Gu Yue, an outdoor travel enthusiast, has never stopped exploring,2015accompanied by the renowned French outdoor brandLafuma, this time, Gu Yue brought his companions to the east coast of the Pacific — the United States — to begin their brave journey.
On this exciting trip, Gu Yue is joined by Xiao Xuan, a white-collar worker in advertising design. Later on, he will also be joined by Chai Rui, who has worked in auditing for over a decade and is known as a model mom, daughter, and wife, as well as Ji Ya Hu, a herdsman boy from Inner Mongolia. Together, they will pursue the life they've long dreamed of, realize their travel aspirations, experience different cultures, and truly immerse themselves in various unconventional experiences to see the world with open hearts and seek genuine freedom within.At this moment,
what amazing and fun things have they encountered? Let’s find out together.
4In the month of13, Gu Yue reunited with one of his companions, Xiao Xuan, in Kentucky, USA, just in time for a local gun festival. Shooting is a legal recreational activity in Kentucky, where people of all ages and genders bring their machine guns and assault rifles to shoot. Wearing aLafumasuper-light windproof jacket, Gu Yue took a photo in front of a tank.
To gain a deeper understanding of authentic American gun culture, Gu Yue and Xiao Xuan later explored a second-hand firearms market behind the shooting range.
In the U.S., where “guns are mightier than the sword,” citizens can obtain a three-year gun license by paying a35USD registration fee. For decades, the cost of buying firearms has seemed more stable than gold or stock prices — it has never depreciated and has even increased several times over. If you want to buy a fully automatic weapon, you can only purchase those made before1986, and there are only about 60,000 such weapons in the entire U.S. Coupled with gun enthusiasts’ fear of federal gun bans, a single firearm can sell for overM16USD 20,000, making gun ownership in the U.S. almost a form of investment.
Let’s let the bullets fly for a while.~
After the gun festival, Gu Yue and his companions headed to eastern Tennessee, where they spent2days with a family preparing for the end of the world, and then visited the largest prison in the U.S. to learn about the lives of American inmates.
En route through Louisiana, USA, the local cuisine is worth mentioning. There is a century-old tradition of eating crawfish. At a gas station, there was a takeaway crawfish shop. They spent over thirty dollars to buy eight pounds of crawfish, plus a large cup of oysters. Gu Yue and Xiao Xuan had a hearty meal and said they were thoroughly satisfied. Later, the group tasted local turtle meat and alligator meat soup in Louisiana — a big bowl for just ten dollars. They both felt that the local diet was particularly suited to Chinese tastes.In Louisiana, USA, they tried local turtle meat and alligator meat soup — a big bowl for ten dollars. The local food is really well-suited to Chinese palates.
Next, Gu Yue and Xiao Xuan visited the largest prison in the U.S.,—Angola Prison. The U.S. has the highest prison population in the world, with nearly1%of its population behind bars. Over 6,000 inmates, 80% of whom are serving life sentences,1.8%and some are on death row. They planned to spend time here to deeply understand the lives of this1%group of people. The movies "Dead Man Walking" and "The Green Mile" are both based on stories that took place at Angola Prison.
Next, Gu Yue and his companion Xiao Xuan gained a basic understanding of life there. Angola Prison is like a complete city--with its own farms, pastures, church, hospital, auto repair shop, greenhouse, convenience store, restaurant, toy factory, radio station, and TV station. Except for the hospital, all are run by inmates. The farms and pastures supply food for the prison. Well-behaved inmates can choose jobs, giving their lives some meaning. The average hourly wage is20cents, and inmate work helps reduce the operational costs for the state government.
Gu Yue interviewed several inmates in the prison,Johnwas one of them.Johnwas convicted of second-degree murder as a first-time offender and sentenced to life imprisonment, having already served28years,4months, and a few days. In the prison’s auto repair shop, he is a senior mechanic and instructor. He trains short-term inmates in auto repair, giving them job opportunities upon release.Johnstarted dating his high school classmate after entering prison, seeing her3times a month. They dated for20years and got married after2002years. They’ve been able to sustain their marriage for so many years—what about us?
Gu Yue and Xiao Xuan had lunch inside Angola Prison. It was their first time eating prison food, and it was even cooked by inmates. The utensils were red plastic forks and spoons—nothing that could be used as a weapon. Gu Yue said the yellow water was the worst drink he’d ever had in his life. The spaghetti with meat sauce was barely edible, at least it had vegetables. This first-time experience filled Gu Yue and Xiao Xuan with curiosity and made the trip even more memorable.
Bonus: A Closer Look at Gu Yue’s Outdoor Gear for His US Trip
Essential Item 1: Camouflage Print Windbreaker
Quality Features:LifestyleSeries, tear-resistant nylon, camouflage print windproof fabric, offering excellent wind resistance, moisture permeability, and lightweight design, suitable for various uses such as hiking and mountaineering.
Essential Item 2: Crewneck CasualTT-Shirt
Quality Features: Made from materials by a JapaneseToyobocompany, with outstanding elasticity and good quick-drying properties. Odor-eliminating strips added to both sides under the armpits enhance sweat odor removal.Ceres DryThe material offers excellent elasticity and quick-drying performance, with added deodorizing strips on the inner sides of the underarms to enhance sweat odor elimination.
Essential Item 3: New Men’s Fashion Elastic Pants
Quality Features: Made from materials with superior elasticity and recovery, offering a comfortable fit. Knees and lower back areas use highly durable materials for extra wear resistance. Laser perforation details on the back sides of the knees enhance ventilation.LycraThe material provides a comfortable wearing experience, with highly wear-resistant materials used on the knees and lower back for enhanced durability. Laser perforation details are added to the rear sides of both knees to improve ventilation.
Essential Item 4:Stylish Multi-functional Waterproof Hiking Backpack
Quality Features: Made from imported KoreanMIPAN ROBICmaterial, featuring excellent abrasion resistance, tear strength, and high load-bearing capacity. Practical and multifunctional, comes with aLafumacustom waterproof cover.
Essential Item 5:Ultra-light Breathable Couple’s Outdoor Sports Shoes
Quality Features: Made withGORE-TEX?technical fabric offering excellent waterproofing and breathability. The ultra-light insole combines “breathable mesh” and “microporous foam material” for all-day dry and comfortable wear.
Where to for the next leg of the journey?
On their upcoming trip, Gu Yue and his companions willLafumaexplore more unique and fascinating places across the United States, continuing to share authentic local American culture with everyone. FollowLafumaour official WeChat account to get early updates on Gu Yue’s “Travel with Me” content.