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2013-04-04 
【Aiden in English】
North Seymour Island of the Galapagos was formed through a series of uplifts of lava that originally erupted underwater because marine fossils were discovered on its plateau, surrounded by low cliffs. These sporadic uplifts took more than a million years to bring the island to its present level, and it is now home to abundant and diverse wildlife. After lunch, we lined up for deep-sea snorkel |
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2013-04-04 
【Aiden in English】
Santa Cruz Island was the center of the Galapagos archipelago, where volcanic activity had long ceased. Among the few islands that people inhabited, it had the most significant human population. By 9:00 a.m., the sun was already steaming hot. We had just begun to walk along the northeast coast of Santa Cruz Island. There was a hideout where two US military barges from WWII broke their moorings and ran aground on |
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2013-04-03 
【Aiden in English】
In the Galapagos Islands, Bartolomé Island is an extinct volcano that features a unique mix of colors, including red, orange, green, and black volcanic rock formations, reminiscent of those found on Mars. It was considered the most spectacular setting in the Galapagos. As one of the relatively younger islands, its volcanic origins were quickly seen as an excellent example of volcanism. This afternoon, we took a |
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2013-04-03 
【Aiden in English】
Here, we had the opportunity for a morning hike over a blackened landscape that was nothing less than a geologic wonderland in Sullivan Bay, northeast of Santiago Island. At every step, we would see the hardened twists and turns of Lava that flowed during a volcanic eruption in the 1900s. If you were talking about an "evil island," would it be jagged rocks, skeletons, scattered bone |
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2013-04-02 
【Aiden in English】
After I went outside, my first statement was: "It's foggy." And that was true. The fog wasn't what you saw every month in your front yard. It looked like a white pillow on top of everything in sight. Even in the old days, superstitious pirates called the Galapagos Enchanted Islands because the islands would disappear into the mist for no reason. Today, w |
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2013-04-01 
【Aiden in English】
Mom and I had a quick lunch and began preparing for our afternoon activity. This time, we visited Rabida, an uninhabited island of red sand, rocks, and dirt made of iron-rich lava. Rabida Island looked like the top of an old volcanic cone bathed in crimson. The bright red ground sat amid coves and lagoons with clear blue water. All exotic wildlife lived in their spectacula |
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2013-04-01 
【Aiden in English】
The rocks crunched beneath our feet as we walked through tropical forests with singing mockingbirds and buzzing insects. This morning, we took our first shore excursion to the west bank of Santiago Island, in the center of the Galapagos archipelago. Puerto Egas was one of the most popular sites in James Bay of Santiago Island, where salt mining operated until the 1960s. After a wet landing in |
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2013-03-31 Easter 
【Aiden in English】
I yawned loudly as Mom and I entered our Celebrity Xpedition cabin. For the whole morning, we were sitting on a seat of LAN Ecuador, traveling from Quito, the capital city, to the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean after stopping over Guayaquil, the largest Ecuadorian city. The Galapagos Islands are a volcanic archipelago about 500 miles/926 km west of mainland Ecuador and hav |
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2013-03-30 
【Aiden in English】
Pew! Pew! Pew! It went to my 3DS XL as Mario got zapped by Bowser Junior's Waldo magic for the fifth time. Mom and I have been waiting for our tour guide for about 10 minutes, and we're getting awfully bored. We were going to cross the equator and head to the northern Sierra for Otavalo, a two-hour drive north of bustling Quito, to see the famous market, particularly on Saturday. |
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2013-03-29 Good Friday 
【Aiden in English】
Today was Holy Friday, and we stayed in Quito, the capital city of Ecuador. At 9,350 feet/2,800 meters above sea level with a latitude of 0o15"S, Quito was the highest and only capital on the Equator in the world. After I put on a new set of clothes, Mom and I went down for breakfast. Our hotel was Patio |
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2013-03-28 
【Aiden in English】
Nothing was better to start my trip than waking up at the crack of dawn and driving to the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) at 4:000 am. On the road, I was exhausted, sleepy, and stressed. When we arrived at PHL, my eyes felt like they weighed over 100 pounds/45 kilograms. Just after I sat in our plane seat, I comfortably propped myself against Mom and fell asleep. Three hours later, I was |
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2013-03-27 
每年三月底或四月初，适逢星期五耶稣受难日─复活节宗教活动，我家娃儿所在的北宾州学区都要特别选定这个时段，停课休学放羊三天，从星期四至星期一囊括周末，春假满打满算少说足有大半个礼拜。 坦率地讲，我做梦都没有想到，但凡适龄青少年儿童都可以向春天讨价问假。在国内，我从未经历这般欢度春假的学生时代；来美后，虽然早有听说，南边墨西哥坎昆“蛇巢”城可谓女生笑傲加勒比“勇者”海的胜地，而东面佛罗里达“花”州代托纳“白日镇”海滩(Dayto |
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2013-01-11 International Parity at Work Day 
【Aiden in English】
〖Prelude〗
There was no place on Earth like Rio de Janeiro, as the natives proudly said. Founded in the early 16th Century, Rio was the capital of the Federal Republic until 1960. The City remained the nation's spiritual center, amalgamating Latin and African heritage. As Brazil's Maravilh |
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2013-01-10 
【Aiden in English】
This summer, torrential rain was highly unusual in Rio de Janeiro. We spent the whole morning watching the rain pour on and on. By noon, nothing was improving unless somebody called raindrops the size of bird pellets growing to the size of golf balls "improving." When a streak of sunlight came through the clouds, Mom took the chance and set the tone for us to explore. At the back of my head, I thought there w |
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2013-01-09 
【Aiden in English】
We missed the tour bus in the morning, so Mom and I decided to set foot on our own and look around the Brazilian capital, created ex nihilo in the country's center in 1956. The glaring sun burned my neck as my mom and I walked around the Monumental Axis of Brasilia. Like the newly built Anzac Parade of Canberra in Australia, which we visited three years ago, the Monume |
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2013-01-08 
【Aiden in English】
To start the day, Mom and I were overwhelmed with a breakfast banquet in Brazilian style, from ham to an ice cream cake at Hotel das Cataratas. Like its neighbors, Chilean and Argentine, Brazilian cuisine looked delightful in South America. I did not eat much, but I felt full once floating in the food sea. Mom indulged herself with Brazilian fresh-roasted coffee and couldn't even walk to our room. |
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2013-01-07 
【Aiden in English】
The calm wind blew in my face as a ferryboat zipped along with the water docking on the beach of San Martin Island. San Martín was a small, lush island in Argentina's Iguazu National Park, offering the closest views of the falls. The island was rough and strenuous to climb. The stairs never seemed to end! When Mom and I arrived at the top, I felt my legs were made of jelly, and crawling would be the next best opti |
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2013-01-06 
【Aiden in English】
One good thing about plane flights was that I could sleep all the time, as much as I wanted, between takeoff and landing. However, I bonked my head against the seat in front, which disrupted my wonderful dream of dancing with bunnies. When the full blast of heat, like a sauna from the outside, started to melt me at Iguazu International Airport of Argentina (IGR), Mom |
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