Empty ? From Chengdu to Ya'an, I took the first step of hiking and hitchhiking!

1

In the world of travelers, there is a saying that is regarded as a classic: There must be at least two impulses in a person's life, one for love without risking one's own life, and one for leaving. Take the trip. There is another saying: There are many things that if you don’t do them now, you may never do them in this lifetime.

In that midsummer season, what deeply touched me was the second sentence. As I get older and stay in a foreign country for a long time, I have less and less sense of belonging, and the calm life makes me less passionate.

So, I gave myself another reason to be impulsive and practice the motto of the first sentence.

Resignation was long-awaited and unexpected. When I left the company, my mood instantly became complicated, including complete relaxation, reluctance, and unknown confusion. In the end, I can only tell myself that if I choose to move forward, I can’t look back.

When I woke up in the middle of the night, it took me a long time to realize that I was a free man. So, where to travel?

Randomly flipping through online travel notes and guides, Tibet’s blue sky, white clouds, customs, and interesting experiences of backpackers along the way eroded my heart inch by inch. In this way, I was gradually conquered by the charm of the snowy plateau. How can we calm down the yearning deep in our hearts if we don't experience it in person, where the colors are pure to the point of holiness, and the charm is euphemistic to the sublime?

Make a route plan, buy travel equipment, take out travel accident insurance, and contact your traveling companions. Everything is going on in an orderly manner in the hot summer.

I made an appointment with two girls on Douban. The initial planned route is to enter through the Sichuan-Tibet Line and exit through the Qinghai-Tibet Line, hiking and hitchhiking along the way. After confirming the departure date, during the remaining waiting time, I went to Shuimo Qiang City in Dujiangyan with my friends to experience the characteristics of the Qiang folk houses.

With plans and directions, expectations are beautiful. However, accidents can happen unexpectedly. Two days before leaving, first one girl gave up because her boyfriend was firmly opposed to it, and then another girl couldn't overcome her family's concerns and finally decided to rent a car to go to Tibet. She asked if I wanted to rent a car with her. I declined and said that I would not forget my original intention and would not violate my original intention.

Without time to think too much, I quickly posted the news online, hoping to find a new partner as soon as possible. After all, I don’t have the experience of backpacking, and it’s relatively safer to have people traveling with me to look after each other. The next morning, I saw news on Weibo about a small team going to Tibet to pick up people, so I contacted and joined. After communicating, I found out that they were all college students, two in Ya'an, two in Chongqing, and one in Beijing.

Later, we made an appointment to meet in Ya'an. And I decided to arrive a day early.

2

On the last day of July, it was not sunny in Chengdu. The sky in the morning was still gray, which made people feel uncontrollably depressed. After tidying up the room and packing my backpack, it was already half past eight when I went out. Closing the door seemed to close the passage of memories of the past few years at that moment. Once I leave, I will never return to this house. From then on, even passing through this somewhat familiar city is just a passerby.

After checking the shortest route to the Chengya Expressway intersection on the mobile map, we officially set off from Dayuan. Go through Kunhua Road to the east extension of Chuanda Road, pass through Jiang'an Campus of Sichuan University to Changcheng Road, and finally reach the double-flow entrance of Daya-Ya Expressway. Hiking, carrying a backpack weighing about 30 pounds, my shirt was soaked with sweat even after walking for a while.

When passing through Wenxing Town, I went to a convenience store on the roadside and bought two bottles of water, and consumed one immediately. Then, he continued to move forward non-stop without resting in the middle.

After hiking for more than two hours, we finally reached the highway intersection. After walking about ten kilometers, apart from being a little tired, I felt that my body could still bear it. Considering that I go to work on weekdays and have very few opportunities to exercise. With such a result, I should be optimistic about subsequent hikes.

I walked to the entrance ramp in the direction of Ya'an, stood outside the edge of the carriageway, and then gave a thumbs up, making a hitchhiking gesture. I was the only pedestrian with a backpack at the intersection, and I stood out among the traffic. In this way, I feel a little uneasy and a little expectant.

Near noon, the ground temperature has risen, and sweat is rolling down my cheeks. The traffic flow is not very large, and a few cars pass by from time to time. About three minutes later, a minivan pulled up next to me. There were two young men sitting in the front cab. They looked like a couple. The car owner smiled at me and asked me where I was going. I replied that I would go to Ya'an.

The young eldest brother said, I'm sorry, we have to go to Pengshan and not to Ya'an, otherwise I would have taken you with me. I quickly said, it’s okay, it’s okay! Thank you and wish you a safe journey.

As I watched their car drive away, I couldn't help but feel warm in my heart, feeling that there was a hint of brightness in the gloomy sky. In that brief glance, maybe less than a second, he could make the decision to pick up a stranger at that moment. What a friendly person he must be!

Two minutes later, a red Audi stopped. After the car window was lowered, I saw that the owner of the car was a young lady, and there was a little girl sitting in the passenger seat, about eleven or twelve years old.

I smiled slightly and asked, Sister, I am going to Ya'an, can you give me a free ride?

The eldest sister readily agreed.

I couldn’t be more excited to take a ride for the first time. In this way, the most uneasy and difficult step was finally passed. The air conditioner is on in the car, and as soon as you sit in, your whole body feels cool instantly. While chatting, the eldest sister asked me what the thumbs up just now meant. I said that this is the gesture usually used by backpackers hitchhiking. Then, I told my eldest sister the meanings of the driver’s different response gestures that I had learned during the strategy planning.

The eldest sister smiled and said that this was the first time she had heard of this. It was also the first time she took me with a stranger today. As we chatted slowly, we learned that my eldest sister was doing business in Chengdu, and this time she took her daughter back to her hometown of Ya'an to visit her mother who was sick and hospitalized. When we talked about my hiking and hitchhiking trip to Tibet, my eldest sister agreed. She said that people should go out while they are young. After seeing more of the world, broadening their horizons and gaining courage, they can go better in the future.

I am not a good talker, but I can still chat casually with people I have just met, letting time pass quickly by the scenery passing by along the way. Perhaps this is the charm of trusting each other during travel. On the way, the eldest sister asked her daughter to give me a cantaloupe to quench my thirst. I bit into it, it was very sweet.

At nearly 12 noon, the car drove into downtown Ya'an. Knowing that I was going to Sichuan Agricultural University to meet my friends, the eldest sister took me directly to the gate of Sichuan Agricultural University. After getting off the bus, I thanked her again, took out the notepad I brought with me, and asked my eldest sister and daughter to sign their names. Only then did I learn that my eldest sister’s surname was Lei, and my daughter’s signature was Yan Ruxi.