Hiking 318 | Walking to Tibet DAY59: Jinda Town – Jiaxing Township

2021.05.20

When I arrived in Jinda Town yesterday afternoon, I found that the streets were empty, there were no people around, and more than half of the shops were closed. The owner of the hotel said that many people in the town went to dig up Cordyceps. In one Cordyceps season, each person could dig about 10,000-20,000 yuan worth of Cordyceps.

During dinner in the evening, I met two Tibetan young men in the restaurant who had just returned from digging Cordyceps sinensis. They looked very happy. I asked them how much they dug today? One of the guys opened his backpack and took a look at me and said that he had probably dug more than 100 roots.

I was surprised and said: I can dig more than 100 roots in one day. It should be considered a lot, right?

The Tibetan boy said: We have lived in the mountain for 15 days and we just came down today. This is not too much. When there are many, more than 200 roots can be dug.

It turns out that I dug more than 100 roots in 15 days, which should be considered quite powerful, and it is similar to what the hotel owner said.

Today’s destination is Jiaxing Township, a total distance of 18 kilometers. The trip was relatively short. In the morning, after eating a bowl of fried noodles at a restaurant run by a Qinghai fellow (I recognize fellow villagers everywhere when I go out, from Gansu, Sichuan, and Qinghai🤣), I leisurely set off on the journey. The itinerary.

About halfway through the journey, a man on a bicycle came over slowly and asked us where we came from. How many days have you been gone? He said he admired our courage.

Maybe it was because this eldest brother and I got along better (I later found out that his surname was Zhai), so he walked with me for the remaining half of today’s journey. Along the way, we talked about politics and religion, as well as Eastern and Western philosophy, based on what we saw during the trip.

Rather than saying that we are chatting, in fact, more often than not, he is telling me things, because he knows more and more profoundly than me in these aspects.

He said that there are three types of giving: giving of wealth, giving of Dharma, and giving of courage (giving without fear). Our hiking and cycling 318 are a manifestation of courageous giving.

I said, in fact, I have been a person who lacked courage since I was a child. I always look forward and backward when doing things, consider many difficulties and risks, and always dare not let go and take action.

Brother Zhai said: Since you can choose to embark on the 318 journey on foot, it proves that you are not a person who lacks courage.

Yes, there is a point of view that Brother Zhai and I agree on. That is: we are not here to conquer 318, but to be conquered by 318; we are not just here to appreciate the scenery with our eyes, but to appreciate life with our six senses.

Although this journey was not a thrilling experience, it silently changed me.

I once said that I hope to find my true self during this trip. In fact, I have always been real, and I have never been false for a moment. It’s just that I always feel that I’m not good enough, I don’t have the confidence to face my true self, and I don’t have the courage to be what I want to be.

The time while chatting and walking always passed quickly. When we arrived in Jiaxing Township, Brother Zhai told me some more words worthy of careful consideration, which was in response to someone asking him "Why did you ride the Sichuan-Tibet Line?" , thinking about this issue.

He very logically broke down the question into five parts and answered it in the order of "why", "go", "riding", "Sichuan-Tibet Line", and "you".

I originally wanted to use my own understanding to summarize it, but I found that what Brother Zhai realized was still incomprehensible to me, so I decided to post his original text.

Why

go

riding

Sichuan and Tibet

you

But regarding the understanding of the last key word "you", I think that being born as a human being and being mortal with the naked eye can only explore and approach the state of "selflessness", which can never be achieved.

Because the state of "selflessness" is close to God, just like the heroine Lucy in the movie "Superbody", when she reaches the state of selflessness, her physical body has disappeared and she has become omnipresent and omnipotent. An intelligent being.

Altitude changes:

3682-3893

Transportation:

18 kilometers on foot

Accommodation recommendations:

Dining locally:

"Breakfast" Anduo fried noodles-fried noodles, dry noodles-recommended👍

"Lunch" road meal - flatbread

"Late" Snow Lotus Tea House - Tibetan Cold Noodles, Green Pepper Beef Rice Bowl - Recommended👍

Generate garbage:

Cigarette butts*5, disposable chopsticks*1