My plan for this coming weekend was to meet up with Luke
again. Bryan was going to Beijing and Hongkong. Johnny and Emily were going to
Beijing and Xi’an. Luke and I had talked about taking an adventure somewhere
but been kind of vague in the details.
As I did a little research over the past few weeks, I read
about Huangshan (which translates from Chinese to “Yellow Mountain.”) The hike
is supposed to be challenging, but doable for your average tourist. There are a
number of places to stay along the trail (camping, hostels, etc.) and seeing
the sunrise from the summit is supposed to be a bucket-list-worthy activity.
Luke and I have done a fair amount of hiking together, this
sounded like a perfect idea.
With help from Vivi, I booked two tickets to Tunxi (the town
at the bottom of Huangshan) and a hostel at both the base and the summit. All
we needed was for Luke to get to Shanghai by Friday night and we’d be good to
go.
Unfortunately, sometime yesterday, plans fell apart. Luke
texted me that he wouldn’t be able to get to Shanghai so he was going to go with Johnny and Emily to Beijing.
I had a few thoughts go through my head. On one hand, I was
kind of excited (no offense Luke!) at the idea of doing it alone. I remember
the excitement in Europe—specifically Rome—when I realized I really could
navigate foreign cities completely on my own. On the other hand, backpacking
through the Chinese wilderness by myself seemed like a bad idea. All of my Boy
Scout training was screaming in my head “Take a buddy!” “What if you get hurt? “What
if you get lost?” “You shouldn’t go hiking alone!”
I asked Nate if he’d want to buy Luke’s ticket. He told me
he wasn’t a big hiker and if he was going to spend money going somewhere, he’d
rather go somewhere big like Beijing. A lot of the other interns either already
had trips booked, or had to work Monday and couldn’t take the long weekend.
I’d all but given up when I bumped into Amy in the lobby.
“I feel so lame,” she said. “Everyone’s going someplace
exciting this weekend and I’m going to be stuck here.”
“Do you like hiking?” I asked.
“Are you kidding me?” she said. “I freaking love hiking.”
“Would you want to go climb Huangshan with me?” I explained
that it meant yellow mountain, was supposed to be something worth putting on
your bucket list, etc. etc. etc.
She said she would but that she’d have to contact her boss.
I figured if she went, it’d be great. If she didn’t I’d figure it out on my
own. According to my book there is a cable car that can take you halfway up. If
I got there and it turned out to be way over my head, I could always just do that.
I Skyped my Dad for a few hours before going to bed. After a
long week, and the hectic process of travel planning, it really was nice to
hear from him.
“You know,” I told him. “I remember before you guys came to pick me up in Europe
thinking, ‘I’d like to see my family and friends, but I don’t necessarily want
to go home.’ That’s kind of where I am at now?”
“Did you enjoy Europe more?” he asked.
“No,” I said. “Europe was so different, but they’ve both
been fun and they’ve both been hard. I would definitely come back to China
though. I’m really glad I’ve seen it and there is definitely more that I’d like
to see.”
“That’s good to hear,” he said.
And it’s true. China is different than the US, and it is
different than Europe. In some ways, it feels more like America than Europe
did. At the same time, there are some things about it that are not intuitive at
all. I’m so glad I came though. It has been totally eye opening and I can tell
some of my world views and opinions are starting to shift again.
When Amy texted me today, she told me that she couldn’t get
Monday off work. She’d spaced out a client visit she had scheduled with her
boss. So, I will officially be going on this little mountain adventure alone.
“Are you excited for your trip?” Vivi asked me as we were
closing up the office today.
“I am,” I said. “I’m nervous though.”
“Nervous?” she said.
“Since I’m going alone.”
“Didn’t you tell us you went to all of those European
countries alone?” Yu Cai asked.
I chuckled. “Yes, I did.”
“So you can do it,” she said. “Why are you nervous?”
“It’s been over a year since I did anything like that,” I
said. I realized it wasn’t that long but I am a little out of practice. And
having other interns around really has spoiled me this time. It’s been nice
talking English and having people to hang out with.
And that made me realize, maybe it’s time to get out of the
nest again. As that Shakespeare quote said, “When the sea was calm, all ships
alike showed mastership in floating.” I think it’s time to rock the boat.
After I got back from Europe, I found a list online of 11 reasons
traveling alone is better than with a group. I certainly found all of these to
be true in Europe, and re-reading the list tonight has reminded me how much fun I had on
my own last year. I’ve reproduced parts of the bulleted points here:"11 Reasons You Should Travel Alone At Least Once"
1.
“It’s one of the most empowering things you will
ever experience. There is no greater feeling than embarking on a courageous
journey alone with an open heart and an open mind.”
2.
“You can go wherever you want…”
3.
“Often, [local] people will look out for you
more when you are on your own…”
4.
“You can do what you want when you want…”
5.
“It forces you out of your comfort zone. When
you’re cut off from everything you know, your priorities and attitudes about
life change in ways you never imagined.”
6.
“You’re more open to meeting new people and
trying new things…”
7.
“It gives you a chance to discover things about
yourself while you discover the world. Solo travel is an incredibly
introspective experience that allows you time to really hone in on your
thoughts, dreams, and reflections of the world as you experience it.”
8.
“Although you’re alone, you don’t have to worry
about being lonely. At your hostel, restaurants, and other places you can always
find someone willing to start up a conversation…”
9.
“You can indulge in anything you want without
being judged…”
10.
“Solo travel is cheaper…”
11.
“…Too often we let fear or comfort of routine
stop us from taking life’s greatest risks and end up missing out on truly
rewarding experiences."
I have to admit, as I’ve been doing a lot of reading
tonight, I am getting really excited! As I’ve read the books, gone to the
store, stopped by the bank, and packed by bags, all of a sudden, China feels
magical again.
I think it will definitely be harder than anything I’ve done
before—I can’t fake Chinese nearly as well as I could Spanish or French or
Italian—and this is both the first and the most rural destination I have set my
sites on. But I feel like I have nothing to lose. I trust my judgment, I know I
can take of myself, and I know I’ll be smart if I get in a tough situation.
This feels like beginning of a really good story! I can’t
wait to share it with you when I get back!
No comments:
Post a Comment