158. A Day in Shangri-La | 在香格里拉的一天
– Musings of Dr. Jamie C. Hsu, 4.30.2024
We finally got a chance to go to the hallowed ground of golf: the Masters tournament at Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia. After five years of ticket lottery applications, our family finally got tickets to watch the players’ practice round. What a day it was! The scenery and the scenes were just like out of Shangri-La.
We were first greeted by the huge grass parking lot, which led to a walkway lined with azaleas and magnolias. Thousands of patrons eagerly marched to the course to look for their favorite players. Of course, Tiger Woods as usual was the biggest draw. Since it was a practice round, the players were more relaxed and willing to chat with the cheering crowds. They didn’t wear their serious game-day poker faces. Some even borrowed our tournament-provided glasses to watch the solar eclipse with us.
The golf course was meticulously maintained with plush green grass fairways and pure white sand traps. The course was hillier than we had imagined. Hiking 18 holes a day for four consecutive days in a tournament could be physically demanding. The water ponds, azalea bushes, and stone bridges surrounding the greens made the scenery even more charming. It was rare for us, city dwellers, to walk in such a marvelous setting.
Another amazing experience for all of us was the “no cell phones allowed” rule that day. We couldn’t make calls, listen to news, read texts, or send messages. We were totally insulated from the daily news, misinformation, intruding advertisements, and jibber jabber on social media. It was so refreshing and invigorating just to enjoy the people and things in front of us and be present in the moment.
Although there were more than 20,000 people on the grounds that day, it didn’t feel crowded or stressful. The chair-sharing rule allowed everyone to use an unoccupied chair while the owner is away. People were well-mannered, pleasant, and courteous, just like a civilized society should be. The eateries and restrooms were so efficiently managed that we hardly had to wait for anything for more than 10 minutes. It showed how a well-planned and well-executed event can be achieved.
A beautiful day with magnificent scenery, friendly pro golfers, my lovely family, a huge happy crowd, and no depressing news — that was truly like a day in Shangri-La.
在香格里拉的一天
–作者 許俊宸博士
–中譯 薛乃綺
我們終於有機會前往高爾夫聖地：一個位於喬治亞州奧古斯塔高爾夫球場的名人賽。經過5年的抽籤，我們家終於拿到了觀看球員練習日的門票。那真是美好的一天！整個景緻就像仙境一般。
首先，迎接我們的是個巨大的草地停車場，通往一條兩旁種滿杜鵑花和木蘭花的步道。成千上萬的觀眾，迫不及待地走向球場，尋找他們喜愛的球員。當然，老虎伍茲一如以往成為現場最大的吸引力。因為是練習日，球員們很是放鬆，也很樂意跟歡呼的人群交談。他們沒有像比賽日那樣板著嚴肅的撲克臉。有些球員甚至借了我們大會提供的墨鏡，跟我們一起觀看日蝕。
高爾夫球場維護得非常精細，擁有鬱鬱蔥蔥的綠色草地球道、和純白色的沙坑。球場比我們想像的還要起伏不平。連續四天、每天步行18洞的比賽，也許對體力來說是個巨大的考驗。球場周圍的水池、杜鵑花叢和石橋，讓整個景色更加迷人。對於我們這些城市居民來說，在如此奇妙的環境中散步是很難得的體驗。
另一個令我們全家都感到驚訝的體驗，是當天全天禁止使用手機的規定。我們不能打電話、聽新聞、看短信或發信息。我們完全與日常新聞、錯誤信息、煩人的廣告和社交媒體的閒言碎語隔絕開來。能夠單純地享受眼前的人和事，活在當下，這種感覺既清新又興奮。
雖然當天場內有超過2萬人，但並不覺得擁擠或壓力大。尊重椅子的使用規則，讓每個人在主人不在時，都可以使用閒置的椅子。人們舉止得體、和善有禮，就像文明社會應有的樣子。餐飲區和洗手間的管理非常有效率，我們幾乎沒有任何事情需要等超過10分鐘。充分顯示了一個精心策劃和執行活動所能夠達到的效果。
美麗的一天，有壯麗的風景、友善的職業高爾夫球選手、可愛的家人、一大幫開心的人群，以及遠離令人沮喪的新聞；這真的就像是在香格里拉中度過一天！
