Tuesday, January 31, 2017

旅行中相識者/莊峻華

旅行中相識者/莊峻華

這次郵輪旅行,特別拜訪一位,旅行中相識者,康妮小姐,我在
2015年春天,旅行歐洲,在西班牙巴塞隆納市旅店巧遇,她幫我
訂郵輪不果,結果依推薦,在附近旅行社,買到下班船票,郵件中
尚有存檔,此次旅行,剛好搭乘其服務之郵輪,很快連絡上,相約
在船上見,郵輪有兩三千人,第三天上午,果然在11層甲板餐廳
電梯出口,有位白軍服少尉美女,呼喚我英語名,我連忙立正敬禮
,,她是船上人事職員,後來下次郵輪旅行經理羅倫,攜帶我們參
觀第三層甲板辦公室,經過人事室,我特別要求拜見,她正在忙碌
,但甚驚訝,有一夜,循我要求,我們相約在大戲院門口,拍照留
念,是夜,她著深藍軍官服,也甚美麗,她是日美混血,母親是日
本人,我一直訥悶不已,船上見面前一日,確實有位年輕船職員,
在自助餐廳,對我微笑,只是我對不上來,我們卻是在下船關口處
,詢問她多次不果,這是愛美之讀家書回憶,她在船上安全室工作。

旅行中相識者,多半是年輕人,對我之自由行有興趣,所以我開始
在私人部落格中,英文寫作遊記,現在是讀英文版者,稍多於傳統
中文版者,絕對不是我的英文比中文流利,而是點閱者中,有許多
是旅行中相識者,真是藏諸名山,傳之其人,谷歌有一好處,統計
欄中,有點閱者出處國名,像智利,菲律賓,和德國等,一定是此
中相識者,變成我之知音。

我在柏林街頭,巧遇一位菲裔美人,她到柏林探視長子,年輕時,從
馬尼拉到莫斯科讀書曾經過東柏林,到西德訪問,我帶她參觀一柏林
圍牆,後來我們有書信連絡,如果今年無誤,我之春天華府賞櫻行,
應該可以專程拜望,並請教西伯利亞鐵路行。

我在倫敦行中,也在旅店,相識一位日本旅行者,山田君,專門收購
古典鐘錶,後來我到東京和倫敦,都和他有飯局,日本旅行中,有些
地方特色,日本人可以迅速解釋,幫助旅行興趣度。當然,有許多旅
行中相識者,只有一面之緣,然後就是各奔前程,我在旅行中,也遇
到許多講話投機者,只是緣份不足,不夠熱情到,交換郵址,像一位

德裔加拿大人大姊,逸趣橫生,在船上認識,一直懷念不已。

Monday, January 30, 2017

Maru Kami Udon ya and Matsumoto Icy place/Carlos Pueblo

Maru Kami Udon ya and Matsumoto Icy place/Carlos Pueblo

In Hawaii, all goods are expansive in compare with prices in Houston;
however, there are two Japanese eatery worth for us to consume, one
is Maru Kami Udon ya on Kuhio Street and another one is Matsumoto
old grocery’s icy place. Both ventures are always with a long line to wait
for service, in excellent business.

Maru Kami means ball shape turtle, udon is a kind of Japanese noodle.
It is a chain store originated from some place near Shikouku Island where
Amazingly I have attempted to find its head quarter in Takamatsu in vain.
A restaurant manager at Shinjuku, Tokyo tells me that Kuhio one is the
number one in the whole franchise in the world. It is because of cheap
Menu in compare with the rest of Honolulu. I always ask for kamage odon,
a kind of plain noodle closed to a vegetarian definition. Out hotels are
very close to the restaurant. The food is not attractive yet very inexpensive.

Matsumoto grocery store is no longer carrying grocery for customers but
gifts and icy Menu. I love the deluxe atsuki, a red bean icy with passion
fruit flavor syrup. The secret recipe to cook the red bean is with honey
traditional Japanese way. We eat a lot of icy, machine slide ice with several
kinds of fruits dessert and syrup in Taiwan where Japan had ruled for 50
years. I asked an American family from Oregon how did they find the place.
It was from internet called icy bonanza, even attracted many Japanese tourists.

I found a small sushi stand inside an indoor market in Chinatown. I counted
how many pieces of nigari sushi in the lunch box and the price. We went back
again for some more the following day and was closed due to Sunday. I believe
that tourists are showing concern of inflated price in Honolulu nowadays. The
State of Hawaii Tourists Bureau sent me a survey at the cruise ship and request
my opinion to help them to improve their business. I didn’t see anywhere to
strike this expensive point. I took the 4 islands cruise because local flight costed

$150 per person arithmetic started from here, then room and board.

Hiking at Diamond Head State Park/Carlos Pueblo

Hiking at Diamond Head State Park/Carlos Pueblo

One morning after visiting friends at the Waikiki tennis park, we walked
through a small public vegetable garden and toward Diamond Head. It
is a different route from my previous visit from the south passing by
beach front houses. Diamond Head is on the south east end of Waikiki
with an elevation about 700 ft good for hiking to the top via the old
trail of battery supply route. Many visitors come here for quick exercises
by buses, hop on and off shuttle, and on foot.

I was wondering how the battery units to carry the supply and the big guns
up to the summit. Later I read the internet dictionary to know that were
mules back to those days. The guns were never firing a shot before the end
of military use. From the top, you can have an excellent view of the ocean
and the activities nearby.

Amy was teasing me for staring at female visitors without any reservation.
I explained that I actually didn’t and there was no way for her to notice
because that I wear a pair of dark shades, furthermore, I was watching my
steps up and down hill all the time. It was very comfortable in Hawaii all the
time, ladies are liberated for what they are dressing and you won’t ignore
the vibration up and town, again I was very careful to avoid falling.

Talking about shades, I wear baseball cap to cover my bald head and dress
casual with our daughter’s polo shirts gift; therefore, some bus drivers insisted
to check on my Medicare card in order to grant senior discount. I do carry my
Medicare Advantage card all the time; however, the drivers are not trained to
recognize the HMO type of alternative for some seniors. I attempted to explain
and they show their courtesy to me that once and worn me to prepare for the
next encounter. Amy congratulate me that I looked younger than 65 because
of all the cover up, shades, cap, and polo shirt and jacket not like my previous
visits looks like a homeless. Mentioning about the homeless, I have run out of
space to express my openion.



Revisiting Oahu Island, Hawaii 2017/Carlos Pueblo

Revisiting Oahu Island, Hawaii 2017/Carlos Pueblo

I had had an opportunity to revisit Oahu Island earlier this month for
4 days before and after a 4 islands cruise trip. We took buses to visit
some of the places where we previous visited and walked most of the
time along Waikiki Beach. Bus tour included Chinatown, cross island
route with two stops at a fruit stand one stop after the Turtle Bay
Resort and Matsumoto Icy place at Waimea. We walked to the Diamond
Head and hiked to the summit, walked to Alawai canal, then the Lenard
Donut and hopped on a bus to visit the University of Hawaii Manoa campus.


Honolulu bus is very advanced covering almost the entire island. I know it
very well with fairly good experience. We took the bus from Waikiki to the
harbor pier to board the cruise and the same route back to Waikiki from the
ship. Each time we would pass through Chinatown and downtown Honolulu.
We took a bus at downtown Alakea at Bishop to cross the island passing by
Taiwanese Government Office mansion, the Kamehameha Highway along the
North shore coastal line, Mormon Church, Brigham Young Campus, to the Turtle
Bay Resort. I remembered to get off the bus one stop after Turtle Bay to drop
by visiting my old Filipino friend, the original fruit stand owner, now he opens
a bar-b-que grill restaurant at a nearby village. After that is the sunset beach
park of the north shore with full of visitors for surfing. At crowded Waikiki, there
are shuttles to transport surfers to the north shore. We took off again at Matsu
moto store for red bean icy. The place is full of customers in a newly organized
court yard. Waimea is an old village of the old sugar plantation like my hometowns
in Taiwan, my father had worked in Taiwan’s sugar plantation for most of his life.
We migrated from sugar plantation one to another. Hawaiian sugar plantation
looks like those in Taiwan.

One day, we walked along Alawai canal toward the zoo and turned north toward
a donut store. I consumed the donuts and took a bus to the Manoa campus of the
University of Hawaii. I am familiar with the route because of previous experience.
We toured the pretty campus of the university, East West Center, Korean Culture
Center, and Okinawa Culture center and finally took a break at a bench of a shaded
trees area before we continued some more touring. I found a yogurt shop across a
street from the campus and I recognized the hostel where I used to stay. A lady owner
recognized me and kindly show Amy where I stayed.     



Sunday, January 29, 2017

Looking for General Shinseki’s old residence/Carlos Pueblo

Looking for General Shinseki’s old residence/Carlos Pueblo


We ride on a tip shuttle provided by a Hawaiian store Hilo Hattie to the
downtown Lihu’I where is General Shinseki’s home town. He was a
former secretary of veteran affairs and a former army chief of staff. I
have admired him ever since read about him and his courage and loyalty
to this nation. He was from Lihu’I as the third generation of Japanese
immigrant, sansei, a graduate of West Point, during his adolescent years,
he served as a volunteer firefighter and directed traffic at the down streets.
I wanted to visit the good fongsuei of his parents residence where a great man
coming from; therefore, I kept asking about him and his parents until I met
a senior lady volunteer at a state office. She appreciated my effort and was
anxious to help me to locate his sister Yvonne Shinseki and brother Paul Shinseki.
She says that he, the general, is no longer living at here; however, when he comes
back to Hawaii, he would stay with his brother. Paul’s wife Carol usually drives
her sister-in-law for shopping daily. She knows Yvonne well so we called Yvonne
and Paul with my phone of Houston area code, of course no body answered. She
then walked us to another office to see a young offer who said the state could not
release any of the personal information.

I followed the senior lady’s point of direction toward Paul’s residence. The residential
area is well kept about 1/3 acre lot some of them converted to  business use such as
physician’s office or general proprietor’s practice. We passed by a helicopter’s office
where I was not quite sure was the same one we took our daughter to for her helicopter
ride in 2008. We walked back to Hilo Hattie store for the same shuttle to go back to the
ship. I still remember that same MacDonald and movie theatre on the old town main
street where Shinseki directed the traffic.

We still had some time and I went across the street from the store to chat with a rental
car manager on the strip to find out how to manage a rental car in the next cruise travel,
then I went to a gift shop on the first corner of the strip and chatted with a clerk. She
pointed out a plastic portea flower among a group of Hawaiian gingers where I could see
some similarity. She is very learned person good at international politic especially in the
middle east such as Egypt, she might be an Egyptian or Asian Indian that I could not tell.

The ship left Nawiliwili Bay at 2:30 pm and toward the north coast. I think that the Captain
makes a special tour for us to view the Na Pali Coast for the huge wave to hit the steep
cliff, this is why no road beyond the wet/dry caves and Kalalau Valley. I saw two unique
drawing of a Filipino artist at Marriott the day before. There is a famous description of an
old Chinese poem about such scenery for the wave to hit the cliff in a result of thousands
of piled up snow.


Friday, January 27, 2017

Revisiting Lihue, Kaua’i Island, Hawaii/Carlos Pueblo

Revisiting Lihue, Kaua’I Island, Hawaii/Carlos Pueblo

Cruise ship arrived at Nawiliwili Bay in the mid-morning, we attended a
group review of the island presented by the cruise ambassador to Hawaii
and a one hour private tour of the ship guided by cruise next manager,
then went to a lovely beach in front of a Marriott resort hotel. In 2008, we
stayed at the Grand Hyatt at Poipu where it was inconvenient for us to
revisit without a vehicle. The ambassador described the island scenery and
I remembered vividly the water fall, small river, taro field, and highway end
dry/wet caves where we passed by sailing of the famous Na Pali Coast the
following day back to O’ahu Island.

People recognize the Grand Hyatt, yet when I mention Shinseki and the stone
Lantern, nobody responses. Shiniseki is an U.S. Army general which I admire
very much is from Lihue, Kaua’i. Kapa’a Stone Lantern is a monument built in
1915 to commemorate Japanese-Russia War in 1905 and Emperor Taisho’s
ascension to the throne in 1912, buried to the ground in 1943 due to the WWII
anti-Japanese sentiment. Discovered in 1972 and moved to Kapa’a Beach Park in
1987. I was there in 2008 to read all the description and remembered the story.
Kapa’a is north of the Wailua River, a small creek side river must be full of wild eels.
General Shinseki caught my attention during the second Iraqi war during a senate
hearing while he as a witness to testify that the invasion force number should be
much higher and was dismissed.

We stayed at a bench under palm trees in front of a lovely beach, Marriott was
just behind us. Later, we went inside the resort hotel shops to visit. This is a Lihue
at large suburban area with a lot of shops for tourists. I enjoyed very much of an
art gallery of a Filipino artist with a couple of sea wave hit the shore scenery later
I understood while the cruise passing by the Na Pali Coast on the northern side of
Kaua’i.

Another couple cancelled the appointment to have a behind scene tour of the ship;
therefore, we were the only couple a private tour. Lauren, the cruise next manager,
took us to view under deck 4 facility including laundry area, bakery, kitchen, pantry,
dormitory, and theater dressing room etc. It was very interesting and a little bit different
from the Epic tour. I didn’t have a chance to ask the butcher about the roast pig actually

was presented on that night at the Buffet, I missed my roast pig head. 

Visiting Kona, Hawaii Island/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Kona, Hawaii Island/Carlos Pueblo

Cruise ship moves to the southwest side of the Big Island, Kona
the dry side or I guess it means flour in Japanese language. Kona is
famous for its clear sapphire sea water best for snorkeling to view
the underwater kingdom. We took the lifeboat tender to shore for
a morning walk down the beach front shopping street. We had visited
several places such as the old king’s residence now a museum, two nice
churches, a farmers’ market, several pearl shops, and of course many
restaurants. There were some activities on the sea, for instances, we saw
a civilian submarine, snorkeling, boat towing flying parachute like kite, and
some fiestas near the dock of tender.

My cruise strategy is simple mathematics that I only pay for the cruise fare
and mandatory tips; therefore, I can go more cruises in the future. I don’t
believe that land excursion and restaurant are good ideas. Most of traveling
is looking around of the old town and enjoying sightseeing of different culture.
Luckily, I have had some opportunity to revisit places such as Hawaii, England,
France, Germany, and many American cities. Kona becomes an attractive tourists
town and with many timeshare projects. There are all kinds of visitors from air
not just from the cruise. Farmers’ market is better organized than the one at Hilo
yet with more shoppers. Amy bought a pound of longan, a tropical fruit popular in
Taiwan. I was chatting with a lady owner of a pearl shop while she was looking around
for purchase.  I asked the lady owner again for portea, a transplant from South Africa,
and I received a much clear answer from a flowering expert. She said that the flower
season should be in the spring and the growing area should be a little bit higher. I had
had a very good impression when I first visit Maui some 20 years ago. At that time, our
neighbor supermarket carried such flower at its floral shop and Maui nursery could ship
the product oversea timely.

Kona is not that big as Hilo; however, we still can view the development up to the hill
side with a population of 11,000.  



Thursday, January 26, 2017

Visiting Hilo, Hawaii Island/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Hilo, Hawaii Island/Carlos Pueblo

The cruise ship left Kahului, Maui Island, and sailed to Hilo, Hawaii Island,
the big Island. I have been to Hawaii several times yet never been to the
big Island before this trip, a sorry regret. Hilo, I think that is a Japanese
name for a wild goose or very broad and big, is the second large town of
Hawaii Islands just next to Honolulu, with almost 44,000 residents in the
neighborhood which has not yet incorporated as a township or city. In
the May Lei Day of 2011, I was in Waikiki to join the celebration and read
an article with a photo with a group of charming Hula dancers at Hilo and
regret again that I did not put an effort to save that copy, even though
I did attempt to search that Hawaiian newspaper. This time, I didn’t meet
Any of the local dancing yet I did visit the old town Hilo and observe the
snow cap of Mt. Mauna Kea, 13,796 ft or 4,207 m. taller than Mt. Jade in
my mother nation of Taiwan.

We took a free shuttle van from the dock to a farmers’ market not far away.
It was early and several sections were not open. I saw some tropical produce
on the stands which I could identify with Taiwanese names. A vender kindly
encouraged me to taste a Longan fruit and was good yet I was shy away due to
the price per pound, $2 for loose one $3 for fresh one on the fruits branch. Later,
Amy bought a pound from Kona, Big Island, for $.25 a pound and In Oahu markets
all charged more than $4.5 a pound. I could pick the fruits at my hometown free
when I was a boy at my hometown and I had bought $1 a pound of Cantonese
longans in Vancouver, Canada twice with some unforgettable memory that I had
to consume or abandon them before I reentered to the State of Washington.

We walked along the beach front old town streets one by one. It was early and only
the visitors from the ship; therefore, the old Hilo looked lonely. On the third level
street of the old town, we began to see some newer building and residential area
with newer facility, then I found a white spot on the summit of a mountain group.
I asked two people at least to solve my doubt, snow on the mountain in the tropical
Hawaii? Both answered firmly and encourage me to rent a car and drove to the top.
My binoculars did show 4 white installations on the top and I could view the summit
clearly. I thought of Mt. Jade in Taiwan which I never had had opportunity to view the
famous snow cap during winter time. Maunna Kea erects not far from Hilo while Jade
is hide deep in the central Taiwanese group of mountains.

After we left Hilo, the Captain directed us to view a live volcano, a red lava out of the
sea surface as a part of Mt. Kilauea, from a distance at night about 10:45 pm local
exactly.





Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Revisiting Lahaina, the old capital of Hawaii/Carlos Pueblo

Revisiting Lahaina, the old capital of Hawaii/Carlos Pueblo

I was lucky to keep on asking people for the public transportation
at Maui and hopped on a bus to Lahaina, the old capital of Hawaii.
I had had a good memory from my first Hawaiian trip some 20 years
before at this Island and Lahaina was one of the impressed village.
The public bus is on the back of the Queen’s Mall where we watched
a Polynesian dancing a day before. The bus tours the same route Hwy
30 south and turned north toward the coastal line. I can see the old
Marriott timeshare project becoming a busy harbor and also a famous
golf course on the elevated slope of a hill. Beaches along the coast are
developed for visitors and busier than my memory. I could still see the
newly closed sugar factory similar to my hometown in the southern part
of Taiwan.

Nobody remembered Mr. Ching’s ice cream store even though I recognized
Immediately when we got off the bus. It’s the same old shopping center;
however, the stores were rearranged. I kept on asking Ching’s grocery store
with a gas pump on the road side toward a winery most of the youngsters
don’t know. Ching told me that there was collection of Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s
stay at Maui when he first arrived Maui and before he went to Honolulu for
high school back to the late 19 century. I had had plenty of time at that time,
yet my search was in vain.

Lahaina is very attractive on the beech line Front Street. I found that old
Cantonese Temple with a better housekeeping and a new statue of Sun donated
by his granddaughter Sun Tsui-fang. The village is much busier than before. We
visited an art gallery for a little while chatted with a well learned sales clerk. On
our way back to the ship, I noticed on the inside of the street, inside of the village,
there were some classical attractive frame building which I should visit next time.




Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Enjoying Polynesian dancing/Carlos Pueblo

Enjoying Polynesian dancing/Carlos Pueblo

We were at the Queen Kaahumanu Center Mall enjoying Polynesian
Dancing presented by the dancers of Aumankua Promotion at
Kahului, Maui Island of Hawaii. We were so impressed; therefore, we
had attended two shows of another group on the ship that night back
to back. Polynesian and Austronesian are the same origin and may be
the same race which cover Taiwanese aborigines, 480,000; Filipino
100 million; Indonesian 200 million, Malay, etc. I have identified myself
to this group due to my suspicion of some blood of Pinpu Taiwanese
in my vein and that’s why I have a Filipino last name Pueblo, means
chuang in Chinese and village in English. I have so much affectionate with
this group and their dancing and music are very lovely to me indeed.

There is a caller, Square Dancing terminology, in a 3 person band, to sing
and call the dance, can be one dancer, duel, and multi dancers group to
perform variety pf dancing including hand wave, buttocks shaking, and
foot work steps. I have seen 40 some dancers in five groups to perform
young girls, adolescent female, female, young boys, and men. Before each
dance to begin, the caller or the announcer on the platform would introduce
the dance origin and its meaning and various dance cover all of the Pacific
Ocean, New Zealand, Quam, Tahiti, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, and Hawaii Islands.
I recognize Hula dancing from the 60’s and fighting dance adopted by NCAA
and NFL teams before the game.  Hula dancing is one of the Menu at regular
Hawaii Luau program, a diner party with a cost to enjoy flame, grilled pork
In the pit, music and dancing. Belly dancing and the buttocks shaking are
very unique and depends on the age of the dancers, the younger dancers
shake more aggressively. Hand wave dance is an expression of love and always
keeps on smiling while at dance.

I don’t see any of the dancing including Taiwanese aborigines and I feel very sorry.
After 400 plus years Chinese, there is no Austronesian Culture existed in Taiwan
And the Chinese rulers do not respect such culture at all while Chinese have no
such interests to maintain and develop such culture of minority group. I am glad to
see Hawaiian keeping such traditional culture and enlarge its audience on the ship

, in the mall and promote to the rest of the world. They are beautiful and lovely.

Saturday, January 21, 2017

重返歐胡島2017/莊峻華

重返歐胡島2017/莊峻華

這次夏威夷旅行12日,有四日在歐胡島,是舊遊地也,過去
旅行台灣日本,停留檀香山,疏困冗長機程,況且夏威夷島群
,帶來我一些童年故鄉回憶,對老年身心有益,果然幫助解脫
,自歐洲旅行回來之壓抑。我們提前一日,抵達威基基旅社,
翌日搭船,周遊茂伊島,夏威夷島,和可愛島,下船後,再逗
留威基基海灘旅社三日,我們重返幾處我舊遊之處,威基基海
灘到戰爭紀念館,鑽石頭山公園,北岸水果攤訪友,松本冰店
,檀香山華埠,公車環島,威基基網球公園。

我在網球場,遇見艾倫,喝了一杯他的咖啡,下船後,遇見悠
子和其夫里奇兩次,里奇回憶我的柿餅,和海灘沖涼,戰爭小
館前之老友,已經不再打掃涼亭下落葉,我們去了四次,地上
沒有掃地痕跡。威基基海灘,仍舊世界迷人,氣候溫和,仕女
小姐衣飾解放,美不勝收,尤其是登鑽石山頂,我必須小心翼
翼觀看小徑,以免跌倒。

環島巴士行,約六小時許,經過北岸,特別下車拜望水果攤,
老闆已經在附近村落,經營烤肉串店,聞我尋找,特別趕來相
會,水果攤已經增加幾家,有許多生意,但是水果價格,仍舊
昂貴,非常不習慣。再過幾站,就是日落海岸,許多遊客,開
始擁擠海灘,松本冰店,已經擴充門市,遠近馳名。

一日上午,我們走過運河,在動物園附近左轉北上,走到林諾
多福餅店,在過街小公園吃餅,然後搭車到夏威夷大學本校,
這是一美麗校園,我也找到曾住過客棧,剛好一位女主人輪值
,她善意帶愛美參觀,我住過之房間,一切如舊。

我們參觀華埠幾次,想買水果,尤其木瓜,但均無熟木瓜,無
法等待,愛美只好喝木瓜果汁,和切片木瓜盒,我們發現一小
手捲店,在老市場角落,價格合理,翌日專程搭車前往,不巧
週日公休,只好買甜點回旅社,丸龜麵店,仍舊排長龍,我們
多半早餐,蓋少人也。

我搭巴士半價,但因琳兒贈衣新式時髦,頭戴球帽,遮去禿頂
,眼戴墨鏡,遮去眼口袋,司機常要查老人保險卡,我的老人
便利卡,他們訓練時,不曾介紹,非常不便,我想解釋,駕駛

無暇。

Friday, January 20, 2017

探訪新世紀將軍故鄉/莊峻華

探訪新世紀將軍故鄉/莊峻華

夏威夷州可愛島之麗惠鎮,是艾瑞克˙新世紀將軍之故鄉,我景仰
將軍甚久,參觀威基基陸軍館新世紀室多次,一直注意到這位日裔
美人之動向,越戰中,他一腳被炸斷,在陸軍中,步步高升,小布
希總統攻打伊拉克,將軍為陸軍參謀長,在國會聽證會,被詢問攻
打陸軍兵力,將軍從實評估,高於國防部長和副部長之數目,遂被
逼退伍,美軍孤軍深入伊拉克,吃到苦頭,不能自拔。歐巴瑪上任
總統後,延攬將軍為國家榮民部長,第二任中期,有榮民就醫拖延
,將軍被迫辭職。

我在下船後,一直詢問當地人不果,一直到一州府辦公室,有位第
二代日裔女士,二世,聞我對艾瑞克之仰慕,非常高興,答應幫忙
找一對將軍之兄弟姊妹,蓋將軍已定居華府近郊,但若回麗惠,則
必居其兄弟保羅府,她認識其姊妹伊凡,保羅太太凱若,常開車接
阿姑逛街。她幫我找電話簿,用我手機打三通電話,兩住家號碼,無
人回達,保羅保險辦公室已易主,於是她帶我們到隔壁另一正式州
府辦公室,主事小姐曰,政府不能透露私人秘密,於是就打發掉我。
據曰新世紀父母,有七位子女,將軍傳記中指出,少年時熱心公益,
曾經當過義勇,指揮麗惠街頭交通,高中畢業後,就上西點軍校,陸
軍館中,有將軍之藏畫。

我按照熱心女士之手指方向,走向保羅住居,有些街道住家,已經改
成商業用途,仍舊有住宅用途,都是整理美觀,我繼續詢問,詢問到
一割草師傅,他說此地房價,約在八十萬美元之譜,看到一些野生遊
牧雞群,然後再回到購物店站,候車回船。

我在一禮品店,遇見一位健談店員,知識豐富,她介紹我一些夏威夷
薑類花卉,當然她可以清楚分辨頗帖亞花和一些薑花,夏威夷多雨,適
合薑類生長。她和我談起政治,國際政治,她曾經擔任旅館經理,遇見
過幾位,旅遊夏威夷之埃及女士們,談起埃及政治,世界困難,我有我
的看法,我的道理,只是我們的時間短暫,或是她有禮貌,聆聽我的謬
論。

下午回船,趕上郵輪廣告香檳聚會,在六層甲板前端,是羅倫主持節目
,主要是推廣訂金好處,散會後,我們在六層甲板散步,許多人結集等

後,那巴利海岸之,驚濤駭浪,此為峭壁,無路可通也。

重返夏威夷可愛島/莊峻華

重返夏威夷可愛島/莊峻華

一週郵輪旅行,已達第三島,可愛島,日語美麗可愛意,我們在
2008年秋天,到此旅行,住格蘭特˙海耶特,房間裡觀看電視,
美國股市崩盤,小布希總統,不知所措,美國人早已忘記此段歷
史,八年後,我們之退休金儲蓄等,增值達三倍,國家政治,非
常有關係,美國和世界,基本上是和平。我想到麗惠鎮,拜望新
世紀將軍之舊居,幾乎如願以償,這是第二天之巧遇。可愛島留
給我,許多美憶,到處奔走野雞群,中國古文學中之世外桃源,
糖廠蔗園,小溪野鰻等。

我問郵輪訂金部經理,下船後何處去?她叫羅倫,準備搭車到三
哩外之小鎮麗惠,於是我記下,當天上午十點靠岸,羅倫有一節
目,參觀郵輪內部結構,剛好我們是惟一客戶,所以是私人導遊
一小時,中間經過人事室,專望康妮,令彼驚訝。飯後下船,到
附近瑪里奧特大飯店,參觀其美麗花園,錦鯉魚池,和海灘,擠
滿渡假遊客,天氣暖和,晴空萬里。

瑪里奧特大飯店,在可愛島之遊憩中心,包括共渡屋房間,所以
有屋主俱樂部,也有許多商店,我們參觀一菲律賓人畫廊,他有
一些作品,描述驚浪擊壁,中國文人東波居士曰,驚濤駭浪,激
起千堆雪,他的赤壁懷古,我正在納悶,在夏威夷海灘見到者,
均是徐徐而來,微波衝浪者,結果翌日下午,離開可愛島,郵輪
帶我們,經過北岸,那帕莉海岸,是如此驚濤駭浪,世界50大奇
景之一。

因為可愛島,無公共汽車,所以無法重溫舊夢,海耶特花園,非
常美麗,開車需要二十分鐘,非常遺憾,但我想補充另一遺憾,
夏威夷群島,過去是製糖重鎮,台灣,夏威夷,和古巴,不相上
下,茂伊島之糖廠,是碩果僅存者,也在上月關閉,該糖廠很像
我們虎尾糖廠,都是在一百十餘年前興建,幾年前我尚有機會,參
觀虎尾廠,二十年前,我專程參觀茂伊島廠小博物館,這些都是舊

夢之一,老人之回憶。