Let’s Go on a Road Trip…in China! – Part One

Last week, I had the privilege of being invited as a celebrity guest on cultural and humanitarian road trip with China’s biggest weekly business magazine CBN Weekly.  The trip began with a crew of fourteen convening in the city of Chengdu in the Sichuan Province, and we would be driving our sponsored Ford Explorers Limited through Sichuan, Gansu, and Qinghai Provinces.  Along the way, we’d be making a few stops to capture the scenery and also doing some charity work at local village school in mountains.  The entire trip would span approximately twelve days, and the highlight would be going  into Tibet and finally to Nepal.  But for me, it was all a fun adventure to be driving in China for the first time, and we were all ready to roll outta town once we finished our official launch ceremony…

The first day, we drove about ten hours into the Northwest mountainous region of China in the Sichuan Province before we checked into our modest living arrangements at a local farmer’s hostel…

Although we had an early start of driving the following day, I was more than happy to wake up to this stunning view…

The night before on the first day of driving on the unpaved winding mountain roads, we experienced our first flat tire, and it’s never fun to switch one out in the dark.

So as we were waiting to get the tire fixed, I figured I’d do some wind sprints to get the blood flowing and going before sitting on my butt in the car for another long day…

On the drive, there was certainly lots to see both on and off the road…

…and I was truly mesmerized with the natural wonders and scenery that China’s landscape has to offer.  Even though I’ve done my fair share of traveling in China for The Amazing Race China Rush, I’m almost always in too much of a “rush” to truly soak in the stunning locales so this trip has been an eye-opener for me.

By the end of our second day of driving, we were in the Gansu Province at a small Tibetan town called Labuleng, and I got to experience my first Tibetan Buddhist evening prayer session…

As always, the locals are very welcoming and friendly, and I am always humbled with how happiness is truly not directly correlated with what we do not have.  Simplicity is truly the key to contentment, which in turn leads to happiness.

I can definitely learn a thing or two from everyone here, and I hope to retain these values and virtues long after I return back to the hectic and frantic big city life.  Alright, I’m going to sit on this thought for a bit so I’ll be back next time with some adventures from this road trip.  See ya soon!