This picture was taken in April at Central Park.

Thirty years of commercialization transformed Beijing from an ancient capital to a forest of glass and steel. But the most important change is not what Beijing has built, but what it has lost. Namely, its blue sky. Its centuries-old courtyards and its cultural heritage.

At the center is the infamous CCTV (China Central Television Station) building. Nicknamed "the Giant Panties," the structure is an example of Beijing's architectural experimentalism at its worst. Its oddity defies words.

Stuck in Beijing traffic. A random thought: on the plane back, I saw an interesting headline on the Chinese newspaper my neighbor was reading: Communist Party Members Must Not Interfere With the Judicial Process. Right, that is news?

But not all experiments are disasters. Beijing's new airport is a successful blend of the modern and the traditional. Its dragon shape and large red pillars are distinctively Chinese.

On the airport shuttle train between terminals.

Recently, there seems to be a more pronounced realization that Beijing is quickly losing its identity. With the exception of the Tiananmen Square (okay, maybe the new airport too), there is almost nowhere else in the city that reminds people that they are in China.

Things Chinese are "in" again. The Ritz Carlton on financial street is a new hotel in Western Beijing that is everything Chinese. Its lounge has a neat display of calligraphy brushes.

The elevator door has a Chinese design.

Inside the elevator.

There is a renaissance of classic-styled Chinese restaurants. We went to one restaurant called Kong Yi Ji around Chaoyang Park. Near the door, a display of old pails.

The entrance

A traditional musical instrument called Gu Zheng is played during dinner.

At the left is a place where tea is prepared. There are semi-private rooms with bamboo window blinds.

Menu comes with pictures, including this roast duck, posing perfectly.

Jugs for wine.

Even the bathroom is complete with antiques.

The bathroom

Food here is of the Southern style…simply delicious.

Next, we went to a Cuban restaurant and bar. The wooden door seems to be recovered from an old house.

Having been to Cancun in December 2006, going back is easy. A holiday package is booked, and in no time Jet Blue unloads me into the signature turquoise waters of Cancun. My goal: not to get a tan.

The hotel is Marriott CasaMagna Resort, but these pictures are from the more picturesque JW Marriott next door. It is the low season and the pools are almost deserted. For four days, I did not dipping even my toes into the water.

It was full moon for two days, and the silver moonlight on the ocean was divine, though impossible to capture with a camera.

There are several restaurants on the bay side from the hotel. El Shrimp Bucket has great food. Below: virgin mango margarita. It tastes just like mango lassi in India.

This is my favorite dish: raw tuna tostada. It has a slightly sweet sauce, which mixes well with the tuna and avocado.

Shrimp taco is essentially a shrimp salad on top of tortilla

Fish taco on soft tortilla, which I like better than the crispy version.

Grilled shrimp… a disappointment.

La Destileria is a Mexican restaurant across from the Kukulcan Mall. The restaurant has a terrace overlooking the bay and yummy Mexican food.

Pad Thai from Sasi Thai restaurant at the Marriott CasaMagna. If you are used to authentic Thai food, stick to Mexican food while in Cancun.

是的，人们已经富有了，大楼已经比纽约更现代了，餐厅已经奢华至极。可生活最基本的东西 － 呼吸，却倒退至世界末尾。即使大家都汽车洋房了，看着永远灰着的天，吸着刺鼻的黄沙空气，你会幸福吗？

九寨沟至成都飞行40分钟。从机场往外望，是一片黄霰霰的雾，马路对面的标牌已经无法看清楚。其实，一个城市的污染只需较短的时间。至少我小时候，还记得自己城市的天是蓝的，云是白的。而且污染只集中在城市。开车出城两个小时，就又能看见天空了。

但据说污染治理起来比当初弄脏要难的多，需要的时间长的多。不可靠的说法，加洲污染治理用了大约十几二十年。当然，还大家一个蓝天还没有成为人们与政府的重要话题。也许，三四十年后的中国城市能够重现蓝天？

“然而夜气很清爽，真所谓“沁人心脾”，我在北京遇着这样的好空气，仿佛这是第一遭了。” － 鲁迅《社戏I》

在杭州萧山酒店附近的背山面水豪宅。房子很大，但间距挺小。据说都在千万以上。

湖里的黑白天鹅。这湖好像就叫天鹅湖。

第一次去杭州的河坊街。在这里发现了许多儿时记忆里的好东西。先看到这个传统的老中药铺子。门面两人高的墨字树在粉白墙上，跨过高高的木门槛，是阴冷冷的店堂，两边满墙的小抽屉，上面写着许多奇怪的名字。

上学时鲁迅一段描写买药的文字印象深刻。是《呐喊》自序，又找了来，却原来只有这么一段：

“我有四年多，曾经常常，——几乎是每天，出入于质铺和药店里，年纪可是忘却了，总之是药店的柜台正和我一样高，质铺的是比我高一倍，我从一倍高的柜台外送 上衣服或首饰去，在侮蔑里接了钱，再到一样高的柜台上给我久病的父亲去买药。回家之后，又须忙别的事了，因为开方的医生是最有名的，以此所用的药引也奇 特：冬天的芦根，经霜三年的甘蔗，蟋蟀要原对的，结子的平地木，……多不是容易办到的东西。”

还有老北京风味茶馆，喜欢的是里面的木屋顶，木桌子，木条凳。看起来很古老也很原汁原味，使我想起黑白老照片。这样式真的和清末相仿，不同的是，照片里的人又黑又瘦，一只脚搭在凳子上，脸上一副对摄影师疑惑的神态。

“弹棉花嘞！”这手艺真是有年头没见了。

小时候，一年几次会看到两个全身糊满白棉絮的人出现在院子里，奋力的弹一把弓一样的东西，把那积满灰尘的死棉被重新变得又白又软。

“锃－－锃－－”那声音听久了就成为噪音，也许还烦过那些占了我们跳沙包地盘的人。可现在重逢，却是两眼泪汪汪。

另，还见到卖传统香包的。怀疑的拿起闻了闻，又一扇记忆的大门被打开。闭眼沉醉了半天，然后对惊异的售货员说：“这味道我已经二十年没闻到了。”

走在河坊街，如同走在我童年记忆的小路上。一种生活离我们远去，也许它并不美丽，却依然让我们恍若隔世。

说点大事吧：美食从来是我一直期待的。这次外出吃的次数不多。先来条豆豉鱼。

西湖醋鱼

绍兴醉鱼

酸菜鱼。这次怎么全跟鱼干上了？

来个鸡吧，经典辣子鸡。

这水应当发自于岷江源头（相应的，这些山属于岷山山脉），从沟口出来后能看到其一直流到酒店，后汇合于岷江，及至嘉陵江。

这里一直以来有九个藏族村寨居住。现在有的搬迁出去，只剩下三个村寨，而且都变成旅行景点。那些藏民看起来都变成了商人，生活条件不错。不知道他们是否也会觉得失去了些什么。我试着和一个开店的奶奶聊天，但她似乎只对我是否买东西感兴趣，便放弃打扰她了。

这个水池的水，蓝的诡秘，仿佛属于另一个世界。

还是喜欢脚踏平地的仰望雪山。人可以俯瞰雪山，但永远不能俯视它们。

第一，景区内全程禁烟。除了休息点有固定的吸烟区外，所有方圆140多公里的景区全部不准吸烟。其效果是超出想像的。不但中巴车里没有烟味（上海的出租车大部分烟味熏死人，还有餐厅，酒店，邮局和其它公共场所全部烟味浓烈），走在公路边，饯道上，丛林中，充满鼻孔的是森林的香味和瀑布的水雾。当然，有规定就有人打破它。路上有闻到烟味。

第二，交通安排合理。连接各个景点的中巴车达到欧三排放标准。有些网站介绍说这些中巴是电力车，其实是错误的。它们应当是混合动力车。来九寨沟之前想像可以自己徒步行走，但九寨沟是无法“走”下来的。整个行程有80公里。我走走停停了三个多小时就累的不行（也因为是高原，身体还不适应），幸亏有这些中巴车，才得以休息调整，顺带偷懒。

第三，温柔的饯道。九寨沟是以水为胜的，群山只是衬托。九寨沟的风景又是精致的，不似长城的豪迈或戈壁的粗矿。因此，长达数千米的纯木结构饯道，蜿蜒在林木后，溪流间，成为了九寨沟特有的徒步路径。大部分时间人们行走在这饯道上，常常会碰到下图的情况：几棵树从饯道中间拔地而出。原来工人们在修建饯道的时候，没有砍掉阻挡在道路中间的小树，而是多花了许多功夫，在饯道中间做了几个洞，以保留树木。在中国，有多少人还没有这几棵树那么幸运？

第四，公路护栏：披着树皮的钢筋。可以想像如果这些护栏是涂成红白相间的颜色吗？虽然很小的细节，但其用心做事的态度仍让人感动。

第五，世界上最干净的野外卫生间。这个可爱的木屋原来是卫生间。一拉开门，就听见一声惊呼：从来没见过这么干净的野外方便之处（真实情况比照片要干净的多）。后来发现景区内其它简易卫生间没有这个干净，但整体而言，卫生程度实为罕见。

刚开始做旅行计划的时候在网上找不到喜来登的图片，所以顺带帖两张图。毕竟是在高原，不能和亚龙湾的喜来登比，休闲餐厅等设施很一般（泳池健身房都很小，桑拿另外收费，没有蒸汽房，而且大堂和餐厅暖气不足，吃早饭时那个冷啊），应该不能算是度假酒店。

幸运的是没有订天堂酒店，要不然就被仍在前不着村，后不着店的半山腰了，连个买矿泉水瓜子的小卖部都没有。一出门就得打车，到九寨沟沟口要50元。喜来登离沟口步行约20分钟，并且周围有许多餐厅。

在Basilica of Saint Peter,几十位前任教皇的藏身处，包括基督12门徒之一的Peter，并因之得名。随便找了一张图，想看看自己是否知识丰富到可以辨认这些油画背后的故事。No。这张看起来像是苏格拉底被赐死（酒杯，大胡子），但没理由出现在这儿。或者是另一个殉道者？

这张图同样看不出门道。

转战古罗马遗迹。即使只留下了残苑断壁，仍能想像的出当日的辉煌。如果客观的看，似乎中国的遗迹没有罗马的宏伟和叹为观止。像这样两千年前的还站立着的建筑遗迹在中国似乎少之又少。为什么在这里诞生的文明与中华文明截然相反？这里的人从一开始就跟人体干上了劲。他们喜欢光着，喜欢研究肌肉群，喜欢比真实的人更大更完美的人体雕塑。他们从中发现了美，力量，竞争，又由之衍生了道德，哲学和公民意识。

而在黄河流域，人们极力掩盖和忽略肉体，或者个体。对他们来讲，个体理应只是集体的一个点。个人的躯体和意志似乎很少成为辩论的焦点。我看过的中国最古老的东西是公元前六七百年的青铜器。从那精细的花纹，一般而言合适的尺寸来看，那是一群不喜欢张扬的人们。他们也许很早就意识到了节制的美德。

当新的东西建起来后，人们就开始怀念老的。

平安夜，朝向圣彼得教堂走去。

祈祝平安。祈祝能早日回到意大利。

另外一张有意思的图：

Check out this Mexican jumping beans. I got to know them by watching a movie…the beans jumped to someone's glass in the movie. But in reality, they don't jump – they just try really hard.

There were no taxis at the Nassau airport. So I asked a guy about where to get a taxis. He said I will take you. Two minutes later, this white stretched limousine pulled up. I gladly obliged. Note the leopard carpet and champagne glasses….all high-class.

The Sivananda Ashram is on Paradise Island, a five minute boat ride from the main Nassau island. The place is pretty isolated and with lots of tropical plants. As it is the low season, there are only a dozen people around. In the winter, I was told guests can sometimes go up to two hundreds. But it does not get lonely. There are all kinds of animals to keep you company and the daily schedule of meditation and yoga cleanses the anxious heart.

Deck right next to the beach for yoga classes. The water is much more beautiful than in this dull picture. This is really not too far from Paradise.

Beautiful sunset after a cooling storm. Again, the stuff itself is a thousand time more stunning than the picture. See video below:

I also saw the most serene moon light on the beach one night. The beauty of the nature is divine. As to the Yoga retreat and what it did to my spirit/heart/mind,  I will write about it later.

Spent most of the time in the car, unfortunately. This peninsula's landscape has something very unique, very Cape Cod – hard to put it in words, or photos – its air, breeze, smell, mist and could are all part of that quintessential quality of the Cod.

The edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The wind was so strong that the sea bird was trying to fly but only managed to dangle in the air.

Daisies can be seen frequently. I've used daisies as my blog's image header for a while, and now I have my own daisies – right from the Cod!

A nice golf course – can't count how many balls got lost in these waters.

Checked out an open house. For a two-floor ordinary house measuring around 1,000 square feet, a few blocks away from the beach with views of a wetland, the price tag is?? It certainly was a surprise: $750,000!

Taking the LIRR to the West Hamptons. Love this old picture – probably from the 1940s or 1950s – for the fact that ordinary folks dressed elegantly in the old days.

Diverted to Port Jefferson, a lovely port town with small shops and lots of boats.

The ferry to Connecticut.

En route for Sivananda Ashram Yoga Ranch in Woodbourne upstate. This photo is from the early 1950s. All the women wore hats, skirts, heels and gloves.

Yoga classes in the Ashram.

Meditation in the serene Catskills Mountains.

View from the Yoga Ranch.