Gu Yue, a passionate outdoor traveler, has never stopped exploring,2015accompanied by the famous French outdoor brandLafuma, this time, Gu Yue brought his companions to the eastern shores of the Pacific – the United States – to embark on their brave journey.
On this exciting trip, Gu Yue has joined Xiao Xuan, a white-collar worker in advertising design, and will later be joined by Chai Rui, who has worked in auditing for over a decade and is a typical good mother, daughter, and wife, as well as Ji Yahu, a herder boy from Inner Mongolia. Together, they will pursue the life they’ve long dreamed of, fulfill their travel aspirations, experience different cultures, and truly feel diverse experiences through various crazy adventures. They aim to see the world with heartfelt eyes and seek genuine inner freedom.Right now,
what incredibly fun and amazing things have they encountered? Let’s find out together.
4On the13th, Gu Yue met up 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 from across the country bring their machine guns and assault rifles to shoot. Gu Yue, wearing an ultra-light windproof jacket, took a photo in front of a tank.LafumaWearing an ultra-light windproof jacket, Gu Yue took a photo in front of a tank.
To better understand and experience 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 a35dollar registration fee. For decades, the cost of purchasing firearms has seemed more stable than gold and stock prices — it has never depreciated and has even increased several times. If you want to buy a fully automatic weapon, you can only purchase those made before1986, and there are only about sixty thousand such weapons in the entire U.S. Coupled with the fear among gun enthusiasts that the federal government might ban guns, a single firearm can sell for over twenty thousand dollars, making gun purchases in the U.S. almost a form of investment.M16A single firearm can sell for over twenty thousand dollars, making gun purchases 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. They 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 with a crawfish takeout shop, they spent over thirty dollars on eight pounds of crawfish and a large cup of oysters. Gu Yue and Xiao Xuan had a hearty meal and said they thoroughly enjoyed it. Later, the group tasted local turtle meat and alligator meat soup in Louisiana — a big bowl for just ten dollars. They both agreed that the local diet is especially suited to Chinese tastes.In Louisiana, USA, they tried local turtle meat and alligator meat soup — a big bowl for just ten dollars. The local food really suits Chinese tastes.
Later, Gu Yue and Xiao Xuan visited the largest prison in the U.S.,―Angola Prison. The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with nearly1%of the U.S. population in prison. Over six thousand prisoners, eighty percent serving life sentences,1.8%and others on death row. They planned to spend time getting an in-depth understanding of the lives of this1%group of people. Movies like “Dead Man Walking” and “The Green Mile” are based on stories that took place at Angola Prison.
Next, Gu Yue and Xiao Xuan learned about the basic lifestyle there. Angola Prison is like a complete city--with its own farms, ranches, 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 ranches supply food for the prison. Well-behaved inmates can choose jobs to give 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,Johnis 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 car mechanic and instructor. He trains short-term inmates in car repair, giving them job opportunities after release.Johnbegan dating his high school classmate after entering prison, meeting3times a month. They dated for20years and got married after2002years. They’ve managed to sustain their marriage for so many years—what about us?
Bonus: Behind the Scenes – A Look at Gu Yue’s Outdoor Gear for His U.S. Trip
Essential Item 1: Camouflage Print Windbreaker
Features:LifestyleSeries, tear-resistant nylon, camouflage print windproof fabric with excellent windproof, moisture-permeable, and lightweight properties, suitable for various activities such as hiking and mountaineering.
Essential Item 2: Crewneck CasualTT-Shirt
Features: Made from materials by a JapaneseToyobocompany, featuring outstanding elasticity and fast-drying performance, with odor-eliminating strips added to the inner sides under the armpits for sweat odor control.Ceres DryThe material features excellent elasticity and fast-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
Features: Made with highly elastic and resilientLycramaterials for a comfortable fit, with reinforced abrasion-resistant material on the knees and lower back for enhanced durability, plus laser-perforated details on the sides behind the knees for improved ventilation.
Essential Item 4:Stylish Multi-functional Waterproof Hiking Backpack
Features: Made from imported KoreanMIPAN ROBICmaterials offering excellent abrasion resistance, tear strength, and high load capacity, practical and multifunctional, and comes with aLafumacustom waterproof cover.
Essential Item 4:Ultra-light Breathable Couple’s Sports Outdoor Shoes
Features: Made withGORE-TEX ?/span>technical fabric for excellent waterproofing and breathability; the ultra-light insole combines “breathable mesh” and “microporous foam material” to provide all-day dry and comfortable wear.
Where to go on the next journey?
On their next adventure, Gu Yue and his companions will explore more unique and fascinating places in the United States,Lafumacontinuing to share authentic American local culture with everyone. FollowLafumathe official WeChat account to get early updates on Gu Yue’s “Travel with Me” content.