The silver Nissan Serena is parked by the road. Its tail is covered in all kinds of stickers—Route 318 Must-Go, Tea Horse Road Self-Drive Tour, Heavenly Ali, Nujiang 72 Turns, G217 Duku Highway... every sticker tells a story.
The license plate is Malaysian, MALAYSIA 6263.
This is Ah Du's car. He set off from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, driving through Thailand and Laos, entered China through Mohan Port, and has already driven almost 10,000 kilometers.
"Your tail is almost covered in stickers," his fellow driver says with a laugh.
Ah Du looks at his own tail and laughs too: "Yeah, every place I go I put up a sticker. By the time I finish this trip, the whole tail will be full."
He points at the "Heavenly Ali" sticker: "I bought this one in Kunming. When I actually get to Ali, I'll put up an even bigger one."
The wind blows gently, the Malaysian flag on the tail swaying slightly. Ah Du leans against the car, looking at the road in the distance—there's still a long way to go, but he's in no hurry.
Because being on the road itself is a kind of scenery.
💡 Want to record your China road trip with stickers like Ah Du? We provide full customs declaration and route planning services.
Many road trippers have the habit of putting up stickers. Every time they arrive at a place, they buy a local sticker and put it on the tail. After a while, the tail becomes a map, recording every section of road traveled.
"These stickers are my medals," Ah Du says. "When I'm old, looking at these stickers, I'll remember the days I drove all across China."
Indeed, some experiences you only have once in a lifetime. Recording them with stickers, looking back later, it's all full of memories.