"Are you? Is this really Alaska? When I walked out of the airport, I couldn't help being shocked. It's so hot, although it's July, it's similar to summer in Japan, and the sunshine may be stronger. My imagination of Alaska is only one word "cold", so I was completely caught off guard and found myself wearing something completely wrong-wool socks and a down jacket, which made me laugh. I came here from Japan in the heat, armed to the teeth! Quickly put on a T-shirt and shorts, walked out of the airport lobby, and I began to prepare. Because bicycles are disassembled, they must be assembled first when they are put into cartons and loaded on airplanes.

But here, it's too quiet. After the people on the same plane left one after another, it was like the small airport of the railway station suddenly empty, and birds chirped and jumped around in the hall. In front of us is a vast wilderness, and you can see the dark coniferous forest in the distance. Is that the so-called coniferous forest belt? Farther away, it is the sharp and towering turquoise mountain. The high sky is endless, which is obviously different from Japan and looks unusually broad.

The bicycle is assembled, and then the luggage. I have six storage bags, which are full of camping equipment and cold-proof equipment, clothes, library books and dictionaries, cameras, tools and medicines-because I will travel around the world next, I naturally have a considerable amount of luggage. I finally got about 40 kilograms of luggage, and I pushed my bike onto the road. This is a straight and open road. It's too flat and beautiful, but it's boring. This is probably the so-called American scenery.

"Finally hit the road. I muttered in my mind, a little intoxicated with the feelings of heroism. In any case, the dream of many years has come true from this moment. I stepped on the pedal solemnly and the heavy bicycle began to move forward. ...

"What's the matter? 」

For an instant, the front of the car wobbled and could not be controlled at all. The luggage was too heavy, and the bicycle gradually tilted to one side, almost hitting the guardrail on the side of the road. I quickly braked. As soon as the car stopped, the dry wind roared on his back.

"This, so riding it? 」

Although I am psychologically prepared, the weight of my luggage is far beyond my imagination, and I feel that I have an extra person.

-This is not an imaginary romantic trip. ...

Once again, I stepped on my bike carefully and staggered. This time, I gradually turned into the fast lane, and the car horns coming from behind came one after another. I was scared out in a cold sweat.

"Don't, don't panic! 」

Stepping on my bike, I cheered myself up. Ride to Anchorage, 20 kilometers away today. It's no big deal, and it's only four o'clock in the afternoon, isn't it? ...

After riding for a while, I came to an empty intersection and didn't know where to ride. Suddenly, I saw a black woman coming in front of me. Her dress was really exaggerated: bright pink pullover with navel exposed and black sunglasses really didn't fit the image of Alaska.

Although I vaguely smelled the danger, my sight was still attracted by the Mulan missile prepared under my sportswear. I think, just ask the way. The thought of this idea swept away my heavy heart. After all, this is a free country, America. Maybe the future development will be interesting. ...

I was careful not to let the evil thoughts show on my face, and tried to talk to her politely:

"I'm sorry."

She didn't respond to anything. She kept chewing gum and looked at me up and down. Sunglasses reflect cold light. The oppressive feeling of silence made my sweet illusion disappear instantly.

Yes, it must have accosted some terrible guy. ...

I'm too scared to know what to do. Now, can't pretend not to ask the way, I timidly then ask:

"Ah, ah ... how to get to the city? Which direction should I go downtown? )」

The woman stretched herself wearily, and I was even more depressed when I saw the furry armpit. She continued to chew gum lazily and said:

"Give me a dollar."

"ah? 」

"Give me a dollar. 」

「……」

You asked me for money. The first person I met in America, the initial conversation turned out to be like this, I just asked for directions! I stared at her face in half surprise, and the other person was still chewing gum with a straight face. I managed to squeeze out my voice and replied, "No, thanks." No, thanks. )」

Why do you have to answer "no, thanks" when you are blackmailed? I thought about this problem and fled the scene like a fly.

When I stepped on the bike, I sighed deeply. Really, this opening is terrible ... the more I think about it, the more I feel useless.

At this time, the chaos before departure reappeared in my mind.

-Is this really a bad omen?

That's what I thought at first. Bicycles are getting heavier and heavier. Yes, things were wrong before the journey began. ...

0 1

Chaos before departure

It was twenty-five days before departure.

At that time, I was an office worker, and I was scheduled to leave in ten days. I am busy with handover and administrative procedures. I didn't go home until late at night.

"Really, you have to leave sooner or later, why are you so hard? 」

While complaining, I untied my tie and went to the toilet to solve my physiological needs. At this time-

"Wow! 」

I screamed in the toilet: urine is bright red!

"Why, why attack now ..."

My kidney has a chronic disease called "Nutcracker", which is caused by some factor that causes the renal vein to rupture and blood to mix into urine. It's not a serious illness, but once hematuria occurs, you must be hospitalized for one to two weeks. I've been fine for two years. I thought I'd recovered naturally. For peace of mind, I went to the hospital for examination six months ago, and the answer was "no problem". How did this happen?

"Why attack at this critical moment ..."

I sat on the toilet with my head in my arms. How can this body travel around the world by bike? No, to make matters worse, the company will leave me in ten days, and the social insurance will expire at the same time. If the hospitalization time is prolonged, the travel expenses will be spent on the hospitalization expenses. My dream was shattered, my job was lost, my life was dark, and I was about to become a cripple ... I felt that someone had been dragging my feet and kept falling, and my distant past memories woke up at this time.

"Is the fortune teller's prediction true ..."

I met my fortune-telling grandmother in a mental hospital. When I was a student, I worked there. My main job is to take care of patients' daily life and chat with them. The old woman always wears a brown winter vest. Although she is a patient who lives here, her behavior seems completely normal, so normal that people don't understand why she lives here. However, she has a special function and her sensitivity is very strong. It is said that as long as you see your face, you can judge your past and future. The hospital said she was accurate. I'm not interested in fortune telling at all, and I'm not going to see her at all. Once, grandma's dark face suddenly approached me, and I didn't praise her, so she began to forget it herself.

"Somewhere in your gut ... you have a chronic disease, right? 」

She is right. ...

"So far, I have contacted three women. 」

Uh ... uh-huh ...

My past and background were revealed by fortune tellers. He is really a profound fortune teller! However, her prediction of my future was unexpected.

"You will live a stable and happy life! However, this life has nothing to do with excitement or adventure. 」

Are you kidding? I thought to myself, my dream is to travel around the world by bike ...

After a moment of consternation, the fighting spirit was immediately ignited. Hehe, isn't this interesting?

"Good-just right! I want to change my destiny and turn it around on my own! 」

From before, it was easy for me to accept the reality and fate as soon as I met something.

To tell the truth, at that time, the dream of cycling around the world was still very vague. After listening to grandma's divination, my blood was boiling and I suddenly had motivation.

However, five years have passed, and the trip around the world is just around the corner, but I am sitting on the toilet in a suit and thinking listlessly: Why did I have hematuria at this critical moment? ...

"This is God's will to tell me not to leave and bring me back to a smooth life!" ! 」

The shirt was soaked through with cold sweat, which was very uncomfortable. I continued to sit on the toilet with my head in my arms, but I still couldn't move for a long time.

It took three days to go to the hospital. I'm afraid the doctor will let me "cancel my trip", so I can't go to see the doctor immediately, and hematuria may naturally improve. However, after three days, the symptoms showed no signs of improvement. There is a doctor I know in the hospital, holding a dead horse as a living horse doctor. I poured out my enthusiasm for the trip to him and stressed in despair: even at this point, I intend to start. Come to think of it, what I said is really unusual.

After all the doctors listened, they just said:

"I let you succeed. 」

"Really, really? 」

So I went through the hospitalization procedure urgently. There are only three weeks left before the official departure.

02

Farewell, my "safe zone"

The doctor really gave me special treatment and injected me with twice as much medicine as usual. Results Hematuria stopped after four days. But even if you get well now, there is no guarantee that you will not have another attack in the future. Moreover, sudden hematuria before departure was unlucky and scared me half to death. Even so, the reason why I haven't given up is because I believe that if I give up at this time, I will regret it all my life.

"If there is one thousand, then we will see!" I thought the same thing.

"In this case, still want to go! I want to change my destiny! Even if I have hematuria, I will continue my way! 」

After leaving the hospital, I didn't even have time to sleep. I packed my work in a hurry, attended a farewell party for a few days, and got ready to leave.

In this way, it's finally time to start. I was joking with my friend who came to see me off at the airport, but it was like a dream. It seems that it is also because all my efforts have been exhausted in order to get to the "departure" step.

The flight will take off soon.

In the applause of my friends, I walked into the boarding gate almost blankly.

When I got into my seat on the plane, I looked around and was surrounded by "foreigners" and suddenly felt a sense of tension.

Still want to hide it? Actually, I've only been abroad once, and I'm still a rookie. I don't even know how to keep my money. Just now, every friend who came to the airport to bid farewell gave me a gift. The money was still in an envelope, and I stuffed it into my bag at will. First of all, you must get funds from other places. ...

With a loud noise, the plane took off. As soon as the seat belt light went out, I quickly ran into the toilet with my backpack on my back, sat on the toilet, opened the gift envelope and took out the money. I know my hands are shaking, but it's not that there are too many gifts, it's that I'm afraid! I don't know what I'm afraid of, but my heart seems to be jumping out. Plus the dollar traveler's checks and cash I bought in advance, it adds up to about 700 thousand yen. What should we do next?

"By the way, remember that the travel book says that money should be kept personally ..."

So, I tried to put all my money in the valuables bag hidden in my pants. But the money is too thick to fit in, not to mention my hands are still shaking.

"Bastard! What's going on, damn it! 」

The more anxious you are, the more your hands shake.

"You this guy, what are you nervous about! 」

After some efforts, it was finally stuffed in. Whew, I caught my breath, put back the dark bag as thick as a thick cut steak and returned to my seat with a straight face.

There is a Hollywood action movie on the screen in front of me. I don't know a word of English, so I can only be in a daze. As the high mood gradually stabilized, my thoughts became clear. I think I finally got out of the "safe zone".

The quiet and stable life is a thing of the past for me, and I have stepped into the "climax after climax" life step by step. This thought is very enjoyable, and the inner confusion has mysteriously disappeared just now.

"Fortune teller, we'll see ..."

I snickered to myself and fell asleep before I knew it.

03

Midnight fear

When I opened my eyes, I saw a strange blue wall. For a moment, I was a little overwhelmed and finally remembered where I was.

Yes, this is the youth hostel in Anchorage.

Recalling what happened after getting off the plane yesterday, I can't help sighing.

It's bad enough to be blackmailed by that black woman and run away. When I asked people for directions, everyone showed me the way in a friendly way. I replied with a smile. Sadly, I couldn't understand a word the other person was saying. It seems that it will take some time to get used to real English conversation.

Constantly lost, I arrived at Youth Travel at eleven o'clock in the evening, and my tension and exhaustion reached the limit. After making sure there was a bed, I sat by my bike and didn't move for a long time.

After waking up, my body is still as heavy as lead. Look at the clock The hour hand points to four o'clock.

-Four o'clock?

Looking out the window, it doesn't look like four in the morning! It was night.

"It's stupid ... isn't that how the first day of the journey was wasted? 」

To my horror, I slept for sixteen hours.

I hardly have enough sleep to get ready to go. However, it is also because I have been here since I came, and I have encountered some frustrating things. I slowly got out of bed, dragged my heavy overslept body to the reception room and saw a man sitting with his back to me. I tried to talk to him a little nervously and wanted to ask him where the supermarket was.

"Excuse me? 」

Sea? (Yes) "

Unexpectedly, when I asked in English, I answered in Japanese. The face I turned to was undoubtedly a Japanese, and the tension was suddenly swept away. I almost didn't rush up and hugged him at once. He wears a pair of big glasses and looks like the hero of Doraemon. He has a steady appearance. In fact, he used to be a member of a university mountaineering club. He just climbed Mount McKinley two days ago.

"Well, how did you attack the top? 」

"Of course! 」

He said with a happy smile.

Next, he plans to travel around the world by tram or bus. We hit it off and chatted in the reception room.

"Although I don't know how far I can go, I think I can go as far as I can. 」

Nobita said in a calm tone. It seems that he is a man who is not artificial and reluctant, insists on conforming to his own wishes and living naturally.

"Why did you come to Alaska? 」

Daxiong asked me.

"I think, since you want to travel around the world, you must start from the endpoint mainland! Isn't this the northernmost airport in North America? 」

When I answered this question, my mood became heroic. Walking from one end of the mainland to the other is the real "traveling around the world"-I think so. From Alaska to ushuaia at the southernmost tip of South America, then fly to Europe, and then plan to ride all over Africa and Asia.

"How long is the whole process expected to take? 」

"Well, I don't know, it will take about three or four years, right? 」

Daxiong seemed to be very moved to open his eyes, and then smiled with surprise, and I laughed with him.

"But why do you insist on traveling around the world for a week? 」

I was a little speechless when he asked. Indeed, there are many reasons, but the most fundamental one is unrealistic: I just want to do so. Since you were born in this world, you should have a good look. But this truth is so simple that even I find it hard to convince people when I say it. Hearing this, Nobita immediately said, "Well, I see. 」

Encouraged and refreshed, I went on to say:

"Then, I also want to find out the first thing in this world! 」

"ah? What is that? 」

"No, I mean, it's up to me to decide what is the best in the world! 」

Whether it is natural scenery or ruins, the most beautiful city in the world will be somewhere. I hope I can travel around the world, look for my most precious treasure carefully, and engrave the precious memories worth keeping in my memory.

"Uh-huh!" Daxiong listened happily and chatted with him. The more I talk, the more excited I get.

"As for why you want to ride a bike? I think I will be happier when I really sweat and find the "treasure" with my feet. 」

"I see. But won't it be tiring just to rely on bicycles? 」

"It doesn't matter! Going through all kinds of hardships to travel around the world with your feet is bound to be fruitful. If it can be realized, this life is enough. 」

I found myself more and more satisfied with what I said. I smiled bitterly in my heart: really, I am so carried away. Yesterday, it was useless to say anything. ...

After chatting for a while, we went to the supermarket to buy things, cook and have dinner together. I was stunned by the noise. With the help of beer, the two of them laughed loudly, which made other white travelers look askance.

However, that night. ...

Lying in bed, as soon as the passionate mood calmed down, I was gripped by some unspeakable fear. Riding a bicycle alone on the vast continent, this romantic fantasy before departure, has now become a frightening sight. Once out of the city, there are endless forests, places where bears haunt, and many people carry pistols.

The woman I met outside the airport reappeared in my mind, and the sound of her chewing gum rang in my ear. It's completely different from last night. I tossed and turned and didn't sleep a wink.

That's all I found