Havana Vieja - Hasta la siempre...

When I was young, I used to sing a song: "Beautiful Havana, that is my hometown..."

Finally, here I am. Standing at the statue of Jose Martin (the intellectual author of the revolution), looking around the Revolution Plaza. Armed soldiers stand still beside the Ministerio de Informatica y Communicaciones' building, and the national theatre (Teatro Nacional) is shinning under the sunset. On the plaza's north side, the Ministerio del Interior has a ceramic mural of a five-story-tall face of Che Guevara, in scripted with the words: "Hasta La Victoria siempre".

We visited the Biblioteca Nacional, - the national library. For each visitor, they can assign a free tour guide with certain language ability. We asked for a French guide because there were four of us and French is our common language.

We also walked around Parque Central. We visited Museo De La Revolucion. It was the former presidential Palace, displayed lots of photos about Cuba's political development, from slave uprisings to joint space missions with the ex-Soviet Union. All descriptions are in Spanish.

Museo Nacional De Bellas Artes looks very modern and artistic. It displays both national and European masters' works. There is a colorful stained glass window describes Columbus's discovery of the New World.

Finally, we wondered along the Malecon. It is a seafront drive of 7 km long, and it is a great meeting point for habaneros, lovers and children. Wind blew my long hair, and I looked far away on the horizon where the blue sky met with the ocean.

Revolucion, revolucion...This place was so familiar yet so strange, it was so close yet so far. My thoughts was flying into the ocean and I didn't know where I was anymore.

The island vanished in my memory, and I melted into the breeze from the Atlantic ocean.

London Bridge is falling down

I went to London with my daughter last October.

It was the first time that I travelled with her alone to another country. I worried at the beginning but it turned out to be an intimate and magnificent trip!

We stayed up and chatted at night or early morning because of the jet lag. We got up and ate and went out according to our own pace. We visited museums and Palaces and markets. We sang together and we danced down to subways. Some days, we just sat in Hyde Park watching birds or doing absolutely nothing.






Both of us had never been to London before. So I asked my daughter to be my tour guide. With a guide book of London, she had to answer these questions for us everyday: "Shall we take a bus or use subway? Shall we bring her teddy bear or just water bottle? Shall we see British museum or the science museum? Shall we go to see the Queen or shall we take a ride on London Eye?" And I listened and followed her all the time!















She did not like the paintings in National Gallery. She was crazy for pancake. That's a talent that I never discovered before. Everyday, she wanted to eat pancakes and she spent time watching people making pancakes on the street. One day, she found a booth at Notting hill market and she watched for 2 hours there. We ended up buying 5 pancakes and we had to eat pancakes for two days!


Coming back home from the trip, she started to make pancakes right away in the kitchen. Even though she burnt her fingers several times, we always have fresh, tasty and creative (she adds different things on it ) pancakes to eat!

Paris, je t'adore!

This was the second time I came to worship Paris.

I visited her last century. That time I went through five counties: Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Holland and France. The days I was in Paris were brief.

This trip was just for Paris. I immersed myself into her warm heart. I wandered by Metro and buses. I walked along the Seine. I danced on bridges. I drank coffee. I watched people pass by. I climbed "Tour Eiffel" again. It was like walking into my dreams. I saw streets and buildings that I was so familiar with. All of sudden, I spoke French just as Parisians. - I felt that I've been living in this city for ages.

Her spirit has entered in my soul, her breath was upon my face. I felt I knew her all.

Je t'adore, Paris. Should my voice fade in your ears, and my love vanish in your memory, then, I will come again.

Just like waves worship land, I will return with the tide.

Soy Mexicana!

Since I started to learn Spanish, Mexico has been a must- go place for me. It is the world's largest Spanish-speaking country, with 104 million inhabitants. Its historic architectures, distinguish music and art crafts, on going festivals, spicy cuisine, old myths and legends fascinated me all the time.

May 2008, I had a chance to visit Mexico. My colleague and good friend, Norma, a Mexican girl, invited me to visit her mother during the Mother's Day week.

Her mother lives alone in a beautiful house with lovely garden and garage. She is a very kind lady with an open warm heart. Norma was busy with her friends and other stuff, so her mother became my tour guide.

Basically, I shadowed her everyday life. She introduced me to her relatives and friends, led me to markets and restaurants. We took bus in the city, we rambled in Zocalo, we bought flower and visited Norma's dad's tomb in cemetery, and we even attended a one-year girl's Baptism ceremony.

I went to Mexico City alone. I visited National gallery and museum of my favorite artist Frida Kahlo and her husband, Diego Rivera. I love Frida. Her passion for art, her painful destiny, her fantasy, her talent and pride, even her chaotic relationship with Diego makes me crazy for her. I would probably become a lesbian if she was here for me! Viva la vida Frida Kahlo!

I also visited Oaxaca, a beautiful city four hours away from Puebla. I met some interesting and nice people there.

When I meet Spanish speaking people in Canada, they will ask me: "De donde es?" I will joke and say: "Soy Mexicana!"

I look forward to visiting Mexico again, soon.

Mi cubita bella

Last month, to celebrate my birthday and to mourn my past year, I had a trip to Cuba with my son.

Cuba is a mysterious land of revolution, haunting music, delicious rums, palm trees and bedeviling charms.

We stayed in Varadero, a city two hours driving from Havana. It is a 20 kilometer peninsula with unspoiled white sand beach, surrounded by astonishing turquoise Atlantic ocean. Its location on a narrow peninsula ensures that it is constantly cooled by tropical breezes. It is called the greatest beach in the world by Cubans.

The above photos are local transportation tools: Coconut Taxis and motorbikes. I took tour bus or local bus when I was there. Most of them are nice and clean, with air condition.

What I love most is Cuban music. The motivation for me to learn Spanish is to understand its songs. I have a collection from Buena Vista Social Club to "Nuevo Latino". Cuban music is strongely influenced by Africa and Spain music, and it is also shaped by Latin America and American pop music and Jazz. Conga drums are very important part of Cuban music. They are played by hands and palms and fingers. Different tones can also produced by raising the drum from the ground.

Once I was in an open air market when a melody struck my heart. It was so passionate that it danced my soul through ice and fire. The fragrance of the music took my breath away.

In my next life, I would like to be a Latino.

Don't ask where I am from...

I am a world traveler.

I enjoy meeting with people, learning other languages, tasting local food and living in exotic countries. Life is short. I can't control the length of my life. But I would like to widen it. I like to learn from other cultures. I wish to live in various formats and diverse environments. I want my life to be colourful.

I believe, at one spot on earth, drinking a local beverage, listening to original music,talking to people in another language, I would be transformed into another person, and I start another life.

At work or when travelling, I met a lot of people. The most common question they asked me is:"Where are you from?"

Hmm. This is an easy question, but it is hard for me to answer. My parents are from different places. (I should say, one is from Mars and another is from Venus :-) )I've been travelling all of my life. I had studied in 14 different schools before I entered university. Imagine my roaming adolescent life! I enjoy travel alone, and I worked as a tour guide!

So, how should I answer this question? Maybe, I will smile and say: "Please don't ask where I am from... I may tell you where I am going."

Where am I going?

Places with different people, different scenery, different custom, different language and most importantly, different delicious food.

- Places that I have never been.

These are my deeper dreams

Where shall I begin?

Too many fragments of my memory have scattered in nights, and too many times I have wondered naked in my dreams. And I can not recall a picture of them clearly.

How often have these pictures sailed in my dreams, and now they come in my awakening, which are my deeper dreams.

Now, it is time to leave my thoughts behind and widely open the gates of my heart. Let me close my eyes and pray in the silences of my soul, and let my joy and pain fly far over the sea shore.

Welcome embark to my dreaming world!