【南非历险记】白人妇女南非历险记全文阅读

　　翻译：王冰清 　　This vacation my brother and I planned to visit South Africa for adventure. We met at the airport in 1)Johannesburg which is the most 2)populous city in South Africa. It is also the wealthiest 3)metropolis in the country because of its large-scale gold and diamond trade. We settled down at a hostel, making plans for the next few days.
　　On the early morning of the second day we were going on 4)safari to the Kruger National Park. About the size of Israel, Kruger Park is the greatest national park in South Africa which attracts a great number of visitors intent on drinking in the wilderness. On guided walks, drives or unguided drives, visitors have the best chance of spotting the “Big Five”-elephants, lions, leopards, 5)rhinos and 6)buffalos in the park.
　　We were going on a four-day safari. Our guide was called “Yogi,”and seemed very nice. On the way the scenery is mostly flat farmland and not particularly interesting. However, this changed once we reached the 7)Drakensberg 8)escarpment where Kruger National Park is located. In this region there is some really beautiful and dramatic scenery. Yogi gave us the history of the place and I took a lot of pictures. The next stop was in a valley with high mountains and a waterfall. It was obviously a popular tourist stop because there were plenty of woodcarving sellers here. Most of them were pretty 9)aggressive in their efforts to sell something. It was good to hear though that even middle aged women in South Africa are getting further educated, because all of them talked about needing “money for school.”
　　On the short way to the camp we saw several 10)impalas and 11)zebras. The weather was cloudy and therefore it was perfect for game viewing. We saw a group of lions already within the first half hour. Unfortunately, they were lying behind some trees and were partly covered by the branches, but it was still very exciting. Something quite different from our past safari experience was that this one included a walking safari which 12)enabled us to have a closer look at the amazing wildlife. We had seen lots of animals and were very happy with everything. While we were sitting and waiting for dinner to get ready, suddenly a 13)hyena walked slowly by the other side of the fence looking hungrily at us. It was surprising! The hyena was so much bigger than I had expected and it was easy to understand why it was an animal worth fearing! Later in the evening it came by again and looked at us. We could hear a lot of animal sounds, some far away and some very close. During dinner everybody suddenly froze, as there was a very loud roar right outside the camp. We were sure that it was a lion but Yogi said it was an elephant. He told us to be quiet and follow him to the fence. It was so exciting!
　　On the last day of the safari, we had a stop at the “Three Rondavels”to see the wonderful view and the strangely shaped mountains there. The trip back to 14)Pretoria, the official capital of South Africa, was smooth. Do you know that South Africa is the only country in the world that has three capitals? Besides Pretoria, 15)Bloemfontein is its 16)judicial capital and Cape Town is the 17)legislative capital. The Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of the African continent. South Africa is a very racially 18)diverse nation. We didn’t feel as much 19)intimidated in such a multicultural country as in other parts of Africa, where there are only few white people. The economy of South Africa is the largest and best developed on the continent, with a modern 20)infrastructure common throughout the country.
　　Before flying to Cape Town we spent one more day in Pretoria, checking out various things of interest. The centre of Pretoria is pretty nice and it seemed perfectly safe to walk around during daytime. There are lots of other people there during business hours, but as in other South African cities, when the clock is close to five, most people go home and the town looks 21)deserted. However, on many corners there were guards hired by the city to assist people who might need help, especially tourists. I liked that arrangement, which made me feel safer.
　　The next day we got up early to catch the plane to the beautiful Cape Town. No visit to Cape Town is complete without a trip up Table Mountain ?home to some of South Africa’s most 22)breathtaking views. Table Mountain is a famous landmark and tourist attraction in Cape Town, with many visitors using the 23)cableway to take a ride to the top. The mountain is named for its flat top which is often covered by cloud, forming the �able cloth.?The shape of the mountain provided a 24)dramatic setting for the 25)sprawling city. I would say the scenery on the top of the mountain was one of our lasting memories of South Africa.
　　26)Strolling and 27)haggling at the 28)flea market certainly helped to make us feel at home. We came to fully appreciate why Cape Town is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Despite our limited time here, we did manage to visit the famed Cape of Good Hope. The Cape is popularly known as the 29)junction of the cold Atlantic Ocean and the warm Indian Ocean. We were 30)overwhelmed by the 31)startling spectacles of the contrasting waters on either side of Cape Point ?the east side a peaceful 32)bluish-green while the west, a rich blue 33)hue with magnificent waves. More cheer when I 34)descended from the other side of the Cape to the glorious beach below where 35)thunderous waves drummed off sky-high from the rocks, often inducing a rainbow in the process.
　　South Africa is often referred to as “The Rainbow Nation”because of its multicultural diversity. The country will be the host nation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It will be the first time the 36)tournament is held in Africa. We can’t wait to return by then!
　　这个假期我和哥哥打算到南非去探险。我们在南非人口最稠密的城市―约翰内斯堡的机场会合。凭借其大规模的黄金与钻石买卖，约翰内斯堡也是南非最富裕的大城市。我们在一所旅店安顿下来，计划未来几天的行程。
　　第二天清晨，我们打算到克鲁格国家公园进行狩猎探险。克鲁格公园的面积大约有以色列那么大，是南非最大的国家公园，它吸引了许多打算在茫茫荒野上享受探险乐趣的游客。游客在公园里可以选择有导游的步行、驾车或无导游驾车游览，这是观察“非洲五兽”（大象、狮子、豹、犀牛及野牛）的最佳机会。
　　我们打算进行四天的狩猎探险。我们的导游叫尤吉，他看起来很友善。路上的风光大部分是平坦的农田，不是特别有趣。然而，当我们来到了克鲁格国家公园的所在地―德拉肯斯堡山崖时，景色就截然不同了。这一区域的景色非常美丽壮观。尤吉向我们介绍了这个地方的历史，我也拍了不少照片。下一站便是高山连绵的山谷与瀑布。显然，这里是一个人流熙攘的旅游点，有不少兜售木雕制品的小贩。大多数人都非常卖力地向游客推销自己的商品。而我们很高兴能听到他们都以“需要钱上学”为由招徕生意，看来连非洲中年妇女也在接受良好教育。
　　在抄小路回露营地的路上，我们看到几头黑斑羚和斑马。今天多云，所以很适合狩猎观光。在头半个小时，我们已看到一群狮子。很可惜，它们都在树丛后躺着，被部分树枝遮挡住了，但这仍然令人非常兴奋。这次狩猎探险与以往的很不同，因为它包括了徒步探险，这使我们能近距离地观察让人惊叹的野生生物。我们已看到许多动物，对此感到很高兴。正当我们坐着等待吃晚饭时，一只土狼突然从栅栏的另一边慢慢地向我们走来，饥饿地盯着我们。太出乎我们的意料了！这只土狼比我想象的要大得多，这不难明白为什么它是令人生畏的动物！晚上晚些时候，它再次向我们走来，虎视眈眈地看着我们。我们可以听到许多动物的叫声，有些很远，有些很近。晚饭的时候，突然间我们每个人都被吓呆了，因为就在露营地外传来了非常巨大的吼叫声。我们肯定那是狮子的咆哮，但尤吉说那是大象的叫声。他叫我们安静地跟着他到栅栏那边去看看。这可太刺激了！
　　在狩猎探险的最后一天，我们在“三茅屋”短暂停留了一下，在那里参观了奇妙的风光和奇形怪状的山峰。在往南非的行政首都比勒陀利亚回去的路上，一切都很顺利。你知道南非是世界上唯一拥有三个首都的国家吗？除了比勒陀利亚，布隆方丹是南非的司法首都，开普敦则是其立法首都。南非共和国坐落于非洲大陆的最南端，是一个多种族国家。在这个拥有多元文化的国度里，我们感到的威迫感远比在非洲其它地方要小，因为在那些地方的白人寥寥无几。南非的经济是非洲大陆上最强大和发展最好的，现代化基础设施很完善。
　　在乘飞机去开普敦前，我们在比勒陀利亚逗留多一天，四处看看各种有趣的东西。比勒陀利亚的市中心很漂亮，白天在街上逛好像挺安全的。办公时间有很多人在城里，但就像南非的其它城市，快到5点时，大部分人就会回家，整个城市仿佛成了一座荒城。然而，在许多地方则有市政雇佣的保安员帮助可能需要帮助的人们，尤其是游客。我挺喜欢这种政府措施，这让我感到更安全。
　　第二天我们很早起床赶飞机，飞往美丽的开普敦。来到开普敦，不登桌山，无疑是个不完美的旅程。桌山拥有南非许多最令人震撼的景色。它是开普敦的一个著名城市标志与旅游景点，许多游客乘坐缆车到达山顶。这座山因其平坦的山顶而得名，云朵覆盖着山顶，形似“桌布”。山的形状为向四周延伸的城市提供了动人的背景。可以说，山顶上的景观是我们南非之旅的永恒回忆之一。
　　在跳蚤市场里一边漫步一边讨价还价的确让我们感到舒适自在。我们渐渐明白为什么开普敦被认为是世界上最美丽的城市之一。虽然我们在这里的时间有限，但我们设法到著名的好望角游览。众所周知，好望角是冰冷的大西洋与温暖的印度洋的交汇处。我们惊叹于好望角海岬两边对比强烈的水域奇观―东边平静的海水呈蓝绿色，而西边深蓝色的海水则伴随着扣人心弦的波涛。更令人愉快的是当我从好望角的另一边往下面壮美的海滩走下去时，雷鸣般的海浪拍打在岩石上，浪花飞溅得比天高，时常幻化成一道彩虹。
　　因其文化多元化，南非常被称为“彩虹国度”。该国将成为2010年世界杯的主办国，这将是世界杯首次在非洲举行。到那时，我们会迫不及待地重返南非！