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旅伴
楊佳瑜 著，沈玫 譯。
一個人流浪慣了，真的不太習慣跟別人結伴旅行。
當 Mitchell 一說來英國的計畫是：倫敦-里茲-愛丁堡，其中兩天待在里茲跟我聚聚，我一聽到蘇格蘭，就忍不住自告奮勇說：我也要去！
此話一出，自己也嚇了一跳，畢竟我跟他其實彼此了解並不深。我大學的時候參加「台灣觀摩團」當輔導員，帶世界各地的華裔青年認識台灣，他就是荷蘭來的華裔青年。三年來大家四散各自的國家，只能靠通訊媒體連絡，直到我到英國唸書，才有機會見見歐洲的團員。於是我把握夏天的尾巴去荷蘭看看那群華裔荷蘭人，三年來大家都長大了不少，他們的溫馨接待讓我深受感動，於是回英國前認真的邀請他們來英國找我。Mitchell 真的要來英國找我，讓我非常感動，想想如果只能在里茲接待他兩天，之後大家又要四散天涯，多可惜，加上他要去的是我熱愛的蘇格蘭，立刻豁出去說：我也要去！
敲定了！很多朋友聽到都微微一驚，我居然要跟一個男生單獨去旅行！尤其法國女孩若蘭更是驚訝的說，他還以為台灣人很保守的！總之我還是去了，反正都是住青年旅舍，跟其他背包客同住一間房，男生女生根本沒有差別。
事實證明 Mitchell 是個完美的旅伴，男生不用化妝打扮，一下就可以出門；他喜歡走路亂逛，可以陪我亂走一整天都不會喊累；最重要的是他超愛吃！我已經非常熱愛食物了，還是每次都會被他逗得自嘆弗如，他怎麼可以這麼愛吃！分析食物時可以激動的揮動手勢，從肉幾分熟到醬料搭配等等，一整頓飯都評的不亦樂乎！他講到口沫橫飛，吃到都長出胖胖的一圈游泳圈了，還能拍拍肚皮自嘲說：「我好像彌勒佛喔！」很喜歡跟他一起挑剔菜餚的口感，或者一起融化在起司蛋糕的滋味裡。六天的旅程中，最精彩的時光都是在餐桌上看他如何跟食物碰撞出愛的火花！
倒是我一個人慣了，不習慣跟別人一起旅行，是個很難搞的旅伴。他睡前問我要幾點起床，我說不知道，要看天氣決定行程與出門時間，他就說那你醒了叫我，結果我都狠不下心擾人清夢，自己起床梳妝打扮，甚至到廚房簡單吃完早餐後，回到房間他才無奈地問我剛剛去哪了？
雖然是女兒身，但我膽子挺大。我們跟其他背包客一起上酒吧喝一杯，從六點吃完晚餐聊到半夜十二點，我實在是累了，但看他跟大家都聊的正開心，就自己抓了外套決定先回去，一個德國女生睜大了眼睛說：「這麼晚了，你一個人回去好嗎？」其他人更是看看他又看看我，大概以為一男一女同行就是情侶，殊不知我們只是朋友關係，而且我不想要他遷就我的旅行步調，所以就自己先回了旅舍休息。愛丁堡市中心還算安全，我迷路晃了幾圈，醉心於午夜古城風情。
就算是一起旅行，互相保有自己的空間還是很重要的，我很喜歡逛博物館，一逛就是好幾個小時，所以我們改成約好固定時間一起吃飯。我參觀完蘇格蘭議會之後，午餐時說等一下議會有政黨辯論，他就說那你去吧，我去別的地方逛逛。於是晚餐的時候，我們就互相交換所見所聞，我聽了一場政黨辯論、他找到一間樂器行，反而有雙倍的收穫。
旅伴很重要，愛健行的人跟愛購物的人、想省錢的人跟想省麻煩的人、愛慢慢品嘗食物與高效率解決三餐的人、想住旅舍多認識背包客與想住旅館保留隱私的人… 每個人都有不同的步調，對旅程都有不同的期待與想像，世界上不可能有完全相同的兩個人，出發前的溝通很重要，旅程中互相配合也很重要。一個人旅行可以享受孤獨的美好，但適合的旅伴的確能讓樂趣加倍。攻頂成功時可以有個人一起眺望風景讚嘆「好美喔」、吃飯時可以點不同的菜，一起品嚐，時而挑剔、時而滿足到不行。
一個人旅行的好處是自由自在，孤獨的咀嚼自己與世界的對話。沒有旅伴的束縛，可以作很多大膽的嚐試。有旅伴的好處則是可以分享思緒，兩個不同的人、面對陌生的地點，激盪出新的想法，化旅途為精彩的辯論。
你呢？你找到適合的旅伴了嗎？
Travel Partner
Written by Nathalie Yang, translated by Rosie Seville.
After travelling on my own for a while, I am not at all used to having a travel partner.
But then Mitchell told me of his plan- to visit London, Leeds and Edinburgh, including two days in Leeds with me. As soon as I heard the word Scotland, I couldn’t stop myself from saying it: I want to go too!
I was rather taken aback to find myself volunteering to go: after all, I didn’t really know Mitchell very well. While I was at university, I joined the 2009 Taiwan Study Tour for Chinese Expatriate Youth as a supervisor, taking a group of young overseas Chinese from all over the world to see Taiwan. He is a Dutch of Chinese descent. Three years later, everyone had gone back to their own countries and could only stay in touch through social networking sites and it was only when I moved to England to study that I had the opportunity to see my European friends again. At the end of the summer I seized the opportunity to go to Holland to see the Chinese Dutch I’d met in the group. Three years on, everyone had grown up a lot, and I was so touched by their warm welcome that before going back to England I begged them all to come and visit. Mitchell really wanted to come and visit me, which I thought was really sweet of him. I thought that it would be a real shame if I was only able to entertain him in Leeds for two days, and afterwards everybody scattered all over the globe again. Also, since he was proposing to go to my beloved Scotland, I didn’t hesitate in saying yes!
So it was decided. A lot of my friends were slightly surprised to hear that I was suddenly going off travelling alone with a guy! In particular, my French friend Josepha said with surprise that she thought the Taiwanese were quite conservative! Anyway, I went, and in actual fact we stayed in youth hostels for the whole trip, sharing a dorm with other backpackers, so the male/female divide scarcely made a difference.
Mitchell turned out to be a perfect travel partner. Since guys don’t wear make-up, we were always straight out of the door without delay. He enjoys going exploring on foot and could walk with me all day without tiring. Most importantly, he loves to eat! I am a real foodie, but even so I could never compete with him, he’s such an enthusiast! When examining his food, everything from the tenderness of the meat to the sauce that accompanied it could excite wild gestures from him, and his mouth watered as he spoke. He could happily discuss such things for a whole meal: it was such a joy to share in his evaluation of a steak or to soak up the beauty of a cheesecake with him. After eating his way through our six-day journey his belly had inflated like a rubber-ring, but he just patted it and said good-humouredly: “I look like Buddha!” For me, the best part of the whole trip was seeing the sparks fly every time he sat down in front of a good meal!
I, on the other hand, not being used to travelling with another person, was quite a difficult travel partner. Mitchell asked me what time we should get up and I replied, “I don’t know, we’ll have to look at the weather and then decide on our plans.” So he asked me to wake him up in the morning, but since I always hate disturbing people’s sleep I got out of bed and ready by myself. When I finished breakfast and returned to the dorm I saw his disappointed face: “Where did you go?” he asked.
I may be a girl, but I’m pretty independent. One night we went for a drink in a pub with some other travellers, and after starting dinner at 6 o’clock and talking right through to midnight, I got pretty tired, but seeing Mitchell chatting so happily with the others, I decided to get my coat and walk back on my own. A German girl we’d made friends with protested: “It’s so late, are you really ok to go back on your own?” The others looked quizzically at me and then at him, presumably assuming that a guy and a girl travelling together must be a couple. They didn’t realise we were only friends and I didn’t want to affect his pace, so I went back to the hostel on my own. The centre of Edinburgh seems pretty safe and it is such a beautiful city, especially on a cold, dry, and quiet night. I got a bit lost wandering round, wrapped in the midnight atmosphere of the old town.
Keeping one’s own space is very important, even when travelling with a partner. I like to spend several hours looking round museums, so we adapted our plans and just set times for eating meals together. I went to listen to a debate in the Scottish Parliament whilst he found a music shop: recounting our experiences to one another meant we had the double the fun!
Having the right travel partner is very important. An active person can’t travel happily with one who just wants to go shopping; in the same way, those who want to save money don’t get on well with those who’d rather save time and trouble. Some people like to take their time tasting local specialities whilst others efficiently gobble up each meal; some like to stay in hostels and meet backpackers whilst others prefer hotels. Everyone has their own pace, as well as their own expectations of the trip and since no two people are the same, communication before setting out on the trip is essential, as is getting on well during it. Travelling alone does have a certain lonely beauty to it, but a suitable partner really can double the enjoyment of a trip. Sharing pictures online is totally different from actually saying to another person how beautiful the scenery is after hours spent hiking up to the top of a mountain. Not to mention that travelling with a partner means you can order different dishes and try each other’s; much more satisfying!
Travelling with someone can help you to understand their character more profoundly. During our trip, I felt Mitchell’s grief for the fact that the Dutch have no mountains, while he began to understand why colonial history is such a sensitive subject for me. Just like Regis (Josepha’s father) said that the best ways to understand a person are cooking and travelling together, because that is when their personality really comes out.
The art of travelling alone is freedom. Only absolute loneliness can allow one to interact purely with the world. Without being held back by a travel partner, you can bravely try out lots of new things. The advantage of travelling with someone else is being able to share thoughts and emotions. Two individuals, faced with an unfamiliar environment, can bring forth a torrent of new ideas that turn a journey into a fascinating debate.
What about you? Have you found the right partner for your next trip?
