The Clasp of Fate—May We Always Be Free

It’s been almost a month since we came back from Western Sichuan. I’ve gathered a bunch of photos but haven’t posted them yet (how did it suddenly become December ah ah). Originally, the plan was to visit Lijiang, Shangri-La, Dali, and Kunming. But while in Shangri-La, we changed our minds last minute. Sunny autumn in Beijing or possibly snowy but closer Daocheng Yading. Avoiding decisions has always been my habit. “Let’s decide after we finish Yubeng.” On day 3 in Yubeng, it was so cold we stayed by the fire in the guesthouse. Then we happened to meet a guide who had led tours in Western Sichuan. “Then let’s go to Daocheng Yading.” Hoping the weather forecast’s inaccuracy wouldn’t come true. It really snowed that day. When describing the snow, I said, “That’s moderate snow.” But when sorting through the pictures, I realized it was heavy snowflakes!!! (After struggling to climb to Milk Lake and almost giving up at Five Color Lake, our unwillingness to give up pushed us to finish the long trail.) The memories of Yubeng and Daocheng Yading, after filtering out many hardships, are mostly about interesting things and people. But the photos in the album prove we really endured a lot 🥲 Unlike the usual route of Shangri-La—Daocheng Yading—Shangri-La, we went straight to Chengdu, which was completely unexpected. If we hadn’t been so attached to Yunnan after visiting last year… If I hadn’t been dragged down by money during my internship… If we hadn’t met that guide in Yubeng village… We wouldn’t have come to Western Sichuan at all, nor seen the snowy white when planning to see autumn. Fate is a very mysterious thing. A girl we met at Feilai Temple asked where we planned to go next and if we were interested in going to Kangding together. On the way into the village, we met three girls from Shenzhen who were also planning to go to Daocheng Yading, and we even stayed at the same guesthouse! On day 2 in Yubeng, we met a tour group. The guide of that group: picked up two girls along the way. And we, too, picked up a bunch of travel buddies. Also, the foreign friends we met in Yubeng and later in Litang, the Zhejiang driver from Litang to Xinduqiao, and the guide uncle in Xinduqiao… So here’s hoping we all get better and better. If fate allows, see you again 👋🏻