It actually feels surprisingly good to randomly walk into areas around that I've never been before.
Last time, I purposely got lost in the residential area near my university - well, not really purposely, I was planning to walk over to another Ingress portal around 3 kilometers away, but it turns out that the map for the residential area was not in the game yet. So I was there walking into random junctions and having fun with the scenery and surprises around, and it turns out to be more fun and inspiring than I would expect. It just feels good to explore, be free, and hold no expectation for the next thing that might happen.
Well, don't worry. I found the portal and my way back to school.
I really enjoyed that 6 kilometer walk I had last weekend, so today I decided to do something similar again - but not in the same location, since I want something unexpected. On a junction out, I chose another direction - into another residential area I never been to before.
It is a place somehow unexpected. A beautiful primary school, a simple playground with kids playing football on it, parents around, trees and greenery, houses peacefully sitting around, everything is calm and pretty.
I like it. The place I am in now is not too close to the big cities, so things like these are possible - nothing is packed, and everything looks natural. Seeing the kids reminded me of myself when I was a kid, when fun and games are not done on screens. A sudden strike of nostalgia...wew.
It is a pretty residential area. I walked into one of the junctions and was greeted by some big houses. Well, big houses are considered common, so that's nothing special. What caught my attention is this little trunk.
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The tree seems to be chopped down for a long time, the mushrooms made it their home and it is pretty interesting to look at it. It's interesting how nature does everything randomly while having some sort of symmetry or rule around it, it's something no computers can accurately recreate until today.
There's nothing too interesting around here, because I bumped into a dead end on the road. But, from a junction near I can see a hill - not a big one, but it's big and empty enough for me to feel that freedom and stress-less world I miss.
I kept on walking along the road, it's a typical Saturday and the road's pretty quiet. Sometimes an empty bus will pass by or something like that, or a cyclist passing by my side...walking somehow makes everything around you go slower, probably it's because you get to spend more attention around you, observe, and appreciate?
Soon, I got to a path that can lead me to somewhere up on that hill. It's been a long time since I last hiked something, looking at the time, I decided to just go up and see where it leads to. To be honest, the main thing that leads me up there is curiosity. Can't help, I'm too young inside to hold it in control.
Yes, I know I like to capture strange photographs. This is the only photo in the post that received post-edits...I tried to get something like a burst of light from the spaces between leaves and trees, so after tweaking a bunch of settings on the phone camera I get something like this, a contrast and saturation change is applied. Well, I liked it pretty much, probably I should experiment more with the phone camera in the future.
There are a few families around too, it seems to be their common exercising spot. The scenery around the small hill isn't disappointing, standing at somewhere high and looking far away just feels good for some unspecified reasons...probably that's the feeling of being free?
When I reached the top (it just took like...3 minutes), I was surprised by how pretty the top of the little hill is - it looks like a homestay, but it isn't. A few rooms around, but no one is there, not even a worker or manager. I asked someone exercising around, he replied that he is there every day but he has no clue what this place is made for. Well, that's clueless enough, but indeed, it is purposely designed, with an unknown purpose.
I like how the world feels free from any clutter here - it is just clean, tidy, beautiful, and peaceful. I can somehow imagine me sitting somewhere here for one whole day when I feel stressed and need a peaceful way to relax. It just feels like the perfect spot for it.
After having enough I walked back - it's almost a 20-minute walk from my school to here. It's okay, I love to walk and I feel it's rewarding enough.
Probably I will go to find another few places to visit around me when I have the time again :) the zero expectation experience is indeed inspiring. The feeling is complex, but I guess I know why certain people love to explore foreign cities without a map now.
Try it, maybe?
See you next time!
--Lilacse