reflections on my travels...so far
traveling is so inspiring and opens up your mind.
it was interesting to actually touch the great wall of china, to ride a beijing bus, to haggle for cheap stuff, to navigate through the streets among thousands of people, to eat beijing duck. it was an adventure to ride a horse and carriage, to ride a galloping stallion, to build a fire, to live in a ger, to eat mutton, to listen to monks chanting.
along the way, i met interesting people. a swiss who loves the philippines, a dane who embraces asian cultures, an american learning mongolian, another american helping the reindeer people, a frenchman traveling through most of asia, a british family who loves adventure traveling.
the most precious and unique encounters however were with people who did not speak english nor filipino: a mongolian woman who, by signalling and pointing, directed me to the train ticket station; vendors at the last south tower at the great wall who i joked around with, i gave them candy, they gave us apples, and let me sit on a stack of books to rest; the mongolian girl who's in charge of the guesthouse where we stayed, who i talked to about TV shows and korean celebrities; the chinese girl at the cafe who gave me a cute souvenir and asked me when i would return to china. maybe soon. definitely, next time, to see more of the "probinsiya".
this trip could not have come at a better time in my life. it widened my horizons and opened my eyes, and despite the exhaustion, rejuvenated me.
pictures to come soon.
