PACIFLY

睽違已久的網誌，照例應該先廢話一下，談談沒維持良好紀錄習慣造成多大的回憶損失，接著再來點新希望之類的勉勵話語，期許自己能重拾熱忱，用心寫下旅行的點點滴滴，吃的總會拉掉、有趣的際遇總會消逝，而看過的風景總會忘掉。一個好久沒碰面的朋友曾說：來不及寫下的就讓它過去，隨時都可以翻新頁，一字一句的打下新的旅程。於是在一個天寒地凍、風雨交加的傍晚，我坐在電腦前，細細回味前兩年的夏季之旅。而說來，真正促成我開始生產文字的契機，還是來自上個月的返台之旅，大家都知道我耗費了多少的心力在推銷以色列行程，有鑑於各位沒來過這國家，電視上報的又盡是戰爭、以巴衝突等消息，再再激起我提筆，用我的觀點，寫下對這國家的體驗與介紹。接下來，就看觀眾買不買單了(祈禱的少女樣貌)。

以色列有豐富的沙灘景致，搭配藍澄澄、一滴雨也不會下的夏天，是個能盡情玩水的國度。死海周邊能玩樂的景點並不少，但不介意的話，請暫且讓我把那些蘊含千年歷史文化的景點擱置一旁(我還處在懂得有限，就算有導覽也不見得聽的下去的狀態...)。總之，請先讓我穿上泳衣，帶大家來趟死海及沙漠綠洲Ein Gedi自然保護區純玩水之旅。

〈死海位在我家東南方，約2.5小時左右的摩托車車程，這是沿路經過的阿拉伯村落〉

特地空了一整天健行，說是健行也不真的很賣力的在走，早上出門前做了火腿三明治後，帶了些蘋果、香蕉就出門，一路走走停停的，看到好風景就坐下來吃東西或發呆，或看人們在湖畔享受他們的仲夏時光。從上午十點半一直到下午五點才又回到鎮上，六個半小時裡大概只有三小時是認真的在走吧。

路徑是從Lake Siljan旁的露營場出發，經過白色教堂後一路沿著湖邊或順著鐵道走，時而穿過針葉林、時而踏過草叢，有時聽見火車從遠方城鎮駛近，有時停下來尋找鳥鳴，偶而經過別人家的度假小屋、觀賞停泊在岸上的小舟，偶而遇見帶著狗兒來健行的當地人熱情洋溢的打招呼“Haj haj”。而大多數時候不是踏在如地毯般鬆軟的松針葉上就是傾聽湖面拍打上岸的聲音。身處在北國的針葉林裡如夢似幻，正是這種時刻讓我愛上旅行，愛上這種世界何其大的氛圍。

〈Rättviks kyrka，Rättvik教堂，鐘塔上的時鐘很有趣，只有時針沒有分針〉 

〈教堂旁的水岸，右手邊有成排的教堂馬廄，目前皆沒有畜馬了〉

宿 

找住宿困擾了我好一陣子，因為除了露營以外，其它選擇都很貴，最後想到把整套露營工具背在身上會有多重後，還是決定乖乖找旅館，而找遍各大訂房網頁後，最便宜的選擇是Tågstallarna i Rättvik，兩晚900瑞典克朗(約台幣4000)。

據說是睡在火車臥鋪整修過後的車廂內，聽起來很新鮮，check in後一走進車廂內我臉馬上就囧了。雖然看過訂房網頁的評論，多少有心理準備，但還真沒料到房間會真的那麼的窄，兩個人進去根本沒有移動空間，除了車廂實在有夠狹窄外，Tågstallarna i Rättvik還算是間挺不錯的特色旅館。

 
〈車廂外觀，臥鋪火車整修後做為平價旅館〉

Lake Siljan位於Stockholm北方約三小時左右火車車程，是瑞典境內第六大的湖泊。鐵道沿著湖畔幾個主要村落行駛，每天都有班次從Stockholm發車，沿途經Arlanda機場、Uppsala，終點站是Lake Siljan北端的Mora。

拜訪一個國家的鄉間幾乎成了我必安排的行程，如果說首都是一個國家歷史文化更迭的縮影，那麼邊郊鄉鎮則負責保存了千年的恬靜。中午時分，火車漸漸駛離Stockholm以後，沉綠的針葉林、黃澄澄的麥田及的清澈流淌著的小溪逐漸取代窗外景色，盛夏的北國沒有炙熱的艷陽卻有著同樣的慵懶。

〈中午十一點多，搭上從Stockholm C.發車的SJ瑞典國鐵一路駛進鄉間〉

〈黃綠相間的麥田襯著蓊鬱針葉林，淡藍色的天空間，兩朵白雲擁吻著〉

訂了很奇怪的班機時間，前晚八點多就準備就寢，雖然還是拖到了九點多才真的入眠。凌晨兩點半鬧鐘響時，有些吃力的起床刷牙洗臉，背上行李走到對街去搭前往Stansted機場的National Exrpress客運。

凌晨三點十分，Finchley Rd.公車站牌前站了三、四個等候夜間公車的人，地鐵站靜悄悄的，只有出口前的藍紅燈光照著夜深時刻的街道。這是我初次體會到倫敦夜生活的繁忙，夜半時分，往機場的巴士仍維持每二十分鐘一班，一上車近乎半滿的乘客，睡眼惺忪、或躺或倚靠在窗邊等著車子承載新的旅客上路。

 
〈凌晨三點的Finchley Road〉

Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi

Walking in a city full of stories means you are very likely to bump into tourist places unexpectedly although I didn’t always know the tales behind them. I was very lucky to have a free guided tour by one of the Trustee members of Khoo Kongsi, which is one of the grandest clan temples in Malaysia.

 
Located at Cannon Square.

Khoo clan temple. There are three shrines in the building.

I still remember my first visit to Malaysia two and half years ago. I stayed there for three nights before I went on my first journey to the UK. It was already ten o’clock in the night when I arrived in central Kuala Lumpur. The hostel I booked should be two blocks away from the metro station but a local showed me a completely wrong direction. I walked around the nearby area alone, desperately wanting to know where I was. I once stepped into a very dark alley way and went passed a crowd of men whose night just began. I was terrified because I never travelled by myself and running into trouble the first night seemed to prove that my mom was right to try to stop me before we said good bye. Finally I located my position on the map and managed to find where I was and luckily a very friendly security guy in a bank read my map carefully and consulted two of his colleagues before showing me directions.  

Tip 1: For your information, they all agreed that the printed google map was confusing and not easy to read even for locals who know that area so well. 

During the stay, part of my money was stolen (I suspect it was the Indian guy who cleaned the hostel) and a girl from China told me how she lost her handbag in a shop owned by a dishonest Indian. I never like Kuala Lumpur and the Indians there. The first Indian I talked with was a taxi driver. He told me the bus services were not available when I finished visiting Batu Caves (sacred place for the Hindus) and was waiting for a bus on the main road. I guessed he was lying but couldn’t help worrying if he was right. It was a great relief when the bus showed up in ten minutes. I knew he needed to feed his family but I already said ‘No’ to his offer, he shouldn’t lie to me. For a period of time, I thought I will never ever come back to Malaysia again.  

It is true, ‘Never say never.’ When I told Yensu I looked for somewhere to visit on my way back from New Zealand, she strongly recommended Penang, so there I was in Malaysia, again. In Yensu’s memory, Penang represented friendliness, tasty food and nostalgic atmosphere. I agree with her, but in my version, hot weather should be on the list as well even in early May. 

I arrived in KL before dawn and was waiting for the flight bound for Penang after midday. A classic tropical heavy thunder rain hit the airport. I saw flashes of lightning splitting the sky ahead with sudden brightness and noises. The flight delayed for a while but not long enough to apply for compensation. I didn’t feel alright during the flight as if something were running inside my tummy. Not until we landed in Penang did I go to the toilet. Although it happened as I expected, I was so disappointed when my menstrual cycle officially said hello to me.

  
If one of you sees this picture, please send me your work, thank you!

I’ve been thinking about how to present my two-day stay in Christchurch (CHCH) for a while. For some unknown reason, I found it hard to write down the first paragraph (well the saying goes, ‘all things are difficult before they are easy’) I have got all the events (though not a lot) during the journey in my head, but just can’t put them right. Earlier this evening, I was walking in the park and it seemed to happen all of a sudden---five smiley New Zealanders came into my head. They represented my very first unforgettable encounter with the locals.

They came up to me when I was sitting on a bench in Botanic Gardens next to temporarily closed Canterbury Museum. Frankly, I didn’t do any research in advance so I accepted the fact that I ended up wandering around, looking for somewhere (free and intact) to rest. At that time, I saw the Museum on the map. According to my newest version of Lonely Planet, the Museum still opened to public. Therefore, you can imagine how depressed I was when I walked for nearly twenty minutes in the rain (drizzle with proper rain at intervals, very English style!) from one far end of the map to the other and found out it was closed for further technical evaluation! I stood at the front door of Botanic Gardens, not fancying having a look though it seemed that was the only option, at least I could find shelter if I was lucky.

Canterbury Museum. Many tourists went here and found out it's closed. (Sadly, I was one of them)

What do people do with their one-week holiday abroad? I bet you’ll never hear itineraries like mine with six flights in a week. I mean I was not on business trip at all, although it seemed like it in some way.

The main purpose was to get my New Zealand (NZ) working holiday visa valid for another one year because it will soon expire in June. My resignation at work was rejected earlier this year, delaying my trip, so the only way to keep my visa alive is to fly into NZ to extend it. As soon as I realized this, I first moved my original one-way flight to Christchurch (CHCH) from February to May. I knew it would be too cold and really expensive (for me) to travel around in South Island in autumn. Thus I turned to Penang, Malaysia, since I would be in transit in Kuala Lumpur.  

So, I planned it as the diagram shows below and soon found out the chance of having fun is not higher than winning the lottery.

Frankly, I was counting flights the whole trip. The flights in and out of CHCH were all night flights, which meant I had to spend two nights in the aircraft. I know night flights sound like a tempting deal considering minimizing cost, but the truth is now I’d rather spend money instead of sleeping with hundreds of passengers, not to mention sleeping in the airport the last night. Anyway, it is too late to complain really (Ha!).

In summary, the whole trip was a nightmare but a lot of fun too. I don’t think I’ll ever have the same experience again. Just as the elders like to encourage the youngsters by saying, ‘Nothing is a waste of time”, (even though we all know it isn't quite true all the time) surprisingly, it helps a lot in consolidating my plans for the following years.

睡到自然醒的代價是痠痛的肩膀與迷濛間赫然發現自己在十小時間從床靠牆的那一頭轉到放置四層櫃的另一側來，睜眼定睛一看，昨晚的睡前書《飢餓遊戲：自由幻夢》封面上展翅的白鳥正脫離鐵刺網，往藍綠色的天空飛去，窗外一層樓下的街道上，兩名男子彷彿當著我的面大聲嚷嚷著，深藍色的直立簾盡責的擋住室外天光，而在後頭兩扇窗戶則完全愧對於它們上面貼著的“氣密窗”這三個字。

翻過身面向牆，春分後的冷氣團傳來微微涼意，下意識的把被子緊緊圈住脖子，閉上眼讓混沌的大腦繼續處於休眠狀態，卻開始隱隱約約感受到膀胱傳來的壓迫感，那氣勢比街上的人聲更來勢洶洶，意識緩緩的回到現實來，但仍無助於對我的脊椎下指令，使它們一路從頸椎活絡到腰椎。又再翻了一次身，只是我能翻到哪裡去呢？書面的白鳥仍是振翅飛著，左下角幾根猙獰的鐵絲。

昨晚我讀到哪兒了？想起來在同日的午夜一點，我是多麼渴切的想把書一氣呵成的讀完，及最後卻又如何不得不向沉重的眼皮屈服。那隻鳥的長喙輕戳著我的腦袋，我想坐起來、想拉開窗簾、想探究這隻鳥最後將飛往何處，但我只是躺著，帶著將醒為醒、糾結著的意識和越來越難忽視的尿意。

我拿起放在四層櫃上的手機，開機、輸入密碼，上午十點五十分整，這終於強迫我再把眼睛張大點及至少抬起頭懊惱了一下，這時肩膀的痠痛也越發明顯。在十點五十五時，我用手機放了首歌，用一首歌的前半段譴責自己睡了十小時、浪費了大半個早晨，後半段想著怎麼打發接下來一個人的一天。

早餐〈嚴格來說是午餐〉：兩片果醬吐司、一杯抹茶燕麥飲加一匙牧草粉、一顆蓮霧

Giant's Causeway─巨人堤道，位於北愛爾蘭北端海岸線，是愛爾蘭內唯一被聯合國教科文組織列為世界遺產的景點。我參加了當地的tour，線上訂只要19鎊，這意外造成另一件好笑的事情。

前一天剛從Liverpool飛到Belfast，時間還早，我上市中心晃晃，突然看到遊客中心就想說進去看一看，正要離開時卻在門口被一位華裔的先生攔了下來，他是另一家旅行社的業務，劈頭就問我要不要參加Giant's Causeway Tour，我說我已經跟別家訂明天要出發，老兄開始叫我支持他一下啦，他這兩天都沒有業績！
我說我是線上訂的，錢老早就付了。
當地有經營tour的就那幾家旅行社，他立刻猜中我買的是哪一家的行程，他說我可以要求對方退費。
我臉都囧了。

不意外的，一早起來窗外是溼答答的天氣，雨總是下了又停、停了又再下，早上吃了hostel附贈的早餐，是的，雖然衛浴簡陋、環境及部分房客不甚衛生，但10歐還附贈早餐，真的不要再嫌了！〈←自言自語中〉

早上同寢的澳洲小夥子還另外做了一件讓我震驚的事。大家都知道阿多仔習慣早上洗澡，所以昨晚當他從酒吧大喝特喝後回到旅館倒頭就睡我一點也不意外，但今天早上我親眼看著他從背包裡拿出幾件皺成一團的襯衫與一雙腳底早已烏漆媽黑的襪子，最後挑了一件攤在床上，然後再從小叮噹百寶袋般的背包掏出體香劑，接著火力全開對著衣服及襪子徹底的大噴三回合，結束後就拿著衣服去洗澡了......我合理的懷疑他都是用體香劑來洗衣服。洗完澡後，再把腳套近又黑又髒得不像話的襪子裡，開心的對我說：Time to exploide Galway.

我笑笑的說Have fun，心裡想的是這個全身都穿著體香劑的小夥子要去炸了這個城市啦！

雨停後，我和Shirley上街晃晃，陪她到Eyre Square週邊買紀念品，Dunnes是愛爾蘭的連鎖店，很像生活工場、無印良品那類型，會賣些生活用品及衣服等，但價格上卻相當平民，尤其是特價時。大家都知道我不逛街的，所以當Shirley問我英國的Primark〈我想是英國版同性質的店〉會不會比較便宜時，我當下怎麼也無法回憶起在Manchester跟小拍隨意走過這家店時的任一個場景。當然啦，在看到Dunnes小手提包一個才1歐元時，也實在是沒什麼好比價的了，在Shirley大掃特掃花車時，我也用這個機會買了一件外套〈喔~才5歐〉跟牛仔褲〈才9歐~〉，兩件都是最小尺碼，在這裡買衣服實在太有成就感了啦！〈灑花轉圈圈~〉不過褲管很長就是...

下午Shirley整理行李準備搭車回Dublin，然後轉接明天一早往Manchester的班機，道別後突然很感傷。她曾大推我去Galway Catherdral看看，所以在回復到孑然一身後，我又拿起相機出門，往小運河的方向去。