It was a cold, clear Saturday in early January so I decided to check out Labor park in downtown Dalian...on previous trips I've stayed in the hotel across from the park, and couldn't see through the haze to the other side. Bonus this time was they were setting up for the upcoming New Year's party, so the rare blue sky wasn't the only eyecandy.
I've heard legend of some significance of the local soccer team in Dalian...some previous conquest or championship. Whatever it was, it was reason enough to build a giant soccer-ball shaped building in the park
Here's a 360 view around the park
As I'm standing at the soccer ball I can hear music and some thumping beats...and through the trees I can see - skiing. In the middle of the city. I was dying to give it a shot, but after trying briefly to fake my way through some equipment rental with hand signals and no clue how to say "size 12 boot" in Mandarin I gave up. Odds are good there wasn't anything approaching big American foot sizes anyway. Gotta love the improvised fake snow though.
For those without the cash for the ski rental, there's always the tiny wooden sled-for-two with matching tiny poles to slowly scrape your way across a frozen pond. After watching this for several minutes I was unable to understand where the fun came in...these guys were barely moving. Maybe there's a zen-like peace to the whole thing a westerner just can't grasp.
I've heard legend of some significance of the local soccer team in Dalian...some previous conquest or championship. Whatever it was, it was reason enough to build a giant soccer-ball shaped building in the park
Here's a 360 view around the park
As I'm standing at the soccer ball I can hear music and some thumping beats...and through the trees I can see - skiing. In the middle of the city. I was dying to give it a shot, but after trying briefly to fake my way through some equipment rental with hand signals and no clue how to say "size 12 boot" in Mandarin I gave up. Odds are good there wasn't anything approaching big American foot sizes anyway. Gotta love the improvised fake snow though.
For those without the cash for the ski rental, there's always the tiny wooden sled-for-two with matching tiny poles to slowly scrape your way across a frozen pond. After watching this for several minutes I was unable to understand where the fun came in...these guys were barely moving. Maybe there's a zen-like peace to the whole thing a westerner just can't grasp.
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