在威基基打網球/莊峻華

在威基基打網球/莊峻華 我在網路上訂好夏威夷旅店，是在夏威夷大學附近，每日清晨，我從大 學路搭13號巴士，到威基基之卡畢歐蘭尼公園打網球，此公園有四座 硬地球場，有夜燈提供球友使用，旅客有識者，均攜帶球具前來，有的 旅店甚至提供球拍，清晨天未亮，就有人來，一直到午後，威基基海灘 ，清風徐來，令人忘卻烈日威力。幾年前，我經過此球場，借用一女士 球拍，後來回虎尾，就自攜球拍，以便使用。 威基基網球場，有些當地男女球友，多半是日裔美人，因此引來許多日 本遊客，回美國這一週，剛好遇見檀香山馬拉松賽，許多日本來之選手 ，留下來打網球，然後分梯次回日本；許多來自西海岸之美國加拿大人 ，定期流連網球場，有位巴西來之台灣老婦人，幫我介紹幾位常客，因 她已經年過八十，眼睛開過白內障，行動不便，我勸她改行散步，以策 安全，回美時已經不見其影，有紀錄相片，超過三百四十位使用者。 我之網球球路，稍異於常人，舊日軟網擊球姿勢，不適用於硬網，又捨 不得聘請教練，改正擊球姿勢，沒有平地擊球，亦無高轉飛球，通通是 切球，凡球過境，我就依樣切將回去，像是談情說愛似的，非常羅曼蒂 克，美國人形容像球，擊到牆壁，通通打回，於是引來許多好奇者，其 中一位是，來自新墨西哥州珊塔費市之，戴安‧刊得哇特小姐，有一日 帶來其男友拉奇，此人為4.5級，擊球強勁，我怯戰不前，和他一組， 迎戰另一隊高手，戴安是位電視製片人，我們留下通訊地址，保持連絡。 有位退休之網球教練，是菲律賓裔美人，其妻為日本移民，頭髮染成金 黃色，打球認真，有呼叫聲，我在旁日語讚美曰，悠子樣人長得美麗， 網球又是上手，其夫大樂，和我談論釣魚，還有許多網球議是評論，介 紹我到附近另座鑽石頭球場，有更多高手，而且有些台灣移民。

Budgetary travel free style/Charles Chuang

Budgetary travel free style/Charles Chuang Almost every friend asks me why not bring my wife to travel with me? My simple answer is that Amy doesn’t like the way which I travel around, a kind of budgetary travel free style, very economy way. She prefers a complete arrangement including hotels, transportation, and eatery etc. She also likes to travel in a warmer climate and cannot be too tiresome. On the contrary, I like to travel to my favorite places again and again and I don’t pay very much attention on those of her concern. I believe that a man should not emphasize those concern in order to discuss travel, this is what Confucius says. I tried to check in a larger luggage at Houston Airport, my understanding is That there is one free check in luggage for the oversea travel; however, I did have a stopover at Honolulu. Hawaii is domestic, the clerk of American Airline would charge me $50 fee. I disagreed and attempted to appeal. He Asked me to step back to a line and waiting. I began to open the luggage in order to rearrange and send one luggage directly to Taipei which should be counted as oversea and other nation. An American Airline supervisor saw the situation was not good looking and asking me to close that luggage and come forward to check in for free. Upon arriving at Honolulu, Hawaii, I had had two trunks and a tennis racket to move around. It was very difficult and I was not embarrassed. I used a free cart to move to a bus stop and the bus driver won’t allow me get on because one trunk was too large. I did get on to Houston Metro Bus without any pro- blem. I had to resolve the transportation issue, I called Michelle, my daughter, in Miami, Florida. She found a rental car for $26 a day tax included. I walked toward the rental car counter to chat with two lady travelers. Both of them attempted to find a vehicle and yet there was no sign of employee at the office. Sherry Buck told me that they had already resolved the problem and were going to take a shuttle to their Waikiki hotels, the rate was $12. She called the shuttle bus office and found out my rate to the University of Hawaii area was $16. She was from Ft. Worth, TX, and several days later when she came back to Oahu Island from Kauai Island, I treated her to Marukame Restaurant for a curry udon noodle. She was the one encouraging me to write my journal in English in order to let her read. There was at least two issue to move my luggage from Taoyuan Airport to my rental place. The bus driver did not wait until I move my second trunk out of the bus and took off, fortunately, there was a young lady helping me track him done and also helping to get it back. I’ll have a special piece to report this incident. At the final subway station, I was stuck at the elevator and difficult to move around, there was a Chinese pretty lady came to help. She was from Chin Dao city, Santong, who had been working in Taiwan for 12 years. I used to serve in the Army division came from Santong area. It was very closed to this part of Chinese people. We had ha pleasant conversation and two days before I took Off, we met again for a coffee and I wished her well in Taiwan.

經濟自由行/莊峻華

經濟自由行/莊峻華 幾乎每人均問我，何以未攜妻同行？我之簡答為，賢妻不喜我之羅漢腳 旅行，經濟自由行，她較喜歡安排好一切，旅舍，交通，和飲食等，天 氣畢需溫和，不能過於疲倦，我則否，喜歡之處，到過好幾遍，而且士 志於道，而恥惡衣惡食者，未足與議也。我在此番旅行中，確實遇見幾 庄小難題，因為我隻身行，並未構成緊張和不便，反而體會許多人間溫 暖，容我描述。 我在休市機場，托運一件大行李，據我了解，國外旅行，一件托運行李 免費，但因我先在檀香山停留，檀香山是夏威夷州，不算國外，所以美 航櫃台索費美金五十元，我不同意，準備越級申述，櫃台要我退候等待 ，於是我開始在等候線外，打開大小行李，重新整理，準備有一件大行 李，直接托運到桃園機場，桃園是國外，美航上司見我忙碌不堪，有礙 觀瞻，連忙要我收好行李，免費寄送大行李到檀香山，息事寧人。 飛抵檀香山，我有兩件大小行李，行動稍有不便，但檀香山機場提供免費 小行李運車，便於搬運，市公車駕駛見到我，立即搖頭，大行李過大，不 能隨位攜帶，於是我需要想辦法，運送到旅舍，檀香山機場有租車櫃台， 但無人上班，有兩位女士正在安排租車等事，我連忙電話在邁阿密之琳兒 求救，琳兒立即找到一日$26之租車，於是我前去詢問兩位女士，其中一 位曰，已經解決，有廂 車專送到威基基旅店，$12費用，這位小姐更進一 步手機詢問車行，到夏威夷大學之價格，結果是$16，於是我就電話通告 琳兒，這位小姐就是歇麗‧巴克，來自德州霍福市，她從可愛島旅行回來 ，我請她到丸龜麵廠吃珈哩屋動麵，她鼓勵我英文寫遊記，以便容她閱讀 ，我已經開始實行。 從桃園機場，運送兩三件行李，到永和頂溪捷運站，也有差錯，我之長榮 巴士司機，在忠孝新生站下車時，不及讓我提下第二件行李，就逕行開車 ，當時台北下雨，有位年輕小姐，見義勇為，直乎此太誇張也，連續追巴 士兩紅綠燈不果，很自信之安慰我，要幫我追回，於是她使用高科技之電 話，通知長榮，公司要司機在行天宮等候，翁小姐曰，剛送小孩到托兒所 沒事，願意陪我到行天宮，我將有專文描述。 在頂溪站下捷運，仍舊不很順利於行，在電梯出口，有困難行動，有位美 麗之中國小姐，前來幫忙，我真是受寵若驚，小姐來自山東青島市，我曾 經在山東師服兵役，談話時亦感親切，回美時徐小姐趕到石牌，與我道別 ，她已經來台灣12年。

An artist from Kauai Island, Hawaii/Charles Chuang

An artist from Kauai Island, Hawaii/Charles Chuang I ran into a mid-age pretty at Los Angeles International Airport, waiting on a seat at the terminal and flipping on a hand held computer. Upon boarding to the aircraft, I was busy placing my tennis racket into the upper cabinet,” Preparing to play tennis in Hawaii?” an oriental lady smiley asked. It’s the pretty lady at the terminal where I ran into. I answered briefly in Japanese. She is Ishikami Kyoko resides at Kauai Island, Hawaii, just coming back from visiting a friend in Southern California. She mentioned several scenery where I did have some experience, and I had visited Kauai Island. We did have some mutual interest for conversation. This old nut scarcely has an opportunity to chat with such a pretty lady. My wife doesn’t like me to speak to stranger ladies while on travelling. She even asks our daughter Michelle to remind me for such respect. Ishikami San’s pretty belongs to elegant but charming. I praise her pretty due to a good marriage that her spouse puts no pressure on her and loves her. She is very pleased and says that is her second marriage. Her husband is an American missionary. She taught English in Japan and Japanese at Kauai Island. She used the same textbook, Japanese for busy people, which I have used for self- study for many years. She showed me about 400 of her art work which were all uploaded into a small notebook type computer. Even though it’s like the art gallery in the museum, I could see her life time work. Her art shows only limit at the island. I mentioned a taro field at Kauai where the scenery liked the old classical Chinese, the peach blossom village, the orderly divided farms. She showed me two of her art work at the same scenery spot where people could overlook the field. I thought of keeping her e-mail address for the future correspondence, yet I saw her busy getting organized her luggage. We didn’t say farewell, I didn’t even have a chance to take her picture for my readers all over the world.

來自可愛島之畫家/莊峻華

來自可愛島之畫家/莊峻華 我在洛杉磯候機，遇見一位中年美女，正在候機座位上，翻看小型手提電 腦。上機後，我正忙著置放網球拍，鄰座一東方女士，微笑曰準備到夏威 夷打網球？原來是候機室上這位美女，我用日語回答幾句，原來是石神京 子，一位居住在夏威夷可愛島，剛從南加州訪友歸來，提到之幾處南加州 風景，我有些經驗，而且我到過可愛島，許多共同話題，老頑童難得有機 會，與美女對話，賢妻不喜歡我和陌生女性談話，說是不尊重她，而且叫 琳兒來訓斥。 石神貌美，屬於高雅，而非艷麗，我讚美她有位好丈夫，不使她有生活壓 力，容貌秀麗，雖然已經高齡六十，但貌似四十許，她甚喜悅我之讚揚曰， 此為第二次婚姻，先生為美國傳教士，待她甚好，沒有生活壓力，在日本 教英文，在可愛島教日文，教科書就是我自修日文之，日文給忙碌者。她 展示我四百幅油畫，全部儲存在小筆記型電腦上，雖然不若美術館大幅畫 展，但可窺伺其一生心血，她之個人畫展，僅限於可愛島，我提到該島某 處竽田，阡陌井然，像是陶淵明之桃花源，她從電腦上，翻出兩張作品， 就是景觀俯瞰眺望處。 下機時，我正想留下電郵號碼，以便將來連絡，我見她忙於收拾攜帶物，也 無暇道別，更遑言留下玉照，給我之讀者分享。

Coming home/ Charles Chuang

Coming home/ Charles Chuang After 40 days out of travelling, I felt homesickness, I was anxious going home. Staying at the dormitory type of hostel, I was wondering around, I had packed all my luggage. The shuttle bus came to pick me up in the early morning to the Honolulu Airport where I had had a two hours waiting; Upon arriving at Los Angeles Airport another four hours waiting for transferring plane to Houston Intercontinental Airport where I had to wait another five hours for Arthur to Pick me up for home. Now a day, I have plenty of time to wait and I have no Complaint. It is very unusual for me to have such opportunity to go away from home, to visit so many places, to meet many new friends, to visit many old friends, to have my fake teeth installed, to play three weeks tennis, to read two text books, to take more than one thousand photos. Actually, on the fourth of last month, I took an early evening city bus to down- town Houston to be transferred to the Airport, that was 12 hours earlier than the scheduled airplane taking off. Airport is very pretty and clean, I read books and take nap with some other travelers as company to wait for the check in. Time fly, the counter opens for business two and half hours before the sched- uled take off. I check in one larger luggage to Hawaii; one week later, I went to HNL five hours early, to check in a luggage to Taoyuan Airport. I always like to wait for the airplane and not the other around. While at HNL to arrange the transportation, I ran into a younger lady with a good deed to help me to take the same shuttle to my hostel nearby the University of Hawaii Monoa campus. She is from Ft.Worth, Texas. Several days later, she came back from Kauai island and we had a nice dinner at Marukame Restaurant on Kuhio Avenue. Sherry encourages me write my Blog in English and promises to read it. At Waikiki tennis courts, I also ran Into a nice lady, a television producer from Santa Fe, New Mexico, and her Boyfriend, both of them had been in Houston and Austin. Diane tried to Help me to get a cheaper shuttle without success. I also ran into two Chinese ladies both in Taiwan and on the plane back to Houston. I’ll describe the conversation with them later on my blog. In Taipei, I quickly arranged in time to have my in and out denture installed. While waiting, I had managed to have many activities which included a visit To a beautiful library at Chusan, Nantou; fly to Kinmen, the old frontier, to Visit the village where I spent two years in the Army; Visit the #2 nuclear Power palnt, Ginsan oldtown, a friend’s villa on the hilltop facing north Taiwan shoreline; several dinners with old friends and a 96 years birth- Day party at Little Ginmen; visit Sanxia where my father’s hometown.

歸家/莊峻華

歸家/莊峻華 外出旅行四十日，歸心似箭，我在檀香山旅店，坐立不安，行李早已整 理妥善，凌晨箱車前來攜客，趕往機場，在檀香山機場，等候兩小時； 飛抵洛杉磯，在機場等候轉機四小時；抵達休市機場後，剛過半夜，等 候琳兒專車到來五小時，我已心平氣和，難得有如此機會遠遊，到過許 多地方，認識許多新友，拜會多少老友，裝好假牙，打上三週網球等， 讀了兩本教科書，拍攝超過一千張相片。 其實，我在上月四日傍晚，即搭休市巴士到城中，換車到機場，就是提 早12小時，到達機場候機，機場美輪美奐，我在候機室讀書睡覺，幾位 轉機旅客為伴，很快就到起飛兩小時半前，將大行李托運到壇香山；一 週後我又提前五小時到機場，奔向桃園機場，我一直喜歡等車等飛機等 船。 在檀香山機場，安排座車到旅店，認識一位好心太太，來自德州霍福市， 幾天後她從可愛島回威基基，我請她到丸龜麵廠，吃珈哩屋動麵，講好 寫英文遊記。威基基網球場上，也認識一位新墨西歌山塔費市女製片人， 答應繼續連絡。我在台灣永和頂溪站，在返休市機上，認識兩位中國女 士，一位在台灣工作12年；一位年輕學生，來休大攻讀化工博士，都有 甚佳之談話，將有記述。我在永和 之房東夫婦，非常幫忙，也有很愉快 之談話經驗。在環島火車行中，認識一位釣魚女士，一位美國小姐，在 嘉義鄉下，當義工英語老師，非常不俗。 我在台北，很迅速之安裝一套假牙，其等候期間，有許多活動，和斗南 宏彥兄到竹山，參觀圖書館；飛到金門小金門；參觀金山老街，核二廠 ，和一濱海別墅；兩次大學同學飯局在新竹；一次初中同學，兩次小學 校友飯局，和一位小學鄰桌同學喝咖啡，甚至讓一位小金門義女父母，招 待晚餐；在小金門過夜，參加一96歲老者生日宴；我到山峽尋根，和大 姊萬里，有很多討論。在台北有機會拜望張秋政教授，許多美憶，多謝其 兄妹招待。