A Sudden Wide Clearing

豁然开朗 (huò rán kāi lǎng)
“A sudden wide clearing”

豁 (huò): spacious
然 (rán): sudden
开 (kāi): short for 开阔 (kāikuò), which means broad
朗 (lǎng): bright

The liberating feeling you get when you see a beautiful, open expanse; or a metaphor for everything becoming clear at once.

The Yunnan-Guangxi Bike Ride

On Sunday morning, January 29th, 2006, the first day of the Chinese New Year,  two friends and I set off from Kunming, Yunnan, on a bicycle ride to Baise in Guangxi province.

We had no planned route, very little gear, and no clue what we were getting into. Two of us (me, mostly) were also severely overweight and out of shape. Continue reading →