台灣不是背包客的家?

第一次自助是幾年前到泰柬一個月，主要是在泰國，去柬埔寨幾天看吳哥窟。當時我真的超訝異，不管多小的小鎮，一下大巴士或一出火車站，就有tuk tuk上來拉生意，他們一般還會直接拉你到guesthouse看看，滿意即可入住。

這次來中南美洲，目前已走過墨西哥，瓜地馬拉，宏都拉斯及尼加拉瓜，在這幾國都有很多因應自助旅客產生的行程及交通方式，好像這些國家除了背包客以外沒什麼其他團隊來旅遊，只有在墨西哥和堤卡爾還偶見旅行團。

很多時候會有種錯覺，好像整個小鎮的活動都是在滿足這些背包客的需求，不管語言通不通，小販都能和你做生意。清邁是令我印象最深的地方，我當時在想，這地方如果少掉旅客，活動人口數應該會少七成吧。所以有一種生活在背包客文化中，而不是生活在當地文化裡的感覺。

Lonely Planet剛發表 2012十個最佳旅遊國家，台灣也入選了，是否能為我們帶來更多旅客還有待觀察，但是平心而論以背包客的觀點來看，台灣便宜的住宿點太少了，我發現多數背包客即使是情侶一起旅行，很多也會選擇住dorm 形式的房間，而不會選擇住雙人房。

背包客倒很捨得花錢在tour上，晚上也都會跟旅館買酒來喝，而且通常不會只買一瓶，加上又買個早餐等等，很多人花在吃喝上面的錢都比一了張床位貴了，也許我們的b&b稍微改變一下經營方式，能吸引更多的背包客來台灣。

背包客比較喜歡的行程，就是一般所謂的 adventure travel，比如泛舟、溯溪、高空彈跳、獨木舟、登山(當然得加上一些特點，比如洗天然溫泉或看農戶揉茶)等，位於地震帶，擁有很多山和溪流的台灣應該很容易發展這些活動，更別說台台灣還是個海島;更重要的是，外國旅客一般很喜歡到原住民部落，而台灣也有很多特色部落活動，如果可以好好發展，也有助提昇當地就業機會。

最後，我遇到的人凡到過台灣的，沒有不想念台灣美食的，我衡量一個地方的食物，除了多樣性外，還有價格帶，各路菜色及各國料理，貴的便宜的都能找到好吃的，這是我最愛的一點，讓我們用食物征服世界吧!

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賈伯斯與我(二)

賈伯斯教大家要追求自已真心喜歡的事物，不要被別人或社會主流意識所影響，也許大多數人的困擾是，根本不知道自己喜歡什麼。

國中時有兩件事令我印象深刻。

有一回老師趁週會大家在操場集會時檢查大家的書包，全班只有一個人被搜到違禁品，我的書包裡有一本剌鳥，所以我就被罰站在教室外面一堂課，這個畫面之所以詭異是因為，我向來成績很好，路過的學生可能非常不解，像我這種;好學生怎麼會被罰站。

又一回，老師說要票選最常看電視的同學，當時很多人在家不准看電視，常來問我前一晚瓊瑤連續劇劇情，我當然獲得壓倒性的勝利高票當選，老師請我上台，說要頒獎給我，獎品是橡皮擦一塊，老師說希望這位同學把她的壞習慣擦乾淨。我不記得當時怎麼走上台，怎麼領得獎，怎麼走下台走回我的座位，但即使此刻已三十好幾的我，還想不出這輩子有什麼事比這件事在當時帶給我更大的羞辱感。

開玩笑地說，如果我是天材，也已經被這種教育制度所埋沒；我的天份不僅沒被啟發，還被壓抑。如果連我這種聰明人都在這種制度裡受委屈，那一般成績比較普通的學生，又如何能發展他們課本外的天份，當父母的就得自求多福，自己想辦法去挖掘小孩的興趣和長才。

有一次前老闆金先生問我們幾個主管，覺得leader是nature or nurture，我的答案是nature，和他不一樣，但我沒有跟他解釋，為何我覺得是nature，因為我們的教育根本就就很難養成leader，有這個nature 的人才會去nurture他自己成為一個領導著，但如果你不夠暸解自己，又如何知道該怎麼nurture你自己。

有時提到美國，大家聯想到的是一個成立不過兩三百年，沒有什麼文化的國家，然而這個國家卻能孕育出創造臉書, Google, Apple, Yahoo!這些具有世界級影響力的產品的人材，更別提像Lady Gaga這種指標性的人物了。

每個台灣人都以王建民、曾雅妮為傲，但是他們那種漫長而辛苦的訓練，走得是一條相對寂寞的路，有多少父母能支持小孩這樣的天賦。

話說回來，我們絕大多數的人都不會成為賈伯斯那麼有影響力的人，甚至也不會是leader，我們只是希望過一個比較有意思的人生，認識自己，找到生活中、工作上讓你覺得有熱忱的事。

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Volcano boarding at Leon Nicaragua

Introduction for the first team sliding down.


Safe landing.


Landing with one roll.


Sliding at 10KM per hour, very very slow

more pictures pls check20111127_volcano boarding at Leon Nicaragua

On the way up to the hill, all rocks!!


Get dressed and protected.


That is where we are going down.


See all the dust and mud coming up all the way down.


Some people may fall during the course.


so much rocks on the board when finishing the sliding


Look at the rocks in my shoes after sliding down.

The girl rolled five times when landing


This activity is ranked the 2nd most dangerous things must do before you die ranked by CNN, so I think I must do it though a friend who did it earlier got injury (please refer to the picture).

Later on, with more and more bad stories learned, you can imagine I went there with fear.   A girl who got scratch her entire leg cried all night, too painful to sleep, things like this are told among backpackers.

It is a bit tiring to move up to the hill, as you will need to carry your board, a cloth for protection and your personal belongings.  So I just brought a camera with me.  Comparison with other people, I am so tiny, but I needed to carry the same heavy board and cloth as them do.   Luckily, a cute French guy offered to carry my board for me when he saw me so struggling on the way up.

The road up to the hill is not too long but it is all rocks.  On top of that is the burning heat and weight of the facilities, it is a bit tiring, but it actually didn't take too long.

When we reached the hill, looking down where we gonna slide down,  I thought it is really scary.  But, as soon as you start sliding, you would realize, it is just not as fast as you think it would be.  The guide told us, if you want to go fast, you just lift your heels a little bit, if you want it slow, you straighten your feet and continuously tap the road all the way down.

When I thought, well, it is not so fast and not scary after sliding, I lowered down the frequency of tapping, but as all the mud came up, I felt losing of visibility, and then, I tapped faster again.  It turned out my speed is only 31 km per hour at the point when I reached the end.  I think I can do it much fast if I would have another shot in my life, as it is really up to you how fast you want it to be.

The highest of today is 75 km by a girl from German, the lowest is 10 km, and by a man, surprisingly.  I saw him tapping very very fast and we waited so long for him to finish his entire journey.  The hostel has a ranking of the speed, top five of both men and women are around 85-87 km.   Although I so regret not doing it faster, but a lot of girls did it at 20.

To conclude, it is actually not that dangerous.  The girl run fast today completed it intact.  I think people who would get some scratch only if, they got panic and lose stability, or they want to break the record so they lift their feet, but when they almost reach the end, their can't hold their heels up, then you will fall, or roll.  The girl in the picture rolled five times.

After the sliding, you will get all dirty, from head to feet, you will need to wash your entire body insider out two three times, as all rocks will get inside your cloth, even bra, and your ears too.

I stayed at Bigfoot Hostel in Leon, the other hot hostel is Via Via, just on the opposite side of Bigfoot.  6 USD pet bed in dorm.  I picked Bigfoot as it let you use the kitchen.  I joined the tour hosted by the hostel and it seems that people staying in other places also come here for this tour.  Maximum for the tour is 24 people today, and sometimes it will be fully booked.  My friend registered a tour with a charity, but it turned out being cancelled as too few people joined the tour.  There was only one group today, so for this activity, just come to Bigfoot.

The tour is 23 USD, and you will pay 5 USD admission additionally.  Tour cost includes transportation, guide, beer ( on the way back to town) and two mojitos ( in the hostel).  Believe me, when you get this done, you will really need some alcohol to cool down your excitement.

Please check
Thrill seeker's bucket list: 50 experiences to try before you die

西嶽

長空棧道is number 4

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中國工作一年後的一點點感想

很多人都聽我講過一句話，再好的工作都不值得為它而和心愛的人分開。認識我比較久的人大概不會訝異我會講這种何不食肉糜的話，因為現在很多台灣人都被派去中國長駐，但我真心地這麼覺得，而這個想法在我去中國工作一年後有了更多的反省。

我有很多朋友在中國工作，絕大多數是拿了MBA後去的。因為中國黑心食品層出不窮，基本上他們只會去一定層次以上的餐廳消費，也會特別交待阿姨生鮮肉品只能到一定水準以上的超市購買，他們很難想像我會三天兩頭地跑去沙縣小吃或麻辣燙吃飯，更別提我最愛的烤串了。

有小孩的，沒小孩的，都在想怎樣能賺更多錢，讓小孩可以上國際學校，因為沒辨法想像讓自己的小孩和那些薪水只有人民幣五千元的中國人小孩一起上課，所以他們壓力很大，永遠覺得錢賺得太少，太慢。

雖然我能理解朋友的想法，但我也很想問，如果住在台灣，你會覺得巷口陽春面太髒而不敢吃嗎？你會覺得小孩一定得念國際學校嗎？

在中國這個社會，嫌貧的現象特別明顯，這以後可以再談，嫌貧不是我要談的重點。我的感觸純粹是，為了要有更好的薪水，更好的發展，更好的未來，把自己，甚至家人，小孩放在一個百分之八十以上的餐廳你都不敢去吃的國家，這是你要的生活嗎？讓你的小孩在有佣人可以使喚的環境長大，進國際學校，從小就把自己和這個社會絕大多數普通百姓畫一道楚河漢界，是你想要的教育方式嗎？

當然你可以鞭策自己，努力地往上爬，凡用餐只上高級餐館，但那不是生活，真正的生活是在每天平凡而重覆的活動中。如果所謂的更好的未來是犧牲掉一個人現在最基本的，自由吃三餐或受公民教育的權利，值得嗎？更諷刺的是，當初你以為更大的市場，更多的發展可能性，換來的卻是更少的生活空間，更窄的人生選項。

也許我的感觸說到了許多在中國工作的人的困境，但我想問的是,什麼才是最重要的??

"現在"才是最重要的，現在你所做的工作，現在在你身邊的人，現在你所過的生活，那才是真正的你。

喜歡這篇文章嗎?

想知道更多我的故事嗎? 到「漫話‧嬉遊‧記」的臉書粉絲團來幫我打氣吧~~

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賈伯斯與我(一)

有一次我的小朋友小艾問我，大家都說穿著Prada的惡魔很好看，它到底要表達些什麼。我跟她說，看過臥虎藏龍嗎？記得楊紫瓊抱著將死的周潤發跟章子怡說，永遠要真誠地對待妳自己。

又有一次，另一個小朋友小史問我，艋舺很好看，但她不確定導演想傳達的是什麼。我問她，記得片尾有提到，艋舺在某某族古語的意思是小船，看到這個我即聯想到片中讓我印象最深刻的一句話，鈕承澤說的:年輕的時侯以為自己是風，後來才發現自己是草，風往哪邊吹，草就往哪邊倒。(以上純為個人偏見，畢竟每個人都選擇自己想聽的去延伸。)

我跟小史說，知道為什麼我對這句話特別有感覺嗎？因為到現在我還覺得自己是風。(所以我還很年輕囉？lol)

我出發的那天早上，整個臉書被Steve Job給洗版，他在史丹佛大學的演講詞不斷被轉載、傳頌。那一年我看到這演講時，心裡還想說，其實我的人生觀、工作觀和他非常的像，只是一代偉人講的話，會得到千百萬個讚，像我這種平凡人講得話，就會被冠上工作狂，或太理想化化的標籤。

再說，一個女人如果過三十還單身，就會被認為有問題。
如果她長得還可以，身材也不差卻還單身，那就會被認為大有問題。
如果她以上皆是又剛好位居公司高層，那根本就是不折不扣的女魔頭。

有一個朋友好奇地問完我的愛情觀後跟我說，我知道你最大的問題是什麼了，就是你還相信愛情!我跟她說，我相信的事情可多了。就像我相信主管和部屬一定可以做好朋友，相信你真心想做的事，努力一定可以做到，更重要的事，我相信我相信的事真實存在或一定會發生。相信又不花錢、不花體力、不花腦袋。相信可以給你力量，給你勇氣，

如果可以活在相信裡，為什麼要活在不相信裡。

在一場座談會聽到魏德聖導演對浪漫的詮釋，和我們一般以為的不太一樣，他說多半男人天性是浪漫的，但男人的浪漫是他背後很多女人務實的支持(電影也有提到)，當時我好想跟導演說，您也一樣是有您夫人的支持呀，哈哈。

我一直覺得自己是很務實的人，做什麼事都會先想好計畫，甚至連plan B也會先想好，但如果按導演的詮釋，那我應該也算是浪漫的無可救藥的人，更糟的是，我還挺喜歡這樣的自己。

保留一點浪漫的情懷，如果你是風，就盡量地飛，如果你是草，就享受每天灑在你身上的的太陽和露珠。

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Advance PADI diving course in Utila Honduras

The girl in bikini is also a dive instructor. Her skin is really pretty.

Very yummy grilled snapper.

The girl in the restaurant, her eyelashes are really long.

Honduras is considered the cheapest place for diving in the world.  Adjacent to Belize, they share the world number two reef, only next to Australia reef.

Utila is a small island in the north coast.  You can take a ferry from Le Ceiba to reach Utila, or you can fly in. The ferry is not cheap...it costed me 25 USD for one way.

You can imagine there would be many diving centers in Utila, so severe competition.  They usually will not charge you what you see on the price board, do negotiate. They all provide packages which include three night free accommodation, for PADI open water or advance license courses; I registered with Parrots Dive Center.  The official price for advance course is 279 USD, but they charge me only 250.

I actually don't know how to swim, so tend to be nervous in the water. The instructors are very nice and patient, always let me take time to stabilize myself during training. I found the advance is actually easier than open water, as it just highlights some skills under certain circumstances. So all we do is just diving and diving, learn from practice.

Unlike open water license, no tests required for advance license, so no worry to memorize the details in the manual.

For advance license, you need to do five dives, deep dive and dive  navigation are mandatory, and you can choose the rest three from wreck dive, fish identification, night dive, etc.  All dive centers offer two free fun dives after the courses, so total seven dives for 250 USD.  Most importantly, all seven dives are boat dives.

The first day, we did wreck dive and dive navigation.  It is a 40 meter long wreck laid 30 meter deep in the sea. The wreck has became a "hotel" for the underwater species.  The entire wreck is covered with seaweed and even reef.

As you can go deeper with advance license, so you get to see things usually can't be seen in more shallow wster, wrecks is one good example and also many big sea species.  We first moved along the wreck, then we penetrated the wreck from different angles.

In the two days courses, I saw hundreds of sea snakes swinging,  a very big sea turtle and numerous fishes and also played with jelly fishes.  My instructor killed a lion fish and fed it to a snake-shaped big fish. I witnessed the fish slowly swallowed the lion fish.... Lion fish is considered pesticide for other sea spices, so you can kill it. Night dive is another good experience, thousand of small fishes clustered to my flash light.  When we all turned off the flash lights, they became like fireflies all over us. Really spectacular.

Every restaurant here has a poster regarding what fish can be ate , or what can be ate with special condition and what can't be.  I love sea food do much and it is cheap here.

I like diving because under the sea, you feel like you are roaming on the moon, you don't feel anything but your breathing.When I first did diving last year, I thought it is a very good activity for people who work too hard, and want to feel stressless.  Hope I can continue to explore more under the sea.

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明天來去潛水囉!

去年在綠島拿到PADI潛水執照。其實我不太會遊泳，甚至可以說有點怕水，水一到我心臟位置，就感覺呼吸困難，連洗溫泉也洗不了多久。上課第一天在岸邊練習，因為要克服自己怕水的心理障礙，別人練一兩次就OK的動作，我都得練上四五回，簡直要把老師惹毛了。沒想到現在居然還要去挑戰Advance的執照，但宏都拉斯被譽為全世界潛水最便宜的地方，也一直在全世界最佳潛水景點榜上有名，我怎能錯過這個機會。

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Day 43: Copan ruin in Honduras

The ruin in Copan Honduras, recognized as world heritage in 1980, is just around the Guatemala border.  The ruin is considered the best of Maya art due to the uniqueness and complicity of its countless sculptures. 

Copan ruin is the only ruin that presents traces of Mayan female king, and it also attracts more archaeologists' attention and researches than other Maya ruins do.  As such, it became the most widely understood ruin in Maya world.

I once read a bloger´s comment on Copan: if Tikal Guatemala is New York of the ancient Maya world, then Copan is just like Paris at its time.

The ruin is just ten to fifteen minutes walking distance away from Copan downtown.  Ticket is 15 USD.

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Day 42: From Antigua Guatemala to Copan Honduras

I was supposed to move from Antigua directly to Le Ceiba in one day and it will be Antigua to Copan in shuttle and Copan to Le Ceiba on a bus.  But when I arrived Antigua, they told me the shuttle next morning 5 AM already full. So I took the shuttle to Copan at 2 PM instead, 125 Quetzales.  Now that I needed to spend one night in Copan, I decided to visit the ruins the next morning. 

The Hedman bus from Copan to Le Ceiba took off 2 PM, cost me 653 Lempiras, around 33 USD.  When I consulted the travel agency in Antigua, they all told me it is USD 44.  So, do not buy bud ticket from any travel agency.  Buses can't be all full.

For people who travel from Panajachel to Le Ceiba, I think a  more easy way is to travel from Pana to Antigua in the morning ( 75 Quetzales or ten USD) then take the two PM shuttle to Copan on the same day.   Stay one night in Copan, the next day to Le Ceiba.  There are also other bus companies serve this route.  I took Hedman as it is safe with your passport and bags registered in their system.

I realized that Hedman now also has bus from Antigua to Copan, but it is more expensive than the shuttle. Always check its website to check the routes and fare before you plan your trip.

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Day 42: Antigua, Guatemala

Antigua, 45km west to Guatemala City, recognized as world heritage in 1979, Antigua is the capital of entire central America in 1543, when Spain built up its colony empire here.

The majority of the old town was destroyed in a big earthquake in 1773, the remaining ancient architectures are highly valued.

This very colorful colonial town is surrounded by three volcanos. Volcano Pacaya is active and most popular in Guatemala for volcano climbing activity.

This town is full of western tourists, evidence including spa and manicures/pedicures everywhere, all travel agencies quotation in USD, etc. Thus, everything is more pricy here.

It will not take you more than two or three hours to walk around the entire town. Most people would suggest you to join a tour if you want to climb a volcano or visit a coffee plant.

Since Guatemala City is quite dangerous now, Antigua became the main traffic center, I was back here only to catch the bus to Honduras Copan.


In the traditional market:

Nov 1st is the kite festival, kites are presented and sold everywhere here
http://sophiechen1110.blogspot.com/2011/11/day-27-kite-festival-at-sacatepequez.html

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