| 完美 |
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| 发帖：1464 |
| 等级：神州独行 |
| 积分：1682 |
| 注册：2006/8/17 |
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As I set out on this journey, many of my friends expressed their well-grounded concerns and worries, and tried to persuade me to choose an easier way.
Hitchhiking mode of travel would inevitably be full of uncertainties and hardships; most time I slept out, in the woods, on the beaches, under the bush in the desert, and in the Snow Mountains. I walked hours and hours in the rain, against strong wind, under the scorching sun, and in darkness . Pain on feet, sore in back, hungry, thirsty, cold, sick with anxiety.
Yet I have no regrets, not for a single moment, in fact, I am enjoying it very much, I enjoyed everything on my road. I had never got so close to n ature in my life so far; every morning I wake up to bird's chirping , and walk ed along the remote mountain trail, smelling the fresh breeze from the forest. Lying in my tent at the seaside, I enjoyed the soothing sound of sea waves lapping onto the shore; walking i n the desert, I was marveled at the endless land merging into the sky over the horizon; climbing the mountain, I looked up at the full moon rising quietly from the peaks of mountains at twilight...
……There are always stories coming with each new ride and random stop-offs. I met so many cool and beautiful people on the road.
At "Point Joe", as I tried to express my gratitude, Joe said that I didn't have to thank him, for, while he was young, he had been traveling in many countries, received many helps from people, he's just returning these kindness by helping me.
A middle aged Latino woman offered me a ride from Carmel. As she drove along, she told me she was from Honduras, and told me how she came to America 30 years ago the hard way, and the touching love story between her and her 22 years younger husband. When she dropped me off on the roadside, she gave m e her family's address in Honduras, told me I can stay at her family's house if I go to Honduras someday.
A young lady, Dionne, went out of her way to drive me to my destination. She told me that I was the first hitchhiker she has ever picked up, as I hopped out her car, she told me her cell phone number and let me call her if I got any emergency.
Jerry Price, whom I met in North California, is 72 years old this year but still dreaming to climb Mt. Everest, to be the oldest person who has ever climbed to top of that mountain. He can speak a little bit Chinese, and call ed himself "Lao Feng Zi (old nut)", and called me"Xiao Feng Zi (young nut)".
Kevin, a cheerful electrician from San Bernardino, stopped for me as he saw I am walking alone in the desert. Kevin has a deep love for his Harley; he made his across America trip driving his Harley. Actually, h e is fatally sic k with an incurable disease. "I'm dying," he said, "but death doesn't stop me, it just inspires me to enjoy life harder."
Now I would like to talk more about the Wild Burro Rescue Sanctuary. I am working as a temporary volunteer. This is an isolated range located at the base of Eastern Sierra Nevada. It has four staff members taking care of 200 burros, mules, horses, and many other animals. None of them gets paid or any benefits….
This sanctuary is short of almost everything that it needs to save about 187 wild burros. There is no electricity, no tap water, no telephone line here. Every night we eat poor food by the candle lights……
The conditions here is beyond your wild imagination , but all of the people here are wonderful, they still keep a positive attitude towards life, and they are dedicated to the work of rescuing wild Burros.
Every day after supper, we all stand silently in yard watching the moon rising from Coso Mountain in the east, this scene is so enchanting that I will never forget for my whole life.
……
When I started my journey, I wished in mind that let me gain some
unusual experiences, meet some cool people. Two and half months passed, I am happy to say I got much more than I had wished. Everything turned out to be far better than I had expected. With all the sufferings and pains a hitch-hiker is expected to endure, I feel learnt, inspired, enlightened, encouraged, and tested by experiences and people I encountered along the way. My faith in the essential goodness of human nature has been reinforced. I'm no longer in doubt of myself; I have never been so sure of myself. I can see my own essence more and more clearly, it had been hidden somewhere inside me.
Every morning as I wake up, I am never sure where I'll be at night, what kind of people I will meet and what will happen on the road, but I know my journey will be full of joy coming from my encounters with their unusual stories.
I would like to conclude my letter with an ancient Sanskrit poem I found on the guest room's wall at "Point Joe," Look to this day
Look to this day
for it is life
the very life of life
In its brief course lie all
the realities and truths of existence
the joy of growth
the splendor of action
the glory of power
For yesterday is but a memory
And tomorrow is only a vision
But today well lined
makes every yesterday a memory of happiness
and every tomorrow a vision of hope
Look well, therefore, to this day.
Best wishes
Xiang on the road
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完美，我所追求；过程多痛，我都承担。
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