Post-Trip Post

Coming back from a long trip in China, these few days I have been tied up in a stack of work. It is quite a challenge to get my brain back on track after such a fun trip.

What do I get from this trip?
Memory
1000+ pieces of pictures, some are good, some are bad but every single picture has its own memory in it.

Experience
For the first time in my life, I sit in the lowest class cabin of train, the hard seater cabin for 12 hours journey from Beijing to Xian. Even in Indonesia, I never take such train before. It was uncomfortable when I was sitting there, but after completing the journey, I think it's not that bad, we made it to Xian.
For the first time in my life, I see snowing, yeah, snowing below 0 degree C. Snowing is beautiful, but it is way too cold for tropical girl like me.
Looking at the vast grassland to feel that the world is big, expanding my horizon, looking at the heavenly-beautiful Jiuzhaigou, to feel that God is great, He could create such an amazing scenery for us.

People
I had chance to interact with Chinese Tibetan and Chinese Hui people. Their cultures are really different and that open my eyes, China is not all about Han Chinese, China is far richer than that. Because the drivers that sent us from Xia He to Langmusi and from Langmusi to Jiuzhaigou are Tibetans, I had chance to talk personally to them. Each of them left deep impressions in me. The way they are thinking are different, the way they are living are also different. We had chance to see how Tibetans people are living in the grassland with the yaks and lambs in nomad tents. They are so blended with the nature, something that have been missing from city. They move from one grassland to another, there is no competition no pressure in their life, they are satisfied with the simple life. Somehow I feel, if you can live a simple life, it's a blessing in a way.

Culture
The colourful and unique Tibetan culture left a very deep impression in me. Tibetan Buddhism is similar but different from Chinese Buddhism that I know. They are so spiritually devoted. Although I didn't manage to see the Sky Burial Ceremony, but the driver told me the meaning of it. In Sky Burial, the dead person's body will be eaten by the eagles in the hope that the eagles will bring the person to heaven. It's a way of returning back to mother nature. Tibetans don't eat fish and chicken as well, because 20 people can be full by killing one cow, while killing one chicken hardly could make a person full. Hence, it's less sinful to eat bigger animals. This very unique culture really attracted me a lot that I wish I could visit Tibet one day

Achievement
3000km journey on land in China, and going up to 3840m above sea level, something I have never done before in my life.

All in all, what I get from the trip justify all the sacrifice I made for it. Looking forward for more and more trips next year, maybe Yunnan or Tibet.