I bet every Gobi March has one Japanese guy who dresses up and projects a distinctive persona. Last year, there was Mr. Spiderman who would not take off his mask any time during the race, even when he was sobbing. This year, we have Shoma-san who dressed up as a popular cartoon character and cheered every body up in the race. He created a lot of fun for himself as well as for others.
The dynamics and the chemistry of this year's Hong Kong team was very different from last year. Last year, I was travelling with two of my very good friends who were about my age. So the topics of conversation and outlook on life were more serious. This year, my three friends are a lot younger. The things that they would talk about and laugh about, whilst I enjoyed listening are not the kind of conversations that I would be able to participate. It was fun though since there were a lot more hilarious moments and laughter.
Tent mates were so different too. Last year, working as a volunteer did not allow much time to interact with people, most of the time we were just busy working. This year, it was really fun sharing a tent with several Korean friends. They come from different generations, different walks of life. They all are very warm and friendly, and fun to hang out with, no matter at what age. Koreans are also a closely knit group I find. After the first day, I started to notice that they all crowded together and sometimes all flooded to our tent.
The first day of the Gobi March felt easy. I felt energetic and the heavy weight of the pack had not kicked in yet. I had time to enjoy the scenery, take pictures and was proceeding at a comfortable speed. It was also great pleasure walking with Megan and Pushpa. They are two very strong ladies whom I admire.
That day at around noon time, I started to hear Buddhist music playing in my mind for no reason. After a few hours, I ran into a country park and suddenly saw this at the top of the mountain. It was very touching and I was so grateful to feel the blessings of the Buddha. I stopped for a while and prayed.
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