2014-11-05

【Aiden in English】

        I've traveled around the globe and always feel the same. The last day is always the time when my perfect vacation gets ruined. I was sorrowful when I woke up today, knowing that today would be the last day of paradise in Mexico. Once I return, I'll be going back to something like a prison called the school and forced to do experiments on paper that hurt the brain and that measure my intellect. If I decided not to cooperate, the pu

2014-11-04

【Aiden in English】

        To understand a culture, you must understand people's way of life. How do people survive from day to day? That is undoubtedly the question for the residents who used to live in Tulum. Why? Because the nearest freshwater is 5 miles/8 km away. Geographically, Tulum is sandwiched between a swamp and the Caribbean Sea. Both have water but aren't drinkable. To find clean and fresh water, one must travel 5 miles on foot through the swam

2014-11-03

【Aiden in English】

        The only thing worse than a long, tedious, dreadful plane ride is a long, boring, hideous bus ride Mom and I took to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The Yucatan Peninsula is located in Central America, where the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico are. It is one flat plate. I could stare in one direction and see endless bushes and jungles for miles on and on. The highest point in the Yucatan Peninsula is probably the ramp onto the highw

2014-11-02

【Aiden in English】

        I've traveled the world multiple times, seeing things most peers only dream of and experiencing things most friends won't even understand. Yet, through my travels, I have never paid much attention to the wonders right under my nose. I have never considered a trip to Mexico because I don't put the USA's neighboring country on my priority list. Oh, why can't I be any stupider?

        Because of Nation

2014-08-08

【Aiden in English】

        I love comedies. They're funny and entertaining; what's not to like about them? And what show is better than the famous Punchliner？ The show is a combination of the best entertainers across America. George Lopez started it and decided to work with Carnival Cruise Lines. I bolted to the next performance when I heard about the Punchliner Show on board.

        The Punchliner became the best comedy ever. Unfortuna

2014-08-07

【Aiden in English】

        At school, we were taught that stingrays were deadly killers of the sea and had poisonous stingers that could instantly kill you. I disagree, especially after seeing the stingrays when Mom and I sailed Allura Catamaran to the Sandbar in Stingray City, Grand Cayman.

        First of all, stingray stingers are not poisonous. They are just there for protection from danger. To them, we aren't considered too much of a th

2014-08-06

【Aiden in English】

        Dolphins are substantial and intellectual animals. They act as the masters of the seas, and their ability to move in water so quickly and gracefully makes me intrigued by these intelligent beings.

        After saying all, today was the day that I could finally interact with dolphins up close at Anthony's Key Resort of Sandy Bay, Roátan. Not just swim, but snorkel.

        The experience was beyon

2014-08-05

【Aiden in English】

        Belize is probably one of the best places for snorkeling. The Barrier Reef is the second largest coral reef on earth, stretching 186 miles in the West Caribbean, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

        Today, after hearing all about the Barrier Reef of Water Caye to the east of Belize City, the old capital, Mom and I came to see offshore atolls, sand cays, coastal lagoons, estuaries, and mangrove forests for o

2014-08-04

【Aiden in English】

        I have always loved snorkeling. You'll know that by now if you've read about my adventures in the Galapagos Islands. Yet today, in Cozumel Mexico, the snorkeling experience wasn't as fascinating as I hoped.

        We were unprepared. Mom bought me a snorkeling set back in the US. However, it was far too large. Water leaked through the plastic and into my eyes. My mouth had many cuts because m

2014-08-03

【Aiden in English】

        Have you ever tried finding a needle in a haystack? Nobody is insane enough actually to do it. Have you ever tried to find a group of specific cruise staff members in a sea of people for a scavenger hunt? Sure, they are wearing bright T-shirts. However, we're talking about a cruise ship the size of the Titanic (maybe) with 15 floors, hundreds of rooms, and over 4,000 people on board. That's just like finding a needle in a haystack

2014-08-02 Chinese Valentine's Day

【Aiden in English】

        The Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the place to be for the summer. There is nothing like a paradise for relaxing because of its beautiful barrier reefs, white beaches, open blue skies, and abundant marine creatures. So, my family booked a flight from US Airways and packed our bags from Philadelphia, PA, to Miami, FL, where Carnival Glory waited to take us to the heavenly

2009-01-31

        我第一次看到牙买加(意指“泉水之地”)八条河城的黑河瀑布是从汤姆•克鲁斯主演的电影《花心情圣》(Cocktail, 1988)，600英尺(180米)高的巨大阶梯式瀑布从林水之乡奔涌而出，再合着牙买加流行的破布摇摆乐(Reggae)步点，一路不修边幅连蹦带跳跃进加勒比海。后来我才知道，由代号为007绝世间谍好色情报员上演的《诺博士》(Dr. No, 1962)大片时早就在此崭露头角，并且铁金刚勇大破神秘岛。看来牙买加的蓝山咖啡虽然誉满天下，却不见得比黑河瀑布(Dunn's River Falls)更会

2009-01-29

        坦率地说，我对哥斯达黎加共和国(意指“富饶海岸线”)的了解仅仅局限于它的自然风光，尤其是上了联合国科教文组织《世界文化遗产名录》光荣榜的三处景点：塔拉曼卡山脉一友谊保护区/友谊国家公园(Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves/La Amistad National Park)、可可岛国家公园(Cocos Island National Park)和象耳豆树保留区(Guanacaste Conservation Area)，还有举国上下铺天盖地的热带雨林、火山温泉、峡谷瀑布、丛林海滩，等真正置身于“中美洲花园”，我才意识到印象最深的其实还是哥斯达黎

2009-01-28

        记得小的时候，因为“文革运动”，父母分居两地，我借助寒暑假探亲之际，经常穿梭于京津济徐宁杭一带，所以对世界上里程最长、工程最大、历史最久的运河之一京杭大运河早有见识。大学以后，我远离家乡独自一人在外读书，更加频繁往返京宁一线，去探望终于定居南京的父母。有一年暑假，我索性与正在念初中的妹妹搭伴，一起从北京出发，先后穿过天津直辖市、河北、山东、江苏、浙江四省，第一次实地领略贯通海河、黄河、淮河、长江、钱塘江五大水系的京杭大运河。遗憾的是，当时

2009-01-27

        出游哥伦比亚前，我们从未看过曾经入围好莱坞电影金像奖、由“明星•有钱人”(Robert De Niro)主演的英国大片《战火浮生》(The Mission, 1986)，动身之际甚至都未来得及拜读诺贝尔文学奖小说“圣力•战神之子”的《百年孤独》(Gabriel Garca Mrquez "One Hundred Years of Solitude", 1967)，不过光从报刊杂志上浏览的史记传说以及互联网传播的八卦新闻，我们对烘托其故事情节的背景片场──卡塔赫纳(意指“迦太基”)市倒是早有所知。

        地名由“迦太基城”(

春节，2009-01-26

        在美国我们愈来愈意识到，若想坚持自己的业余爱好干点自己喜欢的事情，别说年轻气盛时很难，即使人到中年谈何容易？之所以这么说是因为日常生活中，身边或多或少总有一些割舍不下的责任和义务，直接影响或者间接规范我们的兴趣，多数情况下，我们既不能不在乎工夫，又不得不禁锢个性，更不会不计较花销；因此，时间是否自主，情绪是否轻松，金钱是否殷实，无一不成为业余爱好的决定因素，我们不断地游离于时间、心情、金钱之中，不觉半个世纪几近擦肩而过。

  &nbs

2008-02-06 春节

Carnival Destiny (嘉年华·佳运号游轮)

        其实我非常幸运，不像周围很多上班打工族的美国同胞朋友，做饭吃饭被视为天底下最有始无终最没完没了的家务杂事──形式必须保持，内容只好从简。一年到头居家过日子，早餐马虎，午餐凑合，晚餐将就。而我除了饭前负责采购货源、饭后收拾锅碗瓢盆之外，不再为一日三餐大费心思，也不必亲自下厨直接与油盐酱醋打任何交道，因为家中一直有位特别讲究烹调、擅长中国传统饮食的母亲，即孩子的外婆，全程打理。

      &

2008-02-05

        自离家不远的费城机场启程，不出四个钟头，我们就可以直接抵达波多黎各(意指“富港”)自由邦的首都圣胡安——富港城，实际算起来要比从东海岸飞往西海岸便捷得多，当然票价随季节上下波动，经常居高不下，甚至有过之而无不及。

        其实说白了，富港是美国的自由邦，除了棕榈婆娑的海岸线和植被茂盛的内陆山区尚保留其国度原有的自然风貌之外，本土文化严重承袭西班牙殖民传统，政治主权深受美利坚控制，经济生活饱尝合众国邻邦恩赐。没错儿，大树底下好乘

2008-02-02

        我们仗着以前有过四、五年纽约生活的经历，总算对多美尼加共和国略知一二，那里来自多美尼加的移民多如牛毛，而且随处生根遍地开花，像三次荣获全美职棒大联盟最有价值球员的纽约洋基队得主“战将·名帅”(Alex Rodriguez)、2009年好莱坞电影《阿凡达》担任主要演员的“生命·平衡”(Zoe Saldana)、2008年葛莱美奖流行歌曲候选人“纯洁·朋友”(Karina Pasian)、集诗人/小说家/评论家于一身的“年轻·统帅之子”(Julia Alvarez)等几乎家喻户晓无人不知，我们渐渐地在欣赏这些体育界、娱乐

2008-01-31

        如果说圣基茨(意指“沃土”)和尼维斯(意指“雪中圣母”)是世界上最小的国家之一，我们丝毫没有夸张或贬低之意，因为即使把夹在两个火山岛中间2英哩(3.2公里)长窄堑的地峡加在一起，其面积算来算去只能跟中国的舟山群岛相提并论。

        不过就是这片前不着村后不连店、四面环海的弹丸之地，却展示出一幕幕山的气魄和海的激情，让我们抬头可览秀峰，俯首能赏水色。

        首都巴斯特尔(意指“低地”)城处于圣基茨岛东南海边，远处沃土山

2008-01-30

        早前我们听说，在加勒比海小群岛(Lesser Antilles)的最东边有一个叫巴巴多斯共和国的岛屿，地貌形如无花果灌木藤须，粉黛娇艳风景如画，一下子陶醉了当初葡萄牙探险者，于是巴巴多斯──这个源于葡萄牙语、留着胡须且充满浪漫诗情的名字从此流传开来，不过长久以来，它一直算得上英国大不列颠的盛夏光年。

        旅游、食糖产品和轻工业是巴巴多斯三大发家致富的财政来源，天宝壮地杰，物美育人丰，更因当地民族崇尚“自豪与勤勉”，从而使巴巴多斯日趋成

2008-01-29

        “我们尊主为大，甚于热爱地球。”上帝创造了富有贵族气息的多米尼克，让80%的国土都覆盖上了热带雨林，厚厚实实。

        多米尼克位于加勒比海小群岛(Lesser Antilles)的东北部亭亭孤立，一直是加勒比印第安人原始部落大本营，哥伦布于1493年探寻北美洲次大陆时恰巧在星期天发现这个它，一个以拉丁语“星期天”得名的多米尼克从此诞生问世，可是直至1978年，多米尼克才真正宣告独立，历史上由于经受英国殖民统治长达近180年，英语已自然而然地演化成多米

2008-01-28

        我们总是特别羡慕住在美国太平洋西海岸的朋友，不出四个钟头就能够置身于风姿绰约美如天堂的夏威夷，尽情饱尝“偷得浮生半日闲”之乐。其实，我们所在的宾州乡下虽然前不着河后不靠江，但却碰巧跟东海岸擦肩而过，因而只要我们卯足了劲，狠命朝东面大西洋与加勒比(意译“勇者”)海交汇地带纵身鱼跃，花上相等的工夫，同样可以下凡到柔美动人宛若仙境的美属维京(意指“少女”)群岛，无限感受“云在青天水在瓶”之悦。

        据史书记载，处女群岛是第一次大战期间美国花了2,500万美元