Resident of Galapagos Research Centre

Finally, it turns out to be a convenient island, albeit half way of the world from where I came from.  Many people, mostly fisherman from Europe stumbled on these archipelagos long before me and even Charles Darwin.  And it wasn’t convenient.  He was simply on a round the world survey on Her Majesty’s Service (just like James Bond. no secret though) in 1835.  He was on board the Beagle and stopped over the islands for just a few weeks.  Not knowing that it harbors the secret “Origin  Of Species”, so the tiny islands and its native residents have just been there waiting to be discovered and honored.

Ask yourself, how many times you have stumbled on new things — places, people and phenomenon.  and we allow them just slip pass us without feeling awed, bewildered, or even noticed.   To make sense of merely something stumbled on, even a gem, takes an endeavor of a Homo Sapiens scale.   No wonder, out of the human history and prehistory there is only one Charles Darwin.  Or the Galapagos Island is just an island of convenience.  

It’s not enough just to give it a full military honor.  In fact this would be contrary to the hidden spirit of co-flourishing on the only speck of grain in the universe available to life.  Our species is the only life form which is capable to cause harm to this one last refuge.  The intrigue relationship of forces which sustains fortunate species is yet to be studied.  However we are grateful to Darwin to draw our attention.  And we came to recognize that we can’t afford to lose this remaining window to understand life form and ourselves in particular.   So instead of human honor, people honor it with special measures.

Situating in the middle of Pacific Ocean, is itself a natural defensive mold.  The human species progress so much in science and technology that traveling there become accessible to more and more people.  Indeed, it is now an attraction to tourist and friendly to people of all physical tolerance.  There are still some unique measures to prevent contamination.  After landing and clearing the custom, tourist have to walk through a sanitary strip designed to exterminate suspected contaminants hopefully.  On the yacht, tourist are still allowed to defecate on board, not overboard.  That is it would be contained on board until the end of the trip.  Toilet tissues are not to be dumped and separately stored for disposal.      

胡蘭成的「今生今世」確是好書。論者之多，曾一時成風。

好書受到器重絕不為奇。他生逢民國初年，學貫中西，博通古今，不足為奇。奇就奇在作者的身份，行徑。他是份量不輕的漢奸，此奇一。連續結婚八次(其實是貪新忘舊，見一個愛一個)，此奇二。有地位的漢奸：秦檜謀私，謀權；吳三桂為色為情都給比下去。戰後政府警惡懲奸，大小漢奸不少落網，或有無故的。最為人知的如李香蘭，幸得還原正身：原來是日本人，得不死，遭遣返日本而矣。而胡蘭成確有他的本事，竟給他蒙渾過去。後來港還差點給他渾進錢穆教授的新亞書院（中大前身 ）。

書中聚事行文常常慢得如分如秒。但他就是這樣細述民初景象，社會倫常，人物氣色。而他自己就切切實實活在其中，所咸所言大概也不假的。婚姻態度受人非議，卻文辭華麗，精煉。文人多大話。但也可能咸情豐富，熱情奔放常新。連站在時代尖端的天才靚女張愛玲也為之傾心。他的當上漢奸，可知日本侵華，廣植漢奸，用心之精煉，深得其人。

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