We didn't see any water of the lake until we had walked 5 kilometers to the center of the site. My head and ears ached because of the cold and my hands were frozen the moment they were exposed to the air. Most of the walk, I felt like I was pedaling in a washing machine. Nonetheless, I joined the others in taking some good selfies, forcing a smile.

It is not unusual for strangers to develop a camaraderie when exposed to a harsh environment together. It's the friendship of comrades.

Because it was the off season, I got to charter a car for 160 yuan to tour the Danxia landforms scenic spot in Zhangye of Gansu, and 320 yuan for the Jade Gate Pass and Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Gansu. I can tell the drivers were very pleased to get a charter client in the winter months.

It was something of a luxury to be able to view the Danxia landforms for more than five hours. The landforms were dramatic－the sides facing the sun displayed their characteristic white, yellow, orange and red stripes, while those facing away were covered in snow. Sunset is the perfect time to see the sandstone glow. We traveled among the four observation decks by taking a bus. It's forbidden to step on any part of the landform, as it may take 600 years for it to recover.

The Jade Gate Pass, the gate for traders and envoys to travel to Western countries, functioned as a key port along the Silk Road and a major military fortress during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). Now, only few ruins remain. I imagined the vast expanse of the Gobi Desert as it must have looked to others who stood there long before me. The barren and deserted landscape, together with solemn background music broadcast through a loudspeaker, made me feel like a soldier who guarded the border and hadn't returned home for 30 years.

I thought of a sentence I had read online about loneliness being a state of mind. And I realized that the hospitality of nature meant although I was traveling on my own, I didn't feel alone. Maybe it's not necessary to be in a crowd to be part of social life. Talking to the ancestors by revisiting the places where they lived, even though they may appear bleak and desolate, is another way to link the minds of "old friends".

Contact the writer at chenmeiling@chinadaily.com.cn