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 awoken by the sound of landing. When I opened my eyes, I saw the vast Miami International Airport (MIA), the No. 1 largest airport in the US. Mom and I were making a connection to Quito, the capital city of Ecuador in South America. Two plane flights were separated by six hours of nothing in Miami. I tried to brainstorm ideas on what to do and how to pass the time. But all I could think of was video games. Mom, on the other hand, could only come out for sightseeing. Since my mom disapproved of video games, I went with her to find some places to explore the outskirts with a private guide, even though we had visited downtown more than four years ago. As I continued walking in the endless terminals, I spotted the MIA Hotel and suggested if it could host some city tours. Fortunately, the hotel arranged a tour guide to pick us up. At 10:30 am, we walked through the door and hit the road in a minivan. The tour guide introduced himself as Oscar. Our first stop was the Coral Gables of the "City Beautiful." It was famous for trees, gardens, waterfront mansions, canals, and consulates. Coral Gables is expensive for people to live in, not only because the entire design is characteristic of the Mediterranean Revival Style, but also because the houses are close to the canals that run through Miami into the Atlantic Ocean. A gorgeous public Venetian Pool resembled a natural lagoon in a Venetian setting, complete with bridges, towers, a casino, and lush landscaping. The unique Indian banyan trees canopied the streets so primarily that I seemed microscopic. Every branch looked as if it were bigger than my size. Next, Oscar drove us to a district called Coconut Grove, where a village within a city was a legacy of Spanish culture. Wild peacocks strutted around the neighborhoods. Ritz-Carlton luxury condominiums, sailing, yachting, and marinas were bound to Biscayne Bay. Across Rickenbacker Causeway, the Cuban-descent pop superstar Gloria Estefan's mega-mansion occupied the best view on the celebrity Star Island, as Oscar pointed out to us. Conversely, Miami Beach is comprised of both natural and artificial barrier islands. Tourists had flocked to such a getaway resort during Spring Break. The Little Havana district was home to Cuban immigrants. We started to stroll from El Pub on 8th Street, where two 6-foot/1.8-meter roosters stood. A few popular gift shops, an art gallery, and a Community Park were alluring for us. As we entered the cigar factory, I didn't hear much of what Oscar said because I was too busy holding my nose, so I didn't smell the smoke from the exhibition room. After the walk, my stomach gurgled, which only meant one thing. Before I could complain, we were informed that lunch would be next. Lunch was NOT next! Just after we ordered some Cuban cuisine from the famous "Latin American" in Bayside Marketplace, it was time to return to the airport. Mom and I packed all the food into three huge boxes and ran to the minivan, where Oscar was waiting. When we arrived at MIA, we had less than an hour to check in. Mom and I devoured the steaming platter and gulped down the water. Just in time, we were boarding the plane to Quito. Miami was always proud of being the "Capital of Latin America." We would discover everything cross-culturally but Chinatown! 【紅霞譯】
沒有什麼事情能與破曉前必須打點好行裝一事相比，而且不到四點就要去費城機場趕乘早起頭班飛機。一路上我極度疲倦，剛到機場，雙目便累得重如百磅，眼皮再也睜不開來。 登機後我稍微坐定，立刻倚靠在媽媽身邊昏睡過去，直到三個鐘頭後飛機着陸時所發出的劇烈噪音才被吵醒。即刻，偌大的邁阿密“大水”國際機場映入眼帘，這是迄今為止全美最大的客運機場。我們要在此轉機，前往南美洲厄瓜多爾共和國首都基多“世界中心”。 問題在於如何打發六個小時候機時間，我絞盡腦汁，除了上便攜機玩遊戲別無它求；而媽媽當然不會輕易放過任何異地觀光機會。既然媽媽反對靠遊戲消磨功夫，我只好跟她一起尋找私人導遊，試圖遊覽邁阿密周邊地區，其實四年前我們曾訪問過市中心。 我們沿着一眼望不到盡頭的候機大廳徒步行走，過了好半天才看到一家“邁阿密國際機場酒店”，並決定進去碰碰運氣，僥倖的是酒店設有旅遊業務，很快安排一位名叫奧斯卡“眾神之矛”的導遊，於上午十點卅分準時帶我們上路。 我們率先走訪美輪美奐的珊瑚山牆城，這裡樹木造型獨特，花園設計優雅，豪宅臨水觀海，運河集流匯溪，領館富麗堂皇，縱橫洋洋大觀。珊瑚山牆城房地產走勢甚高，除了地中海式建築設計別致之外，運河兩岸的房舍飄逸姿韻，占據觀賞溪流匯入大西洋的最佳位置；威尼斯游泳池為自然瀉湖，集棧橋、樓塔、賭場、綠化於一體，成為當地民眾沐浴陽光的公共場所。街道上形貌奇特的印度榕樹成林，枝葉繁茂，我站在樹冠遮天的馬路中央，深感置身天地之間如同滄海一粟，自己渺小得微乎其微。 接着奧斯卡帶我們來到孔雀遍野的椰林區，素有“城市裡的村落”之稱，到處充滿西班牙風情。麗思·卡爾頓“奢華·自由農村”豪華公寓大廈、航海俱樂部、遊艇碼頭深入淺出，成為比斯坎“山脊”一道亮麗的風景線；穿過激流銅鑼灣，古巴後裔、著名流行歌手格洛麗亞·埃斯特凡“榮耀·花環”巨型豪宅在名流薈萃的“星島”搶盡了風頭。隔灣相望，邁阿密海灘由大大小小的自然及人工堤礁組成，前來喜度春假的遊客絡繹不絕。
小哈瓦那“天堂”區算得上古巴移民大本營及革命根據地，我們從八街救世主酒吧門前兩隻高達6英尺／1.8米的公雞塑像出發，一邊溜達一邊閒逛街頭禮品店、工藝品屋和社區公園。當經過雪茄作坊直銷部時，因為煙味太沖，我不得不捂緊鼻子屏住呼吸，結果根本顧不上奧斯卡解說的要點。
遊覽結束時，我肚子咕嚕叫個不停，未容我開始抱怨，得知下面直奔餐館而去，準備大戰午餐飲食。
可是心急吃不了熱湯麵，午餐並非緊隨其後！我們剛剛從灣邊市場著名的“拉美”餐廳點好幾道古巴菜餚，不料已經臨近返程時刻。媽媽和我來不及吃上一口，二話不說急忙打包，裝滿整整三大盒子，然後撒腿飛速沖回麵包車內，這時奧斯卡早已靜候其中。
等趕回邁阿密國際機場，距離登機僅剩下不足個把鐘頭，我們狼吞虎咽，火速消滅仍然熱氣騰騰的“雜燴拼盤”，隨即飛往厄瓜多爾首都基多。 邁阿密一向以“拉美首府”自居，我們可以隨時隨地發掘其它多元素民族文化，唯獨探尋不到“中國城”的痕跡！
 Rickenbacker Causeway, Providing the Only Ingress & Egress Connection to the Village of Key Biscayne
(里肯巴克“富饒的小溪”堤道·通往比斯坎島村的唯一出入口)  Fisher Island, America's Most Expensive ZIP Code
(漁夫島·美國最昂貴的郵政編碼)  Biscayne Bay, a Lagoon w/ Characteristics of an Estuary
(比斯坎灣·具有河口特徵的瀉湖)  South Beach, the Art Deco Capital of the World
(南灘·世界裝飾藝術之都)  Mid Beach w/ Less Rowdy, More Relaxed, Yet Upscale, Atmosphere
(中灘·氛圍清淨輕鬆卻又不失高檔)  Pell-Mell Hwy (交錯的高速公路)
Peacock Park @ Coconut Grove (椰子林·孔雀公園)  Ritz-Carlton Condo @ Coconut Grove
(椰子林——麗思·卡爾頓“勇敢統治者—自由者城”酒店公寓 03-28-2013)
 Banyan Tree-Canopied Streets @ Coral Gables
(珊瑚山牆·榕樹遮蓋的街道 03-28-2013)  Biltmore Hotel Coral Gables
(珊瑚山牆·比爾特莫爾“開闊的丘陵地帶”酒店 03-28-2013)  DeSoto Fountain @ Coral Gables
(珊瑚山牆·德索托“樹林”噴泉)  Ocean Canal @ Coral Gables (珊瑚山牆·海洋運河)
 Spanish Consulate @ Coral Gables
(珊瑚山牆·西班牙領事館)  Venetian Pool @ Coral Gables
(珊瑚山牆·威尼斯“水城”游泳池)  Marina @ Biscayne Bay (比斯坎灣·遊艇碼頭)
 Phillip Frost's Mansion @ 21 Star Island Dr
(星島大路21號——美國企業家菲利普·弗羅斯特“愛馬仕·冰凍”豪宅)  Shay Kostiner @ 44 Star Island
(星島大島44號——美國高爾夫球手謝伊·科斯蒂納“禮物·側翼”豪宅 03-28-2013)  8th Street in Little Havana (小哈瓦那·八街)
 Little Havana Roosters, a Symbol of the Neighborhood's Culture & Cuban Heritage
(小哈瓦那公雞雕像·象徵古巴裔美國人社區的堅韌和精神 03-28-2013) 
Police Patrol in Little Havana (小哈瓦那·巡警 03-28-2013)  Art Store in Little Havana
(小哈瓦那·藝術品商店 03-28-2013)
 Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
(艾德里安·阿什特“深色·迷人”表演藝術中心)  Freedom Tower, Symbolizing Cuban Hope & Opportunity for Refugees
(自由塔·象徵古巴難民的希望和機會)  Miami Intl Airport, the Busiest U.S. Airport for International Freight
(邁阿密國際機場·美國最繁忙的國際貨運機場) Crosslinks(相關博文):
USA(出遊美國)
小學四年級(4th Grade) | 
