You graduated from the College of International Education of Sichuan International Studies University in 2011 and was enrolled into the University of Málaga (UMA) in September of the same year, taking his master's degree in Tourism. In his first year in UMA, he began to think about the kind of 'train adventure' that he might take on his way back to Chongqing.
This semester, You had to spend six months studying in Germany. After careful thought, he finally made up his mind to make his adventurous dream come true, and travel to Munich from Chongqing by train. "This was no momentary whim. I actually planned it for a year," says You. "To be honest, I'm obsessed with trains and I'm tired of traveling by plane - it's so dull and boring."
On Aug. 11, You left Chongqing for Beijing, from where he took the K3 International Train to Moscow. It is worth mentioning that Train K3 is a Trans-Mongolian line, which crossed Mongolia on its way from Beijing to Moscow. The 7,622 kilometer journey takes 6 days and 5 nights and crosses the Eurasian continent.
From Beijing to Moscow, days on the train are quiet and relaxing. Every day, the scenery outside is different: the magnificent grassland of Inner Mongolia with its lush green grass; Lake Baikal, the blue eye of Siberia; the dense Siberian forest, and much more. A gregarious person, You soon became acquainted with the conductor and he was even invited to make dumplings with the train crew. As well as happy memories, life is full of twists and turns, and so was the trip. You got into trouble when he reached Moscow. He had changed his hairstyle, and the temporary student resident visa he had was authorized in Spain. It took him half an hour to pass through the customs. On leaving Russia, he was stopped again and questioned for 20 minutes because of the same problem.
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."
You Yikun and his conductor friend take a picture at the terminal station of Train K3. (Photo/ CQCB.com)
