Chengdu college student spends 3200 yuan on a 37-day budget trip to Nepal

Liao Guangt?

　　On July 12, when summer vacation began, Liao Guangt?, a freshman majoring in automotive engineering at Sichuan Engineering Technical College, made a well-planned budget trip. His destination was Nepal, and his goal was to cross the border with just 800 yuan.

　　On the evening of August 17, Liao Guangt? returned to Chengdu, concluding his 7-day journey. He spent 3200 yuan, traveled over 8000 kilometers, hitchhiked 63 rides, slept on floors, stayed as a couchsurfer, faced threats, and also encountered kind-hearted people. This 19-year-old boy, who is less than 1.7 meters tall, had never even left Sichuan Province before. He smiled and said that when you're young, you should go crazy for your dreams.

　　Never left the province

　　Yet planned a budget trip to Nepal

　　The idea of hitchhiking came from an online post. Since November last year, Liao Guangt? had been thinking about taking a budget trip. He worked part-time jobs delivering food and doing odd jobs, and his daily life was quite frugal. By this past March, he had saved up 3800 yuan, which became his entire travel budget.

　　However, Liao Guangt?’s plan did not receive his family’s support. This only child from a low-income family had never been far from Chengdu before. “The first time I told my parents I wanted to travel, they strongly opposed it, saying it was too dangerous,” he said. On July 12 at a little past 8 AM, Liao Guangt? set off. His first stop was the Chengdu-Chongqing Expressway exit. There, he stuck out his thumb for the first time. From Chengdu, he headed toward Tibet and eventually returned to Chengdu, covering over 10,000 kilometers.

　　Hitched 63 rides

　　Rode everything from BMWs to tractors

　　Raising his right thumb — the universal hitchhiking gesture — Liao Guangt? mastered it completely. He documented the details in his journal. He successfully hitched 3 rides, including luxury cars like BMWs, Range Rovers, and Mercedes-Benzes, as well as cement trucks, large freight trucks, postal vehicles, and even a tractor. “The tractor belonged to a Tibetan family who were collecting scrap. They didn’t understand Mandarin very well, but they warmly gave me a long ride,” he said.

　　The hitchhiking experiences along the way left a deep impression on Liao Guangt?. Near Qinghai Lake, he met a Japanese university student. After chatting at a gas station, the student invited him to ride along to Golmud. There was no charge. He also met a Tibetan lama who gave him a ride after chatting for a while. The next day, the lama invited him to his home. “The second day, the lama cooked yak meat at home. He said I reminded him of himself when he was young. He said I looked like I’d already lived a full life!”

　　Gained friendships

　　Shared stories with drivers

　　Along the way, Liao Guangt? received a lot of help. He tried his best to only accept small favors. On the road, many drivers were tired from long hours of driving. He would chat with them to keep them awake. He shared his own stories. Some drivers weren’t very talkative at first, but after hearing his tales, they became more open.

　　In a few days, it will be Liao Guangt?’s 20th birthday. He considers this trip a birthday gift to himself. He said that when you’re young, you should go crazy for your dreams. No sooner had he returned to Chengdu than he began planning his next trip, with Yunnan or Xinjiang as possible destinations.

　　Endless roads, blue skies and white clouds, high mountains and lakes, the glow of sunset, and the figure of someone walking forward.

　　Along the way, Liao Guangt? took many such photos. It’s like he’s saying: “When one person sets out, it’s not just to find beautiful scenery, but to discover a journey that belongs to oneself. The most unforgettable moments often come from the most unexpected places.”

　　But seeing these beautiful sights wasn’t easy. Along the way, Liao Guangt? faced many challenges. One of the most difficult occurred in Tibet.

　　The Tongmai section is known among travelers as the “Tongmai Death Road” because the soil along the mountainous route is loose, and the area is surrounded by snow-capped mountains and rivers. Rain, wind, or melting snow can easily trigger landslides and collapses, earning it the nickname “the death section.”

　　That day, it was raining heavily. Liao Guangt? had just gotten out of a minivan and was waiting for the next ride. There was a landslide ahead, and visibility was very poor. He waited for a long time at a dangerous bend. “Later, I was scared to death. I thought I might not make it back alive,” he recalled. “At that moment, I truly felt how fragile life is. Looking back now, I realize how lucky I was to have survived.”

　　Interview with the person involved / Slept in a truck and shivered from the cold

　　Chengdu, Lhasa, Nepal, and back to Chengdu — completing the entire journey, Liao Guangt? spent less than 2000 yuan. To save money, he slept on the floor of guard rooms and even spent nights in trucks.

　　“One night, I slept in a truck and shivered all night, unable to sleep,” he said. That was during the stretch from Nagqu to Tuotuo River. Because hotel accommodations were expensive, Liao Guangt? chose to stay in the cargo hold of a truck at night. Although it was summer, the temperature inside the truck was extremely low. He wore all his clothes, even put on a down jacket, but it was still freezing. “At that time, the only thing on my mind was getting back home, wanting to sleep in a warm bed. But then I thought, if I gave up so easily, how could I call this trip an adventure? I had to persevere. Otherwise, what was the point of coming all this way?”

　　Another time, Liao Guangt? arrived at a location that was already pitch dark. The driver he met was also traveling to a remote area. This place was even more desolate. After nightfall, the environment became quite harsh. “There were no hotels around, but the driver said there was a guesthouse up ahead. We drove for a while, and finally found it. The guesthouse had electricity, had hot water, and even had Wi-Fi. As long as you don’t care too much about the conditions, you won’t have a hard time surviving,” he said.

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