Chapter one: PeopleAs soon as I put my feet on the Yunnans land, I was able to find out that falling in love with a place is such an easy thing, just as falling in love with a man. I was so in love that even back to Shenzhen for around a week, the wonderful scenes and people in Yunnan I met on my six-day tour is still hangering around my dreams.
However, I am still wondering that I loved tha place at my first glance because I went with a partner I loved without awareness or because I loved the wonderful fairyland so much that I consequecely loved any lovely people beside me with the
romantic mood around. The only thing I am clear now is I was so upset these days after both aparting from the land and "him", the friend I went along with.
Unfortunately, I guess he will never know that, for I will never let it out. :) I have always thought that we were just very best friends, knowing each other so well that we should not have any special feelings beyond "friends", although in this moment, I dont know if this is what I truely want.
Yunnan is no doubt a perfect land for romance. We are together like very intimate soulmates, reading messages from each other just by an easy eye contact, no wonder that no people believe that we r no bf n gf. Obviously, the main reason for the tour being a very unforgetable one is that we r a very harmonious pair of old friends. we shared every wonderful moment we had druing the trip, building the comom memories with our sincere hearts. I dont know why we cannot going a step further, maybe just as what the Shanghai couple we met in Dali and then traveled together in Lijiang said "maybe both of you r afraid of sth". But what r we afraid? The only thing I
understand is that I dont want to lose another very best friend. Love is like a flash, which is so fabulous but fading in a short time, even may eventually burn you over. On the contrary, friends r forever, no betray, no heartbreaking, just pure love, love, love.
Kunming is the first destination we went. Since we had our common good friend working in a university over there, we spent most of our time in Kuming for eating and chating with old friends, finding not enough time to go to many tourism destinations. We found it no regretful at all for all of us knew that this was a very historical reunion -- our three best friends have knew each other for already more than 10 years so far and now it was the first and only time we all met together
in a city other than our hometown. In these 10 years, we finished high-school then went to different univerisities in different cities. During this neither so long nor so short period, each of us had our own stories -- loved and beloved, dumped somebody and get dumped, then its already time to graduate and work. After entering the competitive society, time seems more scarce than before, so we donot keep in touch quite often. However, the friendship of us is getting stronger and stronger, no matter how we changed. Although Ely married last year, we both agreed that shes the only one of our class who substains the pure personalities like a child. She showed up in front of us in short hair, over-sized T-shirt and sported trousers, with a very sun-shinning smile, as lovely as what she was 10 years ago. Aging seems does no impact on her at all. in our friends little cozy en-suite we kept chatting, laughing, kidding each other. Ely mentioned that once we were all very hard-working good students, 6am in the morning, she was the first one of our class to turn out in the classroom, then O came, and I was the third one. Its like the unchanged rule. In a very warm morning sunlight, we would often reading books together, now and then discussed for a while. Now, what a good time we had together, just like yesterday once more!
Besides my old friends, I met so many new friends on my way as well, who also make my tour more impressed. In Dali oldtown, there were lots of backpackers coming from all around the world. The inn we lived is specially popular for foreigners. I talked with an Italian guy named Frank, who has been travelling around for nearly ten years. He told me that he would like to stay in China for travelling for about 3 years and now its only his third week here. What a lifestyle! When he looked at me, his smile is so sweet and his eyes so glaring. Later I found out why. As soon as he knew that "he" is not my bf, he asked me if I can be his gf. I was happy but still with my head on, although I liked him as well, I still declined him. We actually dont know each other yet, who knows what will happen next? Nonetheless, its a very romantic story on my journey, isnt it?
Later on, we met more foreigners. I volunteerly did the translation and guiding of three foreign girls that we met on the boattrip around Erhai Lake. One girl is coming from Sweden and the other two is from Norway. we had a very good lunch together with the Shanghai couple, and they apparently enjoyed the very fresh fish dishes on the beatiful island. As I know from them, they never eat such kinds of fish in their own countries. When we split the bill, they were also very surprised for the cheap price. It only cost us 15 yuan each one. Of course, with we Chinese friends, how could they be cheated by the local people. We knew how to bargain ma! haha! It seemed that they were really had a good time with us, so, at the end of our boattrip, they all wrote down their contact detail to me. The most sweetie Sweden girl who is a little babyfat also gave me a notes, where she wrote that "I am very glad to meet you here in China and if you have any opportunities to come to Sweden, pleae give me a mail and you r more than welcome to stay in my house." To be honest, I was so hounored to have this offer, as you know, Laowai is very care of their privacy and they seldom asked people to their home, unless you r very close friends. I suddenly have one more close friend, how nice it is!
There are also another very interesting family we met in Lijiang. Its an English couple who lived in a small town very near Manchester, the place that I used to lived for around a year. They r shopping with two not-so-like Chinese girls when I got to notice them. I am very sensitive to the English accent. So I tried to say hello to them. out of my anticipation, they r very friendly and talktive. I had thought the two girls were their mix-blood granddauthers. But they told me that they were adopted by them when they were just a baby, one from Zhejiang and another one from Jiangxi. Both of the girls are very cute, what is a little pity that neither of them can speak Chinese. The husband, John told me that since they r getting older and older, he and his wife made up their mind to bring these two children back to China for a visit, trying to let them know what their monther country to be. I was so touched by their kindness and love. The love is so great as its unconditional, unselfish, and colorless. John and his family seem affectionate with Chinese people very much. Before we said goodbye, we took down each others contact detail, he even asked me to stay in their home if I go to England. Well, we will see. By now, I am looking forward to their calling in as they told me that they might come to Shenzhen when going to Hongkong a month later. I absoutly pleased to treat this wonderful family with a typical Chinese dinner.
(To be continue)