not all by myself / 不是一個人

不是第一次自己一個人去旅行，但卻是第一次為了旅行，自己一個人去旅行。途中遇到很多也是一個人的旅者，來自世界各地，我喜歡大家對自己的寂寞毫不掩飾，熱情地分享個人經驗，但是第二天卻又各自踏上不同的旅途，我們之間有著不可言喻的微妙準則，我對於旅途上不斷擦身而過創造出的短暫關係，感到相當好奇和有趣。

This was not the first time I traveled by myself, but it was the first time I traveled by myself solely for the sake of traveling. I came across many individual travelers from all over the world on my journey. I like how everyone was not ashamed to hide their loneliness and how everyone shared their personal experiences. However, the next day, everyone went his or her way. There are unwritten rules among us. I am so intrigued by the short relationships with by-passing fellow travelers along the way.

例如說，有些人看起來似乎是一夥的，不過細聽他們說話，又客氣到令我懷疑他們可能也是最近幾天才認識，每天出遊的組合都像是在玩排列組合，的確，旅行是測驗友誼的幾大考驗之一，那麼何不為彼此留點空間呢？在我們那樣急於渴望陪伴之餘，千萬不要忘記距離也是保持良好關係的一大因素。

For example, some people seemed to come together, but after I paid attention to their talk, their mutual politeness gave me the doubt that they might have met recently. Every day I saw different groups of people going out. The possibility of combination was even beyond what permutation and combination in math could predict. Well, traveling is one of the big tests for all kinds of relationships, so why not leave some space for each other? When we so desire for company, it is a must not to forget that distance is also indispensable in maintaining a relationship.

在我感到很寂寞的時刻，往往眼前又都是成雙成對的遊客，此時便會問自己一個人旅行的意義到底何在，有時候我那麼確定自己不是一個人，但是有時我又想，我到底還是一個人吧！

At my lonely moments, I saw only couples in front of my eyes. Then I would ask myself the point of traveling alone. Sometimes I was so sure I was not all by myself, but other times I couldn't help thinking that I was all alone.

而'當我正要那樣相信時，往往不知哪就會冒出一件好玩的事，是前一刻的我完全看不到的，然後我便興致沖沖地隨著人潮排隊，忘了剛才的低落。

While I was about to fall for that belief, something fun would pop out of nowhere, and I had not seen it at all the moment before. I would move in the queue with the crowds, totally leaving my despair behind.

其實我的心底一直都知道答案，我帶著很多人的眼睛旅行，到植物園時，我為研究植物的她拍照，到了廟宇，我為他祈願，到了百貨公司，我為他們買禮物，到了美麗的景點，我為她們寫明信片，到了下午茶時間，我和她一請吃鬆餅，做了每一件事，我總是對自己說：旅行真好。

As a matter of fact, I'd always known the answer. I traveled with the memory of many people. When I was in the botanical garden, I took photos for her who studied botany. When I was in temples, I prayed for him. When I was in department stores, I bought gifts for them. When I saw something scenic, I wrote them postcards. During the afternoon tea time, I ate waffles with her. After I did everything, I said to myself, "How wonderful it is to travel!"

然後等我回家之後，發現自己被想念著，我就更確定自己的答案了。

Then, after I came home and realized that I was so much missed, I was even sure of my own answer...