重返阿拉斯加史凱格衛鎮2019/莊峻華

重返阿拉斯加史凱格衛鎮2019/莊峻華

離開胡娜小碼頭港，東經極冷海峽，進入琳溝，其實就是小海灣，北上到史凱格衛港，這時後之入口海灣更為小，阿州州府珠諾市，在胡娜村和史凱格衛之間，稍東水陸之間，史港與珠諾市，都是阿拉斯加線郵輪，必經之港口，還有稍南部之凱其堪鎮，這次我寫遊記，仔細參考手上冰洲灣國家公園簡圖，和家中世界地圖，稍為清楚地型地務，了解此路線之美麗風景。

史凱格衛鎮，是北國尋金記時代，所遺留下之痕跡，其實上述三鎮都是，巨輪停泊在貨櫃碼頭，旁邊就是一新穎直升機場，約有十架新穎直升機，提供空中遊覽，這些大大小小座冰洲，冰河等，世界上就是有如此多富有雅興之旅行者，願意支出如此花費，也有登上輕航機，空中遊覽更遠地方，或是雪白山頂冰洲，只有阿州有如此供求市場。其次是陸地參觀，有白隘和幽堪線小火車，這是古淘金小火車，據曰盤環山腰，風景絕美，許多遊客搭乘，另外，有大型巴士，還有散客招來廂車，接待遊客，大型巴士是船上安排，小廂車則是個體戶，司機常是識者老夫婦，夏天來史鎮經營事業，非常有趣，其實，阿拉斯加觀光業人力，全部依賴這些識實務者。

我更節省，我就是爬山，我來此鎮五次，五次都爬杜威湖，大部份是下杜威湖，只有幾日前，嚐識上杜威湖之白狼不果，這次乖乖回到下杜威湖，因為老邁，幾乎狼狽下山，九年前和三年前，爬完下杜威湖，還可以過史凱格衛河橋，到海盜嶼爬上一陣，這兩次狼狽下山後，勉強走經市中心，就面色倉白上船，船上新識，在小火車上呼叫，發生何事？我指皮夾克上之汗跡，顯示爬山之辛苦。

下杜威湖，是史鎮之水源地，沿白隘幽堪鐵道，在一入山口上山，一開始就是亂石小徑，但有清處標誌，也有活動廁所設備，我是步步難行，年輕遊客，卻是健步如飛，我在分叉路，習慣選擇反時鐘方向，步徑是漸入困境，風景則是漸入仙境，分界在湖端處，這處也是一交點，可以沿伸他方，我只心想完成繞湖，這時後地上有小火車軌道痕跡，顯然是古挖金礦處。我續行到湖之另端，這時候山徑稍微險峻，但也無妨，有幾處石嶼可以眺望不遠處之冰洲山峰，這是最美之境，我順便提一下，過史凱格衛河之海盜嶼，也有如此絕景，史河入海灣，也非常壯觀。

我說我的狼狽下山是這樣的，回程我選擇林務車道，這是斜度較高之山路，我可以直接滑到史鎮山下，省掉上山時之艱困，但這林務徑是供四輪帶動卡車用，我可以小心翼翼，滑下山坡，但有一次，愛美與我同行，我們確實目睹兩位少女，箸涼鞋抬獨舟，經此山路上山，顯然要到下杜威湖划船。

Visiting London Hyde Park Rose Garden 2019/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting London Hyde Park Rose Garden 2019/Carlos Pueblo

Returning to London, England from Cambridge refresh me my visit of the previous year, a tour of the last roses of that summer in England. The Garden has been more emphasizing than the Italian Garden and the Kensington Palace Square Garden in roses. Even though it is a bit small than Queen Mary's Rose Garden at the Regent's still very unique and charming. I marched into a small gate at Bayswater through the Square Garden and the Round Lake of the Kensington along with a soft horse track to the Hyde Rose Garden. Early young lady riders were  coming into the Park for the morning horse walk and soon the Queen's Mounted Guards arrived for the morning drills. It is a treat for tourists to view such a scenery of the old tradition of the Kingdom. They gather by the Rose Garden, not far from the Hyde Gate, to practice turn and line up. I didn't see the running drill like on the side of the Buckingham Palace several years ago and obviously those days the Queen's Horse guards were more experience. There are Grenadier Guards on the guard duty on Buckingham Palace with attracted uniforms and doing the morning changing guard ceremony. I did my Google, after off Palace Guard duty, this Queen's best occasionally sent to duty all over the world like Afghanistan. There is also a real force, an Army barracks, near by the Palace where I passed by and noticed one day.

The sprinklers were on to keep the soil wet, in addition to the climate of London and excellent care of gardeners, the flowers were in perfect condition. The size of the flowers is varies, can be as big as the face of a young lady or as small as a petite chrysanthemum. Some of them are arranged to climb up to fences and racks. In addition to roses, the gardeners make some art designs to grow several kinds of flowers to match colors with roses like unknown yellow colors on several lots uphill. Almost all roses are in excellent appearance and lovely. I have thought of our Texas roses, the song and the flower, I have been in the heaven not mentioning the other colors, red, scarlet, pink, orange, and some other hybrid with spots on the pedals, etc. I have taken hundreds of photos with two cameras and up loaded to my desk top computer when I get home for my collection, a collection of beauty like my lovely adopted daughters from cruise ships. Actually, I can sense the similarity between them.

At my return, I took a route by the Lake Serpentine to visit a pair of parakeets on a big tree by the boat rental. They took advantage of a woodpecker's work to use it as their nest. I noticed it on my visit of the previous week. There are about 40 of them in the Parks while they enjoy the environment and people. Some of them stay at the head and shoulders of the feeders. Across the lake, there is a place called the Serpentine Lido to provide lake swimming for its members all year long. Next to the lake pool is one of the memorial of the late Princess Diana which is also with a small scale of roses lot design with lovely flowers.

倫敦海德公園玫瑰花2019/莊峻華

倫敦海德公園玫瑰花2019/莊峻華

去年英國愛丁堡行，在倫敦接駁轉機上船，遇到海德公園，夏日最後之玫瑰花，當然這次之專程回訪倫敦攝政王公園瑪麗女皇玫瑰花園，絕對不能放過海德玫瑰花園，此花園大於堪新頓宮花園，也專玫瑰花於義大利花園，稍小於攝政王瑪麗花園，玫瑰花開時，非常迷人。我是清晨一早，公園開門，就行軍到花園，通常只見我一人在觀賞，忙於拍攝相片，花園園丁，已經架設噴水器，保持應有潮濕。

不久，女皇羽林軍一排，從街道背面營房，踢步到來，花園兩旁是座馬步行徑，清晨與黃昏，都有溜馬活動，這些駿騎，都是體高馬大，踢步在街到上有清脆馬蹄聲音，馬步徑為鬆土則無甚蹄音，通常是讓駿馬每日活動，有時後持刀排長，口令騎兵調整對伍，這操兵場，就在花園圍牆外。我看這些騎兵，都像是新兵，和白金漢宮衛兵交接，在宮外飛奔過境，亮盔羽襟持劍之羽林軍稍異，我想是需要完成訓練後，始可奔馳，另外，提到白金漢宮內衛兵，是女皇之御林軍，御林軍是需要輪調阿富汗戰地勤務，在白金漢宮附近，我路過一京畿衛戍大廈營房。

花園是一小畦，片植各類花朵，各色各樣，有的大於少女面孔，也有小朵玫瑰和薔薇，這些多年花株，甚為高大，也有規劃佈置在高架上，因為陽光充足，雨水灌溉豐沛，經常除蟲施肥，花朵均是碩大無比，有些女士則是趨近聞香，玫瑰花朵，也有凋落花期，但同花枝，有不同花苞，徐徐待發，如此持續一整夏天。

我最喜歡參觀花園，欣賞花朵，尤其是老年退休無事，只怨嘆體力不若年輕時，我為欣賞花朵，比較於郵輪船上服務之愛女，而且不斷收集這些美女相片，就像我拍攝玫瑰花一般，留在桌上型電腦上，比較後，兩者我真是越想越像。

順便提下，社片廷湖畔之一對鸚鵡，據曰兩大皇家公園，已有四十隻鸚鵡，是居民遺留故，這些長尾小鳥，已經習慣一些餵食老人，常落在老人頭頂或雙肩，而且也聽呼換。一群居民在對岸晨泳，他們有一湖泳麗都俱樂部。

The fourth day returning to NYC 2019/Carlos Pueblo

The fourth day returning to NYC 2019/Carlos Pueblo

 Yong, my host at Staten Island, took me for a tour of some parts of NYC, Manhattan China Town, Chelsea 34th St Penn Station, and march to the High Line Park/the Hudson Yard. Before my taking off to NYC, Evelyn, my insured in Indiana, recommended me visit the Chinese Immigrants Museum at the Manhattan Chinatown and I did mention it to him, the original electrical wiring designer of the old museum on Bayard Street just next to Bo Ky Restaurant where I got my marinate duck. We went up to the old museum, now an activity center for senior Chinese and went to the new one after a delicious bowl of rice noodle at Bo Ky. Across the street of the new museum, there is a Buddhist Temple facility to offer free meals for needed persons and I am very impressed.

We took the subway again to the Penn Station, first we visited the market square of the station, vegetable and fruits stands, farms products, nursery plants, etc. The station itself is quite popular to the local young family for their grocery shopping. One time, I saw some farmers provided some cut peach branches bundle up for sale. I did ask one farmer from the up state the reason. She told me that might be for the better of peach crops over all for the excess of blooming. We marched out of the station and enter Chelsea toward the High Line Park. It is very established now for the railroad station converted gardens up stair. The old station has become restaurants, shops, and beer houses, etc. The up stair level has been converted to a beautiful gardens, full of weekend visitors. The meat supply for NYC are usually from the mid west states, Chicago for example, first by water ways, the great lakes and canals to the Hudson River, then, the water way was replaced by the railroad. After the  invention of 18 wheeler trucks, the freeway has replaced the old railroad. High Line station was abandoned until the new idea of High Line Park. Dr. Ko Wen-jer of Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, came here to visit before he was elected as the Mayor. I hope that he will have another opportunity to visit NYC again to walk a little further to visit the Hudson Yard on the other end to be his idea of innovation in the future of Taiwan.

His old employer, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of NYC, received a proposal to buy the right to used the subway trains yard to build new buildings. The MTA didn't know what to do with the proposal price of 500 million dollars and the buyers kept on negotiating with the authority that the MTA could still keep the yard. The MTA needed the funds and finally the deal was done with 1.5 billion for the land use. There are at least 5 major high rise buildings of the size of Taipei 101 on site with a touring tower which you have to pay to get a better view of the project. It is only in NYC and it is only in this great nation on earth can have this structure engineering revolution. The Hudson Yard project is on top of the old trains yard. I went up to the 5th floor Macy's to check on my new leather jacket, a Emporio Collection, to see if it is a real leather or a fake. This is a story which I like to describe on my previous trip to England.

We walked back to a new subway station to catch on train back to the Canal Station to get my second bowl of noodle, I had had a seafood combination rice noodle for lunch and the second on was a beef noodle. Both are highly recommended by him and he tells me that I shall have more selections while I visit Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Singapore in January, next year.

紐約市第四日2019/莊峻華

紐約市第四日2019/莊峻華

榮祥兄此日有空閒，攜我逛紐約市曼哈頓島，跟著老紐約逛街，非常有趣，我們從渡輪口開始，經過過去他的辦公室，他曾安排我去拜訪，介紹我他之同事，他在地下鐵公司服務到四年前退休，紐約市交通系統，了如指掌，我們穿過紐約市監獄，過去關過黑社會巨頭，最近一位性犯罪嫌疑人，在此離奇自殺身亡，我們續行，不久就來到華埠之孫逸仙公園，聽到廣東語歌聲，立刻來到波記滷鴨餐廳之貝雅德街，舊華人博物館在此，因為行前印州之艾佛琳大夫交待，務必參觀此館，榮祥聞此大樂曰，當年初來紐約市，被邀請義務設計該館電器線路，如今舊館恢復為老人福利中心，新館在附近較大規模，她推薦者為新館也，我們吃過河粉後再過去，這天，他帶我參觀高線公園，和盡端之哈德遜火車場計劃，令我大開眼界。

榮祥兄先太夫人，紐約探親，兒子孝順，常帶媽媽來富記，老夫人檢樸，僅點一碗河粉，和幾塊滷鴨肉，就是潮州美食，我與潮汕沙茶麵有緣，因此愛上潮州滷鴨，聽聞其滷鵝亦甚美味，這河粉湯麵，是一雜菜麵，湯甚鮮美而不油膩，一大碗貨真價實，有脆魚丸，脆牛肉丸，甚至豬腰花，鮮蝦等，雖言速食，但甚精緻，一般家庭廚房，甚難做到如此美味，他見我如此癡，安慰我不久我之東亞行，曼谷，香港，和新加坡，都有甚佳之潮汕口味餐廳。食畢，他再帶我到新之華人移民博物館，門市為禮品店，我沒進入參觀，正對面是一佛堂，提供免費餐食，這是社會福利工作。

我們再搭地鐵到三十四街之賓站，這是大站，過去他推薦我參觀，我來過好幾次，出站就是一廣場，有很多蔬菜水果攤，農產加工品，還有鮮花園藝店，初春，有郊區農人，甚至提上桃花枝販賣，我們開始走近卻爾西區，哈德遜河方向，準備登上高線花園，這是紐約市府之創作，舊芝加哥牲蓄火車站，樓下改裝為餐廳和啤酒屋等，樓上佈置為廣大花園，引來許多參觀者，大城市如法國巴黎，在舊巴士底監獄附近，也有類似設備，我注意到上次，台北市柯市長，曾來此參觀，我更希望下次，他能再走一段，參觀哈德遜停車場完工之計劃。

榮祥公司，擁有哈德遜停車場，停置紐約市地鐵列車用，一日，有私人公司提議購買該車場，購價五億美金，當然有一畝數，是一好價目，公司也需要現金，但地鐵仍需使用車場，擬購公司曰無慮，他們準備在車場上，興建大廈，這是建築結構史上之革命，也只有在紐約市，可能發生，他說最後以十五億美金成交，幾年後，五棟類似台北市101之大廈，高聳立於紐約市雲端，我登一百貨公司高樓，查看我在倫敦購買之英波里奧阿曼尼皮夾克之真偽膺品。

我們又搭地鐵回華埠，嚐波記第二碗牛腩麵，廣東牛肉麵，和中國其他各地牛肉麵相異，別有風格，我很喜歡食牛肉麵，在家裡每週日，都幫愛美煮牛肉麵給元兒晚餐。

Returning visit to Hoonah, the Icy Straight, Alaska 2019/Carlos Pueblo

Returning visit to Hoonah, the Icy Straight, Alaska 2019/Carlos Pueblo

The cruise ship exit the Yakutat Bay of the Hubbard Glacier a night before to enter the Gulf of Alaska south bound to the Icy Straight to land at a small village called Hoonah. It takes a while for me to figure out the location approximately where they are the first panhandle of Alaska. The Hubbard Glacier is located between Yakutat City and Borough, and Yukon, Canada. Yakutat City, a village of 604 population, is located at the base of that handle of the Alaska Pan with almost the same latitude to Skagway to the east. The entire region including 1350 square miles Hubbard Glacier is Tongass National Forest which the Mendenhall Glacier down to Juneau, Alaska is also included. Sailing along the Gulf of Alaska at night, we didn't see any light on shore of the Glacier Bay National Park of course and skip the Glacier Bay to visit the great Glacier Bay Glacier nd visit Hoonah, Alaska instead. Juneau, the Capital City of Alaska, is on the east of Hoonah, a village of 766 population almost the same latitude with a different longitude. It is amazing that the cruise liners discovering such beautiful scenery of the world for the visitors to enjoy. I check the map provided by the National Park Service that there is a land between these two water ways, the Glacier Bay and the Lynn Canal, with plenty of glaciers, inlets due to gradually global warming etc. the most peaceful journey only the ships can make it happen.

We disembark directly to a pier newly built connected to a welcome center, an old fishery plant now a big gifts shops center and some sea foods restaurants. That pairs of bald eagles were on the top of thousands cypress tree. I believe that both of them gain some weight obviously. I marched directly to the sea coast highway toward the village center three miles away. Either the local tourists business or cruise excursions provide canoeing services on the bay, the icy straight. There are some residential houses along the highway with small front yard and some of boats repairing business to the water. I saw some licence tags from Juneau which helped to locate Hoonah, would be closed to make the economic sense.

There is another tall tree with a nest for the same bald eagle at the pier to rule the village center area; however, a local resident informed me that the new occupants were children of the pairs on the pier. The female killed her mate and had a new husband and a baby eagle on the nest. He pointed it out the white head out of the nest and I could hear the noise that the chick made. I was the one staying there most of the afternoon. There is a small yacht building port across the street of the village center library. It used to have a lady volunteer mayor to greet us and did some introduction of the village and I didn't visit her this time.

I didn't see very much business for the sea foods restaurants this time. Last visit, I saw some boiling Alaska crabs in a huge pot with draft beers by the side. I used the toilet at the ferry station which provided commute vessels across the icy straight to the other side such as Juneau. By the ferry station, there is another tall tree with a bald eagle. I believe that is the husband of the pairs at the village center and I believe that the salmons are sufficient for the five birds for the time been.

船停阿拉斯加胡娜小村落2019/莊峻華

船停阿拉斯加胡娜小村落2019/莊峻華

船出亞枯塔特灣，就是胡巴特冰洲之內灣，我查了幾個月，終於標定此冰洲地點，它是橫跨阿拉斯加州亞枯塔特村落，和加拿大幽堪地區之大冰洲，亞枯塔特和史凱格衛，約相同北緯度，在西方靠海，人口605人，所以郵輪直接開過，它是阿拉斯加水壺把之起點，離蘇握港最近，相同緯度，一整夜慢速航程，欣賞過胡巴特大冰洲後，船就沿阿拉斯加海灣南下，東方就是冰洲灣國家公園，因在夜行，當然看不到岸上燈火，翌晨，船停阿拉斯加胡娜小村落，人口是776人，這是冰冷海峽，冰洲灣和冰洲灣冰洲之入口，回程郵輪捨此冰洲，選胡巴特，停胡娜一整日。

 小村落卻興建有大型碼頭，我們直接下船上岸，無需小船接駁，我曾來過此港，一上岸，就有觀光設備，餐廳和舊漁產工廠改裝禮品店，迎門一巨樹頂稍，有一對美國凸鷹，上次只見一隻，而且兼轄小村落三哩外高株，現在，碼頭有兩隻，而且龐大，小村落有一對和一雛鳥，其間半途高株上，我也看到一隻，很可能是小村落那對之雄鷹。這海岸公路，亦是步行徑，沿途就是海灣，郵輪安排划獨木舟活動，靠近村落，開始有住家，海岸有些修船生意，看船行駛牌照，很多都是來自州會珠諾市，約是拖來此修理。村落有些海鮮餐廳，我曾看過大鍋煮蟳，也售生啤酒，令人大快朵頤。

小村落有一圖書室，上次開放，有位村落經理，介紹村落，居民均甚友善，詳細介紹這對凸鷹，據說是碼頭那對之後代，海灣之鮭魚，大蓋足夠小村落之兩對凸鷹。公路中途，有一渡輪站，是有渡輪與外界交通, 這些阿拉斯加小村落，真像世外桃源。