JOURNEYDOWNTHEMEKONG

　　PART1THEDREAMANDTHEPLAN

　　MynameisWangKun.Eversincemiddleschool,mysisterWangWeiandIhavedreamedabouttakingagreatbiketrip.Twoyearsagosheboughtanexpensivemountainbikeandthenshepersuadedmetobuyone.Lastyear,shevisitedourcousins,DaoWeiandYuHangattheircollegeinKunming.TheyareDaiandgrewupinwesternYunnanProvinceneartheLancangRiver,theChinesepartoftheriverthatiscalledtheMekongRiverinothercountries.WangWeisoongottheminterestedincyclingtoo.Aftergraduatingfromcollege.wefinallygotthechancetotakeabiketrip.Iaskedmysister,"Wherearewegoing?"ItwasmysisterwhofirsthadtheideatocyclealongtheentireMekongRiverfromwhereitbeginstowhereitends.Nowsheisplanningourscheduleforthetrip.

　　Iamfondofmysisterbutshehasoneseriousshortcoming.Shecanbereallystubborn.Althoughshedidn'tknowthebestwayofgettingtoplaces,sheinsistedthatsheorganizethetripproperly.Now,Iknowthattheproperwayisalwaysherway.Ikeptaskingher,"Whenareweleavingandwhenarewecomingback?"Iaskedherwhethershehadlookedatamapyet.Ofcourse,shehadn't;mysisterdoesn'tcareaboutdetails.SoItoldherthatthesourceoftheMekongisinQinghaiProvince.Shegavemeadeterminedlook—thekindthatsaidshewouldnotchangehermind.WhenItoldherthatourjourneywouldbeginatanaltitudeofmorethan5,000metres,sheseemedtobeexcitedaboutit.WhenItoldhertheairwouldbehardtobreatheanditwouldbeverycold,shesaiditwouldbeaninterestingexperience.Iknowmysisterwell.Onceshehasmadeuphermind,nothingcanchangeit.Finally,Ihadtogivein.

　　Severalmonthsbeforeourtrip,WangWeiandIwenttothelibrary.Wefoundalargeatlaswithgoodmapsthatshoweddetailsofworldgeography.FromtheatlaswecouldseethattheMekongRiverbeginsinaglacieronaTibetanmountain.Atfirsttheriverissmallandthewaterisclearandcold.Thenitbeginstomovequickly.Itbecomesrapidsasitpassesthroughdeepvalleys,travellingacrosswesternYunnanProvince.Sometimestheriverbecomesawaterfallandenterswidevalleys.WewerebothsurprisedtolearnthathalfoftheriverisinChina.AfteritleavesChinaandthehighaltitude,theMekongbecomeswide,brownandwarm.AsitentersSoutheastAsia,itspaceslows.Itmakeswidebendsormeandersthroughlowvalleystotheplainswherericegrows.Atlast,theriverdeltaenterstheSouthChinaSea.