rushed to it and the journal was opened to the last page. Something was written on it, something
I have never noticed before. “Son, you will never be too old to chase after your dreams. Never
forget about how important it is to see the world to you. Never forget that. Love, Dad”. “Dad?” I
thought. “Dad gave me this?” I felt a tingling sensation in my heart, a warm and lovely feeling.
I then decided to start achieving that dream and make my parents, my father, proud. I called
my office, and asked them for a week’s off, packed my bags, bought return tickets for the next
day and had a good night’s rest. I arrived at the airport the very next morning. I boarded the
airplane, not really a high-class one since I bought the tickets in such a short notice, an hour later
and was welcomed by the flight attendants. I found my seats, sat down and took out my travel
journal and chuckled. On the first page, I wrote this down. “First destination. The Gobi Desert.”
The plane took off, and I smiled. “I’m finally stepping out to the open world.” “You have reached
Beijing. Thank you for flying Air Odopo.”. I opened my eyes, and looked out the window. I smiled
with excitement. Outside the airport, it was a totally different environment. The air was different,
the sky was less clear, and there were many cars and buses. I called for a taxi, and went for the
closest hotel.
“你在哪裡想要去?”
The cab driver asked. I didn’t get any word he said. I was empty-
minded, and I looked at him thoughtlessly. “Where you want go?” He asked again, fortunately
in English. “Hotel. Good hotel,” showing him a thumbs up sign. After arriving, I booked a night
there, and asked for a tour bus to the Gobi Desert. “The next bus will arrive next morning, Mr.
Jones. Why do you want to go there at this point of time anyway, may I ask?” the receptionist
asked with a strong and distinct accent. I looked at her name tag, “Xu Xan”, and replied. “Just
visiting, Miss Xu Xan. Is there anything I need to be aware of?” “It’s just a strange time to visit
the desert. That’s all, sir.”
I thanked her for the room and went up. I thought about what she said. “She must be fooling
me”. The room was very comfortable, at a surprisingly good price. The next morning was where
the journey began. It was a long bus trip, but I saw many extraordinary animals. Distinct horses,
big birds, camels and more. There were tents, and people wearing unique and flashy clothing. We
reached a motel called
“Говь баярлагтун”
, which is translated to “Gobi Delight”. I booked a room
there, and was blithely welcomed by the people. They spoke of another language, so we only
communicated through sign language, which was quite difficult at times, but nonetheless, they
were great people. I was about to leave, and a Mongolian stopped me. He waved, pointed outside
and started talking in Mongolian. At that point of time, I thought he wanted to say farewell, but I
guess I took the wrong interpretation. I waved back, and left to the open desert. I walked and
walked, meeting new people, learning of their culture through their actions. A Mongolian I passed
by used sand to start praying. It was very peculiar, and I found it amusing to watch, since I have
never known of a religion that needs sand to pray. I was welcomed inside a tent of a Mongolian
family, and saw various objects. Metal plates, water tanks, blankets. Many Mongolians didn’t live
in luxury, and had a very tough time surviving. I envied them, being able to survive in such a
harsh habitat. I was walking deeper into the desert, and I immediately froze after I heard loud
howls from multiple creatures. I squinted to the distance where the howling came from for a better
view, and saw a pack of hyenas rushing to my whereabouts. My legs were still frozen with fear,
and I was immobilized. I closed my eyes, and thought, “This is it.” After a few seconds, I heard
slashing of flesh, whines and a roar. It came from the hyenas’ direction. I saw this shadowy figure
of a leopard from that distance, and all the hyenas have disappeared. I took out my pair of
binoculars, and examined the figure. There was something unique from this leopard. It was shiny,
