Re-Visiting Oxford, England 2019/Carlos Pueblo

Re-Visiting Oxford, England 2019/Carlos Pueblo

There are canals and rivers network at Oxford, England that a train conductor, a canal
expert, recommends me to visit. I have been to the upstream of River Thames several
times and I find that I can visit the canal on an opposite direction during my weekend
stay at this lovely college town.

After putting down my luggage, I walked across a bridge above the upstream of the
Thames toward the downtown, all Oxford Colleges located. I found that the old square
of the bus station became a barzar again with many eatery stands crowded with visitors.
I didn't find the Turks rolls like my first visit to this city, instead I picked a dumpling place
my lunch and I was not impressed.

Returning to the bridge and began to walk down to the canal, I found a metal plat on the
ground to commemorate the 200 years built of the canal, 1790-1990. It is almost 230 years
of usage for this waterway and still quite vivid in compare to all my canals visits before.
The width of this canal is wider with a river parallel briefly next to it. On the pedestrian
path, there are many barges, house boats, moored by the bank, aged boats mostly. Based
on the appearance of the barge installation, I believe that they are residents of the city.
By the path, there are city water connection, power source, and even shower facility, etc.
Across the canal on the other side, it is a regular residential brick houses with the traditional
English style and the backyard facing the water with some pretty garden. Some residents even
have pies built to have a way to use the canal.

I see at least a larger pier with larger barge on the other side of the pedestrian path for canal
touring use. After the residential area, it is become a large tennis park of many many grass
tennis courts full of uniform girls taking lessons or some kinds of weekend activities. On the
walking path, the parallel creek ended and followed by some regular farm houses with horses on the backyards. There is a birds sanctuary park on the same side. I kept on marching
as far as I could. I saw a bridge and exit to a small playground of a nice apartment complex
and I thought of using a toilet and have a small eatery like in Birmingham canals. I was lost at
the apartment side street and couldn't locate the street across the bridge or any sign of a
business set up at all.

Until I felt enough and I returned back to the city. There were more pedestrians on both
directions and I believed that was a main pass for some residents nearby. I inspected the barge more and again. I even watched a barge full of youngsters passing through to reach
the city even though they looked green of their operation yet there was someone in their
group who could come to rescue at the mess up situation.

Some of the barge residents look like permanent, they even cultivate small gardens by the
path or built grill stand for regular use. They lock their bikes either on the boat or by the path
with permanent fixture.

重訪英國牛津市2019/莊峻華

重訪英國牛津市2019/莊峻華

結束伯明罕運河行，搭乘火車前往牛津市，這也是英國河川運河區之一，牛津乃舊遊處也，放下行李，我就走向城中心，路過巴市站廣場，巧遇乾集，我仔細觀看每一攤位食
物，終於下定決心，吃兩小份蒸餃和一素菜包，然後走回客棧方向，走下運河，我在牛
津僅兩夜，衡量體力，我是可以走上一大段河川小徑，一段我走過幾次，是泰晤士河上
游，與此相反方向。運河入口，就有一紀念碑，記述運河歷史，1790-1990兩百週年，所
以今年是230年，運河仍是健在，只是不同功用。

剛開始有一段，與古河川並行，運河河面稍廣，僅一方有人行徑，對面是住宅區之後院
，都是標準之英國磚樓，後院是小花園，有的住家甚至搭建小碼頭，置放小船出入運河
，此運河可接全國運河和河川網，只要有時間和閒錢，英國治安甚佳安全。牛津是大學
城，約有十六萬居民，有一小部分人口，躲到運河和河川岸船上，這些船屋，有新有舊
，可住上一小家庭，有小發電機，河畔有市區電源，自來水，和浴室等，都可信用卡繳費，尚稱方便，我到時值週末，運河稍有船出入活動，就是步道也有許多人經過。

走過併行河川後，運河兩岸開始都是公園，樹林等，也有漂亮之公寓，對面有一廣大之
草皮網球場，全部是網球制服女生，不一定是高手，像是課外網球課。我在一公寓旁院
走出運河，甚盼能找到一小餐廳不果，只好走回原徑，繼續前進。我看這些船屋者，常
期居民，除船屋上內外，植有花盆，連徑旁小片地，也有人開闢花圃，有些工具，鐵馬
同行用，平時鎖在船上或木幹上，也有設備很好之船屋，有人在船內飲酒讀小說，必要時就開船出遊也。

走累了，開始回頭，巴士站趕集已結束，牛津市區尚可處理，走過鬧區，就是頂頂大名
之牛津諸學院，和歐洲最古老美麗之街道，我熟練之穿過泰晤士河上游一橋，找到上次光顧之地下鐵三明治店，果然碰上那位美麗之帝汶島姑娘，我稍自我介紹，她就有回憶，上次我們談到帝汶獨立之困難。

At the end of my 15 day Panama Transit Cruise 2019/Carlos Pueblo

At the end of my 15 day Panama Transit Cruise 2019/Carlos Pueblo

The ship left Cabo San Lucas, Mexico at night and sailed north on the north

Pacific coastal line toward Los Angeles, California, it was at the end of my 15

day Panama Transit Cruise in 2019. I have had so many good memories from

the trip, met so many beautiful adopted daughters, visited so many nice ports

, seen so many mango trees with green fruits hanging on branches, met so many

Interesting nice people, and taken lessons of Japanese Go and the bridge game.

 The ship Bliss is much newer than most of my previous experience with the cruise

liner and larger. I was very happy to see Aiza from the ship Jade and her roommate

Gerli whom both I invited to two nice restaurants for dinners. These are the perks

which are given to me as the reward of my latitude status. It is one of my favorite

activities during my cruise trip. I also get to know many new adopted daughters on

the ship that I treasure very much as they are such wonderful youngsters, polite and

hard working with excellent manners.

During days at sea, the cruise provided some classes to fill the day, such as bridge

Lessons, Japanese Go, and several language classes, etc. This is the first formal lessons

which I have had with the bridge game. The instructor is the fellow passenger, Patrick

Kallaus, the head of bridge club at Hawaii Island. He delivers notes to introduce how to

open the game and count cards. Ted Terpstra is the President of San Diego Go Club,

a very nice gentleman, offers his help to promote Go in California. I also attended the

language classes including Tagalog, Spanish, French, and African, etc. The staff on board

pitch in for the tutorship. I can open and respond several rounds of bridge opening and

roughly count the points all hands and some cards of my partner on hand. It is more

difficult for me to keep Go as my hobby at home. I can still practice some foreign language

in Houston by attending the local community center classes or speak to my neighbors.

I ran into a young lady staff with the cruise director’s office. She is from Mukden, Manchuria.

We have had several interesting conversation about Manchu Dynasty which her ancestors

belongs to. She gave me some good tip about Manchu race in history. I have had an adopted

mother also from Mukden also with a surname Pei like hers. She told me how that surname

comes from. It is also involved the Chinese slavery history. She is very surprised that I am so

fond of the classical novel, the Dream of the Red Chamber, about the royalty of Manchu

Dynasty. There were slavery system in the Chinese History, yet it seemed to be better off

than some of the rest of the world where I travelled.  

結束2019巴拿馬運河行/莊峻華

結束2019巴拿馬運河行/莊峻華

船離墨西哥卡波聖意港，沿巴哈加利佛尼亞海岸兩夜一日，到

洛杉磯之聖培德洛港，郵輪贈送精緻彩色相片版證書和路線，

當作紀念，因緣際會行將暫告一段落，此行幫忙我安排一週後

之一個月英國行，上岸時，永源兄，已在碼頭等待，有一日非

常愉快之洛城行。這次旅行，與許多前次一樣，都是滿分，新

船，氣候溫和，有趣行程路線，結識許多朋友愛女，這些都是

我熱愛郵輪旅行之緣故也。

極樂號是艘新型豪華巨輪，設備新潁，船行加勒比海和太平洋

，日麗風和，確時為我晚年如天堂般之享受，前日尚收到愛女

葛莉之電郵，想來她已回馬尼拉度假，她是愛女愛莎之室友，

此行兩免費餐廳之晚餐伴侶，終於活到花甲之年，有幸美女陪

伴用餐，每次郵輪旅行，郵輪均贈送兩張餐劵，可使用於兩家

餐廳。

活動部主辦三項活動，引起我興趣，一是日本圍棋，由聖地牙

哥旅客泰德特普斯特拉主持，經他耐心指導下，先讓十目，下

船時，已進步到讓五目，早年吾家有回國日人遺留棋桌具一套

，家人無人識圍棋，今由大姊夫使用。有兩節橋牌課，多人參

加，我僅上課，並未參加課後牌局，講師是來自夏威夷島之派

翠克卡羅素，是當地橋牌俱樂部之主持，我最近回社區中心讀

西語，下課後連上橋牌局，僅按筆記開叫，即非常有趣。另外

，也有許多語言課，都是海上日，每節十五分鍾，我都携帶舊

講義夾隨行，在船上有機會練習菲語，西語，甚至一些法語，

就是開津法語等，非常有趣。

我常到賭場拜訪愛女們，極樂號賭場有無煙區，空氣較好，可

待稍久，但愛女們有時較忙，無暇談話，於是我到處閒逛，上

下甲板，有一冰淇淋餐廳，在第七層甲板，是我經常逗留處，

六位職員，都是我愛女。

Continue to march on the city canals in Birmingham, England/Carlos Pueblo

Continue to march on the city canals in Birmingham, England/Carlos Pueblo

There were four days to stay in Birmingham; therefore, I continued to visit

the 2000 miles U.K. canals and rivers network. My understanding is that the

system has been built during the era of the Great Industrial Revolution. The

canals were needed to transferred the raw material from Liverpool and

Manchester ports, etc. to the inland factories and vice versa, the finished

products to be shipped out worldwide via these tiny manmade waterway.

The internet sources is believed that the pottery manufactories of

Staffordshire initiated the first canal. I believe that all the canals were built

by the private venture of needs. I ran into a Chinese youngster who walked

on the canal bank to his work in the morning and I asked him about the famous

Chinese Great Canal between the north and the south about 1500 years ago.

He tells me that the Canal is still functioning yet not for foods transportation but

for the construction material and the width of that canal is larger than the canals

in U.K.

I am very fond of my newly finding interest of the canal in England, as a matter of fact,

it is my sole purpose of this monthly visit. I like the well maintain system and converted

to a local park after their loss of transportation usage. Mute Geese, ducks, and some

other wild birds are the permanent fixture of the system. The canal is used by leisure

barge operators to travel around and few interested like me to make a special trip and

taste of this man made wonder. There are three more ventures that I like to mention

during my stay in Birmingham. In order to solve my toilet issue during my march at the

canal, I had to exit to the street in order to continue my 15 miles or more daily walk.

Two of my exit, I ran into two German car dealerships, one Mercedes-Benz and another

one BMW. Both have the excellent facilities. The third and fourth exit were at the same

hamburger restaurant on a roadside. At the beginning, the lady manager just pointed the

door to the backyard and I didn’t have to purchase anything. On the way back, I was thirsty

and needed to go to the toilet and I came to the same exit and the same restaurant.

I ordered a can of soda and went to the backyard. I followed a young man to order that

day’s special, a double layers cheese burger, French fries and another drink in the same

order. I believe that is one of the best burger for a long time for me. After Birmingham,

I continued to march on U.K. canals and I exited for toilet and sometimes for food and I

didn’t run into that kind of small restaurant again, just a two ladies operated business.

續行英國伯明罕市運河/莊峻華

續行英國伯明罕市運河/莊峻華

行軍伯明罕市內運河網，是件工程，我一共走了四日，因為不熟

廣告地圖，幾次重複路線，倒也無妨，運河網步行徑，仍舊維護

甚佳，也無閒雜人物出沒，偶遇行船河過，我的問題是如廁和午

餐，我介紹過拜訪城中三大學校園，另外有四次走出運河，兩次

遇見同一小漢堡餅店，兩次分別遇見兩德國名牌車行，朋馳和寶

馬，兩車行都有世界級衛生設備，而且也不在意，提供服務。

伯市和曼徹斯特市，都是在工業革命中，茁壯之城市，當年有此

需要，開鑿運河，以便貨物運輸，當然隨後交通運輸工具，為鐵

道所取代，也在伯市運河行中，巧遇一中國青年，走運河步徑上

班，他說史書所云大運河，仍在使用，不再運送江南食糧，而是

一些建材，但河面比英國運河寬廣，是中國隨代，約是西元五百

餘年前， 英國運河網，是私立企業所建立，最早則為我前述之史

塔佛特陶器企業，我下火車，特別觀看之史塔克新堡運河，英國

運河是一土一鏟挖掘，河岸都是砌磚堤牆，以避免癱崩，英國製

造之特色。

一次，我真是走久矣，開始有壓力，運河徑上無廁所，只好走出

運河，剛好交叉路上，有一小餐廳，女經理指廁所在後院，出來

我亦未購買食物，僅道謝便離開，回程中走出運河，又再遇此店

，於是我就坐下，點上當日特價乳酪漢堡和薯條飲料，結果是最

佳午餐之一，隨後我在各地運河行中，再也不見此類餐廳，她說

多半是老客戶和路過客人。

先是遇見朋馳車行，遠處就看到商標高聳，進門也不用招呼，僅

廁所安在？朋馳在二樓，寶馬在一樓，車場有外國移民置車工人

親切指點回運河路線。

我約是一日行軍十五哩路，而且是一路欣賞美麗之運河，小碼頭

行船，老工廠，和白天鵝等棲息鳥類。

Re-Visiting Ketchikan, Alaska 2019/Carlos Pueblo

Re-Visiting Ketchikan, Alaska 2019/Carlos Pueblo

Ketchikan, Alaska is the first port out of Canadian Coastal Inland Sea

back to the U.S. territory. It has been established way before the

Alaska Gold Rush era back to the Russian fur trade after Tsar Peter the

Great. I always hike through the bank of the Ketchikan Creek to the

park by the hatchery. On my first back to back disembark, I saw a pretty

pink blooming scene on a hill and I decided to take some photos for my

cherry blossom photo collection. It is rhododendron. After that residential

visit, I marched back to the creek and complete my routine.

The residential area is built on a hill and must climb up on wooden stages

and street. I didn’t locate the big pink blooming tree; however, there were

many smaller others with different colors, red, yellow, light blue, and purple,

etc. After a long freezing winter, spring flowers are even more vivid and

beautiful. I also noticed the petunia pots hanging on under the roof or on

the balcony, and many wild flowers, such as dandelions, forget me not the

State flower, and bluebonnet bigger in side that our Texas one, our State

flower. I have been attracted by the rhododendron in many place worldwide

such as Seattle, Victoria, BC, the Great Chateau de Fontainebleau, France, etc.

I has been a treat to visit Ketchikan in the spring to view such wonderful

Scenery, two parks in particular, a small one out of the channel before the creek

and another one larger by the hatchery.

At the end of the creek hike, there is a hatchery and a Totem Museum closed to

each other. I haven’t been inside to either place, yet I do stay at the beautiful

park all the time. The park is surrounded by rhododendron trees and the golden

bell trees with small brook from the peak nearby with tall trees inside the park.

I am interested in the life of the salmon and trout, their coming home from the

Ocean. The hatchery releases their products back to the creek down to the sea

regularly and I think that is similar to the one trout hatchery in California.

Ketchikan is also claimed as the Salmon Capital of the world other than a small

Gold rush town in Alaska. I tried a small piece of preserved can fish and was tastier

than the one fillet at home. The old creek side stores begin with many small gift

shops and small restaurants and usually I finish a quick tour of the area and walk

out of the wood board path up stream toward the hatchery. On my way back to

the cruise ship, I would walk through the new downtown area.