Visiting Birmingham, England/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Birmingham, England/Carlos Pueblo

Birmingham is located on the east of Manchester at the heartland

of England. Several years ago, I met Dr. Laow of the head monk of

a Thai Buddhist Temple at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire at the

campus of the Oxford and very like to visit him. Birmingham is very

closed to his temple. Finally, after several e-mails exchange, I did

make my visit and he even took me to visit a Catholic Cathedral at

nearby Lichfield township. I also made to trip to visit to the township

of Rugby famous of the origin of Rugby sport and the Eton and Rugby

rivalry of ancient time. I also visited the campus of the University of

Birmingham. I have been very impressed of the city for its traditional

and contemporary set up city center.

During this trip in England, I decided to take train as my major needs

of transportation. It’s different from what I am used to travel among

Germany, Spain , or Japan. I need to purchase the pass outside of the

prospective nations in order to get the discount for foreigners. I bought

a senior pass good for one year because I am coming back in the spring

of 2019. Rail systems in U.K. are sublet to individual companies; therefore

the fares are various, expansive or cheap according to the time of travel

or advanced reservation. Because of my longer stay at one place and

the closer distance travel, I might come out a better cost overall.

Rural England is green and pretty. Because of fall season, I couldn’t see

clearly what the farmers grow but lambs, cattle, and horses, etc. I saw

hay rolls piled up on farms to save farming labor that I assumed. The

small train stations split out the field among cities. I had had ride between

Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Burton Upon Trent, etc. seeing some

factories still in operation. The train business is still very popular in

England.

Every morning, I would walk quite a distance from my hostel to the main

station passing by the Cathedral Park at the city center and coming back

from the train station then bought my grocery at markets closed by the

station. I could cook a meal at the kitchen and then met a young lady from

Malaysia who spoke Amoy language better than my adult children at home.

Pei-ven is an architect freshly graduated from Birmingham University and

going back to Ping Nang to work for her dad who owns a good size of a

construction business.   

伯明罕行/莊峻華

伯明罕行/莊峻華

伯明罕市是原定訪問城市，原因是接近一泰國寺廟，我想在該

寺掛單，續與住持勞博士清談，結果在網路資料搜尋中，找到

勞格比鎮，舊日響往城市，也看到里治市，伯市五日居停，收

穫豐富，更認識到佩文，我將一一介紹。

我鄰居查克，石油業者，愛犬亨利克主人曰，伯明罕位近北海

油田，外海探勘挖井，以伯市為中心，蓋其不若愛丁堡之寒冷

，倫敦地價之昂貴也，所以休市與伯明罕有密切生易關係。勞

博市方丈與我有緣，自當年牛津校園一別，總想有深緣，再度

請益，我們保持連絡，他之寶殿就在伯市附近，我在抵英前後

，已經開始連絡，查看他之行程，這是最接近之時刻，我終於

成行，而且非常愉快。

勞格比鎮也在伯明罕附近，我將專文描述，這是超過半世紀以

上之因緣，我終於訪問到英式橄欖球之發緣地，勞格比學校之

校園，我曾拜訪伊頓市，和伊頓學校，就在溫莎堡，泰晤士河

畔，緣起為小時家中保存一勞格比銅牌，和高中正中版英文教

科書中一課，提到兩校橄欖球對抗之故事。

認識從馬來西亞檳榔市之佩文，她是位建築師，剛畢業於伯大

。佩文能言台語，非常親切，於是我認收為義女，她建議我如

何訪問英國，訪問那些城市，是位優秀美麗之女孩，我預助她

在其父營造廠，事業順利。

我也訪問著名之伯明罕大學，校園整潔美觀，一看就是一令人

驕傲之學府。伯市有趣，車站前就是露天菜市，和室內魚肉市

場，場外就是小型唐人街，許多波霸冷飲店。

Visiting daughters on board/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting daughters on board/Carlos Pueblo

Yesterday, there was a promotional rate appeared on the daily e-mail

sent to me from the cruise liner. A route from Yokohama, Japan to

Singapore 16 days including one night stay at Keelung, Taiwan attracted

me very much. However, it’s closed and after I called and checked

on the website of the carrier, it’s sold out immediately. Instead, I made

up my mind to book two route on Dawn for a 23 days at sea cruise,

from Boston via Eastern Caribbean back to Boston and Boston repositioned

to San Juan, Porto Rico. To avoid higher airfare, I choose to stay 4 additional

night at Jan Juan beach. I don’t mind to the repeat of the Caribbean tour

because that I can visit my adopted daughters on board.

I regret it very much for my attempt to book a cruise back to the U.S. while

I was in Europe due to various reasons such as fully booked ship, more

expansive quote, caught a cold, and longtime journey in Europe, etc. I feel

more comfortable on a cruise trip than the regular land tour which I have

to manage the transportation, room and board every day. I am good at the

numbers and I am OK with the last minute deal in addition to my purchase of

the cruise next discount program. Michelle also gives me a $500 certificate to

purchase tickets for her appreciation of my mowing her yard at Austin.

My life has been changed a little bit after my return from England. I add Ping

Pong as my second weekly exercises because I like to be better prepared next

time if I meet Sheila in Spain especially her back had stoke. My brother Yancy

also enrolls me to his Japanese class after Thursday’s Ping Pong; therefore,

I shall be very much occupied from now on.

再次遠行/莊峻華

再次遠行/莊峻華

下午查閱來信，發現郵輪公司有新廣告，這是東京航線特價，兩

日內成行，目標是日本東南亞，一共十六日，待我行動時，船票

已售罊，於是我轉戰加勒比海航線，訂下黎明號兩路線，從波士

頓啟航，回波士頓，再行波多黎哥，因避免機票高價，省下費用

，在珊璜市停留四日，再回休市。

我因為在英國停留期間，無法等候廉價船票，只好提前返美，也

剛好及時處理一些事務，這次旅行可以用掉兩張折扣票，如此剩

下三張，壓力頓減，而且我也可以藉此探望船上愛女，人生一樂

也。

加勒比海風光，與我已經不是很重要，我想比較者為，不同國家

之青年，在不同時代之奮鬥，比起我之青年時代，出國帶來之希

望，都是半世紀之往事矣。

Pick’em 2018/Carlos Pueblo

Pick’em 2018/Carlos Pueblo

My friend M.S. Lee went on vacation and before he left, he called

Amy to invite me to pick’em, his persimmon. Recently I learn that

my annual pick’em host, Wu’s family, have sold their house and moved

to California in order to be closed to their adult children and my favorite

childhood activity will be decreased from now on. Lee’s persimmon is

in the heart shape like one of the Wu’s tree. They are not the Fuyu type

and needed to be treated and soft then eatable. Persimmon is one of

my favorite fruits and I love to pick’em like mango, peaches, oranges,

etc.

I was lost when I turned to the old avenue of Cypresswood because

the entire section of Austin Freeway is under reconstruction. Streets

have been messed around without any signs and also I have been out

of touch for years on the newly development of Houston suburban north

of 1960. Amy was very patient for my struggle out of various subdivisions.

It was such a hustle and I ignored the fact that might be better waiting for

another week. I got more than a half of the fruits from the tree.

I had to treat the damaged fruits to make dry persimmons and hanging

with the poles. The mosquitos just won’t leave me alone and finally I found

a small bottle grass oil with strong fragrant to spell them away. Next morning

, I carried my wash up backpack to deliver several bags of persimmons to

my friends in the neighbor to thank them for their fruits gift during the year.

採柿2018/莊峻華

採柿2018/莊峻華

英國旅行期間，愛美告知居北郊之明雄兄來話，相約採柿，因彼

外出旅行，惟恐紅柿落地，我吃其前院紅柿多年，剛好今年市內

笑美姊搬離休市，住屋已售，中斷例行採柿活動，吳府後院有柿

兩株，分別為心形與扁形，均澀需處理後，始可食用，明雄家者

為心形也澀，所以僅知者能享用，我仍是藝高膽大，行前毫無準

備，結果在290超速公路出口後迷路，繞上幾小時後始達目的地

。

柿株結實累累，有鳥啄食後紅柿落地，否則再候一週，採食更宜

，我是一不做，二不休，拿起鋁梯，開始一一採收，稍不甚則有

落地破損者，我曰無慮，仍可做柿餅，如此採下五大水桶。回程

我仍頑冥不化，重走老徑，結果又被道路改建迷途，幸巧愛美手

機開始發生作用，指點迷津。

處理破損柿果為要，單室外黑蚊放肆，只待愛美午睡後，找到香

茅油幫忙，我需趕緊處理，否則隨時需要外出旅行，大約是月底

波士頓郵輪旅行，明日開始贈送生柿，給鄰居友人。

我有多年不曾拜訪明雄，不知州政府，已經從290公路，開闢一

超速公路捷徑，直通10號公路，這10號者為美國南境之大通，

明雄府北端，已蓋滿社區，需要多方問路，始得開出社區。

Visiting Liverpool, England/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Liverpool, England/Carlos Pueblo

Liverpool is  on the west of Manchester, England  and also a key city

during the Industrial Revolution in England, ship building and ocean

marine, etc. I select to visit Liverpool due to an admired person in

my college time, Professor Lin Ching-chiang of the Taiwan Normal

who gets a Ph.D. from the University of Liverpool and has served

our nation of Taiwan very well during his life time. When I entered

Taiwan Normal in the mid 60’s, I noticed from the newspaper that

he was one of the recipient of the government scholarship to have

his Ph.D. work in England and within two years, he returned to the

campus and became one of the three major professors at the college

of Education for the advisor to the doctoral candidate. Later, he

became a President of a National University and the National Educational

Minister. He is a role model of my time.

Liverpool is very vivid and lovely. I found a poster under the Chinese Arch

at a small Chinatown about the beginning of the Liverpool Chinatown.

After the Opium War of China, the British merchant ship recruited Japanese

and Chinese merchant navy to serve on ships for the ocean trade with the

orient. Some of the recruits lost their life during WWI and WWII in the

result of German submarine. After the Wars, the British government allowed

these recruits stay in England. Shanghai and Liverpool have been sister cities

ever since. As long as my interest of the British Empire is going on, I can

imagine that the Empire could go ahead annexing China after the Taiping

rebellion if there were enough man power and General Golden didn’t have

to die in Sudan afterward.

I did march to the lovely campus of the Liverpool University and find the

college of education. There is a huge Cathedral of the Church of England near

the campus. Students can really gain very much for such excellent facilities

and campus environment. On the second day, I marched to the harbor and

visited the Albert Dock. There is the Museum of Liverpool providing a section

of the Chinese Merchant Navy’s history with photos and a Chinese Junk Model

to display. Across a sunk cruise memorial, there is a slave trade museum about

the era of European slave business involving the city.

Another Cathedral, a Catholic, is nearby the Chinatown. Citizen of Liverpool

are very proud of this medieval architecture of thousands years. I got both

of my seafood noodle at one small restaurant under the Arch of Chinatown.