2013-04-06

【Aiden in English】

        Santa Cruz Island was the second-largest island in the Galapagos and home to Puerto Ayora, the largest town. In 1959, the Republic of Ecuador declared all the islands, except areas already colonized, as the Galapagos National Park. In the same year, the Charles Darwin Foundation was founded to promote scientific research and ensure the conservation of the Galapagos. Not until 1978, the Galapagos Islands were desig

2013-04-05

【Aiden in English】

        In the northeast of San Cristobal Island, we lined up on the deck for a chance to see kicker Rock in an odd form. It was a remnant of a vertical tuff formation, abruptly rising almost 500 ft/152 meters from the Pacific Ocean.

        Kicker Rock looked sharp and massive, and nearly bare pieces of rocks protruded out of the ocean. Only the birds seemed to be able to scale the sides. Even though there

2013-04-05 

【Aiden in English】

        San Cristobal Island was the easternmost island in the archipelago and one of the oldest eroded volcanoes ascending to moist highlands nearly 2,400 feet/730 meters above sea level geologically. It was the first island Charles Darwin visited in the Galapagos in 1835. Several endemic species and subspecies of flora had evolved in San Cristobal. Still, the human impact had ruptured much of the island, the once exten

2013-04-04

【Aiden in English】

        North Seymour Island 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 snorkeling around North S

2013-04-04

【Aiden in English】

        Santa Cruz Island was the center of the Galapagos archipelago, where volcanic activity had long ceased. It had the most significant human population among the few islands that people inhabited.

        By 9:00 am, the sun was already steaming hot. We just began to walk along the northeast coast of Santa Cruz Island. There was a hideout where two US military barges for WWII broke their moorings and ran aground on the bea

2013-04-03

【Aiden in English】

        Bartolome Island was an extinct volcano that mixed its colors with red, orange, green, and black volcanic rock formations like 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 short but steep hike on the slopes of this spatter c

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

2013-04-02

【Aiden in English】

        My first statement after I went outside 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 and disappear for no reason.

       &

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 lavas rich in iron.

        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 specta

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

Easter，2013-03-31

【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.

        Galapagos Islands were a volcanic archipelago about 500 miles/926 km west of mainland Ecuador and became a l

2013-03-30

【Aiden in English】

        Pew! Pew! Pew! It went my 3DSXL as Mario got zapped by Bowser Junior's Wadoo magic for the fifth time. Mom and I have been waiting for our tour guide for about 10 minutes now, 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.

Good Friday，2013-03-29

【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 Anda

2013-03-27

        每年三月底或四月初，适逢耶稣受难日─复活节宗教活动，我家童少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，南边墨西哥坎昆城可谓女生笑傲加勒比海的胜地，而东面佛罗里达州代托纳海滩(Daytona Beach)则是男生狂飙大西洋的

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 16^th century, Rio was once the capital of Brazil up to 1960. The city remained the nation's cultural and spiritual center with an amalgam of Latin and African heritage.  

        As Brazil's

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 as "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 ther

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, creating ex nihilo in the country's center in 1956. The glaring sunburned 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

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 ice cream cake. It looked like quite a delightful cuisine, like its neighbors, Chilean and Argentine, in South America. I did not eat much but felt full once floating in the food sea. Mom indulged herself with Brazilian fresh-roasted coffee and couldn't even walk to our room.

      &nbs

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 Martin was a small, lush island in the center of Iguazu National Park in Argentina, 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

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

2013-01-05

【Aiden in English】

        The wheels on the bus went round and round as the air filled with the sound of the sunny morning chirps of the birds. Buenos Aires blew out "Good Airs" or "Fair Winds". They eclectically blended its contemporary vitality and old-world languor on the western bank of the Rio de la Plata estuary. It was already blisteringly hot when the bus stopped at the political and cultural heart- Plaza de Mayo (Ma

2013-01-05

【To A Cat】

Jorge Luis Borges (1899—1986)

         Mirrors are not more silent

         nor the creeping dawn more secretive;

         in the moonlight, you are that panther

         we catch sight of from afar.

         By the inexplicable workings of divine law,

         we look for you in vain;

         More remote, e

2013-01-04

【Aiden in English】

        Two weeks flew by on the cruise, and before I noticed, Mom and I were leaving the ship in the "Paris of the South"—Buenos Aires for good. We booked a day tour to La Recoleta Cemetery in the metropolitan center and the Argentine Estancia in the countryside.

        We drove through Palermo, the largest neighborhood with a lovely district of parks, gardens, mansions, and e

2013-01-03

【Aiden in English】

        As I came to my senses from waking out of deep sleep, the smell of muffins wafted toward me. With an unappetizing breakfast, I hurried down to meet our group. I headed for Uruguay- the second smallest country in South America and its oldest town- the Historic Quarter of Colonia del Sacramento, declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1995.

       We left the harbor, an oil refinery,

2013-01-02

【Aiden in English】

        Hooray! I was cruising at sea today.

        My whole morning was spent in tangles of dreams, wrapped in a small, cozy bed with a new punching bag and a teddy bear. I put the bear to sub-mission before falling into a deep sleep, and I'm pretty sure the bear was having nightmares about me.  

        After lunch, I hurried to the Youth Center. Over h

New Year's Day，2013-01-01

【Aiden in English】

        Puerto Madryn, a Welsh town in the Atlantic Ocean, was dominated by a vast smelter that produced aluminum from bauxite ore shipped from Australia, Suriname, and other countries. The production of ceramic tiles made itself the biggest supplier in the nation. The fishing fleet moored in the harbor. Ironically, beef was Argentina's national dish, and Argentines preferred beef to fish. Most fish wer

2012-12-31 New Year's Eve

【Aiden in English】

        It's New Year's Eve today, and we were cruising at sea again.

        I yawned widely as I got up in the morning. As I checked the clock, I toppled out of bed. It was 10:30 am. I still was in pajamas and cuddling a teddy bear. For some reason, I grew fond of the bear because he was a nice replacement for my old punching bag. I thought of having brun

2012-12-30

【Aiden in English】

        The islands we bound for had two different names in the Atlantic Ocean. It depended upon whom we spoke with and what we talked about. Concerning the Argentine, Islas Malvinas became national sovereignty. To the English, the Falkland Islands are a British Overseas Territory. Historically, there were French, British, Spanish, and Argentine settlements. Although the Falkland Islands were under British control, Argentina d

2012-12-29

【Aiden in English】

        Cape Horn in Chile is located at the latitude 55 degrees 58 minutes 47 seconds south and the longitude 67 degrees 16 minutes 18 seconds west. It is the southernmost point on Earth, other than Antarctica. It covers the two most significant bodies of water, the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans, and is known as a notorious graveyard for sailors.

        This morning, I awoke to three

2012-12-28

【Aiden in English】

        By December, a hot summer came to the south atmosphere. However, the cold still numbed my teeth as we waited on the sun deck for the glaciers and sheer mountains to appear over the horizon in the Strait of Magellan between the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean. 

        Due to tidal constraints, we had to delay our arrival time by two hours in Ushuaia, Argentina, this afternoon. Unexpectedly,

2012-12-27

【Aiden in English】

        Antarctica is the Earth's southernmost continent, encapsulating the South Pole as described in the geographic textbook. It's the fifth-largest continent after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice that averages at least 1 mile/1,600 meters in thickness. Its mountains cover such a significant area that it makes Antarctica the highest of the seven continents on

2012-12-26

【Aiden in English】

        So, there I was with my mom, standing on the balcony of Star Princess at the crack of dawn to see the Amalia Glacier in the central part of Chilean Southern Patagonian Ice Fields. The glacier descended from the Andes Mountains and sat like a frozen river above the sea. It had immense weight, and the oxygen had been pressed out of the ice, presenting it with a stunning crystalline appearance and a strange blue glow that

2012-12-25 Christmas Day

【Aiden in English】

        "Merry Christmas!" shouted the Princess Captain loud enough to be heard miles away in the morning. "Merry Christmas to All" I didn't think my mom set a wake-up call, but our captain did set the mood for the day. As I got dressed, he kept us in touch with the weather and talked for hours. The basic point was that there would be a chilly, breezy day ahead.  

2012-12-24

【Aiden in English】

        As I learned along the way, Chile is nicknamed "the Shoestring Country" for good reason; 24 times longer than its average width and in no place wider than 150 miles/241 kilometers, it stretches nearly 2,700 miles/4,345 kilometers, a span of latitude that encompasses parched deserts, fertile coastal plains, dense rainforests, and, finally, continental ice caps, fiords, and glaciers.

    &nbs

2012-12-23

【Aiden in English】

        Today, our ship was cruising at sea, and it was my first day in the Youth Center for ages 8-12 on board.

        This morning at breakfast, I could barely sit still and wait till 9 O'clock because I was going to take the Youth Program. The omelet I ordered wasn't too good, but even that couldn't hold down my excitement! As we entered a room marked SHOCKWAVE, I noticed other children insid

2012-12-22

【Aiden in English】

        I woke up this morning to the sound of people coming from the streets. I stepped onto our private balcony outside the hotel room in Valparaiso, the largest port city in Chile. At sight, the spectacular hillsides were dotted with various colorful houses. A series of peculiar boats sparked the beautiful bay in the distance. I checked the date and cheered myself up immediately. Yay! It's Saturday. I looked forward to

2012-12-21

【Aiden in English】

        In a Chinese proverb, an hour in the morning is worth two in the evening. It's always pleasant to start a new day with a scrumptious breakfast. I had fried eggs and toasted bread with strawberry juice. The eggs with white bread looked plain but yummy, and the juice tasted fresh and very berry. As we loaded up our luggage and checked out, I made a French silent farewell to the hotel and the great city of Santiago.

&n

2012-12-20

【Aiden in English】

        I awoke @ 9:00 am this morning by the sharp sound of a phone ringing! I started to get dressed while my mom answered the call. When she hung up, she looked alarmed. The tour guide was already here! I ran to get my shoes on and took a quick, sloppy wash. Then, we dashed to the hotel restaurant and gulped down some croissants with a cup of fruit juice before running to our tour pickup bus. We had to switch buses for our

2012-12-19

【Aiden in English】

        When I woke up early this morning, I still felt sleepy. But I had to catch the plane @ 7:58 am to the Chilean capital city of Santiago. My mom and I had a quick breakfast at the bar. We took a hotel shuttle van and rushed to Rapa Nui Intl—airport (IPC) on Easter Island. I couldn't believe my eyes. The airport was so delicate that the plane seemed the same size as its building! Why didn't I realize the fact as

2012-12-18

【Aiden in English】

        Walking toward our new tour guide this morning, I felt a sense of dread crawling up my stomach. This tour would be a long hike on the side of the crater, which would be at least 10 miles. When our tour group arrived at the archaeological site of Ahu Vinapu, the heat started to act up. Before I could change my mind, I trekked up the hill. But not long after, I was exhausted from climbing, and my feet were sore from walk

2012-12-17

【Aiden in English】

        Today was my first day exploring South America after connecting a series of flights for more than 23 hours. As soon as I stepped off the plane on Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean—the Navel of the World—I knew this would be an extremely hot trip (not including Antarctica).  

        When I woke to the rooster doing its morning chorus of "COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO", I

2012-12-16

        从美东宾州小镇动身出游南美，无论飞往南太平洋的智利，还是空降南大西洋的阿根廷或者巴西，跨越南北半球需要很长的飞行时间。倘若赶上直飞尚好，如同回趟北京或者上海，蒙头酣睡整宿，醒来几近终点；一旦需要中途转机，日子可不像直飞容易打发，时间立刻变得最不值钱，当然在反复经历海关X光周身透视扫描之后，个人隐私更加一文不值。因此除非万不得已，我们情愿不惜代价选择直飞，尽量避免中途转机。

        这回复活节岛之行，偏偏把我们逼上梁山，无论事先怎样设计路线，

2012-12-15

       仰望星空，沉迷于无限地幻想之中，其实纯属我个人爱好。当然我必须承认，这种爱好或多或少深受英国理论物理学家斯蒂芬•霍金(Stephen Hawking)《时间简史》的思想影响，到广袤的时空遨游，去感知自己赖以生存的世界， 早已成为我生活中必不可少的重要部分。纠结的是，平日紧张忙乱的节奏常常无法叫我细心捕捉闪光的瞬间，只有下定决心彻底放下手中一切事务，抽身带走4周28天的光阴浪迹天涯，真正回归大自然，体验山高水远路更长；或者置身异国他乡，领略春光和合万物苏，才能踏踏实实享受朦胧

2012-11-20

        出门在外，其实最令人担惊受怕的莫不过“生病”两个字。小打小闹式的头痛脑热呕吐拉肚子容易咬牙苦撑勉强应对，一旦碰巧赶上甲／乙型肝炎、日本脑炎(流行性乙型脑炎)、白喉、狂犬病、流行性感冒／脑膜炎、破伤风、黄热病、鼠疫、疟疾、伤寒、霍乱等瘟疫，岂不如临大敌，横遭灭顶之灾？

        如是说来，无论国家贫富状况如何，无论访问时间长短，我们出游南美洲热带雨林亚马逊河流域之前，除要提前了解智利、阿根廷、乌拉圭、巴西所到之处史地人文背景、