2014 SW China trip in blue, 2015 Silk Road trip in red. Each approx 6 weeks. "Straight" lines indicate flights, all other transport train/bus/taxi.
My 2014 SW China backpacking trip blew my mind. The following winter I planned a new trip, but with more knowledge and confidence. I felt as though China was my playground and I thought it was time to be a bit more adventurous.
The Silk Road trip was extensive with multiple impulsive movements. It was also soul-crushing and euphorically enlightening, depending on the situation.
The trip is called the "Silk Road" trip because, obviously, I traveled the silk road from Beijing to Kashgar without boarding an airplane. It took over a week of pure commute and was both beautiful and repulsive at the same time.
So I'll just say it: China is destroying our planet mercilessly. The pollution generated in the name of economic progress is ravaging Earth. Money isn't a real thing. It is a symbol. It's simply representative of wealth and in generating it, we're destroying what is actually substantial.
I'm going to limit what I say regarding this topic for multiple reasons. Ultimately, it is all just as absurd as people inventing laws that control other peoples bodies. Society is based on creating your own little belief system in your head, then saying you're right and whoever disagrees with you is wrong, and pretending to debate about it. This is universal. Belief systems are the chronic confusion of humankind created by categorization (compartmentalism) through language. And for this, there is no easy fix. To make a law to remedy climate change or expand voting rights is like scrubbing the inside of a fishbowl filled with ink. It is an illusion that man-made laws can fix a psychological disease we all share. Will we ever be free? It depends. Do you feel afraid of the idea of living without your precious little beliefs? Do you panic a little when one of your iron-gripped beliefs is threatened? If you do, then hold on to those beliefs as tight as you can, and the world will continue just as it is.