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Hitchhiking in China (Part Two): Flat Tires and Unimaginable Kindness

04/01/2014 by Kristin Addis 14 Comments

“…and I shambled after as I’ve been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars…” – Jack Kerouac 

<— Hitching in China Part One

I woke up to the cold biting my nose.  The hostels in China weren’t equipped with heating, and the electric blanket had made me entirely too hot during the night, so I had foolishly turned it off mid-slumber.  Scarf, knit hat, and knock-off North Face jacket in tow, it was time to make it to the side of the road and give hitching another try.

No sooner had Ya Ting and I raised an arm than a car pulled right over. Like our ride up to Deqin, this driver was from the minority tribe and was at least headed in our direction, though to Dali rather than Lijiang.  He would be able to take us the vast majority of the way. Curious where I was from, he inquired as to my nationality and when I told him, responded with “America! It’s China’s big brother!”

The drive should have taken about three hours.  Unfortunately the ride went along at an abysmally sluggish speed.  It’s possible, at some points, that I could have gone faster on foot.  But he wanted to enjoy the scenery and I couldn’t be frustrated with him.  His childlike fascination with the beauty of his own country was endearing.

I didn’t know then how much I ought to have enjoyed the slow ride. The white knuckle-inducing rides that followed left me thinking longingly of his relaxed driving demeanor.

All seemed to be going well until he insisted we pull over for a photo op, only to notice a flat tire which we all worked together to change.  Five hours later, there we were in Lijiang after catching another ride from the freeway intersection – one with a driver who told us all about where to find cheap and good street food in the area.

hitchhiking in china
What a lovely photo op

The next morning arrived in LiJiang and it was my turn to follow Ya Ting somewhere.  She hadn’t initially planned on going to Tiger Leaping Gorge nor Yubeng, but went with me because she enjoyed the adventure and we had become such great travel buddies.

We were told there was no way we’d make it the 8 hours to Lugu Lake leaving so late.  We’d had a late night the evening before playing Chinese dice games, laughing, and joking.  It was already noon and there were no busses left. There was no choice but to attempt hitchhiking.  I figured if I couldn’t get to Lugu Lake that day, I’d part ways with Ya Ting and go back to my beloved Dali.

I had the same ache in my heart to return to Dali in the way that I did to return to Pai after leaving it for the first time. But I left it up to fate to decide and as the silver car pulled up offering us a ride halfway to Lugu Lake, I knew that I was meant to stay with Ya Ting.

As I jumped into the car and we pulled away from the intersection, I silently promised myself to make it back to Dali before the Year of the Wooden Horse is through.

The driver was a 20-year-old kid who lived in Yunnan province.  He couldn’t take us the whole way but knew that we would be able to catch the last bus out of his hometown, halfway to the lake.

He drove with reckless abandon through the sharply curved roads down the mountain – clearly well versed on how to get down and determined to get us to the bus in time.  We arrived in his town with time to spare and had a delicious lunch with his uncle, who took one look at me and said he was sure I couldn’t understand Mandarin.

Ya Ting proudly countered that I spoke Mandarin very well (which is a quite inflated version of the truth), as she always did when people asked if I could speak Chinese.  She added that I love spicy food and use chopsticks quite well, with obvious pride.

During the discussion, the kid who gave us the lift quietly transferred our belongings to his uncle’s car then took his leave without a word. I regretted that I didn’t get to thank him, but he wasn’t seeking thanks. He was simply happy to help.

The real shocker was when his uncle took us to the bus station, gave us the tickets, and then refused to let us give him money. We tried four times (one more than the traditional three) to insist he let us pay for the lunch and tickets.  He had no intention of relenting, wishing us a pleasant journey and returning to his car.

Ya Ting turned to me, her eyes glassy and almost brimming over with tears.  We were speechless, but there were no words that needed to be spoken. We had encountered more kindness that afternoon than anyone could hope for, and we both knew it.

Sometimes people suggest I see more of the world. They wonder why I can’t bring myself to leave Asia.

This is why.

Someday I will absolutely pay this forward.

Part Three —>

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About Kristin Addis

Kristin Addis is the founder and CEO of Be My Travel Muse, a resource for female travelers all around the world since 2012. She's traveled solo to over 65 countries and has brought over 150 women on her all-female adventure tours from Botswana to the Alaskan tundra.

« Hitchhiking in China: Adventures in Transportation
Hitchhiking in China (Part 3): The Solo Adventure »

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Comments

  1. Jamie says

    04/01/2014 at 10:05 am

    What a kind family! For every rough time I run into when I travel (thankfully not many), there’s been little moments of gratitude like that with complete strangers that just beat the bad moments out of my brain. You’ll have to write about when you pay it forward in honor of!

    Reply
  2. Franca says

    04/02/2014 at 1:06 am

    I loved this story, I always like to hear about the kindness of strangers we meet while on the road, it’s simply amazing how people can be so nice.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      04/02/2014 at 6:01 am

      It continued to amaze me on subsequent rides.

      Reply
  3. Kristin says

    04/02/2014 at 2:13 am

    I think being in London and LA hardened me a bit too! It’s nice to get out and experience other cultures sometimes and see that kindness still exists. Now that I’m more open to it, I do see it a lot more back home.

    Reply
  4. Lisa - Wee Wanders says

    04/02/2014 at 5:28 am

    This is such a lovely story – thank you for sharing! I have a friend who has just returned from cycling the Pan-American highway which took 2 years. She said the most memorable part of the whole trip was the kindness of strangers 🙂

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      04/02/2014 at 6:00 am

      Wow that must have been an amazing adventure. Traveling can really reinstate one’s faith in humanity.

      Reply
  5. dogan says

    04/02/2014 at 2:36 pm

    Your blog is very nice, I’m constantly watching. Also I think your site is very up to date. This article was descriptive and a great article.

    Reply
  6. Jimmy Dau says

    04/02/2014 at 6:51 pm

    Beautiful story. It’s the smallest gestures by strangers whilst travelling that stick the most with me.

    Reply
  7. April says

    04/04/2014 at 10:00 am

    Awesome! You’re hitchhiking ride to China is definitely a one of a kind experience. Who would have thought meeting somebody who will help out in making your ride to china fun and memorable one. How I wish I could experience that too together with my family when we travel because I know that we will bring that act of kindness to the different places we all deserve to visit in this big and wonderful world.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      11/03/2014 at 9:56 am

      Each ride I took there astounded me more than the last. I never expected hitchhiking to be like that. It really moved me.

      Reply
  8. Heather says

    04/04/2014 at 5:14 pm

    The kindness of the rural Chinese is really amazing. We were planning to take the bus from Lijiang to Dali, but someone at our hotel said the train was a better way to go. Despite our insistence that we would be fine with the bus, she drove us to the train station and got our tickets for us! And then she called me a few hours later to make sure we’d arrived safely!! We were blown away. I really hope to go back and spend more time in that part of the country.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      04/04/2014 at 10:43 pm

      That is incredibly sweet.

      Reply
  9. Selina says

    04/13/2014 at 6:22 pm

    The kindness of people in many Asian countries doesn’t surprise me any more. I’ve had similar experiences and wonder if the western world will ever catch up!

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      04/13/2014 at 9:01 pm

      I did notice that when I went back home, even in LA, people were so much friendlier towards me and I realized it was because I was being more open and friendly towards them. What you put out there is often what comes back to you.

      Reply

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