2024-06-07 National Donut Day

【In Vain I Migrate】

Abdellatif Laâbi (1942-Now)

        I migrate in vain

        In every city I drink the same coffee

        and resign myself to the waiter's impassive face

        The laughter of nearby tables

        disturbs the evening's music

2024-06-06 National Yo-Yo Day

【My Mother's Language】

Abdellatif Laâbi (1942-Now)

         It's been twenty years since I last saw my mother

         She starved herself to death

         They say that each morning

         she would pull her headscarf off

         and strike the floor seven times

         cursing the heavens and the Tyr

2024-06-06 National Fish & Chips Day

【Dish Of The Day】

Abdellatif Laâbi (1942-Now)

            For today's special

            we'd like to recommend a very spicy

            'killer' stew

            The innkeeper

   &n

2024-06-06 National Eyewear Day

【Fingerprints】

Abdellatif Laâbi (1942-Now)

                If we could write

                simply by placing

                fingerprints

             &nbs

2024-06-06 D-Day for Normandy Landings

【I'm a child of this dreary century】

Abdellatif Laâbi (1942-Now)

            I'm a child of this dreary century

            a child who never grew up

            Doubts that set my tongue on fire

2024-05-31 National Smile Day

【The Sense of the Sleight-of-Hand Man (1923)】

Wallace Stevens (1879—1955)

        One's grand flights, one's Sunday baths,

        One's tootings at the weddings of the soul

        Occur as they occur. So bluish clouds

        Occurred above the empty house and the leaves

2014-01-10

【Aiden in English】

        Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa, resembled an alien planet. It was only a step ahead of the other large African cities, but the difference was clearly visible. More modern technologies were used in the central business district. The houses were displayed extravagantly in European styles, and the lavish neighborhoods were built with high walls on leafy streets in the northeastern suburbs. The roads seemed so clean that a pie

2014-01-09

【Aiden in English】

        I always loved animals. At the zoo, I would spend hours looking at the large animals. But when I meant love, I didn't mean waking up at the crack of dawn love. Even so, that's exactly what we did. It started with a short ride on the highway to Chobe National Park, the first park established in Botswana. It was covered with dry savannah, floodplains, and teak woodlands, which became ideal habitats for various an

2014-01-08

【Aiden in English】

        The first night of sleep in Chobe Marina Lodge, Botswana, after a 30-day cruise, made me feel like I was landing and sleeping on the moon, which seemed impossible. When it was time for the boat cruise down the Chobe River in Chobe National Park, which borders Botswana and Namibia, I still had black spots under my eyes.

        This afternoon, the three-hour boat cruise was for wildlife. We immediatel

2014-01-07

【Aiden in English】

        Finally, it was time to get off the cruise ship Nautica Oceania. After 30 days of swaying and bumpy nights, I wanted to free myself. But I didn't want to wake up at 4 a.m. to catch a flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg. From the most populous city in South Africa, we flew to Victoria Falls National Park, situated on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, to see one of the world's largest waterfalls and a UNESCO World Heritage S

2014-01-06

【Aiden in English】

        After about a month at sea, the cruise was going well. It was too well. The sky was always cloudless, and the sun shone brightly, but not today. The day in Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa, was cloudy and foggy. The damp air and the ever-blowing winds from the Atlantic Ocean didn't help either.

        We were scheduled to ride a cable car up to Table Mountain. However, if it were too windy, we wou

2014-01-05

【Aiden in English】

        I was never really a shopper. The reason was that I never knew what to buy. That was why it became torture today trying to redeem things with my Big-O-Points as we left Durban for Cape Town and sailed across from the Indian to the Atlantic Ocean in South Africa.

        I had 112 points from Shuffleboard, Baggo-bean, Team Trivia, Miniature Golf, Table Tennis, and Brainteaser. The most expensive was the 50 lb. luggage sc

2014-01-04

【Aiden in English】

        Under the vast yellow sun, life in the Tala Private Game Reserve was remarkable. Everything was in motion and had a role in the ongoing cycle of life. Three African Big Five could be seen there: the black rhino, elephant, and Cape buffalo in the wild savannah outside Durban, South Africa.

        As we drove through, the first animal we saw was a gun that was sitting in the middle of the road. Its short, pointy horns st

2014-01-03

【Aiden in English】

        If you love hippos, crocodiles, and aquatic birds, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in South Africa is the place to be, especially when you happen to be in Zulu territory, on the outskirts of Richards Bay. Many animals reside there, and it has also been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

        The iSimangaliso Wetland was well protected since St. Lucia Lake flourished with life, thanks to a rich supply of fish. The h

2014-01-02

【Aiden in English】

        When I was little, I loved natural history museums. But never in my life had I seen something like this. The Natural History Museum in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, was like none other. 

        An artificial 4-D of a typical African ecosystem is collected from the first floor. It had the African Big Five: the lion, leopard, Cape buffalo, elephant, and rhino. The 4-D picture had them set around a small pool of

2014-01-01 New Year's Day

【Aiden in English】

        The first day of 2014 wasn't going so well. I felt queasy about the food I ate last night while crossing the Mozambique Channel from Madagascar to Mozambique. I also overslept at the golf tournament. If I were to catch up to a table tennis tournament, I had to hurry.

        The problem wasn't "Am I going to make it to the game," but "How am I going to d

2013-12-31 New Year's Eve

【Aiden in English】

        The liveliness of New Year's Eve was spectacular. Everyone was getting ready for the New Year Show, which didn't begin until another hour later. The Nautica lounge was packed, and I couldn't wait for the show to start.

        The first song the cruise entertainers performed was a classic about New Year's and Christmas. I could see everyone enjoying it because the a

2013-12-30

【Aiden in English】

        The lemurs of Madagascar had large eyes and resembled cats in size. Their long, puffy tails dangled down while they rested. It was an endemic primate, and Mom and I didn't want to miss it. In addition, the lemurs were so famous that they were featured in the Hollywood cartoon Madagascar by King Julien.

        We boarded a Dinghy, a small speedboat like a tender, and came to Nosy Be Island, Madagascar. From there, w

2013-12-28

【Aiden in English】

        Mom and I were woken by the morning call to start the day. It was 6:30 a.m., and we had a tour at 7:45 a.m., so we had to hurry to catch it.

        The upcoming tour was a safari, and it began with a short flight on a propeller-driven private plane from the capital city, Dar es Salaam, also known as the "Abode of Peace," to the Selous Game Reserve, the first and oldest national park in Tanzania and a UNE

2013-12-27

【Aiden in English】

        The narrow, winding, and serene alleys made it a mysterious place. The bare stone walls, iron-bar windows, and pointed wooden doors created a gloomy atmosphere. But as I entered the more extensive road, the place burst into excited activity. I felt as though I was transported back to the "Arabian Nights" in ancient times (1706-1721). This is Stone Town, Zanzibar, in Tanzania, a Swahili coastal trading center in East Africa

2013-12-26

【Aiden in English】

        Kenya is now one of my favorite places. I went on my first wilderness safari there right after Christmas Day.

        The Safari began with a two-hour drive from Mombasa to Tsavo National Park, the largest park in Kenya. That's when we climbed aboard a van. At first, the van didn't look like something fit for the Safari. But as if the truck was trying to prove me wrong, the roof opened, allowing the passengers t

2013-12-23

【Aiden in English】

        The closest thing to the Seychelles is Hawaii, except that the Seychelles are located in the Indian Ocean, while Hawaii is situated in the Pacific Ocean. Our tour took Mom and me to the National Botanical Gardens in Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles. Victoria is on Mahe, the largest island in the nation.

        There were exotic flowers and trees, such as trumpet pitchers, screw pines, Coco de Mer, Spanish dagger

2011-04-12

        开罗堪称世界上最古老最悠久的地方之一，既是埃及和阿拉伯国家最大的首府，又是整个中东地区政治、经济和商业的中心；它拥有2,000万人口，几乎同北京差不多，可全埃及四分之一的骨肉同胞共同驻扎在这个“征服者”之城、“胜利者”之都，远比我们想象的更加雄伟更加壮观。

        素有“母亲”之称的尼罗“溪谷”河昂头挺胸，骄傲地穿过市中心繁华地段，名胜古迹云集东岸鱼贯而出；成千上万个宣礼塔犹如地对空火箭导弹，齐刷刷地列队待发，不愧享有“千塔之城”的美誉；鳞次栉比的圆

2011-04-10

        过去十天里，我们沿着尼罗“溪谷”河两岸寻古探幽走了一遭，光驱车跋涉埃及古朝旧都孟菲斯“恒美”城(Memphis)不够，纵贯飞越中王朝重地阿斯旺“集市”(Aswan)，最后还要顺流漂到新王朝名城底比斯“权杖之城”(Thebes)，不觉时空已跨越了7,000年。放眼尼罗河西部，盖世无双的撒哈拉沙漠空旷无际荒芜人烟；远瞩尼罗河东部，天下第二的阿拉伯沙漠广袤千里贫瘠创痍；近看在水一方，住着8,200万埃及“辽阔之国”子孙后代，尼罗河不仅养育了阿拉伯埃及共和国，而且造化了全世界人类文明。

      &n

2011-04-09

        古代埃及发明了香水，称它为全世界香水文化的祖师爷，恐怕早已是不争的事实。1096年─1291年间，西欧基督教发动的十字军东征，曾先后六次对地中海东岸包括埃及在内的伊斯兰教国家采取宗教性军事行动，值得幸运的是，当时法国不仅领教了伊斯兰文明，而且还见识到埃及香水文化，大概从那时起，法国开始山寨埃及国粹，从此香水行业蒸蒸日上，几乎一统天下。香奈尔“水道”5号（Chanel N^o5）妩媚婉约、莲娜丽姿“比翼双飞”(Air Du Temps)飘逸清新、卡夏儿“柔美·俏丽”(Anais Anais)典雅浪漫、兰

2011-04-09

        我们站在尼罗“溪谷”河游轮的甲板上向对面望去，卢克索“宫殿”神殿就座落在市中心河滨大道旁，外形酷似运送神明的圣三桅帆船(Sacred Barque)似的。3,500多年前，曾经联手建造卡纳克“防御村”大神殿的古埃及新王国时期第18王朝第9位法老阿蒙霍特普“和平神”三世(Amenhotep III,公元前1390─公元前1352)和第19王朝第3位法老拉姆西斯“太阳神拉”二世(Ramses II,公元前1279─公元前1213)再度跨时代合作，与后来其他法老通力推出这座专门用来敬拜底比斯“权杖之城”三柱神(Theban Triad)的大型庙宇，从此以奥西

2011-04-09

        距离卢克索“宫殿”以北2.5公里、不到2英哩处有一名叫卡纳克“防御村”的小镇，古时隶属尼罗“溪谷”河东岸著名的“生者之城”，即东底比斯“权杖之城”，因为圣庙、圣塔、圣堂、圣像、圣湖荟萃，一举成为古埃及最受青睐的朝拜圣地。如果说卢克索是世界上最大的建筑博览会，那么卡纳克综合神殿则是古埃及最老的露天博物馆，卡纳克综合神殿于1979年被联合国科教文组织纳入《世界文化遗产名录》。

        走近拉姆西斯“太阳神拉之子”二世(Ramses II)及其女儿把守的塔门，我们不觉已置身于

2011-04-08

        哈布“男性和母亲”城即拉美西斯“太阳神拉之子”三世(Ramesses III)神殿祭庙，原来不在我们的旅行计划之中，后因日前艾德夫“鹰头神”庙(Edfu)行程变故，导游急中生智，在前往帝王谷和王后谷的路上兜了个弯取道这里，算作对我们的补偿。说实在的，倘若没有随从旅游团观光，一切行动非得听从导游的指挥，我倒觉得尼罗河黄金线路上的每一个名胜古迹(除非是废墟)都不该落下，这里的一切几乎均被收录于联合国科教文组织的《世界文化遗产名录》。

        哈布城神

2011-04-08 

        地处尼罗“溪谷”河中游横跨两岸的“上埃及”古城底比斯“权杖之城”(Thebes)是继孟菲斯“恒美之城”(Memphis)之后古埃及中王国(约公元前2000─公元前1780年)和新王国(公元前1567─公元前1080年)时期最重要的地方，至今已有超越4,000年的历史。据文字记载，当时底比斯有城池百座人口稠密，建筑壮丽且兴旺繁荣，是世界上宫殿般无与伦比的城市，因此被古希腊伟大诗人荷马盛赞为“百门之都”。尼罗河东岸素来冠有“生者之城”美誉，这一带神庙宫殿广厦无穷，是古埃及宗教和政治中心；

2011/04/06—2011/04/08

        从阿布辛贝“风信子之父”(Abu Simbel)返程的路上，我们再次穿行埃及西部沙漠，这时天色已黑气温骤减，沙漠中刮起的阵阵旋风一直尾随身后穷追不舍，我们以鬼一般的速度杀回阿斯旺。

        一听到英国电影《尼罗河上的惨案》，孩子立刻亢奋起来，因为接下来我们马上就要乘坐尼罗“溪谷”河游轮，开始世界第一长河6695公里/4160英哩水上游弋。过去孩子一直十分喜欢侦探推理小说，对柯南·道尔“猎犬·黑暗的外来者”(Conan Doyle)笔下的神探夏洛克·福

2011-04-07

        尼罗河一定长过天河，否则何以有如此绵绵不绝的神话？古埃及人不嫌其久，不嫌其玄，也不嫌其多——哈罗里斯、索贝克、阿努比斯、伊西斯、哈索尔……众神皆从水中走出。康翁波双神庙，便是这样一座同时祭奉鹰首神荷鲁斯与鳄鱼神索贝克的“双神殿”。

        它坐落在尼罗河南岸，周围农田绿洲环绕。每年七月十五，河水泛滥，为河谷村庄覆上一层厚厚的淤泥，土地肥沃，庄稼一年三熟。四月上旬我们到访时，正值努比亚人的丰收季节——玉米棒子沉甸甸地低垂，

2011-04-06

        中午从阿斯旺出发，沿纳赛尔人工湖南下，很快便驶入西部沙漠。这片占埃及近三分之二国土的荒原，沙丘绵延，砾石遍布，与撒哈拉一脉相承，几乎无人居住，连旱生植物都鲜少光顾。一路上，除了我们这辆大巴，难得见到别的车辆。随行的武警战士始终警觉，自动步枪挎在腰间寸步不离。车外偶有风吹草动，陪伴我们的唯有烈日与阵风——大约只有它们不嫌弃这片荒凉的旷野。

        四月初的气温已逼近体温。尚未经历酷暑的娃儿不禁担心：若赶上

2011-04-07

        离开开罗，乘飞机不到两个钟头，便抵达阿斯旺——努比亚腹地的心臓之城。据说努比亚乃世上最早的黑人文化，乃至整个人类的起源，传说中的伊甸园也与之紧密相连。阿斯旺位于上埃及，是埃及的南大门，黑非洲的要塞，唯一从海上进入非洲内陆的通道；年降雨量几乎为零，堪称地球上最干燥的地区之一。

        菲莱神庙被誉为“尼罗河明珠”，献给古埃及的救世女神，融合了法老后期与古希腊罗马的建筑风格，是迄今保存最完好的三座托勒密王朝庙宇之一，1979年列入

2011-04-05 清明节

        埃及人信神灵，痴迷来世。他们视尘世短暂，而灵魂的升华才是永恒。这份信念深植于古埃及的绘画之中——壁刻浮雕、象形文字、王室徽牌、实体写生，无不着力表现死后重生。线条简练平直，场景横带铺展，如被时间的水平线切割出迥然有别的界面。动物造型陆续登场，平面排列渐次凸显；柔和细腻的着色，烘托出亲切朴实的质感：棕红偏暗、面无表情的强健男性，淡黄浅红、姿态端庄的美丽女子，褐白黄红间以蓝绿的神氏象征——人神同框，生死相融，使亡灵的永生之旅，变

2011-04-05 清明节

        从沙姆沙伊赫“教长湾”飞回开罗“胜利者”，已是晚上八点多。匆匆在酒店亚洲餐馆凑合一顿，便回房歇息——次日凌晨要与来自美国各地的21位团友会合，直驱南下，开始尼罗河两岸的寻古之旅。

        这是2011年4月，埃及“一月革命”后首批美国私人旅行团。大家素昧平生，自投罗网地结伴同行。想来多半像我一样，并非不远万里到非洲投身革命，而是平日安居乐业的生活，早已教我们随遇而安，彻底丧失了阶级斗争的觉悟。不过，既

2011-04-05 清明节

        古埃及乃世界四大文明古国之一，吉萨金字塔则是其最经典的代表作，被尊为埃及的象征，1979年列入《世界遗产名录》。

        古埃及人笃信宗教，视死亡为尘世的延续。法老从登基之日，便开始为自己修筑通往天国的阶梯——金字塔。那方锥形的结构，既为灵魂升天提供了通途，也表达了对光芒四射的太阳神拉的无限崇拜。

        至今埃及已发现96座金字塔，大多分布在尼罗河西岸古城

2011/04/03-04

        从开罗飞往沙姆沙伊赫“教长湾”，只需一个小时。飞机越过苏伊士运河后，很快便进入山峦起伏的西奈半岛。

        苏伊士运河1869年竣工，是亚非两洲的分界线，本是一条无需闸门控制的明渠水道，却因扼守欧洲至印度洋及西太平洋的最短航道，在政治、经济与军事上举足轻重。自1882年英国在此建立海外最大军事基地起，埃及为收回运河主权与英国、法国、以色列周旋数十年，直至1956年才收归国有。随之而来的两次中东战争，又使苏伊士运

2011-04-02 

        亚历山大城，坐落在埃及北部地中海南岸，恰处亚、非、欧三洲交汇之地，是通往尼罗河与地中海的要冲。它仅次于开罗，是全国第二大城市，我们的埃及之行便从这里拉开序幕。

        这座城始建于公元前332年，以亚历山大大帝之名立城。历经马其顿、托勒密、古希腊与奥斯曼帝国的统治，曾为托勒密王朝的首都，直到1952年纳赛尔发动政变，废黜福阿德二世，亚历山大才在新时代中被重新定位。

      &n

2011-03-21

        人的嗅觉若是因季节性过敏而迟钝，倒不算什么——一片仙特敏(Zyrtec)下去，衰弱的嗅觉便能失而复得。可政治嗅觉一旦麻木，懵头懵脑撞进风起云涌的变革之中，纵有灵丹妙药，怕也难打救了。

        我便属于后一种。否则怎会刚刚安排好去埃及的行程，就赶上了那场空前绝后的“一月革命”？倒是娃儿嗅觉灵敏，闻出异样，连舔到嘴边的美味都顾不得咽，立刻拎起报纸、打开广播、牵上网线，又揣着小道消息，把中东与北非的时事摆到我面前—