What Hitchhiking Solo Every 2Nd A Woman Soul Inwards China Taught Me
Posted: 12/10/2014 | Dec 10th, 2014
On the 2d Midweek of the month, Kristin Addis from Be My Travel Muse writes a invitee column featuring tips too advice on solo woman someone travel. It’s an of import theme I can’t encompass so I brought inwards an proficient to part her advice.
It was Feb inwards Red People's Republic of China and, considering the town of Lijiang’s elevation inwards Yunnan province, yet really much a mutual frigidity wintertime wonderland. Standing exterior waiting wasn’t how I wanted to pass the morning. But Ya Ting had such enthusiasm for the thought of hitchhiking that opting for the double-decker precisely seemed tiresome at this point. She had been hitchhiking to a greater extent than or less Red People's Republic of China for months too considered it such a casual too obvious selection that it took the fright correct out of me.
China had been on my bucket listing e'er since studying Standard Mandarin inwards Taiwan vii years prior. I knew from conversations alongside friends that traveling to a greater extent than or less Red People's Republic of China would non last every bit carefree too piece of cake every bit inwards Southeast Asia. What I didn’t excogitation on was spending virtually a calendar month without coming across some other foreigner, hitchhiking over 1,000 miles, too learning to a greater extent than virtually Chinese civilisation too hospitality than I intend possible from traveling past times double-decker or train.
Ya Ting had taken me nether her wing after hearing me speaking Standard Mandarin inwards a hostel dorm inwards Lijiang. She was fascinated past times my fluency too wanted to move together, which was how nosotros ended upwards on the side of the route looking for a ride to the Tiger Leaping Gorge. Within 20 minutes, nosotros had our commencement ride. I gauge it wouldn’t conduct keep hours after all. He couldn’t conduct keep us all the agency too ended upwards dropping us at a state highway crossroads. I figured that would last the destination of our luck, but almost at nowadays nosotros got some other ride.
Hitchhiking turned out to last to a greater extent than of a report of anthropology than a scary, irresponsible joy ride. It was astonishingly piece of cake too drivers turned out to last incredibly dainty too normal. As a novel hitchhiker, I expected creeps too series murderers I’d conduct keep to acquire by off alongside mace. In reality, they came from all normal walks of life: members of minority hamlet tribes, academy students, too businessmen returning abode from a run trip.
Not 1 time did I experience threatened or unsafe.
Our most noteworthy run into was when a twenty-something kid picked us up. He couldn’t conduct keep us the whole agency so his uncle bought us luncheon too a double-decker ticket for the residual of the journey. It’s every bit though he felt obligated to aid us honor a agency to consummate our trip. It brought tears of joy too gratitude to my eyes. This was the commencement fourth dimension I understood the importance of generosity too the high esteem that guests command in China. It was a selfless human activity that would repeat itself inwards the weeks to come.
Ya Ting’s theory had been that nosotros were so getting so lucky because nosotros were a local too a foreigner together, too that had sparked intrigue. She didn’t intend nosotros would acquire so lucky 1 time nosotros separate up. After a few weeks traveling together, nosotros said good-bye too I would exam her theory.
I stood behind the tollbooth on a heavily trafficked highway on-ramp inwards Sichuan province, casually lowering my pollex each fourth dimension a law motorcar drove by. I was good aware of the challenge earlier me. Ya Ting was no longer to a greater extent than or less to produce the talking, nor did I conduct keep someone to lean upon if something went wrong. Now I was precisely a unusual foreigner on her ain who of a precipitous had to care alongside a borderline-conversational Standard Mandarin ability.
At first, a few cars slowed downward for a closer look, only to speed off. Then others but weren’t going inwards my direction. Minutes stretched on, too I was feeling defeated. After virtually 30 minutes (or an eternity depending on who is counting), a form duo picked me upwards too took me the entire eight hours to Chengdu. They hosted luncheon on the way, and, every bit I had come upwards to acquire was typical of Chinese culture, refused to allow me to pay for whatsoever of it. I was amazed at the kindness that was yet extended to me at nowadays that I was precisely a foreigner on her ain too no longer had Ya Ting’s dynamic personality to aid me along. This reinforced my belief that people weren’t existence friendly because of Ya Ting but that Chinese civilisation dictates a hospitality nosotros don’t oft regard inwards the West.
A calendar week later, 2 trouble organisation partners returning from a trip from Tibet picked me up. They drove virtually twice every bit fast every bit the buses and, inwards betwixt white-knuckling it inwards the dorsum topographic point too eating the occasional spell of yak jerky (delicious dehydrated beef-like meat with Tibetan spices), nosotros discussed the topography of California every bit compared to Sichuan province.
They stopped on the way for a luncheon of the famous ya an fish, which the driver, Mr. Li, had selected from the fish tank, along alongside some half dozen other massive dishes to last separate amid us iii people. He explained that the fish had a double-edged sword within its head. Given my perplexed aspect he elected to demo me, calling over the waitress too yell for her to interruption the fish’s caput open.
I was all but convinced I was going to conduct keep to swallow fish encephalon until the waitress triumphantly pulled out a sword-shaped os from the fish’s head. She so cleaned it too fashioned it into a bracelet. It simultaneously became the most precipitous too lethal yet truly interesting spell of jewelry anyone had e'er given me. It felt similar my optic grew 2 sizes it that moment.
China smashed many of my perceptions. Before this, I never understood why anyone hitchhiked. Getting into vehicles alongside strangers seemed unsafe too stupid. In reality, it taught me virtually kindness, improved my linguistic communication might immensely, too provided an insider’s persuasion every bit a foreigner inwards China. From eating meals alongside locals, to sitting inwards their cars, to hearing the music they liked most, or whether they preferred bagged chicken feet to dried fruit, I witnessed Chinese life inwards a agency that almost nobody else gets to see. Without hitchhiking, I may never conduct keep understood the generous too communal nature of Chinese people.
Kristin Addis is a solo woman someone move proficient who inspires women to move the basis inwards an authentic too adventurous way. H5N1 old investment banker who sold all of her holding too left California inwards 2012, Kristin has solo traveled the basis for over 4 years, roofing every continent (except for Antarctica, but it’s on her list). There’s almost naught she won’t endeavour too almost nowhere she won’t explore. You tin honor to a greater extent than of her musings at Be My Travel Muse or on Instagram too Facebook.
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