Lessons from doing it alone

A tourist takes photo at the Blue Moon Valley, at the foot of Yulong Snow Mountain. The lake looks blue under sunlight. [PHOTO BY CHEN MEILING/CHINA DAILY]

She had just completed an entrance exam for postgraduates and was traveling around Yunnan on her own. After the crash, we developed a kind of friendship.

Four women continued the rest of the journey celebrating our escape from a possible disaster.

Speaking about the treacherous route, the driver, who called himself Brother Jun, said: "Twenty years ago, there was no road. We had to drive on four steel tubes to cross the mountains.

"The drivers were often nervous. I used to help them to cross one by one."

We only made him promise to "drive slowly when returning."

Our four-woman team shared bread and yogurt, took photos of each other and laughed when we had to use an open-air toilet in the mountains.

There is a saying, "only when you travel alone can you meet the right partner."

Now, digital tools, such as WeChat or a phone often replace face-to-face communication.

But what you miss between office cubicles can be found by putting trust in fellow strangers and trying to blend in the nature.