I floated down a Chinese river on a wooden raft.

Idyllic gondola ride through Yangtze River near Lijiang, Yunnan, China.

Credits: Rosaline Oh/author

Water flowed lazily by our wooden raft. Even the hot air seemed gentler and more forgiving down this river.

Nothing much was happening. All we did was float, sip our drinks, watch the world glide by at the river’s pace, and make…