Keelung / 基隆

基隆是我的故鄉，但我總是可以把自己搞得像個觀光客，回去幾十遍還是迷路，不如用速寫來加強我的學習。基隆的路很狹小，房子也很老舊，但是從速寫者的觀點來看，這個城市畫起來會很有風味。

I grew up in Keelung, but to be honest, I am more tourist-looking than many tourists. I never figure out which street is which, so the best way for me to get my bearings is sketching. The roads in Keelung are narrow, the houses dilapidated. But from the perspective of a sketcher, this city stands out once you put it down in paper. 

早上十點孝二路一整排的魚市已經關門，雖然店面色調一片灰黑，我卻不時想起在里斯本的旅行，兩個城市都有那種褪盡風華的滄桑。我唯一看到的是橋下的魚店還開著，坐在對面的彩券行速寫，不久一輛黑色轎車駛進我的視線，擋住後方的背景，但之前一直屬意的吊帶褲魚行老闆居然就站在我面前講手機，模特兒自己走上前來真是大好機會。在畫圖的當兒，有位歐吉桑看了速寫本一會而後問：你畫這個要做什麼？我很理直氣壯地回答：就開心囉！

At 10 a.m., the fish shops on Xiao 2nd Road are already closed. The major color scheme there is dark gray; still, I can't help recalling my trip to Lisbon. Both cities have that weathered look when they are no longer prosperous. I spot a fish shop under the bridge in business, so I sit down in front of the lottery store across from it and start my sketch. Soon a black automobile slides into view. While I am wondering when the driver will move it away, the owner of the fish shop, whom I want to draw very much, leans on the car talking on the mobile. What can be better than the model posing just for me? Meanwhile, an old man stands behind me to take a glimpse. After a few minutes, he finally utters some words, "So, what is the sketch for?" I find the question funny, and to show it, I reply, "Because I am happy doing it!" 

再往前走一點就到了博愛市場，搭手扶梯往二樓去，本來我有點累，但是感受到二樓繽紛滿目的各種店家，尤其是各色各樣的食堂，我被那生命力感染，怎麼樣都無法浪費在市場看到的好景色，見識了博愛市場，它迅速成為我最愛的菜市場。

Walking a little bit forward, you can't miss Bo'ai Market. Seeing the sign saying that there are all kinds of eateries on the second floor, I am tempted to go. I usually lose a little bit of zest after having done the first sketch. Yet, the market is throbbing with life, and it is so contagious that I don't want to waste the colors and images I see there. Soon Bo'ai Market has become the number one market on my chart. 

博愛市場除了有可口的各式小吃，另一個明顯的特色是眾多的美髮店，沒有店面的人就在市場轉角放幾張美髮椅，經營的婦女年紀年齡很廣，有本土中年婦女，更有外籍新娘開的店，在這裡真的可以感受到庶民生活的面相，非常貼近真實的人生。

Aside from yummy food, another feature of Bo'ai Market is that there are numerous beauty salons. If the owner does not have a budget to rent a shop, several chairs are placed along the corners with towels hung on the hangers from the ceiling. Some salons are run by middle-aged Taiwanese women, but some are run by immigrants from Southeast Asia. This market reflects how people live their lives truthfully, and that's why it's extremely charming for me. 

離開基隆市區，沿海的風光在美麗的艷陽天更加動人，潮境公園人不多，簡單的山和海風景，配上漁人，讓本來不想畫圖的我，忍不住把速寫本又拿出來。

Away from downtown Keelung, we head for the seaside, whose beauty is enhanced on sunny winter days. There aren't many people in Chao-jing Park. I am again enticed to take out my sketchbook after taking in the scenery of mountains and sea glistening with light. 

傍晚時分到了蕃仔漁港，港口停泊著許多船隻，雖然我身邊的漁船畫不進去圖面裡，耳邊卻傳來船上外籍船員的談話聲，同時遠處響起垃圾車的熟悉音樂，今天的速寫之旅又本土又國際化，儘管是在家附近旅行，卻如此充實。

In the evening we visit Fang-zai Harbor, where many fishing boats are anchored. While drawing the boats in the distance, the foreign fishermen on the boat by my side speak in a language I don't catch. However, the music of the garbage truck which circulates the small village is so familiar. The trip today is both local and international. Though I do not travel far, I have enriched my five senses in every way.