Wheels Around the World
Do you have the courage to pursue your dreams? If you doubt your own abilities, perhaps you can take inspiration from the story of two Taiwanese women who made their wish come true. Like many other young people, Lin Chi-ying (Vicky) and Chiang Chiu-ping (Pinky) dreamed of traveling the world. What makes them special is that they actually did it; what’s more, they did it on bicycles.
Cycling was their preferred method of transportation because “bikes bring us closer to nature, local people, and the way they live,” said Vicky. Beginning in July 1998, Vicky and Pinky spent 922 days cycling through 32 nations, in all five continents. By the end of their epic journey in November 2001, they had experienced for themselves the vast beauty of Alaska, the bright lights of Europe, rural life in Turkey, and the breathtaking African wilderness.
At 18, Vicky read the famous “cycling diary” of Hu Rong-hua. Always an active and outgoing girl, she was inspired to take a solo bike tour of southern Taiwan. Two years later, in 1991, while riding along the island’s east coast, she met a Japanese cyclist, who invited her to join him on a world cycling tour.
In July 1998, they began their trip in Alaska. Vicky soon realized, however, that their travel philosophies were quite different. Her partner seemed intent on testing his stamina, while she preferred admiring the fantastic scenery and meeting the locals. They parted after a month. Vicky cycled alone through the Rocky Mountains down to the western United States. By this time, her constant efforts to persuade her college friend, Pinky, to join her had succeeded.
Although Pinky was more conservative than Vicky, she found that she, too, had an adventurous spirit. They met up in San Francisco, and headed north in summer, south in winter, like migratory birds chasing the sunshine.
Once, in California, Vicky and Pinky were unable to find any cheap accommodation, so they camped in a park. They were woken up by armed police officers, who told them camping there was illegal. They found a more peaceful location, or so they thought: The next morning, they got a rude awakening from water sprinklers.
In cities, they would wander through colleges and libraries, “in need of air-conditioning,” Pinky joked. Such facilities, in fact, “allow travelers to fill up on local information and take a break-physically and mentally.”
Vicky and Pinky praise friends back in Taiwan who supported them financially, as well as the many people who assisted them along the way. They have fond memories of the wonderful hospitality of the people in a Turkish village, where Vicky and Pinky farmed, cooked, and danced with the locals.
Having experienced the warmth of the human spirit firsthand, they certainly agree with the words of novelist Paulo Coelho: “When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it.”
自行车环球梦
你有勇气去追求你的梦想吗？如果你怀疑你自己的能力，也许你可以从以下两位台湾女性实现她们愿望的故事中得到启发。和许多其他的年轻人一样，林姬莹（Vicky）和江秋萍（Pinky）梦想能环游世界。她们的特别之处是她们确实做到了；而且，她们是骑着自行车做到的。
骑自行车是她们喜欢的一种交通方式，因为“自行车让我们更接近自然、当地的老百姓以及他们的生活方式，” 林姬莹说。从1998年7月开始，林姬莹和江秋萍花了922天，骑自行车穿过五大洲的32个国家。2001年11月当她们结束史诗般旅程时，她们已亲身体验了阿拉斯加的浩瀚之美、欧洲的璀璨灯光、土耳其的乡村生活和让人叹为观止的非洲旷野。
18岁时，林姬莹读了胡荣华的那本名著《单骑走天涯》。一直都是个积极外向的女孩，她受其鼓舞于是一个人骑自行车环游南台湾。两年后，即1991年，当她沿着台湾的东海岸骑车时，遇到一位日本籍自行车骑士，那位骑士邀她加入他的自行车环游世界之旅。
1998年7月，他们在阿拉斯加开始了他们的旅程。然而，姬莹很快了解到他们的骑车哲学很不一样。她的伙伴似乎热衷于体能耐力的考验，她却偏爱欣赏绮丽的自然风光，以及与当地人接触。一个月后两人便分道扬镳。姬莹一人骑车穿过洛基山脉抵达美国西部。这时，她不断地游说她的大学好友加入这一旅程，她的努力终于成功了。
虽然江秋萍比林姬莹保守，但她发现自己也很有冒险精神。两人在旧金山碰面，开始了夏天向北，冬天朝南，如候鸟追逐阳光般的旅程。
有一次在加州，林姬莹和江秋萍找不到便宜的住所，只好在公园扎营。她们被武装警察叫醒，并被告之在那里露营是违法的。她们找了处她们认为更安宁的地方。第二天一早，她们就被喷水装置无礼地惊醒了。
在城市里，她们会逛当地的大学和图书馆，“在需要空调的时候，” 江秋萍开玩笑道。这些设施，事实上，“能让游客了解当地的资讯，并让身体和精神得到片刻轻松。”
林姬莹与江秋萍十分感激台湾朋友给予她们的财力支援，和那些一路上帮助她们的人。她俩曾在土耳其村庄与当地人一起下地、做饭和舞蹈，村民的殷勤好客给她们留下了美好的回忆。
由于她们亲身体验到人类精神的温暖，她们当然会赞同小说家保罗·科尔贺的一番话：“当你想做成一件事，整个世界都会帮你去实现。”
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