Lessons from doing it alone
The bar singer at the old town of Lijiang actually thought that I was hurt (either by a breakup, family trouble or getting laid off), or I wouldn’t have traveled alone, especially to “the town of romantic affairs” in Southwest China.
But I explained: “No, I was just attracted by the beauty of the place.”
He didn’t seem to buy it.
The term “solo traveler” is, to some extent, seen as odd in a traditional Chinese context. And there is also concern for the safety of single female travelers.
However, about 59 percent of the Chinese women surveyed have traveled alone between two and five times in their lives, with about half doing long journeys, according to a report by British Airways in October.
Also, more than 65 percent of Chinese female travelers said they wanted to feel a sense of freedom and independence, 63 percent said they wanted private space and 48 percent said they wanted to make new friends and experience something
She had just completed an entrance exam for postgraduates and was traveling around Yunnan on her own. After the crash, we developed a kind of friendship.
Four women continued the rest of the journey celebrating our escape from a possible disaster.
Speaking about the treacherous route, the driver, who called himself Brother Jun, said: “Twenty years ago, there was no road. We had to drive on four steel tubes to cross the mountains.
“The drivers were often nervous. I used to help them to cross one by one.”
We only made him promise to “drive slowly when returning.”
Our four-woman team shared bread and yogurt, took photos of each other and laughed when we had to use an open-air toilet in the mountains.
There is a saying, “only when you travel alone can you meet the right partner.”
Now, digital tools, such as WeChat or a phone often replace face-to-face communication.
But what you miss between office cubicles can be found by putting trust in fellow strangers and trying to blend in the nature.
It was half past seven in the morning, and there was feeble light on the horizon of the 48.5-square-kilometer Lugu Lake in the deep mountains of Ninglang county, a 4.5-hours’ drive from downtown Lijiang.
I was standing on the beach waiting for sunrise.
A dog then lay at my feet showing me its belly. “Was I supposed to touch its belly?”
With little experience of dealing with animals, I hesitated.
After a while, it was disappointed and left.
The day before, I got a chance to observe the white wings and red bills of sea gulls while experiencing the waves of the lake on a boat.
We heard the sea gulls, which seemed to tell a story of freedom.
We saw them as they competed for food, a vivid representation of the fight for survival. stone