Lessons from doing it alone

Yulong Snow Mountain, located in Lijiang, Southwest China's Yunnan province, is the southernmost glacier in the northern hemisphere. The snow-capped and fog-enveloped peaks look like a jade dragon in the clouds from the old town of Lijiang. [PHOTO BY CHEN MEILING/CHINA DAILY]

It was half past seven in the morning, and there was feeble light on the horizon of the 48.5-square-kilometer Lugu Lake in the deep mountains of Ninglang county, a 4.5-hours' drive from downtown Lijiang.

I was standing on the stone beach waiting for sunrise.

A dog then lay at my feet showing me its belly. "Was I supposed to touch its belly?"

With little experience of dealing with animals, I hesitated.

After a while, it was disappointed and left.

The day before, I got a chance to observe the white wings and red bills of sea gulls while experiencing the waves of the lake on a boat.

We heard the sea gulls, which seemed to tell a story of freedom.

We saw them as they competed for food, a vivid representation of the fight for survival.

chenmeiling@chinadaily.com.cn