Romania, Bringing You This Song 'In Deep'

When I bought the ticket to Bucharest, I realized it was already July 7th, the 31st day of my journey.

Every time I try to write something, I find myself on a mode of transportation—bus, train, plane—but when I actually have time to open my diary, my mind goes blank. I want to record the beautiful souls I've encountered along the way—the time, the place, their appearance, which intersection, which turn—but these details are so subtle that they become indistinguishable. I'm afraid of forgetting. I hate crossing one border after another, leaving behind the people I've just met. I'm so fickle, forgetful by nature.

Matt said, 'You don't have to remember everything.'

As soon as we entered Romania, we chose the same city. We moved to the next destination together, took the same train, and stayed in the same guesthouse. In the low season, it was just the two of us in the eight-person room. Our itineraries were eerily similar. An Aries, a solo backpacker, someone who dislikes crowds, 45 years old—my third travel companion.

On the 5th day in Romania, I changed my Facebook profile picture to say, 'You travel alone, but you're never alone.' I wrote this while stranded in the countryside of Sibiu, forgotten. The train had no announcements, and no one knew where the next stop was. It was as if no one cared, and so I didn't care either. The frequency of locals boarding the train was strange. The train often stopped in the middle of fields or desolate rice paddies.

In July, sunflowers bloomed golden and vibrant all over southern Romania. It's one of the few breathtaking scenes I've witnessed, unforgettable. This place is where sunflower oil is incredibly cheap.

We boarded a local train that couldn't close its doors properly.

We waited for an inexplicable hour for the train to depart. Matt had the clearest blue eyes I've ever seen. Behind those eyes, there were souls carrying more landscapes, memories, and love than I had yet to visit—South America, Central Asia, the Arctic Circle. I couldn't imagine being capable of reaching the places he had been at 21.

He carried camping gear of all sizes. Just after finishing his solo camping trip in Portugal, he gave himself an extra two weeks of travel and bought an early ticket back to London from Bucharest.

Oh, I forgot to mention, Matt with the blue eyes is British.

'English are always so hard to please.' I said.

By the way, I rarely buy return tickets in advance.

I'm not lying when I say that, like someone who has never traveled abroad, my first time leaving the country was equally nerve-wracking. If the itinerary couldn't list where I had to be at a certain time, I became anxious and couldn't move forward. I remember my first trip to Europe, so nervous that I forgot to bring my boarding pass.

Luckily, traveling is like studying. It can be adjusted and practiced slowly. Only you truly understand yourself and know which methods are effective. You must find a mode that suits you. I think I've found it: take one step at a time, book accommodation for the next day before sleeping, avoid making urgent decisions. Just wait and see. Recognize that not predefining any situation can bring unexpected joy and coincidences.

If fate predetermined that our souls would meet, maybe the other person was just stuck at some transit airport... arriving later, but still yours in the end.

In short, the days traveling with Matt had their ups and downs.

It was great to have someone to travel with. I didn't have to worry about Romanian men staring at me naked or being asked questions like 'Which country do you like the most?' or 'Why do you dare to travel alone?' questions that I didn't even know how to answer.

But having someone accompany me was also a bit annoying. 'Well... I really want to have dinner with you too... Can we not tonight?' 'I'm not angry, I just... need some personal space, you know what I mean?'

Actually, I didn't really want to go see the square statue that was just a five-minute walk from the hostel. There were pigeons everywhere, basically turning it into a public restroom. As an Asian girl, a 21-year-old female backpacker, I could really take care of myself. You can trust that I'll be fine on my own.

Actually, I preferred the evenings when we would return to our rooms separately, without any awkwardness, and casually greet each other in the lobby, saying, 'Hey, how's your day?' 'Oh! Congrats! I knew the English team would win the match.'

Going from 'I don't want to' to 'Okay, I'll go with you' was the most difficult and difficult-to-utter thing for me.

At that time, I didn't understand how radiant I appeared to others. I was just a young person who was determined to explore paths that others had never walked before.

After my soul returned to myself, I presented a state of pure innocence. Even talking with Matt, who was two rounds older than me, sometimes made me feel like we were from different worlds. We talked about travel, work, and global warming, but we never mentioned love.

I never asked him why, at the age of 45, he chose to remain single, just as he never asked me, 'Do you think it's safe for an Asian girl to travel alone?' It was a topic that left me at a loss.

We simply talked, ate, and read. Read, eat, talk.

The only thing that made me roll my eyes slightly was 'Would you like some cup of tea?' and the typical complaining nature of the English, but never mind.

'At your age, I was still lost.' he said.

In the end, he flew back to London on July 21st, returning to his long-halted engineering job. After Bucharest, I headed south and soon took a train to Bulgaria.

We simply didn't travel together anymore, just like most backpackers. We crossed paths and then continued straight in our respective original directions.

When I think back to Romania, the only things that come to mind are him and the swaying train moments. Memories were always delayed, never on time. Matt was always reading on his Kindle, saying he didn't plan on working much. The Regional Train was always worn-out and old but felt warm and cozy.

Romania always gave me a warm feeling. I don't know if it was because I had a rare travel companion or if it was because the Balkan Peninsula, with its clear skies and sunflower fields, was too dazzling. It feels like a vast expanse of golden warmth and refreshing energy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBSfhIUYpcg

Finally, I present to you the song 'In Deep', self-mixed and composed by Matt himself. Yes, this gentleman is also a DJ.