A place far enough from downtown #Yantai (technically still within the borders of Yantai) to make it a special trip - but close enough to make it a #daytrip.
After years and years of visits to China and promises to my friend that we would some day visit #Penglai #Pavilion (#pagoda) we finally made it reality. The year was 2013 and the temperature was HOT and HUMID as is expected in the #summer months in #Shandong province. We started the day not too early (#lazydays) and head out on the bus. We had no agenda, #noexpectations - just a desire to adventure. It's been documented that there have been #mirages of a city over the sea but we since it's a very rare occurrence so when we didn't see it we weren't surprised.
I'd been to Penglai two times before, so I had vague memories of which direction to go after getting off the bus. Somehow I managed to not get us lost and guide us to the right place. Being our silly selves, the first thing we did upon starting our walk around the #scenicarea was #photobomb some random person's photo. Not even sure they noticed it - but we laughed pretty hard.
Due to the extreme heat and humidity levels, we decided we were NOT going to trek up the hundreds of stairs to get to the scenic points and instead took the #cablecar. You would think that's simpler than walking... but somehow I managed to #bruise myself getting onto the cable car. If you have wide hips, be forewarned that the doors to them are quite small. Please learn from my mistakes! haha
Although it was an extremely hot day, we made the best of our time and adventured around the scenic area. The architecture of this place is absolutely beautiful. It's also right next to the ocean and has a path that leads you right on the side of the cliff. Even with the large amount of #tourists visiting that day we found many moments to relax and enjoy the moment.
After our time at Penglai Pavilion, we made sure to stop by one of the seafood restaurants across the street. The food was delicious and VERY reasonably priced considering its close proximity to a tourist attraction. It may help if you can speak Chinese to make sure you're not overcharged, but with any luck you'll find a helpful person who speaks enough English to help you get what you want at the right price. My only suggestion is to NOT try the starfish even though it seems incredibly intriguing. It's beyond bitter and not that tasty. And the only way to finish an amazing meal in China is to have #cornicecream. It's really the best.
For more information regarding the history of Penglai Pavilion, you can check out https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d514d324d444d7a457a6333566d54/share_p.html
Corn Ice Cream! YES!!