Here's one way to be a real man
He was dressed in a rain-soaked shirt and eating a bowl of noodles. The then 21-year-old Liang Jie had set out at midnight on his bicycle and had been riding for 14 hours nonstop in the stormy weather to reach Mount Qomolangma. The last kilometer of the journey took Liang a whole three hours. When he finally reached the camp on the mountain, he was numb from lack of oxygen and fatigue.那时的良杰只有21岁，正穿着一件被雨水打湿的衬衫吃面。从半夜开始，他连续14个小时不停地骑车，终于到达珠穆朗玛峰。最后1公里路程就花了他整整3个小时。抵达山上露营地点时，他因缺氧和疲惫而失去了知觉。
"It was a severe test of guts and will," Liang said. "I believe that there`s no difficulty that can stop me in the future."
良杰说：“这是对胆量和意志力的一次严峻考验。我相信，（克服了这次的困难后）今后再没什么能难倒我了。”
That experience in 2007 was just one part of Liang`s adventure on wheels. In fact, the Chengdu Sport University senior has been an enthusiastic bike traveler since his teens.
据悉，这位成都体育大学大四的学生从10多岁起就热衷于单车旅游。而2007年的这次经历仅仅是良杰单车探险的其中一段。
On May 17, the now 23-year-old Liang took another bold step when he decided, in Chengdu, to explore the world by bike, alone. Over the next 800 days, he plans to set foot in more than 60 countries on five continents. He padaled off only 10 days after marrying a local English teacher, and hopes the journey will turn him into a real man.
5月17日，目前已经23岁的良杰在成都再次做了个大胆的决定：独自骑单车环游世界。在即将到来的800天内，他计划涉足5大洲的60多个国家。与一名成都本地英语老师结婚10天后，他便踏上了行程，希望这场旅行能让自己变成一个真正的男子汉。
But first there are the physical discomforts to deal with. Liang has to ride for more than 10 hours a day, under a scorching sun, on roads through Sichuan and Yunnan. His left arm developed blisters from the sunburn. His wrists grew sore from handling a bike with more than 30 kilograms of luggage.
出发后最先遇到的问题是身体上的不适。在炎炎烈日下，良杰沿着四川到云南的公路每天骑10多个小时。灼热的阳光让他的左臂起了水泡，扶着车把的腕关节也因60多斤的行李而疼痛不已。
One of the worst moments was when he had to share a room with nine strangers one night in Kunming. The air was full of the smell of dirty socks.
然而，最糟糕的还不止这些：在昆明，他不得不和9个陌生人住在一间房里，忍受充斥在空气里的臭袜子味儿。
But Liang knows that the true hardships lie ahead after he enters the foreign world. He prepared for this by cycling around Qinghai Lake during the coldest days of winter, and around Southeast Asian countries during the hottest days of last year. He nearly fell down steep ravines several times in Vietnam and Laos.
但是，良杰心理清楚，一旦到了国外，他才会遇到真正的困难。为了做足准备，去年严冬时节他骑车环绕过青海湖，盛夏时节曾穿越过东南亚。在越南和老挝，他有好几次都险些坠入陡峭的峡谷。
Still, even with only a few English words in his vocabulary, Liang doesn`t feel a sense of loneliness. Body language always works perfectly well for him.
虽然良杰掌握的英语词汇屈指可数，他却一点儿也不孤单。因为他很擅长使用肢体语言。
"I used that and an electronic dictionary to get my visas approved in different countries," he said. "I also showed them the pictures I took to persuade them to help me realize my dream."
他说：“借助于肢体语言和电子词典，我得到了很多国家的签证。我还拿过去的照片给他们看，说服他们帮我实现梦想。”
One other way he deals with weariness is to peek at his wedding photo that hangs around his neck. "I`ll keep it to the end," he whispers to the photo.
一路上，他都把结婚照挂在脖子上，看一眼就能提神解乏。他对着照片轻声说：“我一定会坚持到底的。”
On May 17, the now 23-year-old Liang took another bold step when he decided, in Chengdu, to explore the world by bike, alone. Over the next 800 days, he plans to set foot in more than 60 countries on five continents. He padaled off only 10 days after marrying a local English teacher, and hopes the journey will turn him into a real man.
------Runaway groom
页:
[1]
