臺灣行紀事

June 26-July 3 2009

• 我又回到生我育我的臺灣，心中忐忑而又興奮。最深的印象是城市變得乾凈，地上無紙屑，也不容易找到垃圾桶。孰為因，孰為果，實在難說。但是這乾凈的城市是代表國民教育的成功，也已成為我在妻兒面前自豪的后盾。垃圾不落地實在是很好的施政措施。
• 今天在動物園中看到一位阿婆拼命擠一個空瓶子，然後再努力地塞進她漂亮的提包。這是我今日遊園印象深刻處之一。
• 木柵動物園是我初訪。園內處處可見用心，設施充分考慮到與小孩子的互動。安白，安末在園中極是興奮，很開心。他們開心，我也開心。
• 廁所改進極大。往日為人詬病的髒污已不復見。這是國民教育成功之例證。我為此感到自豪。
• 守秩序也處處可見。上車排隊守秩序，文蕾在動物園乘導覽車時，忙著照相，一時不察，未守秩序，乘錯車位，自己最後又乖乖坐回規定之座位。平日伶牙俐齒的她，這次也為之語塞，乖乖認錯。此事應該給了她對臺灣守法重紀之印象。佳事也。
• 交通便利是另一值得大書特書之事。高鐵，捷運，鐵路，公車等大眾交通把臺灣城鄉差距拉到極小。下午五點尚在臺中，六點時分已在臺北士林夜市大啖美食。這在以往是不可想像之事。難得不用自己開車，我在臺灣極享受便利的大眾交通工具。政權更迭，但文官系統還是穩定，交通建設及政策繼續推動，這是了不起之事。事雖小，可以見大。
• 大眾運輸發達連帶使得城市交通大為改善。北市車輛比起十幾年前，明顯減少。在臺北101往下看，車輛并不多。又一佳事也。
• 臺北市容實在很醜，但是乾凈。
• 日月潭亦是初訪。湖光山色美不勝收。青山綠水，白船點點；藍天白云，清風習習。日月潭好似處子，不施粉黛。
• 日月潭管理不容攤販，返湖以清凈，實乃拜921地震之賜，可謂塞翁失馬，焉知非福。
• 三伏天氣又濕又悶又熱，我實在吃不消。臺北什麼都好，就是天氣不好。大熱天，食不下咽，對於逛夜市，興趣全無。
• 沉悶濕熱的天氣，使我由衷佩服化妝品商人的研發功力，也佩服臺灣女人把胃口和其他感官分而治之的功夫。我看著一個又一個美女在令我汗流浹背的溫度濕度中，在令人擠得喘不過氣的夜市里，居然可以頂著濃妝，優雅而從容地“吞食”著臭豆腐，鴨血湯。我盯著她們直看，直到女孩們注意到我。我不是對她們有興趣，我是對她們的化妝有興趣---我滿身大汗，為何她們的妝不花？
• 在國家傳統藝術中心，和小孩們一同欣賞了九歌兒童偶戲團的精彩表演--新編東郭狼。狼最後是被送進動物園，皆大歡喜。
• 在九份觀山觀海。九份上次來還是十幾年前大學時一群同學騎機車來玩。唉，往事如風，如今天各一方，俱往矣。現在九份販子太多，淹沒了九份的美。只有在一家叫觀山海的咖啡座才得以欣賞到九份的山海風光。在涼亭遇一老嫗，她極力推薦金瓜石。無奈已近安白安末下午時差昏睡時分，我惟恐不勝負荷，只得作罷。金瓜石乃電影無言的山丘取景地，九份系悲情城市拍攝點，兩者皆因電影而鹹魚翻身。老婦力陳金瓜石風光如何勝似九份，蓋因山勢開闊使然。電影無言的山丘中時而可見山頂開闊俯視海洋之景，斯言當不虛。

• http://wenleijiang.blogspot.com/2009/07/1.html
• http://wenleijiang.blogspot.com/2009/07/2.html
• http://wenleijiang.blogspot.com/2009/07/3.html
• http://wenleijiang.blogspot.com/2009/07/5.html
• http://wenleijiang.blogspot.com/2009/07/6.html

王世襄的“明式家具研究”

這次七月的臺灣及大陸旅行，我自己最大的收獲就是買到了王世襄的“明式家具研究”。這是早就鎖定的目標，只是一直在等待機會。

在臺灣，根本沒有機會逛書店。在臺灣五天，只有20分鐘在國家戲劇院地下室的誠品隨便看看。在那里沒看到王世襄的書。

在重慶，倒是有機會逛書店了。可惜那么大的西南重要城市，畢竟書味不濃。解放碑的新華書店內倒是有三聯書店分部，但那里的書少，書選的也不好。王世襄的書倒是有，但只有一本錦灰堆III。那不是我要的。

後來旅行至杭州西湖，青島，一來地方不熟，二來時間不裕，逛書店只是白日作夢。

終于到了旅行的終點--北京，即將搭機返美，心里暗自發愁，難道就此入寶山而空回？在王府井大街上，文蕾正要去百年老店東來順同她的同學見面，我眼尖，看到有一“外文書店”，心想這是最後的機會了，就要文蕾自己帶孩子赴約，我“請假”二十分鐘，進書店逛逛。

唉，我只能說畢竟京城就是京城，底蘊到底是足。一進書店，很容易就找到了夢寐以求的“明式家具研究”。王其它的書也一應俱全。十分鐘後，我就拎著書，趕赴東來順，心中為此次旅行劃下我自己的句點。

夢尋西湖

"作湖山半日主人，历唐宋百代过客“

× 張岱 西湖夢尋
× 印象西湖
× 我的西湖

To read or to travel

I like to read; I like to travel. Reading leads my imagination to the places where, by nature, are not suitable for an ordinary visitor; traveling sharpens my feeling about the places where I only read about.

I would like to read about the stories of a Congo expedition, but would not like to be part of the expedition team; I would like to travel to Paris and to enjoy authentic French cuisines there rather than to stay at home and to mouthwateringly look at French cuisine photos in the book! This is my attitude toward reading and traveling.

A short trip to see dinosaurs' old bones

Last Saturday, we took Anbo and Anmo to see dinosaur fossils in the Museum of Natural History. This trip was special since Anbo himself planed this weekend activity. Wenlei and I were just drivers and guardians. Anbo was very interested in seeing those old bones. He had lots of questions. (Well, I have to admit that I can't answer most of the questions because they are either too silly or too difficult.) I plan to borrow few books about Dinosaurs from the local library. It also might be a good time now to tell the story of Jurassic Park to Anbo.

After visiting the museum, we wandered on the national mall. There was an annual Solar Decathlon. Many small but stylish solar-powered houses were built on the mall for the competition. The goal is to use just solar power to support a typical family in a single house. I really hope that one day these solar technologies would become cheap enough to use in our daily lives. I was very interested in this kind of things, unfortunately, we were too late. The public demonstration was close after 5:00 pm.

Anmo also had a happy time, but in a different way. He did not enjoy too much about old bones, but was very interested in playing pebbles on the national mall.

I made a wrong decision about our dinner. I took them to Bob's 88 for dinner. Since kids were very tired, they became cranky. We eventually had to leave the restaurant in the middle of eating. On the way back home, both of them fell into sleep.

J. M. W. Turner

The National Museum of Art is showing J. M. W Turner's masterpieces. This article on economist provides some background information.

秋游波城

秋游波城 2001文蕾作

深秋枫正红，携家波城游。
久闻哈佛名，直奔剑桥头。
红叶映新骄，旧舍叙史悠。
踊摸铜像足，愿得子孙优。
又行查理河，垂柳拂岸秀。
两校依水立，严谨数麻工。
漫步自由道，细述自由说。
兴尽披霞归，友人烧烤候。
美酒伴佳肴，喜极展歌喉。
畅谈陈年趣，不知夜已旧。
当即许好友，它日再来游。

Our family had a long trip to Centreville, MD yesterday. We visited there to see the model house and Wenlei liked the model house.

On the way to the Centreville, we went through the Bay Bridge. The blue sky, the sunshine and the reflections of the ocean waves made me feel I was driving in San Francisco, California. Therefore, I had a good mood and driving was enjoyable. It would be better if there are few vineyards there, too. There might have, but I have to find out.

There is one thing special about this trip -- everyone got what he or she likes. Wenlei saw the house, I enjoyed the beautiful scene, and Anbo found his dreamy horses in the farms in Centreville.

It was certainly a nice trip. After all, if a trip, in which everyone got what he or she likes, can't be a nice trip, what else trip can be?

We had our dinner in Prena Bread in Germantown, MD. The pizza there was excellent. I would exclaim it was the best one I've ever had. The nice dinner concluded our nice trip.