Ping and the cutest AirBnb ever!

As I have already said that my articles should be mainly about you so I’m not going to change anything about that.

This article is going to be about one of my amazing AirBnb stays in the US. I have met many people and all of them were amazing but this place is really extraordinary. Why so? Not just because of the people I met there but also because of the place. I have never stayed in that cute AirBnb.

Let’s get more details about that place and its people. I was looking for a place to stay near the Yosemite National Park, one day. As I was on the road all the time so I checked those places kind of last time before I could even check in there. I was on my way in the car without any wifi so I actually couldn’t have a look on anything nearby but I knew if I won’t do it now I won’t have any chance to do so because it was getting dark a bit and there is nothing on my way as well, no stops, no cafes, I was driving through a middle of nowhere so I should have a look and book something now. Thinking about it all my way, I saw a place to eat, Dennys. It was always Dennys because the service was fast and their food was really good. That day, the first day in the States, I started to have a feeling it was enough and I should have a salad. I chose a Chicken Avocado Caesar salad and connected my phone to their wifi. I was looking for a night to stay and found a nice AirBnb nearby in Modesto and stayed there for a night. Exhausted after the 300 miles drive I ended up with the decision that next day I’m going to do absolutely nothing and will look for the other night in Merced and stay there before I go to the Yosemite National Park and meet my friends. The best decision I have ever made, to be honest. I went to the shopping center to buy something for my hike, also had something to eat. This day it was at some fast-food chain, I guess. But I had time to find something close to the Yosemite National Park for one night. I was sitting in the fast-food checking the places around the park but everything was either too far away or too expensive, sometimes even both. I mean what is far away? Everything that is like 2 hours drive is pretty close in the US but it took me a while to find it out. Then I saw this place! A small cute looking cottage for a reasonable price. As a solo traveler I always paid 100$ a night anywhere I went in California so 70$ were still kind of cheap. Although it was without breakfast I have decided to take it and see what is it.


It took me a while to get there but I found this place pretty well. Although, I found the house with the number it should be and thought, it looks a bit different. I texted the woman and she opened the door. First sight? Meet Ping, such an amazing and super friendly Chinese woman living in Merced with an American husband. I mean she is American as well but has this Chinese look and was born in China as she told me. She was perfect! The most welcoming hug and smile I have seen in a while. All of my hosts were really friendly and smiling but she was just super cute! I even didn’t enter the door and she had already offered me dinner if I’m hungry. I wanted to be polite but I just ate something so I said thank you but maybe later. She asked if I need any clothes to be washed as she will turn on the washing machine. I politely said no and so she introduced me to the others in the house. There were two people that day. John, her husband, and another guy called Ahmed. Ahmed was a student living with them for a while before he finds something for himself. Really nice guy with an African look. She asked him if he likes to show me my place and so we went to the cottage that was situated in the back garden of the house. He told me the story about the cottage. Ping just finished it before you came over today. I just guess it was a garage before she transferred it into the cottage. Two dogs were running around the house as well. Mum and its puppy, so cute that you would love to hug them both at the same time.

When I saw the cottage from the outside it was just cute but I didn't have any idea what could be inside. I saw the photos, of course, but I didn’t think it would be that cute! I went in and was speechless. Really? I couldn’t say anything at all, I was just watching around and feeling the warm atmosphere of the place. The bed was like a fairy tale and I loved the tube! I have ever wanted to have this tube at home, that is so sweet! Hey, he is actually talking to you so listen to him, ok? Yes, Ahmed told me what I can find where but I was too tired to listen to anything. Then he said I have the TV with Netflix inside so I can watch a movie or so and then I was like wait! Movie? Sleep? Yeah, that is my plan for this evening! It was already dark enough outside so I could go to the bed, right? I went back to the house to talk to Ping a bit and then we ended up watching the American Horror Story with Ahmed. After that, I went to the bed and was sleeping with a feeling I was actually driving the clouds in the sky as the bed was so comfortable. In the morning, she was asking if I want any breakfast but I decided to have something on my way instead and stay in the bed longer. After that, I just left.

That day I didn’t have any idea I'll come back again, not alone this time.

I won’t talk about the day when we arrived in the Yosemite National Park because that is going to have its own article but I'll say that my friend and I came back to stay there for two more nights two days later. Ping gave me her phone number as well as her email address when I was leaving told me that if I need any place to crash in the future I can call her and I can stay there. My friend and I were looking for a night and couldn’t find anything affordable and not that far away so I told her about Ping and so we were back, back again, this time together. Ping welcomed us with such a warm smile and hug like she did with me on my first night in her house. This time we weren’t alone. There were two more travelers in her house, she had one more room in the house and so I met Duke and Tristin, guys from Taiwan traveling around California who wanted to go to the Yosemite National Park next day as well. They were so nice and so we talked a lot. Ping wanted to cook something for us and so she did such a great Chinese dish, pork with some amazing sauce but more importantly she gave me the chance to learn how to make Chinese noodles.


This evening, she was making the homemade Chinese noodles and I was curious about what is she doing. As I love cooking I asked if I can join her and she was happy I’m interested in it. We talked a lot about me going to Vietnam and so she decided to show me how to make my own Chinese noodles so I can show them. She also gave me some ideas for some other Chinese dishes, marinated vegetables and we made this amazing Pak Choi together as well as those marinated cucumbers. I love Asian food and this homemade food was just as delicious as it smelled. You could smell the dish around the house, everywhere you went. Ping, surprised that I could cinnamon in the spices she used for the dish and of the fact that I love using chopsticks, she was so delighted to serve me the best Chinese dish of my life! We had roasted pork with a Chinese sauce made from so many spices she brought with her from China and marinated cucumbers, Pak Choi, soup, and rice, of course. If there is anything you should try, it should be homemade Chinese food. We all, had dinner together, eating, talking, sharing stories and had an amazing time!


The next day, when I was leaving, she brought me to her favorite Mexican place. This Mexican bistro was a family bistro so the daughter was a waitress and her mom was a chef. They taught me how to make my own tortillas. Oh, I can say, that my trip to the States was so educational. First, I learned how to make my own Chinese dish and later, I learned how to make my own tortillas? That is just a perfect trip, right? But most of all, I made such great friends! We found such great friends in each other with Ping. When I was leaving she said she wanted to talk to me. I was kind of afraid of what she wanted to tell me. You know the time when you have a feeling you just feel so good that you don’t want to leave but you already know you have to and it is going to be so hard to leave because you met such great people and made such great friends. I felt like home there, even though I didn’t have my family and friends from my home there. Ping wanted to wish me the best on my travels and wanted to give me something. Even though I tried to be resisting she said she has something perfect that she would love to give me. I didn’t know what should I expect but even if I would expect something I’m pretty sure it won’t be this at all.


She said that her friend came from a trip to South Africa and brought her something special and that I should have it. I looked down at the table and saw something wooden with a lid on. This beautiful dark brown wood that smelled so fresh still didn’t have any idea what it is. She said this is a set of handmade wooden chopsticks from South Africa as well as the stands for the chopsticks and small bowls for a sauce. We opened it and it was just so beautiful! Don’t you think? It almost made me cry. This was one of the most beautiful acts someone did to me in a while. I even didn’t know her for a long time and she was just so kind, so friendly, so beautiful soul.


When I was leaving my country for a road trip, one of my friends told me not to enjoy it because she knows that I will but to meet so many great people on my way because this is the most important thing on my way. If she was just one of them then I could be happy enough.

Ping, you will stay in my heart forever and ever. Your chopsticks set will travel with me to Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, wherever in Asia I’m going to be this or next year and I will never forget the time I had in your house with you and the other guests.

THANK YOU!

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