Day 8 - Travel Day

Travel day from Qingdao down to Suzhou.  High-speed train, but it still takes 6.5 hours.  Time goes a lot faster though when you get "stuck" in Business Class on the train because the other seats sold out.

It always amazes me that everywhere we've traveled in China there is always construction.  It is never small sites either...eight plus skyscrapers at each development.

Spot the Caterpillar machine.

Ah....pizza at Mammamia.  Then one final taxi leg to the Intercontinental and call it a night.  Long day.

Day 7 - LaoShan Mountain

Not really traditional Chinese for breakfast...more my style.  This was pretty much my breakfast the whole week at the Intercontinental.

Went to LaoShan Mountain on the north end of Qingdao with Luke and Matthew from work.

Last night in Qingdao; decided to go to Maan Coffee just down the block from the hotel.

Went for a walk down the block from the hotel.  Very nice boardwalk along the coast.

Day 6

Back in the office today.  Only two pictures today...
...lunch...

...dinner.  Although meals have been good, it was a nice change of pace to have non-Chinese for a night.

Day 5 - Visit to the factory in Qingzhou

Took a high-speed train to Qingzhou about an hour and a half inland.  Opportunity to meet with the manufacturing team and see the assembly line.

First view on the trip of some actual tractors!

You have to look close, but you can see this woman riding a motorbike with her ~2year old in front of her.  This is normal in China.

We knew we were in for a treat when we saw lunch hanging up out front.  At least it's fur and head. 

Goat.

Actually tasted surprisingly fine.  Just like you were eating pork ribs.

What can go better with goat than goat meat soup?

This is my kind of Chinese food...potstickers.  I had been hoping to find a good potsticker restaurant and this place was great.  We had some pork and shrimp potstickers, shrimp fried rice, and bean shoots.

Day 4

Second day in the office.  Typical cafeteria lunch.  Beef, potsticker, rice, a drink made of mashed up corn, and an apple.

Got to pick out exactly what you wanted.  Some of the stuff was so fresh it was literally still moving.

A whole mix of goodies.  Shrimp, oysters, snails, crab claws,...  Oysters were the best part.

They said this was shrimp....I don't know if I believe that.  Once I got past the fear of touching it and the realization that it is not alive any more it was pretty tasty.  A lot of work though.

China Day 2 and 3

My hotel in Qingdao for the week.  Can't tell very easily from the picture, but it is a block from the ocean.

By the time I had a chance to leave the hotel to go on a walk it was already getting late so I just wanted to grab something quick for lunch.  KFC.  Similar to back home, some of the chicken was fried, some was prepared differently.  Also got a custard pastry for dessert (it looked like a little quiche...until I bite into it.

Dinner at one of the restaurants in the hotel.  Ended up being a buffet which was nice.  They had both Asian and Western options...I went local and it was good.

Dessert buffet was really good!

First day heading into the office...view out of the hotel elevator lobby towards downtown Qingdao.

Lunch in the cafeteria at work. 

A few of the team members outside of the office.  Don't let the building decisive...it deceived me. Caterpillar actually only occupies half of one floor.

Some of the team members took me out for Chinese hot pot...one of my favorite Chinese style meals.  Similar to fondue in the US.

China Trip - Day 2 - Arrive in Qingdao

After the one night layover in Beijing, flew to Qingdao Sunday morning.  Short flight, only about an hour, and arrived at the hotel around 12.  Went on a walk along the bay near the hotel.

Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center  from the 2008 Olympics right at the base of the hotel.