@valon 追光

Saturday, November 20, 2010

怀着几分摩拳擦掌的心情，在抵达冰岛的几小时后，我们三人上了旅游巴士，踏上这趟极光之行。

极光这天然景观，其实是太阳高能带电粒子与地球磁层接触时形成扭曲的磁场，带电粒子的能量被瞬间释放，以绚烂的极光形式呈现。直接照射对人体有害的太阳粒子，最后成为华丽的展览，让人观赏极光，在惊叹之余，更多的是对这中间的吊诡的赞叹。

巴士载着一众旅客兴高采烈地到了第一个地点下了车后，天空已然缀满忽明忽灭的星星，像是镶上碎钻的一匹黑绸般引人侧目，如果是在普通的情况下，应该是无可挑剔的夜色，只不过正好大家此刻旨在寻找极光，而非星光。只见大家冒着严寒，边忙着拿出手套、帽子、围巾包裹全身，边像是猎人在毫无动静的森林里极目搜索任何会动的生物般一样仰望星空。只是放眼望去，根本看不到任何类似极光的东西。尽管如此，人们还是忍受着刺骨的寒风在巴士外等上了约十分钟，像是为了等待而等待般，又像是要为了相信什么而坚持一种共同信仰般，直到停站时间完全过了为止，才带着一脸冻得僵硬的无可奈何悻悻然返回巴士。

到了第二个地点时，只见一道微弱的绿光蜿蜒划过天际，在远处的雪丘后辗转几下就杳然失踪。每个人兴奋地在空中指指点点，不断鼓动着那束若隐若现的光，像是在鼓励着渐渐体力不支的运动选手不要放弃，做出最后冲刺般，同时也像是在进行自我催眠般努力睁大眼睛，想在深邃的夜空中寻找任何可能是以壮观见称的‘极光’的迹象。有个中年女子指着雪丘后的地方对身旁的伴侣说道：“你看！那束极光不就像是在舞动着吗？”我转身对朋友说：“如果今天算没看到极光，旅游公司照理说会免费让我们明天再试运气吧。”朋友不置可否地犹豫了几秒，给了个按理说就是该如此的表情。

夜色如墨，一轮半月默然散发着晕黄的光，星光依旧灿烂，但除此之外，依然绽放的仍是人们的想象。

巴士继续开往第三个地点时，导游选择在这时候说：“我想大家可能已经看到极光了，只是看到一点，就会想看到更多。所以希望这个最后一站不会让大家失望。”然而大家终究没看到什么，只是贪婪地凝视着天空，没再喧哗，很冷静地接受了眼前的一切，心中的一切。在对自然的千变万化留下遗憾同时，心中却装不下失望，像是因为把胸中的浪漫消耗殆尽后，换到一种温暖一样。

追逐极光，是追逐一种白驹过隙的浪漫。

导游在回程的路上如例行公事般向旅客们道谢，然后再提到目睹极光的时候稍微停顿了片刻，声音有些干干的，继续道：“大家今天得以一窥极光，希望大家都享受到这个过程。”话音就这样嘎然而止。巴士的灯光十分配合地在此时熄灭了。极光之行也就这样匆匆结束。

而我知道，一车的人，仍然在黑暗中，心中向往着光明。

Envoy of the Stars @ 8:03 AM
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落难荒岛

Saturday, November 06, 2010

手机、相机、I-pod全没电了。因为飞机降落地点临时变更而身处法兰克福飞机场。等着一趟须要三、四小时车程的巴士，想着到达目的地Eindhoven机场时又要再转一小时多的火车才能到达Rotterdam，心情的沉重像是一波又一波地震后的余震般，一次又一次扰乱着本已从震撼中逐渐安定的心。

没了这些随身物品的功能相伴，一切本应出奇的静，静得连搭客厅每个角落发出的声响都不会漏听，但心中的浮躁却是一枚又一枚投入湖水的石头，在静止的湖面上一再泛起涟漪。因为其它能回Eindhoven的方法在金钱考量上实在不切实际，所以只好接受飞机场安排耐心等待救援。原来被遗留在荒岛上的无可奈何就是这么一回事。

这个时候，如果突然就这样消失了，真的就不会留下任何线索。 

手机无法与外界取得联络，没有认识的人知道我会被困在这个机场，而我的存在于同机乘客眼中不过是个身着黑大衣的单身客。这种过渡性的存在人知，转眼就会从记忆中自动销毁，再方便也不过了。是很诱人的狂想。尽管也不算狂想，只是突然萌生出来很普通的心理诉求，而且越是无视越是猖狂。

也就在这个时候，约定的巴士终于慢条斯理地开到机场大门站前，像是恶作剧的小孩最后怀着似有若无的歉疚不得不乖乖赔罪的同时却又有些心有不甘一样，那情形真让人气愤难平，却又动不了手。理性再次悬崖勒马地被召回了，随着其他乘客簇拥到巴士前头，迅速上了巴士、坐定，像是生怕什么危险的想法会突然支配着双脚朝另一个选择靠拢，但在一切都成定局时却又不禁想到这是不是排除安全以后，最好的结局。

Envoy of the Stars @ 7:25 PM
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Evan Meeting in Milan, Roaming about Rome

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

I only started to pack my bags the night before departing for Milan. The "ready to go" mentality has been taken for granted these days, but I have come to realise that this mental preparation is actually more imperative than physical preparations and the packing of bags, although of course, I was forced to eat my words later on. I left my room when all was still dark outside, and the scent of twilight was still hugging the deserted pavements and the quiet roads where a rare car only passes once in a while. Just the right mood to start the journey, although it was defnitely not enjoyable to be travelling first by tram to the central train station, then taking a one hour train to Eindhoven station, before changing to a 20 minute bus to get to the airport. And I would have still been in the Netherlands..

But fast forward the day by four hours and I was walking out of Milan Bergamo airport, slipping into the role of the backpacker once again and trying to figure out the meanings of Italian words jumping out at me every corner I turn. Milan is a very hectic city. That was my general impression, albeit a little inconclusive considering I only spent a day there. But a day was enough for me to get my Gelato recommended to me by my Italian flat mate, meet up with a friend who was doing exchange in Milan (and who incidentally lives very near to those gelato stores I was told to visit), pay an obligatory visit to the Duomo, one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have seen to date (considering you really get desensitised by the "Just Another Cathedral" thinking after a while), and get awestruck by all the expensive designer shops lined up street after street. True to its title as a fashion capital, the people of Milan strut around the streets looking ready to attend a dinner ball, and it is just so hard to ignore the branded goods they carry vying for ones attention. Brands are really integrated into their lifestyle there, and I am inclined to believe that the random kid dolled up in a sweet jacket, sleek jeans and boots was actually spotting a more expensive paraphenalia than I am. In any case, I was quite glad to be back in the hostel after a long day... only to find that the dormitory room of 6 that was empty when I came during the day was now shared by 5 other girls... mainly all on exchange, talking about things ranging from how hot Italian guys are and whether one should wear (a) a black dress or (b) a black dress with a red top to the club later, and how tight their dresses are. It was all I can manage to remain as invisible and nonexistant as I can.

The day later was an expensive train ride to Rome, which was interspersed with periods of reading and sleeping, waking to find random strangers staring as though Asians do not sleep on trains, before going back to sleep again. When the train finally pulled to a stop at Rome's Termini station, I was eager to rush off, only to realise that I did not note down the directions to my hostel, and Mc*onalds did not prove as reliable as it had previously because it wasn't WIFI connected. Rome was not built in one day indeed. In the end, I had to call up a friend to help check my email for the directions, and the phone was connected just long enough before it got forcefully disengaged due to the exhaustion of my prepaid credits. But all in all, Rome was a fantastic place to visit. A historical ruin in every corner you turn, until at last you get so densensitised that if not for the historical value attached to it, you start believing they are just another clump of weathered rocks. Nonetheless, I made my routinal exploration around the city, allowing my legs to memorise the paths, until I could finally stash the map aside.

The hostel I stayed over the first night was supposedly the oldest hostel in Rome, a very humble and cosy dwelling, and it was tranquil until I went to the bathroom and heard moanings from the cubicle next to mine, before the unbridled sounds erupted into shouts of orgasm amidst the gushing water, and the fiasco continued until I was done showering. (which was of course, not too long that day) In fact, the two in the cubicle were so loud that the counter guy who eventually heard it from outside the bathroom went in and I heard him say in understandable exasperation, "Oh please, guys!" I have begun to wonder if my luck for choosing hostels has taken a turn for the worse.

But then the next day in another hostel I finally met the first Singaporean traveller during my travels, and we obviously rejoiced in the camaraderie that followed. He was doing exchange in Budapest, and we both have visited each other's place, and planned to meet up soon somewhere in Germany over the weekend.

During my last day in Rome, after a whole day of walking, I was about to go back to my hostel to pick up my bag or probably hunt for a pair of boots when a Palestinian guy asked me to help him take a picture, and later started a conversation and asked if I was going anywhere and if I can join him in his city exploration should I have the time. Seeing no reason to say no after checking how much time I still have left before I have to slowly make my way to the train station to take a shuttle to Ciampino airport, I agreed and before I knew it, became a temporary tour guide pointing out the different sites that we saw along our walking route. He was a very affable person, deeply religious and optimistic, and he talked about how the issue back home can only be solved by both sides giving in to each other and giving up some things each possess, and how his religion can be misunderstood, just when the television we walked by was doing a live news broadcast of gunmen holding up hostages in a Baghdad church, demanding the release of jailed al Qaeda militants. But when we parted ways later that evening, knowing that we probably do not know everything of the other, there was undoubtedly, hidden in the handshake and the eyes, a note of genuine understanding.

Envoy of the Stars @ 9:58 AM
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