An American, a group of young, drunk French people and a whole bunch of other foreigners travel by bus for 3 hours to this party on an aircraft carrier docked in a Chinese port.
I know what you're thinking - the start of a bad joke, right? Believe it or not, it's actually the beginning of a fun-filled evening of loud music, dancing and military aircraft.
Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I love boats. I never used to be a fan of the open sea, but after a Spring Break cruise to Mexico, I was hooked.
One day, I hope to have a boat of my own, one with sails perhaps.
It should be no surprise that when my roommate, Alexia, told me about this party on an aircraft carrier in Tianjin, located about 3 hours from Beijing, I jumped on board.
Tickets to the event cost 250 RMB, or about $40, and included transportation to and from the party. Alcohol would be extra (and most likely overpriced) so we brought our own for the bus ride there.
The aircraft was a former USSR ship and was purchased by the Chinese government as part of a naval museum in Tianjin. But for now, the runway of the carrier would be one giant dance floor.
We arrived around 10 p.m. to blaring music and flashing lights. About 500 people already crowded the runway, where numerous aircraft and helicopters were on display. A few partygoers decided to dance ON the planes. I just wanted a few pictures next to them.
A few drinks of liquid courage was all it took before I decided to head out on the dance floor and show the crowd my American dance moves (or lack there of). After about an hour of flailing my body about in a seizure-like motion, I'd had enough.
Somehow, it was now 2 a.m. Maybe it was the overall atmosphere of the party, but it seemed like the same loud mmm tiss mmm tiss thumb thumb thumb had been playing to whole time.
At 3 a.m. it started to drizzle, then rain, then downright pour. Apparently the weather had also had enough of the repetitious music.
I'm not sure whose idea it was to provide auto transportation home, but it certainly wasn't a good idea - especially with a bus full young people who had been drinking all night. Every 5 kilometers it seemed, the bus would stop and let a group out to use the bathroom. I somehow managed to sleep, despite a group of drunk English guys singing Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody in the back of the bus.
Overall, it was a pretty cool night. We just don't have anything interesting like this back in the States (could you imagine a rave on the U.S.S Intrepid, because I can't), and being among a huge group of loud, drunk foreigners yelling in every language was kind of fun.
Now all I need to do is work on those dance moves so people don't think I require medical attention.
I know what you're thinking - the start of a bad joke, right? Believe it or not, it's actually the beginning of a fun-filled evening of loud music, dancing and military aircraft.
Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I love boats. I never used to be a fan of the open sea, but after a Spring Break cruise to Mexico, I was hooked.
One day, I hope to have a boat of my own, one with sails perhaps.
It should be no surprise that when my roommate, Alexia, told me about this party on an aircraft carrier in Tianjin, located about 3 hours from Beijing, I jumped on board.
Tickets to the event cost 250 RMB, or about $40, and included transportation to and from the party. Alcohol would be extra (and most likely overpriced) so we brought our own for the bus ride there.
The aircraft was a former USSR ship and was purchased by the Chinese government as part of a naval museum in Tianjin. But for now, the runway of the carrier would be one giant dance floor.
We arrived around 10 p.m. to blaring music and flashing lights. About 500 people already crowded the runway, where numerous aircraft and helicopters were on display. A few partygoers decided to dance ON the planes. I just wanted a few pictures next to them.
A few drinks of liquid courage was all it took before I decided to head out on the dance floor and show the crowd my American dance moves (or lack there of). After about an hour of flailing my body about in a seizure-like motion, I'd had enough.
Somehow, it was now 2 a.m. Maybe it was the overall atmosphere of the party, but it seemed like the same loud mmm tiss mmm tiss thumb thumb thumb had been playing to whole time.
At 3 a.m. it started to drizzle, then rain, then downright pour. Apparently the weather had also had enough of the repetitious music.
I'm not sure whose idea it was to provide auto transportation home, but it certainly wasn't a good idea - especially with a bus full young people who had been drinking all night. Every 5 kilometers it seemed, the bus would stop and let a group out to use the bathroom. I somehow managed to sleep, despite a group of drunk English guys singing Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody in the back of the bus.
Overall, it was a pretty cool night. We just don't have anything interesting like this back in the States (could you imagine a rave on the U.S.S Intrepid, because I can't), and being among a huge group of loud, drunk foreigners yelling in every language was kind of fun.
Now all I need to do is work on those dance moves so people don't think I require medical attention.
RSS Feed