Yesterday went to visit the Dalian Swimming pool (or at least one of them). After an epic walking and taxiing mission which involved a few false starts, we finally arrived the correct place. We walked in the door through the haze of smoke greeted enthusiastically with a loud “Hello” before handing over NZ$8 each for a swim. We were then told it was compulsory to purchase a cute swimming cap (I say cute, I really mean a hat designed with the sole aim of stripping your dignity). We then proceeded through the changing rooms.
I must say, up until this point I have done a great job of avoiding seeing naked Chinese gentlemen, but after the pool I think my record has gone down the drain. The first room was your standard NZ changing room, and having cunningly put my togs on before arrival, I proceeded to the next room after securing my locker. The next room appeared to be a maze of naked men though, a serious case of not knowing where to look. After passing the sitting show area, where people sit on stools and wash themselves, and passing the norm shower area, then the old naked massage area, we emerged into an area where everyone was wearing pants and breathed a sigh of relief.
The pool itself was Olympic sized, but with no lanes ropes. In some ways the pool resembled the roads of China, functional chaos, however to cap it all off, everyone was wearing stupid hats. Around 100 people crowded the pool proper, dispelling any hope/fear of swimming a proper lap. The pool was also a salt water pool though I could not guess the origin of the salt. True to form, Chinese gentlemen continued to spit left, right and center. Wanting to ease myself in the naked-chinese-man-watching, I neglected the offer of a sauna. As we were leaving I couldn’t resist the temptation of a showerhead that was actually above my head, so I stopped for a shower.