Submitted by: Lin Wanqiu
Travel Date: June 2025
From: Guangzhou → To: Dali, Yunnan
Travel Type: Solo travel / Soul-healing / Slow living experience
1、Traveling Alone, to Reconnect With Myself
My name is Lin Wanqiu, an ordinary office worker. In the fall of 2024, I ended a five-year relationship, resigned from a stable job, and on a friend’s recommendation, bought a one-way ticket to Dali.
No detailed itinerary, no fancy gear—just a backpack and a heart in need of escape.
2、First Encounter with Dali: The Wind Really Does Blow the Pain Away
I stayed in a small guesthouse by Erhai Lake on the first night. The owners were a couple who had moved from Shenzhen to Dali. They grew flowers, brewed tea, made pottery—and smiled with the warmth of sunshine. Sitting by the wooden deck, watching the wind play with white curtains, and hearing distant wind chimes, I felt something inside me slowly loosen.
In that moment, I realized:
Life doesn’t always have to be about striving.Sometimes, letting go is the start of something better.
3、Riding Around Erhai Lake: Scenery and Freedom on the Road
I rented a little electric scooter and started from Caicun, riding along the west side of Erhai. I passed through Shuanglang, Xiaoputuo, and Wase—every spot looked like a painting. I loved pulling over at quiet corners to sit by the water, write in my journal, and simply breathe.
Once, I met an elderly man by the lake. He said, “It’s good that young people like you take the time to look at mountains and water. Otherwise, you’ll miss your whole life in a hurry.”
That night, I cried—not out of sadness, but because I felt understood.
4、Slowing Down, and Meeting the Real Me
In Dali, I had no fixed schedule. I brewed tea in the morning and watched clouds drift. In the afternoon, I wandered around Renmin Road and bought flowers. At night, I listened to live music or watched stars from the guesthouse rooftop.
I even learned how to make handmade earrings and met a bunch of travelers living “in between”: a musician, an illustrator, a programmer who quit his job for a gap year. Everyone had stories, and everyone was rewriting their lives.
5、A Letter to Myself Before Leaving
The day before I left Dali, I wrote a letter to myself:
“Dear self,
Stop trying so hard to please the world.
You deserve peace, deserve beauty,
and most importantly—you deserve your own tenderness.”
Back in Guangzhou, I didn’t rush into a new job. I started writing instead—about the journey, the people, and the stillness I had found.
6、Travel Isn’t Escape. It’s a Reset.
Not every journey has to be adventurous or Instagram-worthy. My trip to Dali was like a cup of warm tea—quiet, healing, and full of presence.
Sometimes, travel isn’t about discovering the world.
It’s about discovering yourself—again.
