悉尼是南半球最大的城市之一，坐落于澳大利亚东海岸。无论是建筑还是文化，公园还是餐厅，都是一座典型的西方城市。说起来，悉尼与旧金山湾区颇为相似：同样依湾而建，同样多元文化，同样有一座定义城市气质的标志性建筑。只是湾区以科技与快节奏著称，悉尼则多了几分悠闲，带着浓浓的英式风情。
受英国传统影响，茶室与咖啡馆遍布全城，亚洲餐厅的选择也不少。只是整体而言，餐饮水准一般，价格却不便宜。这一次，我们切实领教了美元贬值的滋味。
2009.8.11咨询了当地旅游信息后，我们对行程计划做了一些改变。放弃Miette Hot Springs，把回程前的几个小时留给了阿尔伯塔省省会城市埃德蒙顿（Edmonton）。那里有北美最大的购物中心。
离开购物中心，我们绕城兜了一圈，然后前往机场。这是迄今让我们最难忘的一次自然之旅。加拿大落基山脉的震撼，不仅仅在于山峦的雄伟，更在于那数不清的冰川湖。正是这些雪山湖，让落基山脉在磅礴之中多了一份灵秀与生机。
HP’s site at Ellis St. in Mountain View is one of the most beautiful office sites in Bay Area, especially in Autumn. Poplar trees along the entire road stand straight up to 50 feet high. In November, they all turn into golden yellow color. The view is picture perfect.
But, just around the corner, where no one cares to notice, some withering leaves against the solid building foundations are also picturesque. In the Autumn, the green leaves start turning into red and eventually falling off the cane. A couple of leaves that are left are the most saturated color. When the warm afternoon sunlight them up, that maybe the last ray of sunshine they will see.
2009.8.10
今晚住在Hinton，这是一座供过路游客歇脚的小镇。饱餐一顿，今天是漫长的一天。
2009.9.27 - 10.10Both my wife and I are from Beijing. I had a chance to stop in Beijing on my business trip to Thailand two years ago, but thanks for the grueling green card process, the last time my wife came back to Beijing was 7 years ago. Oct. 1st was the 60th anniversary of China’s national day and Oct. 3th happened to be the Mid-Autumn Festival. ’60’ is an important number, a full cycle, in Chinese GanZhi (干支) calendar; Mid-Autumn Festival is the most important Chinese traditional holiday only after Spring Festival; plus, Fall is the best season in Beijing for mild weather and clear sky. The timing is ideal to visit Beijing.
I wasn’t surprised by all the new developments happened in Beijing. In fact, this fast-paced evolution has started since 10 years ago. My memory of Beijing in my high-school and undergraduate years, when I rode my bike around the city, has been long gone. In fact, there are much much less bicycles on the street. Subways are really great for commute while streets are packed with cars. I had chances to drive a couple of times. I realized two things: 1. I need GPS to drive; 2. audacity is a necessity when negotiating the road.
I was impressed by so many new constructions of residential buildings two years ago. This time, I was impressed by people, a lot of people. We thought we would avoid travelers by staying at hometown, but Beijing is one of the most popular tourist destinations in China. The most sad thing was that our friends treated us as foreign visitors by inviting us to Quanjude (全聚德) and we treated us as foreign visitors by visiting the Summer Palace (颐和园), both are Beijing’s world-wide famous landmarks.
However, in both trips, two years ago and this time, nothing impressed me more than the confidence demonstrated by ordinary people. Chinese people, especially the new generations, are so confident culturally, politically and financially. The eyes-popping buildings, the ever-rising condo price, the countless shopping malls, the stage shows with dazzling colors and the volunteers in the subway stations are just some signs of it.
2009.8.9今天计划前往Bow Lake和Peyto Lake。这两处距离住的地方至少一个半小时车程，无法赶在日出到达，于是定在午后动身。上午领导出门购物，我拿着相机在附近随拍，开了一段1号 – 93号 – 1A号公路的环线。结果没拍到什么东西，天空灰蒙蒙的，光线比昨天正午还差。
2009.8.8梦莲湖风景的又被称为”二十元风景“，因为曾经的加拿大二十元纸币上印的正是这幅画面。我把闹钟定在凌晨五点一刻，醒来时却已快六点了。”糟糕，要来不及了。”驱车四十分钟赶往湖边，最后这几公里，焦急地盯着晨光一点点爬上山顶。所幸停好车时，阳光恰好触及谷中那片山峰。几位徒步者与我前后脚到达，湖边守候的却寥寥无几。我爬上一个小山坡，走到山坡底部，就是湖边。此刻，整片湖只属于我一个人。
离开梦莲湖，在露易斯湖边吃了些三明治。露易斯湖距休息区不远，早已人满为患。步行的、坐着的、拍照的，熙熙攘攘。这是班夫国家公园最负盛名的景点。下午四点，阳光仍刺眼，阳光直射过来，湖面显得朦朦胧胧，山体在强光下失去了层次感。我连一张湖的照片都没拍。
返回露易斯湖时，夕阳已然西沉，终于有机会好好拍上几张。亲历了加拿大落基山脉最负盛名的风景，又走了一段山路，算是完美的一天。
2009.8.7航班在当地正午时分抵达卡尔加里。从空中俯瞰，这是一座规划整齐的城市。街道如棋盘般纵横，弓河穿城而过。每个住宅社区的中心，不是湖泊便是公园，想必是个宜居的好地方。
班夫晚上九点日落，餐厅通常营业至十一点。明早打算天不亮就出发，前往园内最上镜的地点。
