沒有什麼事情能與破曉前必須打點好行裝一事相比，而且不到四點就要去費城機場趕乘早起頭班飛機。一路上我極度疲倦，剛到機場，雙目便累得重如百磅，眼皮再也睜不開來。 

      Nothing was better to start my trip than waking up at the break of dawn and driving to the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) at 4:000 am. On the road, I was extremely tired, sleepy and stressed. By the time we arrived at PHL, my eyes felt as if they weighed over 100 pounds/45 kilograms.

      Just after I sat in our plane seat, I comfortably propped myself against mom and fell asleep. I was awoken by sound of landing 3 hours later. As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw the huge Miami International Airport (MIA), the No. 1 largest airport in US. Mom and I were making a connection to Quito, the capital city of Ecuador in South America.

      登機後我稍微坐定，立刻倚靠在媽媽身邊昏睡過去，直到三個鐘頭後飛機着陸時所發出的劇烈噪音才被吵醒。即刻，偌大的邁阿密國際機場映入眼帘，這是迄今為止全美最大的客運機場。我們要在此轉機，前往南美洲厄瓜多爾共和國首都基多。

      Two plane flights were separated by 6 hours of nothing in Miami. I tried to brainstorm what to do and how to kill time. But all I could think of was videogames. Mom, on the other hand, could only come out with sightseeing. Since mom didn't approve videogames, I set out along with her to find some places where we could explore its outskirt with a private guide even though we visited the downtown a little more than 4 years ago.

      問題在於如何打發六個小時候機時間。我絞盡腦汁，除了上便攜機玩遊戲別無它求；而媽媽當然不會輕易放過任何異地觀光機會。既然媽媽反對靠遊戲消磨功夫，我只好跟她一起尋找私人導遊，試圖遊覽邁阿密周邊地區。其實四年前，我們曾訪問過市中心。

      As continued to walk in the endless terminals, I spotted the MIA Hotel and suggested if it might host some city tours. Fortunately, the hotel arranged a tour guide to pick us up. At 10:30 am, we walked through the door and hit on the road in a minivan. The tour guide introduced himself as Oscar.

      我們沿着一眼望不到盡頭的候機大廳徒步行走，過了好半天才看到一家“邁阿密國際機場酒店”，並決定進去碰碰運氣。僥倖的是，酒店設有旅遊業務，很快安排一位名叫奧斯卡的導遊，於上午十點卅分準時帶我們上路。

      Our 1^st stop was Coral Gables of the "city beautiful". It was famous for trees, gardens, waterfront mansions, canals and consulates. Coral Gables cost a lot for people to live there not only because almost the entire designs were characteristic of Mediterranean Revival Style, but because the houses was situated close to the canals which ran through Miami into the Atlantic Ocean. A gorgeous public Venetian Pool resembled a natural lagoon in a Venetian setting of bridges, towers, a casino and lush landscaping. The unique Indian banyan trees canopied the streets so largely that I seemed to be microscopic. Every branch looked as if it was bigger than my size.

      我們率先走訪美輪美奐的珊瑚牆城，又名科勒爾•蓋布爾斯。這裡樹木造型獨特，花園設計優雅，豪宅臨水觀海，運河集流匯溪，領館富麗堂皇，縱橫洋洋大觀。珊瑚牆城房地產走勢甚高，除了地中海式建築設計別致之外，運河兩岸的房舍飄逸姿韻，占據觀賞溪流匯入大西洋的最佳位置。威尼斯游泳池為自然瀉湖，集棧橋、樓塔、賭場、綠化於一體，成為當地民眾沐浴陽光的公共場所。街道上形貌奇特的印度榕樹成林，枝葉繁茂，我站在樹冠遮天的馬路中央，深感置身天地之間如同滄海一粟，自己渺小得微乎其微。

      Next Oscar drove us to a district called Coconut Grove, where a village-within-a-city was inherited from Spanish culture. Wild peacocks strutted around the neighborhoods. Ritz-Carlton luxury condominiums, sailing, yachting and marinas were bound to the beauteous Biscayne Bay. Across Rickenbacker Causeway, the Cuban-descent pop superstar Gloria Estefan's mega-mansion occupied the best view on the celebrity Star Island as Oscar pointed it to us. On the other side, Miami Beach made of natural and man-made barrier islands. Tourists had flocked to such getaway resort during Spring Break.

      接着，奧斯卡帶我們來到孔雀遍野的椰林區，素有“城市裡的村落”之稱，到處充滿西班牙風情。麗思•卡爾頓豪華公寓大廈、航海俱樂部、遊艇碼頭深入淺出，成為比斯坎灣一道亮麗的風景線。穿過里肯巴克銅鑼灣，古巴後裔、著名流行歌手凱萊•斯特芬巨型豪宅在名流薈萃的“星島”搶盡了風頭。隔灣相望，邁阿密海灘由大大小小的自然及人工堤礁組成，前來喜度春假的遊客絡繹不絕。

      Little Havana district was a home to the Cuban immigrates. We started to stroll from El Pub on 8th Street where two 6-foot/1.8-meter roosters stood. A few of popular gift shops, an art gallery and a Community Park were alluring for us. As we passed inside the cigar factory, I didn't hear much of what Oscar said because I was too busy at holding my nose so that I didn't smell the smoke from the exhibition room.

      小哈瓦那區算得上古巴移民大本營及革命根據地，我們從八街薩爾瓦多酒吧門前兩隻高達6英尺／1.8米的公雞塑像出發，一邊溜達一邊閒逛街頭禮品店、工藝品屋和社區公園。當經過雪茄作坊直銷部時，因為煙味太沖，我不得不捂緊鼻子屏住呼吸，結果根本顧不上奧斯卡解說的要點。

     After the walk, my stomach gurgled, which only meant one thing. Before I could complain, we were told that lunch was next.

      遊覽結束時，我肚子咕嚕叫個不停，未容我開始抱怨，得知下面直奔餐館而去，準備大戰午餐飲食。

      Lunch was NOT next! Just after we ordered some Cuban cuisines from the famous "Latin American" in Bayside Marketplace, it was time to go back to the airport. Mom and I packed the entire food into 3 huge boxes and ran all the way to the minivan where Oscar was waiting.

    可是心急吃不了熱湯麵，午餐並非緊隨其後！我們剛剛從碧沙市場著名的“拉美”餐廳點好幾道古巴菜餚，不料已經臨近返程時刻。媽媽和我來不及吃上一口，二話不說急忙打包，裝滿整整三大盒子，然後撒腿飛速沖回麵包車內。這時，奧斯卡早已靜候其中。

      By the time we arrived at MIA, we had less than an hour to check in. Mom and I devoured the steaming platter and gulped down the water. Just in time, we were boarding onto the plane which took us to Quito.

      等趕回邁阿密國際機場，距離登機僅剩下不足個把鐘頭，我們狼吞虎咽，火速消滅仍然熱氣騰騰的“雜燴拼盤”，隨即飛往基多。

      Miami was always proud of the "Capital of Latin America". We would discover everything cross-culturally but Chinatown!

    邁阿密一向以“拉美首府”自居。我們可以隨時隨地發掘其它多元素民族文化，但唯獨探尋不到“中國城”的痕跡！

(二O一三年三月廿八日)