和同事在異國的小公園過中秋節其實也很快樂！

這個美妙的旅程由小又和阿寶發起。大約在旅程的半年前，她們就訂了Air Asia的超平機票並問我會否同行，我答應了會盡量調機配合。最後，在千千萬萬的Swap後，終於能參與沙巴的部分，但貓城的部分就去不了。在此，要特別感謝Jen的慷慨，沒你的那顆G，我就去不成了。

 

旅程的很多部分都很難忘，但其中兩件事令我最開心。

 

第一，我成功說服了小又和阿寶和我一起潛水，而她們兩個事後都非常喜歡潛水。能夠和她們一起看見神奇的海洋世界讓我加倍興奮。雖然這不是我的初潛，但能與好朋友一起經歷這一切是不一樣的感受。我最喜歡那些藍色海星，裝成沙樣的撻沙和可愛的Nemo。 好想去宿暮考牌，還有夜潛呢！

 

第二，我第一次見到滿樹的螢火蟲。像我這種在大城市長大的小朋友，從來沒機會見到螢火蟲。從來没有想像過佈滿螢火蟲的樹在夜裡一閃一閃是如此的美麗。這就像一棵一棵天然的聖誕樹，在黑暗中閃耀著。讓人感動的美，我一再回味。我們順著日落前找猴子的河流一直漂著，當天的導遊May拿著大電筒照樹，樹上的螢火蟲以自己微弱的光回應著。大自然多麼的神奇，白天我們可以找到不同種類的猴子，一到晚上，這就變成螢火蟲的世界。

Tips to Sabah is at the end of the entry!

 

 

Day 1- a relaxing day alone in Kota Kinabalu (KK, 亞庇市）

 

My flight departed in the morning while Po and Yau would arrive at night, so I had a half-day wandering around KK. I was totally exhausted from the work I had before I came for this trip, so I took a nap when I arrived Lavender Lodge (our hostel). Afterward, I had my massage at a local beauty center. I also spent some time walking around the street. KK is a very small town and I could finish it in an hour. I tried to look for the very famous food in KK and successfully got the Bak-Kut-Teh (肉骨茶). I loved it a lot.

Philippine Market

 

Sabah Tourism Board

 

China town

 

 

When I was waiting for Po and Yau at the hostel at night, I was invited to play slugger with the Canadian and Korean friends. They taught me how to play and I enjoyed the time with them.

 

 

 

Day 2- Snorkeling at Mantananl Island (美人魚島）

 

We woke up quite early in the morning as we booked the tour to the Mantananl Island. It is an amazing island with super clear and beautiful water. The owner of the island only allows 50 people get on the island per day, so it was very quiet and clean. We chose to stay overnight at the island and it was an excellent decision since a half-day is totally not enough for such a wonderful island.

 

We chilled out at the island for a bit and then headed to snorkeling. The water was heavenly lovely with the blue starfish, coral reef and fishes. We had a lot of fun snorkeling. 

The snorkeling site

 

 

 

Then, Yau and I went for kayaking. We came up with a stupid idea of jumping into the water and tried to get back on the kayak. It was a very tough job and we laughed non-stop when we were doing it. Po was worried about us as she thought we were in danger. Hahahahaha!

Sabah is famous for its sunset, so Yau suggested to watch the sunset everyday when we were there. Of course, we could not miss the one in this beautiful island. On the way to the sunset coast, we passed a local village.

This cat was so cute and tried to follow us all the way.

The local village

 

 

Sunset at Mantananl Island

 

   

 

 

After all the exciting activities, we ended our day listening to the wave (I fell asleep as it was too comfortable) and looking at the sky with stars at 3am. With the help of Iphone App, we were able to identify the Constellation. What a wonderful night!

 

 

 

Day 3- Diving at Mantananl Island

Po and I took a morning walk before diving when Yau was getting ready. Sorry to leave you behind baby, I promise it wont happen again.

 

Does it look like a swimming pool? It is the ocean! 

 

 

I tried to convince Po and Yau on diving. As I dove before, I knew that they would definitely love the underwater world once they can get closer to it. At last, they decided to join me and 3 of us were doing very well in diving. We all enjoy the unbelievable scenery under the water. As I was always floating (no idea why I could not sink), the coach was actually holding my hand and led me all the way. We have seen some amazing coral reef and even Nemo.

 

It was an unforgettable experience to dive with my 2 very good friends. Thanks for joining me and I hope you enjoy your first dive. Wish to dive with you again soon.

We were back to KK after diving and just in time for the sunset at the habour.

 

  

We ended our day at the night market with all the street food at KK

There was pouring rain all of a sudden! 

 

Day 4- Visiting Monkeys and Fireflies at the river

Our tour started in the afternoon, so we spent the morning exploring KK. We had the famous chicken rice (味雅雞飯) for breakfast. Then we spent some time at the local market and found some interesting local food. I was excited to see cinnamon the first time (I always just taste it).

 

In the afternoon, we were picked up by the tour guide of the day- May. She was a very professional guide and we enjoyed her service. She was telling us the features and characters of Nasalis larvatus (長鼻猴）. It is a special species monkey in Sabah. I find it very cute as it got a long nose. More importantly, its hair color makes it as wearing a shirt and a short pant. Haha!

 

After we boarded the boat, we started to look for the monkey along the river. They are very shy so we had to be quiet and patient. May is very experienced, so she is always the first one who found the monkey. I love to see animals living in their own habitat instead of the Zoo, so I really enjoy this hide and seek experience with the monkeys.

We found 3 species of monkey on that day, lucky us!

 

 

The sunset on the river was stunning and we had dinner at the riverbank.

 

After dinner, we boarded the boat again to find the fireflies. May used a big torch to shine on the trees and the fireflies replied it by its flame. It was unbelievable beautiful to see all these flashing flame on the tree. It looked like a natural Christmas tree. As a girl growing up in the city, I had never seen fireflies in my life, not mention a whole tree of them. I was totally moved by the scene.

 

Day 5- Kinabalu Park

We had no time to climb the Mt. Kinabalu, instead we visited the Kinabalu park. We wrongly went to one of the sections of the park as we did not know the park was divided in few sections. After visiting a garden with tropical plants, we took taxi to another section to try the canopy walk.

 

 

When we arrived that section, we were told that the biggest flower in the world (exclusive in Kinabalu) were bloomed. The 2 Rafflesia arnoldii were not beautiful at all and even carried an awful smell. It attracted the flies. However, they are huge with no doubt.

We finally got to the canopy walk. It was not as scary as I thought. It was fun walking between those tall tropical trees.

Thanks Yau and Po for the wonderful trip. I hope we can make it happen every year!

Tips:

1.     You have to stay overnight at the Mantanal Island. Do not go with the one-day tour please.

The owner of Mantanal Island only allows 50 people to get on the island per day, so it is free of pollution and very quiet. If you join the one-day tour, you can only access to the snorkeling and diving site. However, you will be missing the main beach, the sunset, the local village and the starry night. It definitely worth having a 2-day tour!!!!!! We booked it with www.sabahyou.com.

2.     Transport to Kinabalu Park.
In the morning, there are taxis that combines passengers who go to the Kinabalu Park direction. Ask your hostel about it the night before. It is easier and not expensive at all.

3.     Do not miss the tour to the River for the monkey and fireflies. This is one of the best things I have done in Sabah. We booked it with www.sabahyou.com as well. We love the service of our guide May. See if you can get her to be your guide.

4.     Kinabalu Park is not only 1 park, it is divided in few sections and they are not close. Check what do you want to do in the park and go to the right section for it. We wasted some time and money as we did not know about this before.

5. Our hostel is called Lavender Lodge. The owner is very nice. He can speak Mandarin and English perfectly. He is willing to help and the hostel is clean.
http://www.lavenderlodge.com.my/

6. Do not forget to bring a water-proof bag (the bigger the better) and most importantly the underwater camera. You can either buy a water-proof case for your own camera or buy a water-proof camera, please pay attention on how deep it can go.

 

在古老書院裡讀書的幸福
一直很喜歡古老的東西，古建築，古董，古鎮，凡是老的有故事的都是我的最愛。記得選大學是第一志願是港大，為的只是那Main Building。港大上不了，去了不舊不新的浸大。因禍得福，因為後來發現港大的生活應該不太適合我。這次和Steph到了劍橋，免不了羨慕那些每天在這些幾百年古建築裡上課生活的大學生。他們有的是傳統和非一般的歸屬感，還少不了的優越感。在這種如詩如畫的校院裡，難免特別開豁，腦筋靈活。所以說，貧者越貧，富者越富，就是這個意思。去劍橋當天下著毛毛細雨。其實我覺得這樣的劍橋才最有味道。

和Steph的單身對話
我們都單身了一陣子了。對於單身這回事都有很相似的看法。從大學認識Steph開始，到多倫多看她，到倫敦看她，感覺我們一起成長了很多。雖然我們長期在不同的地方居住，但心靈一直走得很近。每次的update都是深入的話題。至於單身這件事，她大概是最了解我的人。而我，卻不太了解我自己。

Notting Hill的寶物
第一次嘗試去Notting Hill，是和阿甘去的，走錯路，去了Kensington Park。這次和Steph在Convent Garden吃完早餐，我獨自去了Notting Hill market。 這是一個天氣特別晴朗的星期天上午，我跟著一批一批的人潮往Notting Hill market進發。滿街的古董店讓我精神為之一振，一般到這個時候我就希望擁有無窮無量的錢，因為我對舊的事物總是可看而不可得的。雖然我的錢不多，我還是找到我能負擔的寶物。買了一張1920年的南北極地圖，放在書房提醒著自己的夢想。經過一家店，聽到小朋友玩的樂器聲音很特別，問了一下，發現是沙漠地區的人用以求雨的樂器。那種聲音對我特有吸引力。買下來放在家，偶爾臨睡前聽一下，心情特別平靜，睡得更穩。掙扎了許久買不買Banksy畫作的消費品，後來還是覺得違背了Banksy的藝術本質，忍痛沒有買了。

Day 1

Steph and I finally got a chance to go to Cambridge together after planning it for so long. Thanks for booking the ticket and research online for the self-guided tour, Steph. I really enjoy our chat and our visit to Cambridge.

Cambridge is definitely a beautiful university. The old campus, especially St.John College was very impressive. Some of the colleges were not open for public, so we could not see all of them. We envy the students in this university. It must be very enjoyable to study in such old buildings.

like the stone decoration at the church!

The Saturday market was not very exciting

The very beautiful St.John College

This gentleman was trying to stop us walking on the grassland because his friends were taking wedding photos. He then offered us some information of the college.

The gentleman told us that students can get married at the Chapel in St.John College within 5 years after their graduation. It is the case of his friends.

Love the vegetation on the wall

The round church

We visited a house of an art collector. It was a stylish little place. I quite like the way he placed the artwork and antique. It is an ideal house.

We felt hungry at the mid-way of our Cambridge tour, so we sat down and had our coffee time. It was kind of a heavy chat, but I enjoy every moment spending with Steph.

After our coffee time, Steph tried to ask if anyone knows how to go to the Chinese poet monument at Cambridge. We could not find it though.  

Kongzi statue

When we got back to London, Steph brought me to the very famous platform 9 3/4 at King Cross station. It was an interesting idea to set a platform as the Harry Potter one for tourists.

Day 2

Next morning, Steph and I had a lovely breakfast at Convent Garden. Then she went to her school to work on her paper and I headed to Notting Hill market.

Notting Hill

It was a wonderful morning to go to Notting Hill. The antique shops along the road were cutie. I just hope that I have more money to buy everything I like. At the end, I still got an antique map of south and north pole in 1920 and an musical instrument from desert area. I saw some posters and bags of Banksy artwork. However, I believe that it is against the belief of Banksy, so I did not buy any.

Such a nice morning at the market, I was glad that I was finally there.

又House Warming了，今次謝謝為我們準備大餐的Ringo，你實在太利害了！

有幾個在照片中沒有出現的朋友其實都有來探望我，+0和Makayla下午來了，智美和Lydia也有後Join，死貓也買了超實用的入伙禮物。真謝謝你們呢！

特別謝謝Lydia分享了我們的不丹之旅，不知道還有沒有機會跟你去旅行呢？

而全晚最開心的就是一起玩三國殺。由於我這個主公太無能，所以笑料百出，我又有點喝多了，超吵！最後被鄰居投訴呢，唉丫！

新屋新開始，有了自己的地方，希望可以好好的跟Natasha享受這個家。

This trip was divided in 2 parts.

 

Part 1: Eric and Regina wedding

 

Eric was my secondary schoolmate and Regina is his beautiful wife.  When I was flying to Peru for my trip in last April, I stayed at their home for transit and I really enjoy the stay with them. So, I decided to swap some day off to attend their wedding in LA.

 

Some other secondary schoolmates also flew all the way to LA for them, so it was a small reunion as well. Thanks for letting me stay at your place, Eric! Poor you needed to sleep on the floor before the wedding.

 

They got married in a cruise and it was a very beautiful venue. Everything went smoothly. The wedding was elegant and warm. Regina, I do enjoy your first dance, don’t think too much!!! Haha!

 

The most surprising thing was that I got to talk to my “long time no see” friend- Derek. Thank you for driving me to the hotel and we could chat all the way. It was amazing to listen to his story since we did not meet up for so long. I wish you luck from now on.

 

I just stayed with Eric and Regina for 2 days and then headed to my part 2 right after the wedding dinner.

Winky the Pooh was suffering from jetlag once she arrived at LA!

 

  YLPSS reunion in LA!

 

 

Part 2: Grand Canyon trip with Erin

 

Erin was an exchange student in BU. When she visited Hong Kong, she stayed at my place. This time, I called her up before the trip and see if she is interested to go to Grand Canyon with me. She was so excited and flew from Seattle to LA for me. Thank you so much Erin!

 

It was a very nice trip though it was short. I feel sorry for Erin as she needed to drive all the way from LA to Grand Canyon as I could not drive in the US.

 

We started our trip in early morning and arrived Grand Canyon before the sunset. Then, we set our tent up at the campground (thank you for booking campground and bringing your tent Erin). Woke up for the sunrise next morning and went hiking a bit on the rim. We headed to Las Vegas in the afternoon and visited Hoover dam in the mid-way. Stayed a night at Las Vegas.  After spending a morning in Las Vegas, we went back to LA and I took the flight back to Hong Kong.

 

It was a bit rush and I could not hide my hate toward Las Vegas. Sorry Erin!

 

Erin and I got a chance to catch up a lot and I really enjoy the Grand Canyon part of the trip. It was wonderful to see it with my eyes finally. This is absolutely stunning. Grand Canyon is a piece of artwork from the invisible hand.  Camping at Grand Canyon and taking shower with time limit were very exciting experience. Of course, sunrise and sunset at Grand Canyon were breathtakingly beautiful!

I hope I get a chance to visit the North Rim and have a 2-day hike down the Canyon next time.

  Here we go!!

 

 

Sunset

 

  The moon is out!

Must try, right?

Our tent at the campground

 

Sunrise

 

 

Small hike on the Rims

 

 

 

Hoover Dam

Las Vegas

When I saw these castles, I said: Look at this, my god!
Erin said: Winky, this is where we are staying tonight!!

 

我的天堂與地獄

 

大峽谷的天然美景是我的天堂。雖然遊覽的時間太短，但我真的很享受在大峽谷的每一刻。但開了幾個小時的車到達了拉斯維加斯，我就從天堂跌落了地獄。曾經有親人跟我提過拉斯維加斯是全世界最美的地方。我明白各花入各眼，但我真的認為這是我見過最醜的地方。每個賭場都非常誇張，全無美感可言，整個城市都是主題公園，毫無生活。這是個充滿金錢，娛樂，邪惡的地方。我在街上走著就頭痛，見到一大堆不知所謂的年青人在說無聊的話，做無聊的事。如果我一生都沒有機會去拉斯維加斯，我一點都不會覺得可惜。而且，我永遠都不想再踏足拉斯維加斯。

Cyrus和Jade （我的社友）到台灣參加AYC的camp，提前到台北走走，碰巧我從莫斯科回來時間配合得了，我就去台北跟他們玩幾天。

 

每天的行程沒甚麼特別，但這次旅程有幾個亮點。

 

第一，盧廣仲

 

我是盧廣仲的粉絲。超謝謝Cyrus出發前查了Taipei Legacy的Show，發現我們能買票看到盧廣仲的演唱會。知道這消息後我一直非常興奮，這變成了這旅程最大的期待。演唱會近於新碟發佈會，第一次聽他的現場演出，還把新碟的歌一首一首的唱，讓我感動得很。當他唱“梅西好朋友”的時候，可愛的字幕配合他的唱腔，我為他的那種純真和趣怪深深打動了。哪有人像他一樣想出這樣的歌詞？只有真正善良可愛如他的人才有機會做出這樣的作品吧！這也是他在我心目中無可代替的原因。他只是隨自己所想做音樂，他喜歡吃早餐，就寫“早安, 晨之美”。他不喜歡別人吵醒他，他便寫“別在我睡著的時候打電話給我”，他想作一首他爺爺聽得懂的歌，便有了“港邊男兒”。討厭蚊子，就寫了“蚊子”。隨手拾來，清新自然之極。每次聽他的歌，都覺得很溫暖，會心微笑。那你們應該可以想像我第一次到現場聽他唱歌，還是在台灣的激動指數吧！還有少不了他那招牌的：Yeah!

 

但最激動的還是表演嘉賓出場的時候！我覺得自己簡直是世界上最幸運的人呢（有點誇張）－嘉賓是陳……綺………貞（如果是范曉萱我應該當場暈倒）。我興奮得大叫起來，剩下的就不用細說了。

 

就在看完盧廣仲演唱會的第二天下午，我們去了寶藏巖藝術村走走。突然，我看見一個樣子很怪但很眼熟的男生，我想了一想，跟Cyrus說：這個是盧廣仲嗎？他說：不是吧。我想，哪有那麼多樣子怪異如此的男生呢？再多看幾眼，我們就肯定了他是盧廣仲。這一驚非同小可，昨晚在台下當他的觀眾，今天就隨便在街上遇見他。他正在拍攝硬照，我跟工作人員說了這件巧事。他們說這是廣仲的 “新”造型，所以不能拍照，免得照片流出去。哇！真的是很新的造型呢！盧廣仲穿T-Shirt短褲，真的是前所未見，不是嗎？（怒！）

 

後來，知道了他當時就在寶藏巖拍攝這個MV:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3cH9Ib_bYA&feature=share

 

 

 

 

 

第二，會動的清明上河圖

 

我隨便在地鐵車箱見到“會動的清明上河圖”的宣傳廣告，說：這在世博和香港的時候我都沒機會看。隨即發現Cyrus和Jade也沒看過，我們就決定一起去花博看清明上河圖。由於門票比香港貴得多，沒有出現香港那種人山人海，還有時間限制的情況。我們可以慢慢欣賞。在會動的那部分出現前，我們先欣賞不同時期的清明上河圖，並認識它的藝術風格。我們三個都很有興趣，一節一節慢慢看，當時的畫功真是利害，一點那麼小的人兒，我們也能清楚看到他的動態表情。看著“不動的”清明上河圖，我已經感覺到有幾百個故事同時發生，難怪有人想出“會動的清明上河圖”這個構思。

到我們走到“會動的”部分，配合了聲效的清明上河圖真的把明朝的蘇州城活現在眼前。熒幕還會隨著時間不同而呈現白天和晚上的情形，所以我要來回看幾次。白天的蘇州城非常熱鬧，各行各業叫賣爭生意，晚上的河邊則掛著一盞一盞的暗燈，非常動人。於我而言，這是一個藝術再創造的成功例子呢！

在世博，我沒有想過去爭那中國館的門票。在香港，我媽除了我以外，把全家的門票都買齊了。想不到在完全沒有計劃的情況下，隨便就在台北看到了。而且，我深信那個是最適合我去看的一個環境。在上海和香港，我應該會因為逼人而發怒離開場館。我真的很幸運。

 

 

 

第三，寶藏巖和台北光點

 

寶藏巖讓我想起茶果嶺，它們都是依山而建的村落。除了遇見盧廣仲外，我最喜歡的是它的日落。後來跟死貓說起寶藏巖的事，發現她將到台灣當駐村詩人，所駐的就是寶藏巖，哈哈！

 

 

台北光點

我們到台北光點為Jade慶祝生日。到了，每一樣東西都好像散發著阿甘的味道似的。

   

第四，大排檔的對話

 

我們三人去了Winnie (另一位社友)介紹的街邊大排檔吃蝦。Cyrus就在那個地方慢慢的跟我道出他這幾年的經歷（他有一段時間在社中消失了）。我聽著聽著，對這位社友有了很深的敬意。對於我這生存意志力偏低的人來說，如果他的事發生在我身上，我早就走了。但他還是熬過來了，好起來了，還當起我們的主席。

這個旅程以後，我們三人親密了很多。這是一大收獲。

 

 

I have been waiting for this flight since I joined Cathay. After almost 5 years, I was finally flying to Moscow. For this first visit, I chose red square, St. Basil on day 1 and Zagorsk/Sergiyev Posad on day 2 to go.

我在莫斯科變成了聾啞人士
在莫斯科，很多人一聽到你滿口英文就生厭。他們聽不懂，不會說，也沒有耐性跟你厮磨。最後，你只會非常徬惶的對著那些一個英文字母都沒有的路牌發愁。所以，我很快就放棄了語言，全程指手劃腳，指著旅遊資料的俄文，甚至拿紙筆把東西畫出來（羅宋湯是個成功例子）。雖然這樣表達自己真的很累，但我卻發掘出這事的樂趣，發現我比自己想像的更有創意。這個經驗是我在莫斯科最大的得著，也解釋了為甚麼背包旅行(尤其是獨行）這件事讓我那麼著迷，我總是一次又一次的發現新的事和新的自己。最後千辛萬苦的找對了火車月台，向著目的地進發的滿足感，足夠我好好回味。

In Moscow, people hate to hear English. They do not speak, do not understand and definitely do not have the patience to help you. So, instead of using my mouth, I used body language, pointed at the Russian in the guide book and even drew things out to express myself. Although it was very tiring to do so, I found a lot of fun in it. I am way more creative than I thought I am. This is the most memorable experience in my Moscow visit and it explained why am I so addicted in backpack travel (especially alone). I always discover something new, and most of all, a new Winky. When I finally arrived at the right platform and headed toward my destination, I felt so satisfied.

莫斯科的地鐵站應該是全世界最美的
我一直以香港的地鐵系統為傲，尤其是見識過差點讓我窒息的Tube，髒髒的Subway和佈滿報紙的Metro，我對港鐵加倍珍惜。但相比起莫斯科的地鐵站，港鐵站實在太醜了。莫斯科的每個地鐵站都有華麗的壁畫，細緻的雕刻，在黃黃的吊燈下，顯得像皇宮一樣。雖然我經常在地鐵站迷路，但也因此見到很多不同的裝飾。你說，一天到晚都是旅遊車帶著你到處走多沒意思呢？

I am always proud of Hong Kong MTR, especially after I visited other underground, e.g. Tube, Subway and Metro in other countries, I appreciate MTR even more. However, compared with the metro station at Moscow, Hong Kong one is very ugly. Every station at Moscow is decorated with wall paintings, carving and symbols of the communist party. They are all gorgeous under the lamp. Although I was lost in the stations for few times, I got to see different kind of decoration. See? I could never get to see these if I travel with the tour coach. 

Day 1

Red Square
The name of red square is not from its brick color or communist meaning, but meaning "beautiful". Indeed, it is a very beautiful square with all the historical buildings around it and the most beautiful one is for sure St. Basil. It looks like a candy castle in Fair Tale.

St.Basil

Most of the beautiful architectures got a sad story behind. To make sure there is no church as beautiful as St.Basil, the king make the Architect blind. It is sick, but it is just a story may be.

After visiting St. Basil, I realized that I did not have enough time to visit Kremlin. So, I just wander around the red square and it was a very beautiful day to do so.

I felt very hungry after the long walk, so I found a restaurant and tried to order a Russian Borscht. I did not know how to call that and the waiters did not speak English, so I drew the soup out with red color. It works!!!

It is completely different from the one I have tried in Hong Kong. The Russian Borscht was super super tasty. I love the soft cheese on it as it just matches so well.

After the soup, I slowly walked to the harbor to take the sightseeing boat.

How can I not buying it? You know me, earring addict!

They are perfect for this seat!

The weather was getting worse and worse while I was on the boat.

Finally I was back to the pier and it rains like cats and dogs. It was impossible for me to walk as I did not have an umbrella with me (the sun was shining so hard just a while ago at the red square).

I was totally wet when I made my way back to the hotel, but I had an excellent day.

Day 2

Zagorsk/ Serguyev Posad

It was not easy to find the train station which supposed to connect with the metro station. After using a lot of body language and imagination, I finally found the train station. Then I had a really hard time on finding the right platform. No one could help me as they did not understand English. Finally, 2 lady soldiers brought me with them to board the right train and reminded me to get off.

Serguyev Posad is one of the 7 Golden ring. It took around 2 hours to get there from Moscow.

Sergeev Posad is the former religious capital of Russia and offers beautifully restored architecture, as well as a taste of what smaller towns in Russia are like. 

History:
In the mid-14th century, a young, pious man named Sergius wandered into the woods north of Moscow to begin a life of prayer and religious contemplation.  He was soon visited by groups of travelers seeking wisdom and miracles from him, which Sergius was soon known for giving freely.  Monks from the Orthodox Church soon heard of him and traveled to study with him.  The monks and Sergius founded a monastery that would become, perhaps, the most important in all of Russia. 

How to Get There: 

• Trains leave regularly (about one per hour) from the Yaroslavski Railroad Station (located at the Komsomolskaya Metro stop). 
• Busses leave regularly from VDNH-VVC Bus Station (located at VDNH Metro stop).  Look for busses with "s.p." (с.п.) written in the window someplace.   

The market outside the monastery is very famous with its touristic goods. I heard that it is cheaper than the one in Moscow, so I bought a lot. hahahaha!

The Monastery
When I was in Moscow, I fell in love with the onion-top churches. St.Basil was very beautiful with its colourful paint. In Sergesy Posad, the golden and blue with stars onion-top were very eye-catching as well. Together with other towers and buildings in the monastery, it was great to see the harmony of it.

Ladies supposed to have a scarf on their head to enter the monastery as a respect.

 

I was walking around this old town after visiting the monastery and found some nice old houses.

I tried to treasure my chance on getting the Russian Borscht. So, my second one is here!

Slowly walked my way back to the train station and got on the train to Moscow.

Lastly, I would like to show you all how beautiful are the decoration of the metro station in Moscow!

Moscow is very unique and I cant wait to visit St.Petersburg and travel with Trans-Siberian Railway one day.

A week after our trip to Bhutan, Dechen (our Bhutanese travel agent) came to Hong Kong for his business trip.

We met up at a traditional Cha Chaan Teng to show Dechen the local food of Hong Kong. Lydia brought her mum with her and we had a very nice chat together.

Hope to see you somewhere in the world again, Dechen.

First of all, Angel is my sister's Spanish boyfriend, not mine. I have to make it clear here.

After 4 years of hidden relationship with Polly, Angel came to "meet the parents" finally. I promised him to be there when he first met my parents, so I stayed for this historical moment.

It was amazing to see this scene and it reminded me the time when Kyle met my parents few years ago. Time flies.

Dad was convinced that Spanish are not black people when he met Angel! Thanks God!

As Polly and Angel cannot see the ocean in Beijing, they tried to go to as many beaches as possible when they were in Hong Kong, so I have a lot of beach time with them.

Congrats Angel and Polly! I cannot wait to come to Spain for the wedding.

Please roll down for the English entry and photos if you cannot read Chinese.

不丹，一個聽起來非常神秘的地方。要不是梁朝偉和劉嘉玲，可能香港人從來不會知道有這麼一個夾在西藏和印度的國家。這個國家最有名的有兩件事。

 

第一，這是全世界快樂指數最高的國家。

第二，要去不丹，非常貴。

 

我是怎樣開始有去不丹的念頭呢？

有一次和一個男老總飛，和他聊起我去西藏的事。他跟我說不丹比西藏更美，更純，大自然像仙境一樣，我就很響往了。我去國泰假期報名（不丹不讓Backpacker進，只可跟團），但他們說要兩個人才能成團。我覺得好絕望，有誰會每天花二百多美元和我去不丹呢？所以事情擱置了一段時間，直到Lydia參加了我的Pisco Sour大會，聽到我的秘魯之旅，我才發現她也是Backpacker。和她有了一起去旅行的共識後，我們就決定去不丹。能找到旅伴不容易，最難得的是我們都非常有火，大家都很緊張這個旅程。她飛的時候我幫她 Swap機（她也是Crew)，我飛了她就幫我聯絡不丹的Travel agent。所有事都有商有量，她真是我的大禮物。

 

一個沒有Backpacker的國度

為什麼去不丹那麼貴，為什麼不讓Backpacker進門呢？原因是它是一個小國，不能負荷大量的遊客湧入，所以它以高價錢來控制數量，只有真正非常想去的人才會去。我對這種做法有點不滿，因為控制數量還有很多方法，這未免是有點那個的。可是話說回來，你覺得每天二百多美金（包吃，包住，包交通）貴，那香港人去一次日本血拼也一定遠超這個數目吧！至於Backpacker的問題，是由於不丹想保存他們的文化和生活。一旦Backpacker進門了，到處就會開滿Internet café, Hostel, western restaurants等等為Backpacker服務的產品。這我可是很同意的。在老窩的龍玻邦就隨處可見，完全是一種破壞。在Vang Vieng更加離譜，變成了遊客的Party Town。要毒品有毒品，要酒有酒，烏煙瘴氣，把本地人都嚇走了。所以不丹這樣做也不無道理。

 

最快樂的國家

不丹人是不是最快樂的人我不知道，別人老不成走過來跟你說：我很快樂，我很快樂。但他們的生活簡單，常常面帶笑容是真的。國人之間認識不認識都可以聊得很興奮是真的。但我這個旅程其中一個最大的得著卻是Lydia。和她相處期間，我看見的是一個充滿愛的家庭。她看見每件有趣的東西都想和家人分享，給媽媽發信息是頭等大事。這不是因為她孝順，那是出於真正的愛。她就是每分每秒都會把媽媽和妹妹放在心上。她常常和我分享媽媽的想法和價值觀，我覺得姨姨是我見過其中一個最棒的媽媽。回港後和姨姨見面了，她對我的影響很深。想起她對我說過的話，我有時還會落淚。

 

大小不良

我們的導遊和司機完全是一對大小不良。他們一高一矮，一肥一瘦。肥矮（Chimi）的老欺負高瘦(Jagu)的一個，但他們感情很好。Jagu是非常慢熱的人，也很害羞，所以我們常常“玩”他。最後兩天他開始和我們打成一片，非常有趣，搞出很多笑料。Chimi常常叫我Your highness和Your Majesty，笑死我們。在Haa Valley回Paro的車程中，我們輪流播放了自己喜歡的音樂，是個小小的文化交流。Chimi和Jagu都很喜歡旺福的歌，還跟著一起唱。他們在整個旅程中都很照顧我們，尤其是上Tiger Nest的路上，很細心的“參扶”我。也很有耐性的每天陪我去郵政局，連我身體的問題也多加提醒，我們真的很幸運。

 

世上還有真正的純樸嗎？

去Divine madman (他們的一個聖人)的廟途中，我們遇見一班小朋友。其中一對姐妹在教另外一個男生跳舞唱歌，我們好奇駐足看了一會就往廟進發。回程的路上看見他們在草地上，見到我們就開始一起唱歌做動作。如果在其他國家，我必定覺得是別有用心的，但身在不丹，我沒有這樣想。可是，我們走的時候，Chimi給了他們每人幾塊“買零食”。我到現在還搞不清楚那是一個預定的“表演”，還是純粹的機緣巧合，Chimi也是純粹的善心？我不願意相信連不丹這種地方也被旅遊業污染了。如果不丹也是這樣， 世上還有真正的純樸嗎？我去不丹，不就是想看“真實”的東西嗎？

不丹綠油油

不丹是我去過最綠的地方。到處都是青青的山谷和梯田。每天醒來打開窗第一眼就是綠，豁然開朗。

最完美的夏季嘉年華，在哈谷！

Dechen(我們的travel agent)在為我們計劃行程的時候發現我們在不丹期間剛好可以參加Haa Valley第一次舉辦的Summer Festival。其實他完全不知道會是怎麼樣的（第一屆），所以問我們想不想參加。我們覺得機會難逢，當然答應了。而哈谷的這個夏季嘉年華是我參加過最好玩的嘉年華。

首先，地點一流。場地的背景是一座非常有靈氣並翠綠的山，看著己經心曠神怡。天氣非常好，不太熱也不冷，陽光很足。

第二，節目安排出色。我們待了一個下午，完全沒有悶場。剛到的時候有歌舞表演。然後有大人物硬拉著我們主持開幕儀式，還為我們介紹每個攤位所顯示的本土文化。然後去了一些示範遊牧生活的帳幕看他們做芝士，看沒多久外面就開始“擲飛鏢“比賽，他們的傳統運動，很刺激。大人物通通回來了，開始扯大纜比賽，第一隊竟然是“遊客隊”對“山婦”。好不容易才找到十個遊客，我和Lydia當然身在其中，比賽開始了。我第一次玩扯大纜竟然是在不丹。最原始的遊戲往往是最好玩的，我們全部玩得大叫大笑，氣氛一流。玩完扯大纜有傳統的拜神舞表演，還有一個關於不丹的短片以供觀看。嘉年華的其中一個重點是爬山單車比賽，我們可以看到參賽者到達終點的情景。節目如此豐富有趣的嘉年華，玩得我們都不想走。

第三，遊客的特權。可能因為不丹的遊客甚少，所以我們像貴賓一樣。一到我們就被一眾來主持開幕的大人物邀請一起走開幕禮。他們親自介紹各個攤位，還請我們吃餅喝酒。我們也有份參與扯大纜比賽。去看短片或做所有的事情都不用排隊。我在“大人物席”偷坐和吃檳榔也沒人管。哈哈！

這樣的夏季嘉年華，簡直是完美。

 

不入虎穴，焉得虎子

不丹最著名的旅遊景點是Tiger Nest temple，我們把它翻譯為虎穴。這個依著懸崖而建的漂亮寺廟是一個奇觀。我們出發的時候天氣並不理想，上山的路又濕又難走，但雲霧中的山嶺甚有靈氣。如常，當我問到寺廟是怎麼在這樣的環境建成的，Chimi回答是：Super Natural Power! 這是我在不丹最常得到的答案。他們對聖人非常虔誠，相信他們有超能力降魔伏妖。所以所有不能解釋的事情，都是以超能力所完成的。我認為，這樣的生活應該會簡單一點！下山的路陽光普照，雲霧散開，我們看見一條完全不同的山路。在半山，我們對著虎穴的美景吃午餐是難忘的經驗。

 

 

不丹給我的大禮物

不丹絕對不髒，但非常貼近大自然。就在旅程的最後兩天，我突然發現我肚子的皮膚上有七個被咬的小口，紅腫痕癢。我覺得可能是被蟲子咬，忍受著上虎穴。從虎穴回來，發現右膝蓋出現了差不多的情況。這二十口，痕癢難當，讓我很痛苦。就在回程的航班上，我發現自己有喉痛和微燒的情況。捱到香港機場，我立即到機場的醫療所求診，醫生覺得這是蚤咬所做成的。感謝Lydia陪我找醫生。回家後發現情況沒有改善，再找皮膚科醫生。他說這是最毒最嚴重的蚤咬。就這樣，我請了一個星期病假，覆診三次，每天塗藥休息，病和皮膚才慢慢好起來。現在，疤痕處處，整個夏天都不能穿比堅尼，Cyrus形容為“被亂槍掃射”的皮膚讓我有點困擾。唯有努力用喜療妥令疤痕退去。但我明白：It takes time。

這就是不丹留給我最大的”禮物”。每當我看到疤痕，我都會想起不丹的旅程。

Tips to Bhutan:

1. As backpacker is not allowed to enter Bhutan, you have to apply the visa with the travel agent. Try not to join the tour in Hong Kong as they will line you up with the local travel agency anyway. We directly contacted Spirit Bhutan Tour to arrange the tour.

Spirit Bhutan Tour

Tour Executive: Dechen Wangdi

Email: bhutanspirit@gmail.com, info@bhutanspiritour.com

Website: www.bhutanspirittour.com

Mobil: +975-17634180

Dechen is a very nice agent and he will try his best to assist you on your tour arrangement.

2. It is quite expensive to travel in Bhutan because of the regulation of Bhutan government. When you pay Dechen, you can choose to pay him half with the bank transfer so that he can book the flight ticket and apply visa for you first. Then, you can pay the rest after all these are done.

You have to spend at least $200 USD per day in Bhutan as a tourist (seem that it will be raised after 2012). The travel agent will arrange hotel, transportation and food for you with this budget. So, everything is basically included with this "entrance fee".

3. We had young and funny guide and driver- Chimi and Jugu. If you can request them to be your guide and driver, you may have a different Bhutanese experience. They are very caring.

4. Bhutan is actually very clean, but indeed very close to the nature. I had serious fleabites at the hotel in Paro. However, Lydia did not have any. Anyway, I would suggest you to bring a sleeping sack with you to protect yourself from any insect.

5. PLEASE check with the agent that is there any festival going on during your stay. If so, please try your best to arrange it into your schedule. My most unforgettable experience in Bhutan was the summer festival in Haa Valley. If you happen to visit Bhutan in early July next year, you must not miss it.

Article about Haa Valley summer festival: http://www.moaf.gov.bt/moaf/?p=2938&fb_source=message

6. Some people said that you cannot get meat in Bhutan. THIS IS WRONG. They do eat meat, only not the fresh one. They do not actively kill the animal for its meat. They only enjoy their meat after they die naturally. 

Be careful with a dish with white sauce. It is actually super super spicy!!!!! I was cheated.

 

Enjoy the green green Bhutan!!!