Sketches from 张家界：

I just came back from a trip to 张家界 with my mom. During the trip, when I stumble across a particular stunning scene or when something about the environment really struck me, I sometimes jot a few lines down in my notebook. I'm going to share some of them here to preserve the moments. These are largely unedited notes so that are disconnected and not cogent. Also they mix Chinese and English because that's how my brain works nowadays.


- Up on top: 新鲜空气，壮观宏伟的高山，略带红色的岩石充满了我的视野，有一种震撼感...


- The blinding light is like a fog, hiding the mountains afar. But as I focus more closely I see 稀奇古怪的山峰 behind the veil.

- Taking videos without planning is fun! The risks, the laughter, the funny mistakes--capturing life's spontaneity.




- At the village: There are ducks walking around, dogs barking. People are cooking, chatting, playing 麻将, chopping up firewood, farming 芥菜, feeding fish, washing cloth... All the while the air that enthralled me earlier blows past, and not far in the distance, 张家界's exotic rocks and mountains stand watching. It's seems so normal yet so strange. I wonder what it would be like to live here?

- There's something about walking outside alone, smelling the faint scent of firewood, not in any particularly scenic landscape but still in nature, which strongly appeals to me. It's like walking in a campground. Despite the polluting smoke from the firewood, one scents the breaths of a pristine earth, wild and healthy. Instead of in a city, this is nature dominating over humanity. It feels good to be out here, in the most primitive co-existence with nature.





- 神鸡啄食景：没有人，哗啦啦的水声，仿佛有瀑布，远处是烟雾还是云？白白地，掩盖着绵绵不绝的山脉。风吹，太阳在右侧被松树挡住。perspectives，山谷，世外桃源，天浅蓝，有薄云，echos.









- I love mornings: getting up to watch the sunrise, excited about the opportunities of the new day, to feel fresh, to be high on the chilly, sweet air, to be completely alert and ready, to bask in a sense of physical health, to simply be happy, to trust in God... The Lord is my Sheppard, I shall not want.