@Romero, 22-year-old female
I met them on the second day I came to Shiraz. Or rather, at that time, they found me in this world. It was just over 5 pm in the evening, and it was already dark in Iran. My phone and power bank were both out of battery at the same time. I only know that the hotel is very close to me, in a small alley near the bazaar where I am located. So I walked through the streets under dim streetlights, trying to follow the uncertain memories to find it, but there were too many crossroads. For safety reasons, I still returned to the bright streets. At this moment, a group of boys who looked like middle or high school students walked over and greeted me in broken Chinese. I was thinking of trying my luck, as they lived nearby and might know the exact location of the hotel. They don’t speak English, so I entered the hotel name on their phone and told them I was going to this place. But soon I realized that this group of teenagers were not kind-hearted, they tried to take me in the opposite direction of the destination on the map, to a remote and deserted place. Just as I was worrying about how to get rid of these little bad guys, they appeared. A few young people dressed up in fashion, carrying speakers, guitars, and CDs. I developed an inexplicable sense of trust. After exchanging English with Persian, they understood my situation and told me not to worry. They would escort me back to the hotel. Then the only girl asked me using a translation software, ‘We are going to play in the city, do you want to join?’ I said it’s possible.
At first, I thought they were a band going to rehearse or perform, but later I found out that they were street performers, performing arts, but not making a living from it. More out of fun. Anyway, I followed them onto the subway to the city center. Their stage is at the exit of a shopping mall in the city center. A few people casually sat on the ground with their legs crossed, and the performance began. Its voice is so beautiful, lonely yet majestic, delicate yet vast. I thought it wouldn’t attract too many people to stop, even though people came and went. But from the moment they played the first sound, someone gradually put money into their handbag. I listened attentively, and when the song ended, I turned around to look. There were already people around, and everyone applauded before leaving. The original plan was for them to help me take a taxi back to the hotel after the performance, but later Reza was worried that it would be unsafe for me to be alone too late, so she drove me back. After more than half an hour’s drive, four boys crowded in the back seat, and I sat in the passenger seat, laughing and singing loudly along the way, as if we were old friends we had known for a long time. We agreed to perform together the next day, so at the same time and at the same intersection, we met again. Seeing a few familiar faces in a foreign land, even though it was only their second meeting, there was a feeling of reunion after a long separation. After the performance, we went for a walk in a nearby park. When we got tired, we sat on the roadside playing guitar, singing loudly, and chatting from all over the world. They taught me how to speak Persian, and I taught them how to speak Chinese, but neither of us knew what the other was saying. But it’s not important. We laughed loudly, that’s enough.
@Zhang Dachui, 30-year-old female
What impressed me most was that in 2022, I drove with my friends for the first time for five days and four nights. It was a very hot summer. We went to Yixian County, Mount Huangshan City. During the trip, I saw a lovely and round mountain. I wanted to find a place to stop and climb it to have a close look at the mountain. My friends in the same industry thought it was so hot, but they still accompanied me to climb it. The mountain was not high, and upon closer inspection, I found that there was actually nothing, just a very ordinary small hill in Yixian County. The high temperature of 34 ° C made everyone’s faces turn red from the sun while climbing, and sweat soaked their hair and clothes, making them look disheveled. But we stood under a strangely shaped tree, looked at each other and laughed heartily. At that moment, I felt incredibly happy. After that trip, I felt the joy of traveling with like-minded friends. It’s the kind of ridiculous thing you want to do, and everyone jokes about coming. So go and try it out, and experience more with this mindset. It doesn’t really matter if I don’t go to see that mountain. At most, I will regret it in the moment, but after climbing and seeing it, that mountain has become a witness to our friendship. Friends are the family you choose for yourself!
@Xiaoli, 25-year-old female
Last year during the National Day holiday, I went to Quanzhou, Fujian with friends. It was too hot and crowded, and there were too many couples with impatient and angry expressions on their faces. Of course, it’s not just couples who do this. I understand, but I also feel it’s frustrating, as it greatly affects the travel experience. Then we began to rejoice that it was great to go out with the “like-minded” people (sisters). Although they were both very hot and embarrassed, they were still excited to explore the next beautiful place. Even if we went wrong, we could stop to enjoy a large leaf, take pictures of each other, share photos, and deal with unexpected situations together. What surprised me more was that if something bad happened, she would change her perspective and use this phrase: “But it’s OK, we can…/If not, we can’t…”. I was really comforted. So, when traveling, you must choose a good companion and be with people who share the same interests or respect your interests, so that you can have the most fun, be unforgettable, and be worth remembering.
@Xiaochi, a 35 year old female
I planned to travel to the surrounding area, but I was worried about being too tired, so I chose to go to Jilin City. The next morning, he was supposed to leave early, but he had to work overtime and delayed a bit. I have become very familiar with him and am able to accept any unpredictable possibilities that may arise with him. I arrived at the wrong destination that day, didn’t park in the right parking lot, and bought an unnecessary breakfast the next day. But when we got up late at night to queue up for the cable car ride, he held my hand and crossed the sea of people. I leaned on his shoulder and enjoyed the moment of clouds and sunrise together, feeling like the world was melting in warm yellow. At this moment, in the future, as long as I am with him, everything is worth it. He is a romantic person. After coming down the mountain, he took me to the back mountain of the homestay for a walk. It turned out that he had just seen other children picking wildflowers and wanted to pick a bouquet for me. So, in the mountains and wilderness, the flourishing daisies, the dazzling Gesang flowers under the sun, and the unknown wildflowers and wild grasses became the best gifts for this trip. A week has passed now, and the flowers are still blooming in the vase at home.
@Winnie, 23-year-old female
The trip, which was not exquisite but very good, happened exactly on the 11th of last year. Before this, I was a typical representative of the high-end friend circle, enthusiastic about checking in at every tourist attraction and posting on my friend circle. I set a record of walking 20000 steps in full makeup every day in Nanjing at 40 ° C and playing in Kunming, Lijiang, and Dali in five days. Last National Day, I made plans to drive to a grassland in the neighboring city with my friends. On the first day, we took various beautiful photos on the grassland. However, I accidentally booked a homestay in a village below the grassland. My friend asked me to put down my photo and go out to breathe fresh air. So that night, we leisurely took a walk, with murmuring streams below and stars filling the sky above. I began to feel fortunate that I didn’t stay in my room and post pictures on social media. Compared to the occasional and even insincere comments and compliments on my social media, the long lost inner peace and relaxation made me feel another possibility of traveling. The next day we continued our trip to the lake, but our car had a flat tire on the way. Our original plan was to arrive at the lake in the morning and return home in the afternoon to catch dinner. But it took several hours to repair the car, and I had to have lunch in the town on the way. The town was very depressed, but my friend pulled me to have a good meal, bought a naive and simple sweater and two strings of Tomatoes on sticks on the stall. My impatience suddenly dissipated, it doesn’t matter if I arrive a little late. Perhaps the various unexpected experiences during the trip are more worth remembering than arriving on time.
