Hai từ đáng ngưỡng mộ nhất trên thế giới:
Một từ là “nghiêm túc”, từ thứ hai là “kiên trì”.
Người nghiêm túc thay đổi bản thân, người kiên trì thay đổi số phận.
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世界上最可贵的两个词：
一个叫“认真”，一个叫“坚持”。
认真的人改变自己，坚持的人改变命运 。
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The two most precious words in the world:
One is called “serious” and the other is called “persistent”.
Serious people change themselves, persistent people change their destiny.
P.s.: Picture taken in Changpinggou, Mt. Siguniang, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan, China in 2019.
Sự thật là thế này, cô đơn khiến bạn trở nên mạnh mẽ và khiến bạn trở thành một người tốt hơn.
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真相就是这样，孤独让你强大，让你成为一个更好的人。
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The truth is that loneliness makes you strong and makes you a better person.
P.s.: Picture taken in Changpinggou, Mt. Siguniang, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan, China in 2019.
Trong núi có cây sống ngàn năm,
Trên đời khó gặp người trăm tuổi.
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山中也有千年树，
世上难逢百岁人。
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There are thousand-year-old trees in the mountains.
It’s rare to find a hundred-year-old person in the world.
P.s.: Picture taken in Changpinggou, Mt. Siguniang, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan, China in 2019.
Thứ làm người ta mệt mỏi không phải là ngọn núi cao phía trước, mà là hạt cát trong chiếc giày.
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使人疲惫的不是远方的高山，而是鞋里的一粒沙子。
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It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out; it is the grain of sand in your shoe.
P.s.: Picture taken in Changpinggou, Mt. Siguniang, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan, China in 2019.
Before I went on this trip, I thought Mt. Siguniang must be a place for climbers. I only liked hiking for a day of about 30,000 steps which was tiring enough. Stargazing on the snowy top of the mountain at night under the cold wind was no fun to me. I didn’t really wanna go to Mt. Siguniang though it was in my initial plan. Because the Dien Bien girl didn’t intend go climbing alone, and I didn’t know how to see pandas in Wolong, I decided to give Mt. Siguniang a try in the end. Turned out this world heritage had several valleys and was worth seeing.
The highest place of my journey: somewhere near 3,700m beside a waterfall.
I met a forest keeper on the hike (first I thought he was a traveler), and after chatting for a while, he told me my Chinese was good. I also felt at ease with my ability to converse for more than just 1 or 2 sentences asking for direction.
The most picturesque view must have been some pine trees with no leaf under water.
After the boardwalk, there was a muddy trek because of the continuous rain from yesterday. I decided to wait for others at the roadside stop, enjoyed my 10-yuan hot milk tea to keep me warm, and looked at other hikers chatting and eating barbecued food. I also helped a couple bargaining for their horse ride because their kids seemed to be worn out. Turned out their horses just went down halfway instead.
On the way out, I entered the monastery near the gate which I couldn’t get in in the morning because it was closed then.
I thought I’d go to 2 valleys today, but Changpinggou (Changping Valley) turned out to be so long a hike.
When I was back to the hostel in the afternoon, I was also trying to ask for the bus to Chengdu with the owner, and she said there were 3 buses tomorrow. I’d like to take the noon one.
Later, I bought more milk teas in a grocery store. 1 cup cost only 4 yuans.
My Pedometer app first indexed 30,535 steps for today, but then later I saw only 28,849 steps. Huh?
Continue ReadingNgawa Tibetan And Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Day 11: Changping Valley
Barkam to Aba/Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture was like Kangding to Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, meaning it was the seat of the prefecture. There was a river flowing alongside the town, too. But I felt that Barkam seemed to be much less crowded than Kangding and had no sign of international travelers.
Today was a great public transport experience. Because the driver said 8:30AM the bus to Xiaojin would depart, this morning, I came to the station early to buy a new ticket. Turned out I was too early, again. The bus would depart around noon, again.
When I went back to the hostel for a seat, they invited me to have breakfast. So kind. Or they didn’t know that I had already checked out. And it was a square meal with green bean and rice porridge, two Chinese steamed buns (mantou), a boiled egg, peanuts, and pickled cucumber. Best breakfast so far.
It was a bumpy bus ride to Xiaojin via winding roads and passes. Sometimes, I thought the bus couldn’t get through some big stone piles on the road. But thanks to the onsite wheel loader and rotary mixer, plus the help of the bus staff, there was a connecting bus waiting for us somewhere on the way to Mt. Siguniang.
The 10-hour on the bus ride yesterday was not as tiring as 6 hours today; however, I enjoyed this crowded bus from Xiaojin to Mt. Siguniang, and moreover, kindness of Chinese people.
They stopped near the Changping Valley site under the rain, so I picked that hostel right there. Its decoration looked warm and comfortable.
The Changping Inn hostel’s owner didn’t speak English, but I found their bookcase interesting.
Continue ReadingNgawa Tibetan And Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Day 10: Barkam To Mt. Siguniang
