Finishing My Journey

Days 6-8

For the next few days, I  travel with the nomads; it would be too dangerous to leave the trail and hike through the steep mountains alone. They continue to take good care of my mule and she slowly becomes fatter. The walking and cold air raise my spirits and I travel along the trail singing songs with the nomads. They are glad to make me happy and even offer the horse I was riding to me to keep. For good. I am not sure whether to accept the gift or not.

When we get close to the source, I begin to get excited. Nobody except for monks and nomads have ever seen this portion of the river before. The nomads tell me there is a monastery near the source, but they are not allowed to enter. I ask why, and they say it is because they are not Confucius. I wonder if I will be able to come in because I am traveling with the nomads. I decide not to worry about it until we get to the source.

By midday on the seventh day of my journey, I find myself gasping for breath. How could this be? The nomads tell me I am not used to the mountain air and laugh at me. I laugh too, but I am determined to show them I can do something.

The next day, we arrive at the source, a small spring in a narrow valley. I slip a lot. At first, the nomads laugh at me again, but when my eyebrows begin to lower and my face turns red, they decide to help me down. Some of them even apologize for laughing at me yesterday. I accept the apologies graciously.

When we get to the bottom of the valley, the nomads let me drink from the source. It is fresh and pure. I smile at them and thank them for their hospitality. They offer to escort me back. I want to refuse, but they insist. And so, with my newfound nomad friends, I make my way back to Lihang, and vow to return to the eternal source of the Yangtze River one day.