A Memorable Beijing Journey with Gordon and His Wife: Our Transnational Friendship

In May 2016, Gordon and his wife from Australia arrived in Beijing as scheduled. It was their first time in China, and while they had booked an 8-day Tibet tour with me, they planned to explore Beijing independently.

Because we had such a great rapport, they suggested I join their Beijing trip. We had been emailing back and forth for a while, wondering if we should meet up. I figured it had been a long time since I'd been to Beijing, so I decided to go and show them around.

Three People Exploring Beijing Freely

When I arrived in Beijing, they were genuinely delighted. And just like that, the three of us became travel buddies, freely exploring Beijing. We had three wonderful days in Beijing, during which we visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, the old Beijing Hutongs, Houhai, Sanlitun, and other places.

Together, we woke up early to watch the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square, the synchronized footsteps of the soldiers shattering the morning drowsiness. In the Forbidden City, the three of us lingered for a long time in the Treasure Gallery and the Clock and Watch Gallery, getting a close look at Emperor Qianlong's Tianhuang stone seal and 200-year-old mechanical toys.

The most amazing moment was in the Forbidden City before its 4 pm closing time, when the sunset bathed the Taihe Dian Square in amber light. We took photos of each other, trying many beautiful angles we'd seen on Instagram, but we failed and ended up laughing hysterically.

At the Summer Palace, we somehow got competitive with other tourists about the speed of our sightseeing, walking incredibly fast. As a result, we ended up sitting by the lake in the Summer Palace, enjoying the breeze, as the people we had overtaken slowly caught up with us.

We also clapped our hands on the first stone slab at the Temple of Heaven to test its echo wall. The most fun was the night in Houhai, where we sat in a rooftop restaurant in the Beijing Hutongs, enjoying authentic Peking duck and lamb spine under the moonlight, golden foam shimmering on our YanJing beer as we discussed funny stories from our lives.

On their last day in Beijing, I took them to Beijing West Railway Station to catch their train to Lhasa.

At our parting, Gordon's eyes were a little red. "After Tibet, we'll fly directly back to Australia," they said, pressing a piece of paper into my hand. "This is our address in Cairns, you absolutely have to come." Gordon added earnestly, "We have a guest room, and there are palm trees right outside the window."

Gordon and His Wife Invite Me to Australia

After Gordon and his wife returned home from their satisfying 8-day Tibet trip, they often emailed me, hoping I could visit Australia sometime. They lived in Cairns, home to the famous Great Barrier Reef and botanical gardens, a popular tourist destination. So, in November of the same year, I planned a roughly 30-day trip to Australia. And my final stop was Cairns.

I stayed in Cairns for almost ten days, and during that time, I lived with Gordon and his wife. The experience was so much fun, and even almost a decade later, I still clearly remember the details.

Gordon and his wife's children all worked and lived in Sydney and Melbourne, so the two of them lived alone in Cairns. During those ten days, they drove me around to small villages near their home, the scenery was incredibly beautiful. They even introduced me to people at their local farms, saying that if they wanted to come to China in the future, they would definitely ask me to arrange it.

That trip was truly unforgettable. During my stay with Gordon and his wife, they even let me try kangaroo meat, haha, although I didn't find it particularly delicious. The texture was just too tough, my jaw muscles ached from chewing, but it was definitely a very special experience.

During the day, they would take me hiking in the nearby mountains to breathe fresh air, always leading the way and occasionally turning back to remind us to watch out for tree roots. In the evenings, we would sometimes have a BBQ at home, grilling seafood and drinking locally brewed beer.

This friendship, facilitated by Asia Odyssey Travel, was truly heartwarming.