As my job takes me out of town quite a bit, I thought I’d share some of my experiences as I travel.
Dandong is up north in Liaoning province, right on the border of North Korea. All that’s standing between me & 1/3rd the “axis of evil” is the winding Yalu River. Two bridges stretch across the border, though only one of them is actually complete. At night, you can see where the border is as only the Chinese side of the bridge is lit.
I’ve yet to attempt to cross the bridge, knowing all the warnings about shooting westerners on sight & such.
Dondong’s local beer, also called Yalu River is okay, comparable to Suntory or most other local brews around China. There’s a few expat bars in town. One right around the corner from the Aston English School is the Sunlight Bar. It’s famed for having the coldest beer in Dandong, and rightfully so. Other than that, from what I’ve gathered so far, most foreigners here hang out at Korean bbq’s & outdoor restaurants… when it doesn’t rain.
It rains quite a bit here, but the weather is still mild, compared to Shanghai. Pullution levels are down, but the humidity can be a killer at times. The city itself boasts around 300,000 in the city limits, more than a million if you count the outlying areas. Right across the river is the North Korean version of Dandong, though I haven’t gotten it’s name yet.
Isn’t Suntory Japanese? You can actually get right up to the DPRK border if you take the river road southwest for a few miles – there is a land border with a fence slightly more substantial than one you might have on your front lawn.
True, Suntory IS Japanese, but seems that Shanghai doesn’t really have its own local beer. All the small shops sell Suntory, Snow or Harbin.