圈外閑人
Amazon專欄作家 http://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-Fu/e/B004Y218FQ
結束了17天的歐洲之旅，我帶著女兒回家了。高興的是就要回家，又可以見到寶貝兒子了；不舍的是旅行結束，再也沒有每天一個都市的新奇了。旅行中有三件每日必行的公事：給計算機充電、給照相機充電、給手機充電，在最後一個晚上我將這些都省了。
一路上過得輕輕鬆鬆，我與女兒輪流玩著憤怒的小鳥，一直到彈盡糧絕，手機上出現了低電警告。馬上就要到舊金山機場了，不知道為什麽，我們的飛機停在了波特蘭。我打開了手機，還好，還有一丁點兒電，通知了準備接機的老公。老公說一架韓國飛機出了事，我抓住女兒的小手，還好，至少我們是平安的。沒有機會多交談，沒有機會上網察看，我得保留最後的一點電，現在一切都成了未知數。
飛機場上到處都是人，幾個小時無望的等待，沒有工作人員知道怎麽辦，我們成了波特蘭的落難者。不知多少小時之後，終於跟著同伴搞到了旅館，好歹有一個地方睡覺了，盡管沒有一件幹淨衣服，盡管在離開歐洲時扔掉了舊牙刷。
我們應該是7月6日星期六回家，但是命運卻將我們留在了波特蘭。人生是很奇特的，冥冥之中有一個聲音，隻給願意聆聽的耳朵聆聽，或者說就是那隻無形的大手吧。本來旅行社沒有床位了，改期7月4日出發者可以有100元的折扣，也許我們應該調整一下計劃的，這是我錯失的第一個機會。現在星期天回家，星期一老公就要出差去，連個相聚的時間都沒有了。
第二天同伴一大早去了機場，她說她想去尋找機會，盡管機場工作人員說過上午不會有飛機。想起前一天在機場上心力交瘁的經曆，我決定睡一個懶覺，恢複一下17天來身體的疲勞，享受一下一違再違的遊泳池。
同伴走了，她告訴我去機場需要預定班車。終於，我隻睡了半個懶覺，終於，我在去遊泳池之前去預定班車。然後我才意識到事態的嚴重性，下一班車已經滿了，每一小時才有一班車，我終於明白過來了，我又把第二個機會錯過了。
又回到了機場，我登時傻了眼，這哪裏是機場，這簡直就是一個難民所，排隊領救濟的人無窮長，排隊行進的速度比蝸牛還慢。不知道等待了多少小時，同伴說她已經上了下午一點半的飛機，盡管已經四點半了還沒有起飛。終於等到了救濟隊伍的頭上，工作人員當頭一盆冷水澆下來，我們被排在星期三回舊金山。這怎麽行呢？老公星期一要出差，女兒星期一要去夏令營，我星期一要去單位報到。求爺爺，告奶奶，到聖河西行嗎？到奧克蘭行嗎？這些都是駕駛距離之內的機場。不行？那麽到薩克拉門托行嗎？開車3小時也行。沒有，都沒有，連到芝加哥轉機的機會都沒有。你知道這有多可笑嗎？從波特蘭到舊金山是1小時，從波特蘭到芝加哥再到舊金山是10小時，知道難民們已經到何等絕望的境地。這時候有個機會讓女兒先走，噢，她行嗎？我猶豫了10秒鍾，於是又把第三個機會丟掉了。
我們考慮過開車回舊金山，但是波特蘭機場上借的車必須還到波特蘭。我們考慮過乘火車回舊金山，但是火車要開十幾個小時。最後我們接受了這個事實，回去後老公已經出差了，女兒也趕不上夏令營了，我必須花掉更多的休假。從積極的方麵來講，我們可以延長歐洲之旅，在波特蘭繼續遊玩。
換了一種思維，天空不再那麽陰霾，我終於看到了波特蘭的藍天。
我徹底地睡了一個懶覺，然後拿了一張波特蘭地圖研究。我們乘著班車去波特蘭機場，準備從那裏轉乘有軌電車。我們已經是機場的常客了，在那裏吃飯，找尋旅館，打探消息，現在機場又成了我們出門的中轉站。哈哈，這種以機場為家的生活，千載難逢吧。
班車上除了我們，還有克羅地亞來的遊客。熱心的司機將車子停到了電車站，告訴我們要買全日票，這樣就可以隨時上下車。他在地圖上指點了幾下，我們可以去華埠用餐，可以去河灘看景，可以去市中心逛街，也可以去森林公園踏青。
有軌電車的成人票才5元，我們決定先去最遠的森林公園，然後再往回玩。電車油漆得錚亮，觀光窗戶大大的，我們的波特蘭之旅開始了。
穿過威拉米特河，外麵是朗朗的晴天，以及緩緩流動的河流。電車一站一站地停留，掠過歐洲式的建築，其實不用越洋過海，美國也有著無限的風光。電車開過了華埠，離開了填充中國胃的機會。然後是一棟棟的大樓，沒有導遊的介紹，叫不上名來，但是線條流暢，造型別致，曆史不悠久。
到了熱鬧的5街6街，克羅地亞朋友下車了，揮揮手，祝朋友在美國旅行愉快。
然後有軌電車進了隧道，變成了地鐵。
出了隧道就到 了森林公園，美國市區內最大的野生公園，麵積5000公頃。那裏有動物園（Oregon Zoo）、世界林業中心（World Forestry Center）、霍伊特植物園（Hoyt Arboretum）、兒童博物館（Portland Children's Museum）、國際玫瑰檢驗園（International Rose Test Garden）和日本庭園（Portland Japanese Garden）。
我們去哪裏玩呢？動物園就在旁邊，於是我們就進了動物園。
沒有導遊規定時間，愛上哪兒就上哪兒，結果隻去了動物園，一晃一天就過去了。往回玩的計劃泡湯了，不過往回坐電車又欣賞了一遍波特蘭的街景。
女兒拿到了先走的機票，星期二早上7：30到達，兒子可以趕在上課前去接她。我送女兒上了飛機，服務員說我可以乘坐10點的飛機，是早上5：30延期未能開走的。
我拿出了計算機，一邊吃早飯，一邊查看電郵。雖然機場依然嘈雜，但是我的心是寧靜的，因為知道終於可以回家了。
我的班機延期到了11點鍾，又有什麽關係呢？我知道女兒已經安全到家。
飛機最後是12點鍾起飛的，結果在同一排位子上遇到兩位有趣的朋友。一位是前羅馬尼亞國家芭蕾舞演員，她準備轉機去新加坡教體操。她指給我看她在波特蘭的房子，一棟可以在飛機上看見的豪宅，然後她講了從小練舞的故事，她現在的學生正準備衝刺奧運會。另一位是有著中國臉的瑞士紳士，他的父親是夏威夷人，母親是瑞士人，英俊，風趣，對女士尤其嗬護有加。他準備轉機去香港，然後到深圳的微軟工作，有意思的是中國臉不會講中文。我們聊天，我們暢談，無拘無束，談笑風生，那麽快就到達了舊金山機場。
我們匆匆告別，然後他倆就開始跑了。由於起飛時間一拖再拖，他們隻有1小時的轉機時間了。
噢，終於回到家了，經過了17天的歐洲旅行，以及波特蘭的3個晚上。
許多的照片，許多的回憶，友情，親情，幾多的幸運，幾多的遺憾，這是一次終身難忘的旅行。
女兒日記
17 day trip – extended
Today, I was supposed to fly back to San Francisco, but the airport is closed because of an airplane crash. The flight I was on was originally from Paris to Frankfurt to San Francisco, but the plane had to go to Portland. (The pilot says that we switched final destinations 3 times before finding an open airport.) The airport handed out free hotel vouchers, since a lot of people were stranded there. The one I got was for two rooms at Red Lion Hotel (Jantzan Beach). It's a very good hotel, and it even has a swimming pool! I'm too tired to swim right now, though, and it's closed.
OREGON ZOO
I went to the Oregon Zoo today. It's a very unique zoo, in my opinion. When I entered, the first exhibit I saw was one of mountain goats. There was a lot of wool everywhere! The goats' habitat was very rocky and mountainous, and even had a small "pond!" There were multiple angles that you could view the goats from. Many of the habitats also had multiple viewing points. Unlike some zoos, the habitats aren't just square or rectangular, but oddly shaped! Some exhibits were even connected. For example, there was a sea otter exhibit, and they could enter an exhibit containing sea urchins. Since otters eat sea urchins, I wonder if they regularly go there for a snack…
There were several restaurants spread out throughout the zoo. I ate at one of them for lunch. My family ordered hot dogs, but I decided to get a pizza slice. It was very tasty (and much bigger than the hot dogs, too). We all drank water.
Near the restaurant was a pathway of exhibits, so I explored around. It had island pigs, and multiple types of bears. One type was the sun bear. They're a bit small, but they have very long claws. The other bears I saw were grizzlies and black bears. If a grizzly bear stood up on its hind legs, then it would be taller than me by at least a foot!
One place I passed by a lot was a sort of fountain. About every 10 seconds, a "geyser" would shoot up. I stood kind of close to it, so I got a bit wet. The fountain was close to a cluster of sea animals. One of them had some seals in it. They were playing with a green bottle that contained fish inside! One managed to get some fish out, but the other seal quickly snapped it up. There were also a lot of other marine animals there, too.
In some places, there were special exhibits in which you could see animals and their "dens". There was a section where a whole family of otters (probably not sea otters, but still otters) was sleeping. After a while, they woke up, and one by one they went out of the den and into their habitat. One of them even chased another onto a strung up hammock! The moment the chasing otter got on, the other one would scamper off the hammock, only to get on again when the other otter was off.
I also saw an animal show, in which I saw three acts: ducks, a porcupine, and a kestrel. There were three ducks, in a duck pen, which were all waddling around and quacking. They're longer than regular ducks, and are domesticated. They can't fly, but one of the ducks kept on flapping its wings. The ducks were trying to make a mud hole, where they dug for worms. I don't think they found very many, though. The kestrel was a small bird of prey. Even though it looks tiny, it's a predator! The porcupine was bigger than both a duck and a kestrel combined! When people started getting loud, it puffed out its quills. After the handler soothed the porcupine a bit, the porcupine started eating some things. It used its hind legs to stay balanced while its front legs grasped food to nibble on.
All in all, the zoo was a fun place. I didn't want to leave, but I had to go to the hotel with the rest of my family.
借口玩哈，：）。肯定有公司讓人還車到不同城市的。
借口玩哈，：）。肯定有公司讓人還車到不同城市的。多交的錢比進出機場來說是太值了。我有次為飛機的事開了13小時的路，包括5小時在大雪裏開的。不過自那以後，再不用USAir。