Monstserrat is strange to me.

Dear Sir,

I was stopped at a station to board a light rail train to

the top of Montserrat because the staff members told me

to buy another ticket yet I thought that I had already purchased

a Trans Montserrat for 29.50 Euros in order to complete my

journey. I had presented my receipt to two of your lady employees

for help. They all indicated that I had to purchase another ticket

to go up, then I decided to go down to Pl.Espayna where I made the 

purchase. Montserrart is strange to me.

A male employee told me that was it because I presented a MTA

subway ticket to station employee at the station up to the foot of

Montsserrat and that was it, ya esta. Those two employees could not

recognize the different type of pass from Autoritat del Transport 

Metropolita and TransMontserrat, they are two different companies

don't you think? How can I get up to the TransMontserrat rain to the 

top with a ATM pass? It must be that I am confused with so many

system in this foreign city. If she would kindly tell me that was a wrong

ticket when I show her the 29.5 Euro receipt, I would check the right

ticket on my other hand next to the ATM ticket, then I can finish my

going up trip.

I formerly register my complaint to you for such unfair treatment to a

foreign customer. I paid my due and failed to provide the proper ticket

therefore I was rejected for one part of the service. I am also going to

file a proper complaint to Citi Master card to get that portion of service

fee refund it to me.

Sincerely yours,

Jien Hua Chuang

Comerc 329968523

TPV 00022299439

Tran 00005 A0000000041010

Aut 187930

Op 025789 

Kind senior couple in Barcelona/Carlos Pueblo

Kind senior couple in Barcelona/Carlos Pueblo

I got off a shuttle bus from the cruise terminal to la Plaza de Colom

and walked towards la Plaza de Catalunya on the famous La Rambla

passing by the famous fish and produce market. I was tired and took

a nap on a street bench facing the building on Passeig de Gracia. When

I woke up, a senior couple sitting next chair to me and I said Bon dias.

The senior couple bon dias back to me and we started to chat. They

told me that they were on their way home with the same subway

station and offered to take me with them. The couple waited for me

patiently while I was struggling to descend to the subway entrance.

My problem was my ticket was inserted in a wrong end and stuck inside

the entrance machine. The gentleman asked me to wait and moved my

heavy luggage to block that entrance gate. The security guard came by

and advised call the office for help. He did and waited for a while till a

life person answering the phone. Their conversation was in Catalan

langue. Not very soon, the subway officer showed up and opened the

key and saw the ticket yet could not got it out and suddenly it was

disappeared in front of our eyes. She gave me another tickets, it was

a multiple passes.

We got off the subway and got up to the street level. I appreciated their

Kind effort so much, I invited them for a lunch yet they did not accept.

After they showed me my hotel direction, we went on opposite direction.

I was lucky that the wife spoke fluent English.

Peter and Yong arrived to the Hotel first and was not able to check in;

therefore, they went out for a taxi tour of Barcelona and left the luggage

at the hotel front desk. I arrived late yet I was allowed to enter the ready

room. I went to find a coin-operated laundry and took my dirty clothes

to wash. I ran into difficulty again for not knowing how to operate, the

machine took my coins and I could not start the wash machine and there was

no attendant inside the shop. After several asking the passerby, I finally got

a next door office gentleman came by to crank it up. I was very sorry for

myself hat day.

善心老者/莊峻華

善心老者/莊峻華

我在巴塞隆納市街頭，遇到一對善心老者，讓我敘述此事。我們在

巴塞隆納郵輪碼頭下船，我先後來過三次，於是帶三位，搭每人三

歐元之小巴士，到哥倫布廣場，他們三位開始，計程車遊覽，我拖

著笨重行李，走向鬧區，許多人如此選則，原來從廣場，開始走出，

就是蘭布拉路，這是繁忙鬧街，有一著明之新鮮菜市場，因為時間

尚早，我拖著行李，繞了一小圈，就是兩海鮮餐廳。然後繼續前行

到卡達奴娜廣場，此地就是老巴塞隆納，許多著名建築，我想走到

去年住之旅社搭地下鐵，到比得訂之飯店，因為疲倦，所以在廣場

旁之格拉西亞大道旁，板凳打盹，醒來時有對老者夫婦，對我微笑。

於是我就熟練之，西班牙語自我介紹，說到飯店名，老者夫婦曰，正

準備回家，同一車站下車，但方向相反，願意帶我坐車，我真是喜出

望，外這位太太，一口流利英文，我想他們年齡約在七十許。他們耐

心等候我把笨重行李，擰下地下跌階梯，然後太太先行過關，我拿皮

夾內保存之車票，正待走近關卡，因為我投擲方向不對，機器吃下票

，卻吐不出來，老者要太太向我說明，無慮，將幫我處理。

車站警衛曰，須電話連絡地下跌辦公室，於是老者將我行李，擋住出

事進口，然後打電話，車站開始忙碌，老者詢問尚有幾張未用，我回

答九張，他就繼續摧促，終於有人回答，他們交談者為卡特蘭語，不

久他說車站職員會來，要我無慮。女職員打開機器，拿出夾住車票，

再投擲入車票進口，很奇怪車票，不翼而飛，於是她買張十次車票，

刷下一次，剩下九次給我，我想如果我自己處理，大概就是再購一張

車票。

下車後，我一直感激，邀請他們便飯，他們皆曰不必，詳細語我旅店

方向，道別而去。我順利找到飯店，放下行李，飯店無投幣式洗衣機

，於是我按指示，找到投幣洗衣店，完全自動，洗乾一氣喝成，機器

說明全是西班牙文，我問多位路人，投下十歐元，機器尚不能開動，真

如熱鍋螞蟻，只好敲鄰近辦公室門，終於有位男士，過來解圍，自助

旅行，不能自恃藝高膽大，真是窘況頻頻。

Disembark at Funchal, Madeira/Carlos Pueblo

Disembark at Funchal, Madeira/Carlos Pueblo

After two week’s navigation, the ship arrived at the port of Funchal

on the west coast of Portugal. Funchal is the capital city of Madeira,

an autonomous region of Portugal. It is a very pretty European city

indeed.

City downtown and the port are adjacent to each other with steps

uphill. I was attracted by the gardens, two of them inside downtown

area and I checked the internet dictionary more than 10 more in the

islands. Varies of spring flowers were in the buckets and hung on the

streets, balconies, under the eaves, and low walls on the sides of the

houses. This is a beginning of European scenery.

On the first city garden nearby downtown shopping area and cathedral,

the spring flowers were blooming, pedal with white stripes of amaryllis,

roses, and many kinds of tree flowers which we transplanted to Houston

household. I have enjoy taken many pictures for my review in later day

at home. I like an inspector and may be the only one taking so many

pictures like no more opportunity in the future. Most of the flowers are

mixed in the small garden to show the excellent of combination.

I continue to walk toward the second garden park across a big traffic

circle, again, the fountain is surrounded by another narrow flower bed

with yellow flowers on it. I was busily taking photos while the passing

vehicles were making circle and turned to four different direction. The

large park with many gardens are on the hill and you can overview the

bay and nearby islands of Madeira. I like roses and there are many of

different colors of them, it is one of the best rose gardens which I have

visited in the world.

Many passengers walked back to the ship early to have late lunch on

the ship. This was almost at the end of my ocean travel and I was anxious

to start my land journey in Europe.

芳雀爾港/莊峻華

芳雀爾港/莊峻華

船行兩週，抵達芳雀爾港，此港在葡萄牙西南岸，馬德以拉自治區，

芳雀爾也是省會，港口和街市相連，徒步可及，我在鬧區兩座花園

賞花，正值春日，百花怒放，市府規劃美麗花園，鬧區間置花圃，

修葺灌木樹叢，有爬藤各色花朵，小巷樓台，許多盆景花卉，真是

畫面之，歐洲美麗市景。

穿過首座花園，就是鬧區，城市建立在山坡地，教堂市區，都很古

舊，但是維護甚佳，我又轉回花園，花圃間植多種花卉，像玫瑰花

旁，許多綠葉，像是牡丹花葉，回家後查看相片，若有疑惑，花園

是特殊照顧之夜務，馬德以拉島，有許多座，十餘座大花園，以此

鼓舞退休移民。有多彩色之花斑之喇叭花，幾種我們家有之不知名

樹花，均在花園布置內。

第二座花園較大，也是在山崗，可以眺望馬德以拉島和海灣，雄偉

花色之翡翠號，正在靜候碼頭邊。此花園有較大，有分花卉種類之

花圃，我最喜歡拍攝花開，玫瑰花是其一也，芳雀爾花園，留給我

深刻印象，我希望我仍有機會再訪，居住多時，觀賞每座花園。

走下花園階梯，需要穿過馬路小圓環，也是黃花圈花圃，繞著噴水池

。穿越大西洋16日，已近尾聲，今夜郵輪航向半島南端，沿地中海北

上，巴塞隆納港。

Good deed with no size/Carlos Pueblo

Good deed with no size/Carlos Pueblo

The way which I simplify Buddhism as understanding the nature of our life

, deal with such hardship, and make good out of it. Good deed with no

size means do not ignore small good deed toward while frequent minor

bad deed in our life. There are at least 8 hardships in our life, birth, aging,

sickness, death, could not reach and get it, departure of friends, hatred

gathering, imbalance of physical sensation. I missed the hardship of hatred

gathering while I was presenting to Peter and our group, a Dutch family,

and my elder German sister Eleanor and her husband Sid. All of them were

very polite to listen to me. Buddha tells us that we don’t really need to

know those hardships in details but chanting the sutra in order to make a

peace in our mind, then eventually we are going to the Western Extreme

Happiness Paradise.

In order to reach these basic understandings, you can get it by listenng

to someone who knows, Sravaka-Yanam or Disciple Vehicle; you can

get it through reading the writing of someone who knows, Buddha-Yanam;

or you can get it by Doing good deed with no size, Bodhisattva Vehicle.

In Buddhism, the vehicle is amphibious can send you to the Paradise.

Disciple and Buddha yanam is Hinayana, small vehicle while Bodhisttva

Yanam is Mahayana, big vehicle. Buddhism is a philosophy and that is it.

When I was at young age, my father, a devoted Buddhist, taught me

Buddhism. I did not understand very much yet it had been in my mind.

Professor Liu of Cebu, Philippine, taught me the 8 hardship and was my

Vakayana master, later he was a head monk of a temple in Singapore.

I read a book called Jesus and Buddha are brothers by a famous Vietnamese

Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh. He defines a meaningful life and I absolutely

Agree.

Since then, I attempt to do good deed with no size difference. I am going to

accumulate graduate to the level Bodhisattva, to take the Great vehicle

eventually and I believe one day I shall and we all will reach to the Paradise.

That means we don’t go through the reincarnation and suffer again for the

Human hardships. 

莫以善小不為2016/莊峻華

莫以善小不為2016/莊峻華

我在船上，有三次講到佛學道理，第一次是在性教育課後，話題轉到宗

教信仰，我講給伙伴比得；第二次講給一家荷蘭夫婦和其大姊；第三次

是給我之日耳曼大姊和大姊夫，我講的是佛曰人生八苦，佛學真義，善

用每日，每日過一有意義之生活，我一生不知講過多少遍？這是佛學入

門，了解人生是苦，生命之真諦。八苦中我一時忘記，怨憎聚會，僅此

補正。

比得在紐約，經營事業，包車和化妝品，包車現在掛牌烏博連鎖店，否則

無法生存；化妝品原本兩家資生堂，因想擴大營業，結果遭遇新困難，例

如美容師人事管理問題，他在船上，或是停靠海港，都須要整理簿記，薪

資發放，其夫人因工作壓力，參加宗教信仰，基督教和佛教都來，幾乎精

神崩潰，乍聽下，若是怪力亂神，於是我就開示見解，我自幼就接觸佛法

，先父諱明來公，原是念佛居士，生前幫我結緣，聲聞覺生老和尚，聲聞

者，親自聽講也，覺生所提真諦八苦也，生、老、病、死、得不到、愛親

別離、怨憎聚會，和五陰燴熾。

這就是心經云之，色受想行識之五諦，知道人生是苦的道理，然後開始追

求生命之真義，越南老和尚，我之緣覺大法師，就開始進到我之心門，這

位美麗之荷蘭太太，曾經篤信佛學，後有不解，許多高僧，故弄玄虛，著

實不需，一般人仍舊需要，面對工作，家庭和社會，所以釋一行老和尚曰

，每日追求過一有意義之生活，甚麼是有意義之生活，中國先賢，諸葛孔

明曰，莫以善小而不為，莫以惡小而為之。

我常敬佩基督徒，到處傳教，傳播福音，信主得救，無須經過小乘佛法，

聲聞緣覺之鍛鍊，直接上街頭傳福音，全世界拯救苦難者，這是大小善

事，像伸出援手，給中東難民，替外出鄰居拾報紙等，莫以善小而不為，

這是大乘佛法，菩薩乘。

我一生已近尾聲，也算了解人生，也是善小不斷，只遺憾年漸老邁，無甚

作為，此老苦也。