The beginning of the essay
For this in-depth tour of the Southwest, the goal planned before the trip is Yunnan, and the route basically adopts a straight line, and it is still the style of going wherever you go. After entering the border, you can go abroad if you can, or walk along the border if you can’t, and experience the life of the frontier people in the barbaric land and the mountains and rivers in the tropical rainforest.
Tengchong is the place to go, to search for the relics of the Chinese Expeditionary Army on the land once soaked in blood; Xishuangbanna is also to go, where the climate is warm and the hormones are particularly active, which is the root cause of the evil debts of the educated youths in Shanghai. There is also Dali, and I look forward to being lucky enough to meet Liu Yifei’s version of Wang Yuyan.
Very early on, I heard people say: In this world, there are many places that we must go to at least once in our lives, because that place represents dreams, realms, and the height of life. For example, we have to go to Dali once in our life, in order to meet unexpected romance.
At the beginning of September, I did a maintenance for the car. I don’t know much about cars, and the most important thing I care about is to check the tires so that the wheels don’t fly when I go over the mountains. The 4S store only changed the engine oil and said it was fine and nothing happened. It’s the same as the last time I did maintenance in Lhasa, Tibet, purely perfunctory.
Now going to the hospital to see a doctor is the same as 4S shop maintenance. The doctor asked: Is it uncomfortable there? Answer: runny nose, cough. The doctor wrote out the prescription like a ghost, and it was over, without even bothering to lift his head.
It takes hours to queue up, and only a minute or two to see a doctor. The patient should ask the question by himself. If you don’t understand or explain clearly, the doctor will not take the initiative to check and diagnose.
In this regard, the current 4S shop is basically the same as the hospital, the only difference is that you can enjoy a free fast food, a chicken leg and a spoonful of vegetables during the waiting period for vehicle maintenance.
Based on the fact that my blood pressure, blood sugar and other indicators were a little high five years ago, I went to the pharmacy of the health center to dispense some medicine. They only prescribed a two-month supply, saying that it was stipulated that more prescriptions should not be prescribed.
In this way, the approximate time for planning a trip to Yunnan is limited to two or three months, and it would be too troublesome to get reimbursed after dispensing medicine from other places.
In the first ten days of September, I met local riders in Hangzhou for a gathering by the Qiantang River in Xiasha, Hangzhou. Nearly 20 large and small RVs and self-modified cars came, and more than 30 people crowded into a big table, which was very lively.
The bearded car friend “Gong Jiang Performing Arts” looks exactly like Lu Shuming, and he sang loudly. “A Pot of Old Wine” sang vividly and tastefully. It’s a pity that none of the people in this big country have time to travel with me. The estimated travel time of three months is too extravagant for many people.
In mid-September, some good owners of the residential complex where I lived heard that I was going to travel far away, which coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival. Someone proposed to get together with each other, and the method was to serve one or two dishes per family. This form of dinner is very similar to the way of eating with car friends during a self-driving tour, and I readily agree.
As a result, the matter turned into a dinner for the owners of the whole community. There were 25 tables, and more than 300 people came. After the community heard about it, they helped us solve the problem of tables, chairs and benches; the community business committee also gave strong support, presenting bowls, chopsticks, drinks, nuts and fruits.
Nowadays, the material life is rich, but most of the spiritual life is very lonely. Many people are looking forward to the opportunity to communicate with people. Without exception, that party fooled many people into becoming interested in caravan tours.
A week before my departure, I started to make self-driving travel guides. The distance from Hangzhou to Kunming is more than 2,000 kilometers. See where to play along the way.
At this time, through WeChat contact, “Yun Bin” in Jingmen, Hubei has confirmed to go with me. I decided to set off on September 25th, and “Yun Bin” had to lag behind for a week before leaving Jingmen.
I said: It’s okay, I’m going to Xiuning, Huangshan to make a lithium battery first, and I don’t know how many days it will take to change the battery. Take your time and do a good job of strategy, I will stop doing it, and run with you when the time comes. He said: Prepare your passport and see if you can go to Laos.
Thinking of Yunnan’s “four seasons like spring”, I didn’t bring a few clothes, and the thickest one was a woolen sweater. This kind of taking it for granted has suffered a little after entering Yunnan. The temperature difference there is quite large. There is a difference of about 20 degrees between when there is sun and when there is no sun.
On December 23, three months before and after, I returned to Hangzhou directly from Wenzhou. The damp and cold south of the Yangtze River made people completely lose the interest in traveling in the mountains and rivers. Rest at home for a week. On December 28, I went to the RV Camp of Hangzhou Bay Cross-sea Bridge to participate in the annual “RV Annual Conference” held by Zhejiang RV Association.
Due to the limited space, more than 150 caravans were originally scheduled for 100 cars. Everyone crowded together and the venue was full. The car friends are reunited, the emotions are high, and the sky is full of joy. There are so many gifts this year.
During this trip, the dust settled for a whole month, and I always wanted to take the time to write something, leave some thoughts, and also make some summary of the use of the vehicle, so as to provide some practical experience for future generations. But the heart has been unable to calm down, the whole person’s mental state seems to be still driving a car in the wilderness.
The endless mountain roads that seem to end forever can be felt as soon as you close your eyes; for several hours, they rotate in countless similar sharp bends and steep slopes. Often, the car becomes an airplane, plunges into the depths of the clouds, and then emerges through the clouds and fog for a while.
I can’t describe this trip systematically at all. Sixu is jumping and flowing, and the process is messy and scattered. I can only think of it and say it. There is no distinction between the order and the front and back; some things are vividly remembered, and some things have been confused; many places have lost their place names, and some riders who stopped and gathered for a short time have forgotten their names.
However, all this does not prevent us from permanently remembering those classic pasts and friendly friendships. The world’s car friends are a family, in strange places and other towns, as long as they are traveling by car, they are brothers when they meet.
Some pictures from the party related to this article:
Zhejiang annual meeting site
Before leaving Yunnan, the brothers had dinner
Che You “Miyae Performing Arts”
Qiantang River Gathering
There is an endless stream of RVs participating in the New Year’s Day Carnival
RV Annual Meeting Zhejiang Cheyou Gathering
Gathering with car friend “Ah Fu”
Have a feast with senior car enthusiasts such as Xiying and Laohan
