When talking to reporters about his travel experience, Alain showed a bright smile from time to time. For this Jiarong Tibetan female singer born in Ganzi, Sichuan, travel is a deep experience of the beauty of the nation, a spiritual perception of the beauty of music, and an exploration of the beauty of life. Leaving aside the overly calculated travel plans, the sensual Alain will always encounter unknown surprises wherever he goes, and will always integrate these surprises into his work and life after the trip.
Travel with beauty-seeking eyes
Alain loves beauty, and loves to discover different beauty during his travels. In the interview, the first object she mentioned after filming the album cover was a national costume she had recently worn in Yunnan. "In the night market in Xishuangbanna, where I was most impressed, there were a lot of girls wearing Dai clothes taking pictures on the street. There are 3 kinds of photo packages of 199 yuan, 399 yuan and 999 yuan, from clothing and jewelry to makeup and photography. Recalling the experience, Alain seemed very excited, "I think it's a good deal, I went to take a set of photos myself." ”
As early as the first time Alain went abroad to Vietnam, her obsession with national costumes had sprouted. "I was a middle school student at the time, and one of my neighbor's aunts was going to vietnam for a tour, and my mother and I followed her from Guangxi to Vietnam." Alain said, "At that time, I thought that the clothes of Vietnamese girls were very slim and beautiful. In her opinion, this dedication to national costumes actually reflects her respect and love for different cultures and customs. According to her recollection, when she goes to some countries in the Middle East, she will also deliberately wear local ethnic costumes, on the one hand, she can better understand the life of the locals, on the other hand, she can also take beautiful photos as a souvenir. In addition, after each trip, Alain brings back some exquisite local crafts such as onyx earrings, perfumes, peacock feather fans, etc. Although some of them are not cost-effective, in her opinion, they are still beautiful and meaningful souvenirs.
In addition to the national costumes, the beautiful local architecture is also a highlight of Alain's travel diary. In the interview, she mentioned two different styles of rooms she had stayed in during her trip to Yunnan. One is located in a B&B, and the whole space is filled with fireworks: outside the building is a pastoral area, with poultry and dogs passing through it, like a view of people living in harmony with nature. The other is located in the middle of the hotel and is lavishly decorated and international. The building is drawn from the local area and blends smoothly with the surrounding mountains and waters.
"When I travel, I prefer to stay in different styles of homestays and hotels." Alain confessed. In her opinion, these hotels and homestays not only provide her with a place to rest, but also open up an opportunity for her to enjoy the beauty of the local area and observe the life of the people. She was impressed by the homestays in Hakone, Japan, "those homestays are right next to Mt. Fuji and surrounded by Lake Kawaguchi and Lake Yamanaka. When you eat, you can look up and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Mt. Fuji. Alain believes that Hakone's homestay has a high degree of integration with nature, the interior design is simple and clean and very humane, and the price is relatively reasonable, "Plus I like to soak in hot springs, so I love to go to such a homestay." ”
Listen with your ears
As a singer who has been debuting for more than ten years, Alain's travels are often accompanied by album preparation and concert holding. For her, discovering the beauty of the rhythm on the go has become a habit. During his four years of studying in Japan, Alain witnessed several cherry blossoms and drew inspiration from them. "Cherry blossoms have a short flowering period and are more restrained in shape." "They always make me feel sorry and pity, so a lot of songs about cherry blossoms are either romantic or full of sad notes," Alain said. ”
Alain says she juggles learning and creating while traveling. When traveling to Guizhou Dongzhai, in addition to visiting the "Three Treasures of the Dong Nationality" - Zhaimen, Drum Tower, Wind and Rain Bridge, Alain also learned the Great Song of the Dong Nationality. "After I finished learning, I integrated some elements of the Dong song into my own music, and "Let the World Hear" and "Interdependence" have elements of the Dong song." Alain said. When he went to Inner Mongolia, Alain also included local music with ethnic characteristics such as wine songs and horse head pianos. "We also weave Tibetan eagle flutes into musical works." Alain introduced, "The eagle flute is an ancient musical instrument made of the wing bones of an eagle. ”
Alain, who is good at listening on the road, is also good at expressing his love for a certain place with his songs. She once used a song "Valley of Beauty" to promote her hometown of Danba. "The rain follows the sky, the flowers follow the fish to dive to the bottom", the clear voice is matched with poetic lyrics, and the beautiful natural features and different humanistic customs of Danba are said to the fullest. For Alain, the hometown is indeed a paradise too beautiful to describe in words, as described in "The Valley of Beauty", "Danba's architecture is like in The Miyazaki films, and families live in the forest next to each other." Everyone can pick an apple to eat, and the bicycle will pass by a field of birds and flowers. ”
From her idyllic hometown, Alain's singing voice has traveled all over the world with her forward steps: Seoul, Dubai, London, Switzerland... But what impressed her most was the scene of the concert in Tokyo. "It was my first concert. As a foreigner, I am particularly worried about the box office of concerts, afraid that I will not be able to sell tickets. Alain recalled, "It turned out that the situation was quite good, and there were many people who came to see the concert." She added that many Japanese people have never heard such a clear Tibetan sound or been exposed to Tibetan folk songs, so they especially like her singing ethnic minority songs.
Fusion, composition, singing, travel bringing spirituality to Alain's music and making her more aware of the world. "I think if you have time, you should go out for a walk, don't always hide at home, because when you go out, you will see different scenery and understand different cultures." Alain said, "After contacting different people, you will have a better understanding of what the outside world is like, which is very helpful for your pattern and vision." ”
Experience it with a sensual heart
After many years away from home, Alain still misses his past life and remembers the taste of childhood. "In my hometown, we make pork legs, which are a lot like Spanish ham. In addition, potato buns and sauerkraut noodles are also very delicious. According to her, the potato buns are stuffed with potatoes and served with refreshing dipping water, and the taste is superb. Such a variety of delicacies can still be eaten in Alain's home today, "Our freezer is frozen with yak and fragrant pork legs. Usually, we also retain the habit of drinking butter tea. ”
Born in a place with many specialties, Alain naturally has a small study of various snacks during the journey. While traveling in Xishuangbanna, a local stone pot fish caught Alain's stomach. "This dish is a 'straw hat' on a stone pot, and we ate it for two days in a row. There is also a very impressive soup, which is made of a kind of gray chicken, the soup is oily yellow, and it feels quite complementary. In addition, Alain also tried authentic Dai dishes, "glutinous rice dumplings, pineapple rice and other Dai specialties, are very delicious." ”
Alain believes that eating is an important part of feeling the fireworks of a city during a trip. Go to xishuangbanna's night market to experience barbecue, you will know a little more about the city's leisurely and warm temperament, go to Chengdu's hot skewer shop to eat a few skewers, you will have a little more understanding of the way people eat between the streets and alleys of the city. Alain especially likes to go to Chengdu to play, "there are many delicious and fun things." The pace of life is also quite comfortable and very livable. She even recommended the "right way to open" for friends who are planning a trip to Chengdu, "go to Taikoo Li for a walk, and then be sure to eat skewers or hot pot at night." ”
The love of fireworks and life gas has made Alain develop the travel habit of "deep lazy people walking freely". "We plan our next day's trip until we wake up naturally, and we don't customize a plan in advance, because our trip is basically a walk-and-go trip." Alain confessed. She believes that since travel is a way to feel life, it should not be arranged too full, "the most important thing to travel out of the country is to rest well, and it is meaningless to travel early and in the dark." However, Alain also pointed out that this "deep lazy free travel" approach may not be suitable for time-bound travel such as whale watching, but for other human and natural tours, leaving plenty of time and making more flexible arrangements can help her better integrate into local life.
Although it is a "lazy person's free trip", Alain's travel footprints show her "diligence" in travel. Seen the cherry blossoms of Japan, walked through the narrow streets of Vietnam, walked through the planetarium of Abu Dhabi... Each travel experience is reflected in Alain's photographs, memorabilia, food tastings, and songs sung. In 2021, Alain plans to take his steps towards the great rivers and mountains in the country, to see the desert, the Gobi and the Yellow River in Zhongwei, and to walk the mountains and plateaus of Kashgar. She will also continue to enrich her personal life through travel, enriching her musical works.
The image in this article is from the Alain team
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