24. The journey ahead is long.

Petropavlovsk is one of the few cities in the world that is inaccessible by rail or road and can only be reached by air.

The airport is quite unique; there are no jet bridges, no shuttle buses, and not even an airport arrival hall. Under the bright sunlight, there is only a large blue canopy with the words "Welcome to Kamchatka Border Region" written in Chinese, English, and Russian.

The name "border region" is truly fitting. Immediately after disembarking, you find yourself in the wilderness, with clean and strong winds blowing from all directions. The air is crisp and cold, and snow-capped mountains are visible in all directions. The atmosphere of the wilderness is overwhelming.

The winds of Kamchatka seemed to possess a magical power. Fang Kaixuan not only felt light but also strong. Perhaps, despite millions of years of evolution, humanity has not forgotten its origins, and the physical body desperately needs sunlight and wind.

As the taxi drove into the city, massive volcanoes appeared intermittently through the windows on both sides and in front. These colossal creatures possessed a kind of compassionate gentleness. Xiao Ju initially gasped in amazement, then the two fell silent, greedily gazing out the window, forgetting even to take pictures, as if only their eyes could capture this breathtaking sight.

It turned out there was no need to rush to take photos. For the next week, they were surrounded by volcanoes morning and night, with volcanoes everywhere they looked, and eventually they became so accustomed to them that they didn't even notice them anymore.

Halfway there, the driver stopped the car in front of a statue. Although they couldn't communicate verbally, he gestured for them to get out and take pictures. There were already a few tourists scattered around. The statue itself wasn't anything special; it was just two huge brown bears.

What's special is probably the following line of text:

Russia begins here.

That's a fantastic line. Fang Kaixuan admires this pioneering spirit.

Because she is learning to rebuild her inner self from scratch. The road ahead is long; take good care of yourself.

However, with her energetic Xiao Ju meticulously planning the itinerary, Fang Kaixuan had no time for sentimentality. Like a training exercise, they got up at six or seven every morning, and after breakfast, a local guide would pick them up in a modified off-road vehicle, thus beginning their day's journey. By the time they returned to the hotel, it was often dusk, and they were often covered in sore muscles, sweat, and dust.

We were going to climb a volcano. A real volcano, the path was barely a path at all—narrow, steep, and entirely covered in volcanic ash, incredibly slippery, like wading through sand, relying entirely on the strength of your knees and ankles for support. Climbing a volcano that didn't seem very high was almost equivalent to two hours of high-intensity intermittent exercise. Every three to five minutes, you needed to stop and rest, panting heavily, even wanting to shout out loud. In the howling north wind, you could hear your heart pounding, your heart almost leaping out of your chest.

Or perhaps we'd go out to sea. The journey was a full ten hours. Even after taking seasickness medication, I was still feeling dizzy, so I sat at the bow of the boat, where the relentless sea breeze made my head ache. But the physical torment was definitely worth it. The deep blue sea surged nearby, and in the distance, two volcanoes seemed to be submerged in the sea, drifting with the waves and the wind.

The captain suddenly let out a shout, having spotted an orca. Several small boats that had been patrolling nearby in search of whales gave chase. The boats rocked even more violently with the waves, but no one complained now; all eyes were fixed on the occasional gray-black spine that surfaced in the azure water. So enormous, so luminous, like an alien visitor. Yet so agile, so gentle; no one worried about being harmed.

Orcas probably find these noisy little creatures a bit annoying at most.

Besides orcas, many sea lions lazily lie on the rocks in the sea, oblivious to their surroundings, simply basking in the sun. The sense of relaxation that city dwellers so desperately seek is readily available here.

This was Fang Kaixuan's favorite weather: the air was cold, but the sun was blazing. Orcas, sea lions, or adorable puffins with their big red beaks all know how to enjoy nature's gifts better than humans. What face do humans have to call themselves the most intelligent of all beings?

Or you can venture into a dangerous canyon. You must travel in a specially modified off-road vehicle with an extremely high chassis, and with the help of a local driver's superb driving skills, to traverse the rocky trails and enter an endless expanse of yellow sand. What was once the bottom of a lake thousands of years ago is now a vast expanse of yellow sand. The transformation of the sea into mulberry fields is a vivid description here.

Sitting in the car, I had the illusion of traversing a desert. But then, a group of hikers flashed past the window—about ten people, each carrying huge backpacks, tiny against the endless yellow sand. I wondered where they would spend the night. Two motorcyclists, seemingly unfazed by the sandstorm, roared past us. No matter how strange or treacherous the place, there are always people willing to measure it on foot, considering it the greatest joy in life.

Fang Kaixuan didn't say anything, but at that moment he suddenly felt incredibly ridiculous, pretentious, and narcissistic. He thought his own little romantic relationships were so important, his workplace power games so astonishing, and his dirty, dark thoughts so deserving of heartbreak. Little did he know the vastness of the world, the distant songs of lamentation, and that even a sky full of yellow sand was more endearing than neon lights. Returning to his room exhausted and taking a hot shower, even with aches and pains, was a joy. The hotel facilities were limited, but lying in bed and seeing snow-capped mountains reflected in the sea from the window was a priceless experience.

While the pretentious urban ladies were engaging in self-criticism, the tour guide/driver had already swiftly set out tables and chairs, preparing a meal for their group. Lunch boxes insulated with tin foil were laid out, steaming cups of black tea were poured, and a table of food appeared as if conjured by magic.

Each meal also includes a can of Coca-Cola for everyone, with the familiar red and white color scheme, but the brand has been changed from "Coca-Cola" to the local "Hao" brand. Just like Starbucks coffee, which has been renamed "Star Coffee".

Xiao Ju joked, "The Russians are indeed straightforward; they don't play tricks even when naming their children."

After the meal, the two couldn't help but whisper to each other: There may be many handsome and strong men, but the tour guides and drivers in Kamchatka are definitely the best of the best.

They were all tall and strong, because those who weren't tall and strong would likely struggle to survive in the extreme weather here. They weren't talkative, partly due to the language barrier, but this made them seem exceptionally reliable. When it came to climbing, they could easily scale the volcano without trekking poles. When it came to resting, they could efficiently and skillfully prepare meals for everyone. After the tourists leisurely finished eating, they would magically tidy everything up, stuffing it into the trunk and taking away all the trash—not even a single tissue was left in nature. Then they would continue driving with renewed vigor, effortlessly traversing seemingly insurmountable and wondrous terrain.

Such a man deserves to be called "a man among men".

Fang Kaixuan liked a sentence in a local travel book: "The people of Kamchatka endure the unpredictable weather and daily challenges with an unbreakable calm."

They all indeed wore faces of unwavering determination and courage. The handsome men here were truly unaware of their own good looks.

Such men are as rare as endangered animals in the city. Everyone has become pretentious, regardless of gender. Fang Kaixuan sighed at the pretentious narcissism and couldn't help but exclaim, "Don't you think this life is like that of immortals? Why don't we come and live here?"

Xiao Ju glanced at him sideways: "You're willing to do that?"

"What's there to miss? The smog, the sandstorms, or your job and your boss?"

"You're just still emotionally unstable. Don't think you can do it just because you've had a few days of being waited on in the wild. You wouldn't even go on a five-day, four-night trip to the northern volcanoes."

Fang Kaixuan lowered his head in shame.

That itinerary was indeed suggested by Xiaoju, but she rejected it because she couldn't accept not being able to shower for several days in a row.

“I understand, I understand. I hate those people who go to underdeveloped areas, shove their cameras in people’s faces to take pictures, and then exclaim, ‘How simple and honest they are!’ They’re so self-righteous, what are they even looking at?” Fang Kaixuan once had a travel companion who liked to do these things. The two of them were traveling by bus in the Malaysian countryside, and the travel companion would always try to get the shy local girl next to him to speak English, and he would also get her to appear in the video, add captions, and post it on social media with captions like, “Here I realized the true meaning of life.”

Fang Kaixuan then broke off all contact with her.

Xiao Ju never did, and was even particularly wary of, this, and would criticize Fang Kaixuan's narcissism. Although it occasionally embarrassed her, she only grew to admire her more and more afterward. Women with clear values ​​are like this; even if they have thorns, they are still lovable and possess a unique attraction.

When people are happy, time seems to pass both quickly and slowly. It seems to pass quickly because a week has already gone by in the blink of an eye, and it's time to say goodbye. It seems to slow down because in just a few days, the usual routine has been left behind, and it seems that every day should be like this, exhausting the body but bringing peace to the mind.

They don't care about KPIs, OKRs, or DPIs; they only care about the weather, brown bears, and groundhogs.

Every night before bed, I no longer struggle with inner doubts; instead, I ask myself only one specific, small question:

Will the weather be nice tomorrow?

///

This trip was so relaxing!

I want the Kamchatka Tourism Authority to send me money!