Motherland: Happiness As Simple As That

My mom and I went on a trip away from civilization in a remote area in China. This was for sure not the most glamorous place to visit nor the most quaint town to live in. I wouldn’t necessarily choose this place, if it’s not for my mom.

The trip was hectic, but so worth it.

Hammered silver jewelry and rose petals filled pancakes that repeat themselves on nearly every street. Ethic minorities who pride themselves on their hieroglyphs and exotic cultures. Overnight train where two triple bunk beds are cramped into each tiny compartment.

A liberating and humbling realization of traveling is to experience the differences among people, and learn to embrace them in spite of it. The notion that we are all inhabitants of the same planet yet we live such different lives, pray to different gods, but can still share a raw genuine human connection is just so rad. Here’s some magic to share from a remote part of my motherland, where people lead the simplest and happiest lives.

Yunnan, China

After a week long bus trip, my mom and I flew back to our home city, for my grandma’s birthday.

My mom used to take me to Hong Kong every break to visit my brother and cousins. And Hong Kong has since become one of the places in which I dream of living. A week in this wild city is honestly not enough. And then I’ve come to a realization that you’ll probably never feel that your time spent in one city is ever enough.

Sheung Wan, Hong Kong