I walked the ramparts at the edge of the world.
The first time I set foot on the Great Wall, I realized that some places look like nothing you ever imagined. The trail climbed steeply through the morning mist, I could barely keep my balance on the slippery stones, and Yuuki refused to take another step. He had perched himself on top of a dizzyingly high step, surveying the mist with a haughty look as if he were the true guardian of the wall.
In Xi'an, I almost missed the Hui Street market because I was following the wrong map. It was by getting lost in the back alleys that I found the best rou jia mo stall of my life: a soft bun stuffed with spiced lamb, wrapped in newspaper, that I ate standing up under a string of yellow light bulbs. The vendor watched me photograph my sandwich and burst out laughing.
Guilin was something else. There, the cliffs rise out of the water like blades of stone, covered in greenery so vivid it looks painted. On the boat, Yuuki claimed the bow all to himself and slept like a king. When we arrived, he leaped onto the dock without warning. A grilled fish stand ten metres away. Of course.
My memories
On the Li River
Needles of rock millions of years old rise out of the water like sleeping giants, covered in greenery from base to summit. From the moment we set off, the boat glides between them in total silence. Nobody talks, nobody films, everyone just stares. Yuuki settled at the bow right at the start and didn't move an inch for the rest of the cruise. Only later did I figure out why: the best seats are always up front, far away from the boat's noisy engine.
Lost in the hutongs
These narrow alleys survive between the high-rises like well-kept secrets. Riding a bike with Yuuki sitting in the front basket, we turned left, then right, then left again, and soon we were completely lost. After an hour of going in circles, I finally asked an elderly lady for directions. She answered me in Mandarin, took one look at Yuuki, and then explained the way to him directly. The funny thing is, he honestly looked like he understood every single word.
Hui Street, Xi'an
I ate my first bing flatbread standing right in front of the stall because I didn't want to walk away. The second one, I pretended was for Yuuki. By the third, I stopped making excuses. The spiced lamb, the warm soft bread, the sauce dripping everywhere... there was simply no way to resist! Yuuki kept staring at me with a look that clearly said he knew before I did that I'd go back for a fourth. And he was right!
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