The backpacker who doesn't do his job

After returning from the South Island of New Zealand in February 2020, I did not set foot outside the country for two years, and not long ago I was stuck at home for more than a month, so my trip came to a halt. I was unable to travel, but there was happy news, my new book "No Work, Go to the Island: Blue Love Song in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau Bay Area" was published. After teaching for a few years, I changed my profession to television, and my mentor laughed at me for being a disciple of "not working", and then I became addicted to travel and photography, and really took up the "not working" profession. A long time ago, I participated in the writing of two law books, and even wrote three chapters in a national law self-study book, but that was only my job and profession, not my hobby.

Not working to go to the island, actually at work

When I traveled around the world, I wrote a lot of travel tips and insights for travel magazines, took a lot of photos, and even participated in the writing of some chapters of travel books and provided travel photos for travel books, but it was the first travel book that was written and photographed independently in its entirety. Several publishers have approached me to encourage me to publish a book, but I love the simplicity and joy of travel, and I don't want to work hard at home to code, so I always find excuses to put it off. Until I became a "trapped beast", the editors of the Guangdong Tourism Publishing House approached me for a manuscript, but I was still afraid and hesitant. Coincidentally, they planned to publish a series of "Charming Bay Area Books", and the theme I was given was island travel, which was exactly what I wanted, so I was determined to finish the assignment. I think the title of the book "Don't work, go to the island" is a reflection of my state of life, but my family does not agree, they see me traveling constantly shooting, home constantly code, think it is actually work, and is not paid work. I just love myself, do not care, and do not feel like work.

A day hike of 20km in the summer on Dong'ao Island

The RAW photos for shooting "No Work, Go to the Island" were in the tens of thousands, requiring me to go one by one, even after several repeated trips. in the summer of August 2019, the second time I went to Dong'ao Island to take photos, the sun was hot that day, the island was extremely hot, I wore long-sleeved sun-protective clothing and pants, wore a hat covering my face scarf, carried a camera and water, and hiked around the island alone for 20 kilometers. Suddenly, the cap of the soda bottle in my backpack burst because of overheating, and the back of the bottle became a sticky mess. I quickly put down my backpack and dumped the camera, batteries and sunscreen soaked in water on the ground, cleaning and drying them one by one, in a terrible state. Facing the sprawling sea, surrounded by empty space, sat on the roadside and wrote the foreword to the book." Every time you pick up your backpack, leave home, get out of the city and board an island, it's like entering another world ......"

The "bottom falls out" on Kamikawa Island

In the summer of 2020, when I was photographing Kamikawa Island and Shimokawa Island, my sneakers were baked on the hot ground until they came off, so I had to limp along the beach and drag them along. I had to throw away my shoes and go home wearing slippers. The wind and sun on the way, in addition to paying the sweat, but also paid a permanent price, severe solar dermatitis and rapidly graying hair.

Temple Bay Island, witness a romantic proposal

In June 2013, I went camping at Temple Bay Beach with my teammate Mu Mu, and the two old men were crammed into a small tent, very uncomfortable, and the wind blew the tent mat full of sand, when shaking the sand, glasses fell into the sand, and when I found them, the lenses and frames were bruised by the sand and could not be used. The lenses and frames were so scarred by the sand that they couldn't be used. But we had a great time that night. One of our teammates on the island together was a couple, and the man suddenly proposed to the girl on the beach. But this ceremony is a little difficult, the wind on the beach, light candles always blow out, the guys dug a sand pit, the candles in the pit in a heart-shaped light, the girl was moved to tears. The next day at noon, the sun was blazing, the guys retreated, and I stood with Mumu halfway up the hill, sweating, and took a photo of Temple Bay comparable to the Maldives in the book.

A small Shiba Inu posing for a photo on Chicken Heart Island

Island shooting in the most do not want to shoot people, afraid that people do not want to, most love to shoot small animals, but also will not violate the portrait rights. The seabirds and puppies on the island have been photographed a lot. When I went camping on Jixin Island, one of my teammates' Shiba Inu was very smart and smart, and when the speedboat went to the island, it sat in front of me, with both paws on the master's arm, looking at the sea curiously, with the same curious expression as when I went to a new place. After we got to the island, my master took him around and made him stand on the reef to model for me, but he was as excited as a child on a play date, running around. When it's time to sleep, he will lie on the side of the owner's tent and never "disturb" the people. What also shocked me was the seabirds on Salt Island, so many that you can't imagine, look at the sea mangroves dense, green, pick up a telephoto shot, each tree resting on a number of white seabirds, like green trees blooming cotton.

Hong Kong Island's Guides

The book "Don't Work, Go to the Island" contains a number of travel tips for Hong Kong, even including uninhabited islands that Hong Kong locals may not have visited, thanks to my good friend Sam, a veteran Hong Kong mountain lover who seems to know no Hong Kong travel destination he doesn't know. He volunteered to be our guide every time, taking us hiking, camping, diving and shooting in Hong Kong, helping us book yachts, buying ingredients for eating and drinking on board, and even driving his own private car, taking me to two very niche places in Hong Kong. If I say his only "bad", is that he is too strong, hiking fast, I am walking and shooting, always fall behind, must jog all the way to keep up.

The regret of Pudai Island gives me a reason to go there again

Sam helped us find a fisherman's house on the island and we slept in a hut for the night. That afternoon, we had to go swimming at a clean beach farther away, so we changed into T-shirts and shorts and flip-flops and walked over there, thinking about going into the sea without a camera. It took me a long time to get to the beach, and when I arrived, I took a picture of the view with my phone, thinking I would come back later to take a picture with my camera, but I didn't expect to encounter the epidemic, so I couldn't go there for almost two years. The scenery in "No work, go to the island" is taken with the cell phone photos, it does not seem to contradict the sense, once to travel with what camera, with what lens, tangled to tossing sleepless nights, is now a cloud.

Seeing the least visited Macau

For a while Macau is open to mainland visitors, return also do not need to isolate, a check of the Hong Kong and Macao Permit, I was delighted that I still have a valid Macau endorsement, immediately from Shekou to Macau by boat. When entering the country, I found that there were about ten tourists on the whole boat, and Macau attractions were cold and clear all around. Macau's Fisherman's Wharf, traditionally a popular tourist spot, also has only a few scattered visitors. In the past, there were more shopkeepers than tourists yelling in front of the stores in the crowded Rua da Cunha. The cold Macau, but also has its advantages, hotel accommodation is cheap to unimaginable, a couple of hundred good hotels abound, eating as cheap as Shenzhen, so in Macau for a few days. During the day to take pictures of my book, the evening on shopping, taking pictures is extremely efficient, go anywhere, no matter how red it used to be to take pictures of the location, do not have to wait, immediately.

Down the white mud to shoot the sunset, can not catch the last train

Unless it is to shoot the humanities, generally still like less people on the island, the coast, the crowd to the explosion, it must be Hong Kong. Once in Hong Kong under the white mud shooting sunset, the crowd, everyone from the afternoon until dark. At sunset, the beach oyster fields in the foreground, the distant Shekou port to do background, red haze full of sky, scattered all over the sea, the beauty of the incomparable. However, the return trip was a problem, because there were too many people watching the sunset, there was only one minibus route, and the bus was always full, and the queue was two miles away. Even if I wanted to take a cab, I had to wait in line for a long time. In the end, it was dark and I had to walk 6 kilometers to Hong Kong Lau Fau Shan before I could catch a bus.

Daewansan Island, almost living on the street

I was asked which island I like the most, and I think I like all of them. If I were to say which island is impressive, it would be Dawansan Island. My classmate took me to the island for the first time. My classmate is a sea fishing enthusiast, and he and his fishing buddies often go to the reefs near Dawanshan Island to fish, and when we arrived at Dawanshan Island, they rented a boat to go out for night fishing, and I stayed alone on the island to take pictures. That day was the peak season of sea fishing, the few hotels on the island were full of fishing buddies, so I was ready to sleep on the stone bench of the pavilion by the sea. Anxiously looking for a room, a kind person on the island introduced me to live in her relative's house, after entering the room, the owners are a very kind old couple, I live in their children's room, opposite the bay.

Red row angle, the most thrilling shooting route

No work, go to the island" book has thirty-six routes, the most dangerous route is Shenzhen's red row corner. It is part of the Shenzhen Dapeng National Geopark, with special and good-looking geographical features, but it is not recommended for non-professionals to cross, and ordinary people only need to take part of the line to return. Because the last three places, no professional outdoor people with rope assistance, some people are very difficult to pass, the most dangerous place, you need to cross a very wide gully, and then stick to the rock a little move over, a little careless, fall into the sea or hit the reef, the light is injured, the heavy is life-threatening safety, therefore, this place often have security to stop the donkeys going through.

Dog claw snail encountered on Wai Lingding Island

The book "No Work, Go to the Island" introduces a lot of seafood from various islands, which is a summary of my numerous failed attempts, sweet and sour. Once, I bought a stone like "bread crab", which looks as good as toasted bread, but in fact, there is nothing to eat except the thick shell. There is also the so-called "seafood from hell" - dog claw snail, not unpalatable, but to eat up the real trouble, to get out a little to eat, the average person simply do not have the patience to eat all. How about a simple plate of sea urchin fried rice, or a sea urchin sausage noodles, nutritious and delicious. There is also a time to eat with paste "blow tube boy", eat into the mouth, lips and tongue are black, but the taste is delicious, greedy to eat a lot, the result of diarrhea and diarrhea almost down.

Yanzhou Island, the first time to try "clay"

Traveling and shooting on the island, you can feel the kindness of people more than in the city. In June 2020, while shooting on Yanzhou Island, we happened to meet the village elders carrying tributes around the village for ritual prayers, the end of which was the Jade Palace, and everyone rested after the ritual. A villager gave me a bowl of food from a bucket, saying that it would be smooth. It looked like a bowl of sugar water, and red and white glutinous rice dumplings, pointed at both ends, a bit like "oat noodles and fish" look, sweet and sticky mouth, like the rice wine dumplings eaten as a child; I asked what the food was called, they said in the local language is "dumpling mud", see me a breath When I ate it all, they filled another bowl for me. I not only love to eat, in fact, is really tired and hungry, was concerned about taking pictures did not eat breakfast, followed the trotting shot all the way, so nonchalantly ate up the second bowl ......

Yellow Spear Island, free cold drinks on a deserted island

During the trip, you can often feel the mutual care among outdoor enthusiasts. When I went snorkeling and taking photos at Wong Mau Chau in Hong Kong, there was not a single tree on the uninhabited island and there was no shade. It was extremely hot that day, so if we didn't take shelter in the shade, we would have gotten sunburned. Unfortunately, the curtain tent we brought was too small for the crowd to squeeze in, and we wanted to leave the island, but it was not time to pick us up. There were a few Hong Kong residents with children to play and set up a super large canopy so that we could also get shade. They brought insulated refrigerators with cold beer and drinks, and seeing that we were hot, they enthusiastically invited us to drink, while we gave them the cucumbers we brought, and it was really a joyous occasion.

Hobo Island, teammates to me as "mahjong"

My fair lady, long hair flowing with the wind, with waves splashing dynamic ...... some friends have got the book, said like this photo of the beach treading the waves. That time is the mill senior donkey friend "smile forget book" summoned us to camp in Zhuhai He Bao Island, when everyone went to the beach to swim, teammate yoyo wearing a brightly colored swimsuit, but shyly wrapped in a large silk scarf, I look at the swimsuit is very good for her body, let her throw away the silk scarf to the sea, on the beach to capture a few photos, really brilliant! The photos were really impressive. If you want to talk about the shortcomings, it is to forget to let her put down the key tag and rubber band in her hand, so you can see her walking towards the sea in the book, holding a green key tag in her left hand and a rubber band in her right hand.

Island tour, those who can't forget

During the writing and filming of "No Work, Go to the Island", we also received a lot of enthusiastic help from many people. The father of an alumnus who used to work on Hobao Island told me in detail about the history of the People's Commune period; I rented a jeep on Ha Chuan Island to go around the island for filming, and when I returned the jeep in the dark, I was already overtime, so my overtime fee was waived; many inns and hotels changed the cheap rooms I booked to sea view rooms, not even knowing that I came to write the book; an innkeeper on Yanzhou Island called his friend to drink tea with me and told me the story of salt tanning in the past. stories, and also sent me local sea salt; hiking to the top of the mountain on Dong'ao Island to photograph the big windmill, and when I was too tired to walk down the mountain, a local drove me to the pier; photographing the sea view on the terrace of a dried seafood store on Macau Road traffic circle, at noon, the store owner asked his son's noodle shop to send a bowl of high-grade seafood fish noodles, insisting that he would not charge; and many outdoor friends who traveled with me, willing to be volunteer "model", but due to space or typographical limitations, the book failed to appear in their figures ......

I wish I really did not work to go to the island

A travelogue of sixty to seventy thousand words and over six hundred and forty photos, the day it was sent to the publisher, was like liberation day. It was also a profound experience of the famous words of Charlie Brooker, the screenwriter of Black Mirror: "Don't talk about talent or luck, all you need is a deadline and someone who will blow your dog's head off if you don't turn it in, and then you'll be surprised by your own talent." No Work, Go to the Island" introduces 36 islands and coasts in the Greater Bay Area, each with different scenery, some for vacation, some for camping, some for hiking, some for island driving; some for companionship with solitude, some for group revelry, some for experiencing folklore, and some for exploring nature. Within the Greater Bay Area, there is always a small island that will capture your heart ...... But hopefully one day, really not work, we go to the island together!