Be wild before you grow old: a 'train adventure' to the west (2)

All of the train tickets from You's journey. (Photo/ CQCB.com)

On Aug. 18, after having traveled 7,701 miles, You finally arrived in Moscow. What surprised him was that few people here could speak English. So though he had command of English, Spanish and German, it did not guarantee that he would not get lost in the capital of the largest country in the world.

In order to save money, You lived in youth hotels and went sightseeing around cities on foot, with his tripod on his shoulder and an eye for beauty. 13 days later, on Aug. 31, after a tough but worthwhile 21-day journey, You eventually reached his destination in Munich.

Before his departure, You wrote a diary for his QQ space called "Be Crazy When We Are Young". In the diary, he said, "I think that a person can't be old and wise, if he was never young and crazy. I want to be a person with a colorful past. So when my future grandchildren ask me about my life. I can tell them a bunch of interesting stories. I won't have had much of a life if I have nothing to tell them."

You's parents have always considered that their son's personality, communication skills, and sense of independence are much important than his academic records. Talking about their son's crazy adventure, Yo Ke says, "Maybe in others' eyes, You Yikun is crazy. But from my point of view, in the process of his adventure he has really learnt something."