回北京前说要如此这般，飞机六点下地七点多进酒店，外面是刺骨的负5度，两人相望，“你要吃什么？”好像没家可以够值得出门的。商量已毕，全身重冬装备，两人硒硒嗦嗦，走了15分钟，进了亮马河边的印度小厨。点了烧鸡，Masala羊，印度豆腐，当然一堆的Nan及Parota，吃得不亦乐夫。精神和吃饭前完全不同了。

第二早上睡到日头，行步走到Kempinski的面包房，咖啡，面包，汤，甜点，当然是早午饭一起就打发了。下午办完事回到酒店后两人都累了，也没有太多与北京冬天奋战的心情。就下楼到酒店的西餐厅，打五折，不贵。做的挺好，服务也行。是个补充精神的一顿。

一夜无事，起来后中午有个茶宴，朋友问起，“回北京后吃了什么了？”我们厄然以对，头三餐居然没一顿中国菜。于是乎晚上大伙齐集日檀边的宏源涮肉，满桌的菌菜牛羊，一打烧饼，大大过瘾一番。回家一秤，重了4斤。

又个老北京朋友来电要请客，指定我选餐厅。想想说“川办”，居然北京还有我说得出的餐厅他们没吃过的？带了个孩子来，把菜单的都点完了。孩子一面吃一面叫好，一群人吃到撑，还带走了一大口袋。我们又聊到五点才散，回到酒店倒下就睡，八点才起来去鹿港小镇随便吃，加了个冰山。

过了两天，她说,“我们总要吃次鼎泰丰吧。”两人一车到东直门店，当然点了特色小笼，还有素饺，蟹粉小笼，蛋炒饭，芝麻包。这餐厅不是要不要来吃的问题，而是要吃几次的问题。

离京前的最后一餐，定了苏浙汇。目的是鲥鱼，其他菜也美味可口，干拌面尤其爽口。

上了飞机，她说，“你居然没吃烤鸭。” 奇怪，想都没想呢。

The best things to do in Hong Kong are shopping and eating, no fun without a company. When I learned that I would have a weekend free, we arranged to stay with an old friend and she was a great host and tour guide.

Tai Ping Shan (太平山）, overlooking downtown, is prime residential area. Rent average is about 5 to 10 times higher than ShangHai or ShenZhen. The city built a long and winding escalator chain (中環扶梯) cascading to about mid-level, along side the old punishing stairs. The escalators are all one-way. They go downhill before 10am and switch to uphill for the rest of the day. There are hundreds of bars and western restaurants along this winding path: pubs, Spanish, Mexican, burger joints, etc. I could breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drink here for a whole month without getting bored.

IFC (International Finance Center) is really a huge mall. In addition to the normal variety of stores, there are also several nice restaurants. Shoppers do not come to Hong Kong for bargains anymore. Instead, this island offers probably the store and selection density. Within a city block, it has unbelievable number of stores selling unbelievable number of goods. All accepting your credit cards with impeccable smiles. It is pleasant to shop here, just wear comfortable shoes and also bring a porter to carry the bags.

Ice House Street (雪廠街) has several historical gems. There are four street lamps, still burning gas, at the corner of a lovely flight of stairs. Half way up is a Starbucks (yes, sorry) in a historical Ice House (冰室 Bing Sutt). Old pictures and posters on the wall give this chain store some unique personalities. The coffee, of course, tasted exactly the same.

Our host brought us to an authentic tea restaurant (茶餐厅): neighborhood diners that serve comfort foods. These pragmatic establishments focus on speed and high-quality ingredients, instead of decor or services. They fill a gap in Hong Kong’s over-populated life; no one has a decent kitchen or time to cook. These tea restaurants feed Hong Kong, cheaply and quickly. The menu reflects Hong Kong’s melting pot culture. We saw spaghetti in Chinese broth. Noodles with sides of sunny-side up eggs and toasts.

In the morning, we bid farewell to the friend and boarded the ferry back to ShenZhen. I am probably 5 pounds heavier from all those decadent indulgences. No regrets. So nice to have an old friend in Hong Kong.

I have been tempted by Kindle since its debut — I read reasonably avidly: books, magazines, and newspapers; I am comfortable with gadgets; I have enough discretionary income; I travel frequently; and I don’t shelf read books (they go into a box in the garage).

Paper touch and ink smell do not particularly appeal to me. But I like doodling on the margin or title page. I was always delighted to re-acquaint thoughts and feeling that were so intimate long time ago.

Recently I re-read a book bought more than 20 years ago. As I finished it, I wondered if any of the eBook format or reader would survive even five. What’s going to happen to my collection when the format changed or the reader broke? Do I care? Really?

I read a fair amount of Chinese books, in both simplified and traditional Chinese. Are they available? I keep several classic around and re-read them all the time. Those are books published several thousand years ago. Would I find them on catalogs? Would I need to pay for them?

On my recent trip, I saw a fellow traveler buried in her Kindle and another in a hardcover The Lost Symbol. I was tempted to strike up a conversation with the book reader (but did not). So the paper version is more a social tool. I am sure the Kindler has been so annoyed by the same line, “So, how do you like the this gadget?” Or other usability inquiries.

My nightstand has my reading list and the queue size is four now. I wouldn’t consider any eReader until I have cleared my paper inventory. In the mean time, I will wait for the price war between Amazon, B&N, and Sony.

The trip to ShenZhen can be non-intuitive and a bit unnatural even for seasoned travelers. The spirit is to treat the ferry as an international connection that you will purchase the ticket after you have arrived Hong Kong airport. You don’t cross Hong Kong custom at all and need to have faith on the efficiency of Hong Kong workers that will magically handle your luggage with very short notices.

1. Whichever airline, you first manage to arrive at Hong Kong International Airport. The arrival time should be before 8pm. I took the UA flight from SFO, Cathay Pacific seems popular.
2. As you get off the airplane, search for the sign “Ferries to Mainland/Macau,” do not claim your luggage, do not enter Hong Kong.
   
3. The sign should guide you to the E1 transfer area eventually. Proceed to the ferry ticket counter, with your passport and luggage claim ticket, and buy the ferry ticket to ShenZhen’s SheKou (蛇口) pier. Try to give yourself about an hour before the ferry departure time. The ferry runs about once per hour and the last one is at 9pm. The clerk will take your luggage claim tickets, scan them, and give you back the new claim tickets, with the ferry ticket. The fare is HKD220 per person.
   
4. With the ferry ticket and your passport in hand, go to the E1 transfer security check and “depart” Hong Kong. After passing the security and climbed the escalator, you should see an elevator on your right. Take the elevator to the L4 level.
   
5. At L4 level, find gate 511. About 25 minutes before the ferry departure time, they will board you onto a shuttle bus. It takes about 5 minutes to the pier.
6. The ride is about 30 minutes and you arrive the SheKou pier, on the ShenZhen side. Get off the ferry and wait for them to unload all the luggage. There is no carousel, just plain old concrete on the pier. Show your claim tickets and proceed to the China custom. Remember to fill out the entry form.
7. You exit the ferry terminal just like an airport. Your ride should be there. Otherwise, there are plenty of taxies. Welcome to ShenZhen, China.

The return pretty much run the tape in reverse, except for several points to pay a bit attention to. At the Ferry Terminal, some airlines take your luggage directly. You will see them at the end of the journey. For others, like United, the ferry handles only their segment. You will need to claim you luggage at the other end and re-check in at the counter. Either way, you present the ticket and passport to the China border control, go upstair to pass security and get your passport stamped, lastly, arrive at the pier to borad the 30-minute ride.

Arriving Hong Kong, those lucky ones go direclty to the security gates. The rest of us waited for our luggage (you can see the crane taking the luggage pods off the boat one by one). Drag you luggage pretty much go directly to the other side of the room to the airline counters. Check in, get your boarding pass, proceed to security.

When exit the security, stop by to receive your Hong Kong Airport tax refund. Since we never entered Hong Kong, the services were refunded to us. HK$120 in the pocket. I had the implus to donate them to a local cause, but none were around.

Instead of bus, I took the train of two stops. My destination was the second one: terminals 1 to 80. By the time I arrived the gate, nearly 3 hours have passed since I bought the ferry ticket. This means I would book the ferry that is at least 3.5 hours before the flight’s departure time.

I decided that I like Canada, probably because I always visited in the summer. The sceneries are beautiful and people friendly. English works and stores accept US dollars. Where else can you find wild blossoms with glaciers as backdrop?

People are surprised that I visited Banff in August. If those slopes are meant for skiing, they would rate nothing less than double black diamonds: way out of my league. One of the local waitresses said she never went “up there” except for skiing.

The lakes are breath-taking, glaciers stunning, and hiking trails very satisfying. This is heaven for landscape and wild-life photographers. I can imagine its winter to be even more beautiful. The temperature, however, can go as low as -50°C, indoor.

Click on any picture to see the whole set. (This photo, and some others, are taken by my daughters.)

Day 1, Aug 20th	Arrived Calgary. Rented car and headed west. Instead of rushing to Lake Louise, where we will stay, we Turned into Hwy 1A after the town of Banff for a more scenic route. We had several short stops and took a short hike at Johnston Station; it was like an appetizer for the ensuing 3 days feast. I was stunned when I walked into the hotel room. The window framed the view that stopped all other thoughts and activities. Kids produced their cameras and started clicking. When we realized that there are still daylight to catch, we threw down the bags and ran to the lake side. Days end around 8:30pm here.
Day 2	Started the Plain of Six Glaciers hike around 9am. It was a strenuous hike to reach the teahouse at the top. After a simple lunch, we continued to the lookout point: another more strenuous 1.3km hike. The surreal closeness of the glaciers was worth the work. Hiking back drained all our energy and cold beers was soooo good at the hotel’s Lakeview Lounge.
Day 3	Woke up early and headed Jasper. An hour and half later, we stopped at Columbia Icefield: a chunk of ice big enough to cover the city of Vancouver. A special huge-wheeled bus took us onto the Athbasca Glacier. It was out-of-worldly to walk on 300-meter deep ice. Remember to wear good traction shoes and bring a jacket. The glacier gust was not forgiving. Forty-five minutes of drive later, we stopped at the Athbasca Fall and turned into Hwy 93A. That led us to Mt. Edith Cavell. There an amazing Angelic Glacier, a huge, all-white, winged entity, floated in the mid-air and right in front of us. As we walked closer, we found what seemed like dirt and gravel was actually nearly 20-foot of ice lightly covered with moraine. Several ice caves were at the foot of the glacier. They lured us like honey for bees. Inside the caves was dark and cold. Droplets fell into my collar and I realized this thing was MELTING. I thought of glacier avalanches “Good thing that my remains will be well preserved.”
Day 4	The last stop before leaving the Lake Louise area was Moraine Lake, a preferred alternative many who wished to avoid the crowd and commercialization around Lake Louise. We hiked an easy trail to Consolation Lakes. This less traveled trail passed through woods with a torrent stream on the side. There are sections completely covered by boulders that required careful negotiation and footing. An hour later we arrived the mirror-like lake and understood their namesakes. The serenity was soothing. By mid-afternoon, we came to the town of Banff: charming with lots of shops, restaurants, and bars. I can see brisk business and rowdy crowd in the ski season.
Day 5	What to do for half a day in Calgary? Hmm… We chose Calgary Tower, Art Central, and Eau Claire Market. They are all in the City Center and within walking distance to each others. Honestly, none of them are tourist destinations but interesting enough to hang around. Many buildings in Calgary are connected with a +15 system that allow pedestrians to walk about without getting outside or crossing streets. It also effectively moved the foot-traffic related businesses, café, gallery, bakery, etc., inside. The streets of Calgary are really indoor and on the 2nd floor.

“Would you go back again?” asked one of our house guests several days later. That question seemed more real to him than “Do you recommend it to me?” I blabbed out, “Of course I would!” We probably explore less than a tenth of the park and they all seems worth lingering for hours. “Maybe Yellowstone first,” I thought. “Since I also promised to go back there.”

Road Trip 2009: Day 3

To those aboriginal Indians, God must be really mad at them. Earth trembled, thunders deafened, molten rock devoured everything and came from everywhere. There was no escape. Women, children, men, and all lives perished. The torrent river turned into steam and soared to the sky fast.

When river returned to the scorched land, it found the bed and waterfall taken over by the solidified lava, pretty much the same path carved by the water for a thousand years. Water knew that she always win at the end. Gentle yet stubborn, she started her patient task of carving the stones.

Another thousand years passed. Water has pretty much tamed lava, now smooth and rounded. She was needed elsewhere, so she left, after bidding the rocks to wait. Without sweet water, harshness ruled the land that soon turned into desert. Like fossils preserving forms of lives forever, the waterfall froze in time, waiting for water to come back.

If you are in the Death Valley area, visit Fossil Falls. Set your GPS to N35°58.625 W117°55.170, or follow the directions from Mike Brown, a CalTech geo professor.

Drive up the 395 about half an hour from that intersection around Inyokern. You pass the dammed up lake on the right and then you see the huge basalt wall on the right, and, the final clue, you see the huge red cinder cone in front of you and, just before you get to the red cinder cone, you take a right on Fossil Falls Road. Then follow the signs.

Yes, you should still visit Death Valley. Furnace Creek is probably the best place to stay. Do not stop at Panamint Springs.

Road Trip 2009: Day 4-6

Visited family. Attended a wedding in San Diego. Drove all the way back to home on the 6th day. We, of course, rested on the 7th day.

Road Trip 2009: Day 1 & 2

Hikers are optimists. The trail promises to lead to the desination. There will be strained muscles, perspiration, and cardio-vascular challenges. On the trail, there are the unpredictable: bears, deers, animals, insects, poisonous plants, or treachorous conditions. Yet there is faith: the end will be rewarding and the path will be worth it. Me? I just want to spend time with family, whatever activities.

I met a couple from Costa Rica. The husband is a photographer. They have been staying in this park for 2 weeks, looking for wild lives. He encountered 36 bears! “Sequoia is much better than Yosemite,” he said. “There is no crowd and you can still find animals.” Competitively speaking, I thought, this far-away national park faces Yosemite and Humboldt Redwood Forest. It naturally attracts those like this Costa Rican photgrapher. It is his 7th visit.

On our way out, I drove slowly down the steep winding road. There wasn’t any car behind me and my passengers were dozing off. Suddenly, I brought the car to a screeching halt.

Everyone, including Dog, was wide awake and stunned. A brown bear was sitting in the middle of the road, no more than 50 feet in front of us. The bear studied us and vanished into the hill side before I can reach for the camera. Very cool.

Gateway Restaurant and Lodge is excessively expensive, typical for a place selling its location more than anything else. If you cannot find a place inside the park, there are choices several miles from the entrance.

Road Trip 2009: prologue

Americans love their roads. You cannot blame them. On this lonely 2-lane highway, there isn’t a soul as far as eyes can see. The gently rolling landscape is vast and awesome. Sky is so clean and blue. Air-con is on. Music is soothing. You and your family are all by yourselves. Just like another family on a horse-drawn wagon, more than a hundred years ago. Yep, this is the American way: land of the free.

I made sure that we never stray too far from civilization. We need clean beds, good water pressure, and modern plumbing. We like to expeirnece, as long as there won’t be any bruises or cuts. Yes, we are city wusses.

The owner named the restaurant Cecio, a nickname for his wife, the chef. He manages the cashier and the desserts. Two sons, tall and patient, wait the tables. This small restaurant was 70% full at 9:30pm. Their private-labeled house red is good after the second glass. Rombo in Crusta di Patate (Turbot fish in potato crust) was delicious and just enough for two of us. This is, I guess, part of Rome’s charm.

Romans were largely pagans until late 4th century when Emperor Constantine converted the whole country to Chistianality; Rome was the empire then, ruling pretty much the whole Europe. I expected to see Christian arts everywhere. I did, yet much more on old mythological figures; they are actually more interesting and diverse.

I found myself thinking of the fiction Dune at Piazza di St. Pietro (St. Peter’s Square). The empire enforced church’s doctrines, spread gospels, and made sure people worship properly. The church worried about spiritual matters, ruled on doctrines, and communicated with God. Emperor Constantine was brilliant. He designed a structure suitable for world domination, as long as the powerful can resist corruption. Frank Herbert’s scheme lasted thousands of years and extended beyond galaxies — he had a God Emperor that cannot corrupt.

Why do people come to Rome? Three reasons: the ruins, the Vatican, and Audrey Hepburn. All three require extensive amount of walking and smart crowd management. Absolutely try to arrive the Colosseum and Vatican Museum 10 minutes before the opening time (9am and 8:45am). Do not miss Galleria Borghese (Borghese Museum). You must reserve tickets in advanced and it is worth the trouble.

One can linger here and get lost staring at that Gates of Hell. It turned out Rodin prototyped parts of Gates of Hell independently. The original Gates were in plaster, then casted into bronze.

If you are in the neighborhood of Stanford University, Palo Alto, stop by.