My First Trip

When I turned six, my mother took my Grandma and I on a trip to Beijing. It was my first ever time to travel outside of Hong Kong. The flight was 3.5 hours. I remembered the coach seats and how they were quite roomy for me at that time. I remembered asking multiple times if we were there yet.

It was winter, and Beijing, being north of Hong Kong, was considerably colder. That was when I stepped on natural ice which formed on the surface of a lake. We visited different palaces, and the tour guide reviewed some of history that spanned a few thousand years.

Then we travelled to the Great Wall. The man-made structure that is visible in space. The wall appeared to be endless, more than enough to swallow me. I was amazed at the human’s capability. There were steep and slippery slopes. I remembered vividly that there was an old man inching slowly downhill, slipped and almost fell, grabbed by 2 men on his arms just in time. I also remembered that I was able to hike the Wall for more than 4 hours without having to use the bathroom (and no accidents).

The trip was an experience like no other. It was not anything I could get from reading books or looking at photographs. It opened up my horizon. There were more trips and vacations to come, with my family. Off we went to many more countries, learned about various cultures, cuisines and experienced the new adventures.