When 25-year-old Henan native Wang Yun started her adventure on the Indian Ocean in 2010, sailing from Australia to Namibia with three total strangers, she didn't know that one day people would flock to hear her story.

Wang, who is now working at a management consulting company in Shanghai, was invited by local organization Wild House to give a speech last week about her experiences at sea and in Africa.

The Henan-born Wang Yun sails across the Indian Ocean with three strangers and travels Africa solo. Photos: Courtesy of Wang Yun

"I was shocked when I saw so many curious faces waiting for me to share my stories," Wang told the Global Times, "and that was the moment I recalled those precious memories and realized how traveling influences one's life."

Original inspiration

Born in Henan Province in 1985, Wang has been traveling with her father since she was very young. "My father's job required a lot of traveling," Wang said, "and I enjoyed going with him during the winter and summer vacations."

Wang's childhood travels took her to Yunnan, Hubei and Guangdong provinces. After gaining her bachelor's degree in Hainan, Wang decided to go to Australia for further education.

The traveling experiences of her childhood sewed the seeds of adventure in her mind, and Wang believed that one day she would set out on an epic journey of her own.

The Henan-born Wang Yun sails across the Indian Ocean with three strangers and travels Africa solo. Photos: Courtesy of Wang Yun

During her studies in Australia, Wang got the chance to join a development project in Ghana. "I was given two choices, Italy and Ghana, and I chose the latter without any hesitation," Wang said.

During her four months in Ghana, Wang helped local university students draft standard business plans to attract venture capital for the purpose of starting their own businesses.

"I love African people," Wang said, "They're born dancers and singers, and they're always positive and honest."

Journey across the sea

Wang finished her studies in Australia in the summer of 2010, and before her homecoming journey to China she decided to go back to Africa first.

To make for a more adventurous journey, Wang decided rather than fly, she would sail.

She started looking for opportunities at local yacht clubs in Darwin, and after a couple of weeks she found a Belgian-German captain who was recruiting crew. "I called up the captain and arranged a meeting at a local café," Wang said. "He was my age and very passionate about sea and sailing."

After basic offshore training, Wang joined the captain's crew, which consisted of a Czech and an Australian, on September 7, 2010. They weighed anchor at Darwin and set sail for Namibia on a route that would take them via West Timor, Christmas Island, the Cocos Islands and Mauritius.

The Henan-born Wang Yun sails across the Indian Ocean with three strangers and travels Africa solo. Photos: Courtesy of Wang Yun

The first couple of days at sea were rough for Wang. She suffered severe seasickness and sunburn. Fortunately, as the only female on the boat, the rest of the crew was very nice to her. "The captain let me stay in the more comfortable aft cabin and the team members helped me set up a tent with a bedsheet when I was on morning shift at the helm," she said gratefully.

The crew members steered the boat on a shift system, with each putting in a two-hour day shift and three-hour night shift.

Standing behind the wheel was a tough job for everyone. "When the sea was calm, you would suffer from sunburn, but when the sea was choppy, you had to fight against the waves and wind," Wang said. She added that once when she was piloting the boat in a storm, the seawater drenched her and she could hardly see anything ahead.

"I was a little bit scared," she admitted, "but when you overcome it, the difficulties became small and trivial to you."

After rounding the Cape of Good Hope, the ship reached its destination. Wang waved goodbye to her fellow crew members and started her own trip in Africa.

The Henan-born Wang Yun sails across the Indian Ocean with three strangers and travels Africa solo. Photos: Courtesy of Wang Yun

Back to Africa

Wang traveled from Namibia to Kenya, then came down the east coast of the continent to Tanzania, Mozambique and then across to Madagascar.

Though most of the local people were speaking their native languages or Portuguese, Wang still enjoyed communicating with them with her poor Portuguese and good body language skills. "I loved bargaining with locals! They always thought foreigners were rich," she laughed, "but when I started bargaining, they would give me a fair price."

"Travel for me is about more than writing down travel logs, taking photos or talking to locals," Wang said. "Travel is about embracing the culture, including the local people, local customs and local food."

She was shocked when she heard that there are some Chinese people who have been doing business in Africa for decades but who have never tried any local food. "When I saw the contempt in their eyes, I knew they'd never truly been to Africa," she said.

By the time she completed her journey, Wang's cosmetics bag had been whittled down to just a piece of soap as she had learned the virtues of traveling light. "I figured that the more you carried the less you received," she said. "Only those who have been living with a minimum of materials can be truly honest to themselves."

When getting prepared for her speech, Wang started to wonder if she is ready to go on the road again.

"Traveling is a way to search for myself, to figure what are the expectations that have been put on me and what are the things that really matter to me," she said.