more, enjoy!

Unfortunately, I was unable to get footage during two of my trip's biggest highlights. So in lieu of moving pictures, let me attempt to paint a video with my words. The first highlight was racing unlicensed motorcycle taxis through the streets of Dalian at night.

We had met some new friends and became instantly jealous when we saw one riding on the back of a scooter. When we found out we could hire these gentlemen to drive us, we were absolutely obsessed with the notion. So with the help of a Chinese friend we flagged down one driver, got him to bring two of his friends, and arranged a ride home with the three of them.

So, myself and my friends each had our own driver and scooter or motorcycle to drive us, and took off on a race back to the hostel, with the agreement that the last man arriving would pay the entire bill. I'm not sure if the drivers knew we were racing, but it was phenomenal. Bright lights, whipping through traffic, squeezing between cars, plus each taxi was decked out with a killer sound system that kept the whole block pumping! In the end, a lucky break saved me from defeat and left my friend paying the whole ($5 CDN) bill.

The other highlight was at Laohutan Ocean Park, when we were able to get in the aquarium with the fish! I slipped on my complimentary mini-shorts, wriggled into a wetsuit, put on some weighted belts and a helmet that pumped in oxygen, and off we went. A guy in a scuba suit led me around the tank while I checked out the fish and was checked out by many Chinese tourists. This attraction happens in a large room with wall to wall aquarium, and even chairs so people can relax and watch, and a foreigner in a fish tank, no matter how sexy he looks in a wetsuit, seemed to be fascinating.

Photo by David R.