全球最酷的幾處旅遊目的地

Travel season is here, when so many Americans decamp to Cape Cod or the Jersey Shore. All of which is wonderful, and some day I plan to do a 10-part series on the world’s best beaches.

旅遊旺季到了，許多美國人選擇到科德角或澤西海岸遊玩。這些地方都很出色，我打算哪天做一個世界十佳海灘系列專題。

But travel can also be an education, a step toward empathy and international understanding. So for those with an adventurous streak who want to get beyond the madding crowd this summer, here are a few little-known travel spots that I recommend.

但旅行也是一種教育，一種面向感同身受與國際間相互理解而踏出的一步。所以，我向那些想要躲開洶涌人潮的冒險家推薦幾個鮮爲人知的旅行目的地。

These just might be the world’s coolest places.

它們有可能是全球最酷的地方。

Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands. This coral island in the Pacific Ocean was the site of American nuclear weapons tests in the 1940s and 1950s, but after decades left to itself it is now dazzlingly beautiful in a way that belies its history. Radiation has dissipated, and the deserted white-sand beaches are lined with coconut palms and scattered with seashells and an occasional giant sea turtle — which will hurriedly call to its friends: Look, there’s a rare sight, a human! The island is a reminder of the redemptive power of time and nature.

馬紹爾羣島的比基尼環礁。這座珊瑚島位於太平洋，在20世紀40至50年代曾是美國的核武試驗基地，但在數十年寂靜的休養生息之後，今日的它美豔驚人，初見時我們根本猜不到那段歷史。輻射已經消失，與世隔絕的雪白沙灘上是成排的椰子樹，星星點點的貝殼，偶有巨大的海龜奔走相告：“快看！那兒有個稀罕東西——人類！”這座小島會讓你想到，時間與大自然有着何等強大的自愈力。

Potosí, Bolivia. Perhaps no country in Latin America is more picturesque than Bolivia, and the most memorable Bolivian city may be Potosí. European explorers discovered a huge silver mountain here in the 1540s, and, in the 1600s, this was one of the major cities in the world. Tourists can descend the silver mines, and it is a searing and unforgettable experience. You go down hundreds of feet in tiny, sweltering tunnels thick with dust, talk to some of the miners, and get a glimpse of what life is like for the many Bolivians who work each day in the mines. After a couple of hours deep underground, sometimes struggling to breathe and fretting about cave-ins, you may have new empathy for the laborers responsible for silver bowls and cutlery.

玻利維亞的波多西。拉美恐怕沒有哪個國家比玻利維亞風景更美的了，而玻利維亞最令人難忘的城市大概是波多西。16世紀40年代，歐洲探險家們在這裏發現了巨大的銀山，到了17世紀，它成了一座世界級的重要城市。遊客可以向下爬到銀礦底部，這將是一場永生難忘的焦灼經歷。穿過許多狹小酷熱、煙塵瀰漫的隧道，下行幾百英尺，跟礦工聊天，對每天在銀礦裏賣力的無數玻利維亞百姓的生活投去驚鴻一瞥。在幽深的地底度過兩三個小時，有時艱於呼吸，有時因封閉而燥熱難當，這些感受或許會讓你對銀餐具的源頭——礦工，多一些惻隱之心。

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Maybe our best family trip started at Victoria Falls, which drenches you with spray and is so vast that it makes Niagara Falls seem like a backyard creek. Then we rented a car and made our way to Hwange National Park, which was empty of people but crowded with zebras, giraffes, elephants and more. Zimbabwe has far fewer tourists than South Africa or Kenya, and there’s less crime as well.

津巴布韋的維多利亞瀑布。我們最精彩的閤家遊大概就是維多利亞瀑布之旅，水霧打溼了我們全身，它如此壯闊，相形之下，尼亞加拉瀑布簡直是後院的水渠。看完瀑布之後我們租車去了萬基國家公園，園內人跡罕至，卻有成羣的斑馬、長頸鹿、大象等各種動物。津巴布韋的遊客比南非或肯尼亞少得多，治安狀況也好得多。

Amritsar, India. The Golden Temple, Sikhism’s holiest shrine, is in northwestern India near the Pakistani border, and it is a delightful place to contemplate the draw of faith. A four-century-old temple set in a lake, it attracts Sikhs from around the world. It is much less visited by tourists than the Taj Mahal, yet it is just as serene, grand and unforgettable. You walk the circuit of the lake barefoot, with your head covered, and, for the full experience, you can sleep and eat in temple buildings.

印度的阿姆利則。金廟是錫克教最神聖的殿堂，它位於印度西北部與巴基斯坦接壤的地方。這個美不勝收的地方最適合沉思信仰的魔力。這座經歷了四百年風雨的古廟坐落於湖邊，吸引了世界各地的錫克教徒。此地的遊客遠不如泰姬陵那麼多，卻同樣神聖莊嚴，令人難忘。你可以戴上頭巾沿着湖畔赤足漫步，爲了得到更完整的體驗，不妨在廟內住宿用餐。

Tanna, Vanuatu. This remote island in the South Pacific is notable for its live volcano that you can climb at night. From the lip, you look down and see the fires and molten lava. It’s a natural fireworks display. The people of Tanna are also likely to invite you to drink kava, the local intoxicant, or perhaps join a village dance. The local faith tradition is a cargo cult. People believe in a god they call John Frum, perhaps based on an American military officer around the time of World War II who gave islanders their first glimpse of industrial products. One theory is that he introduced himself as “John from America,” but only the first two words survived and became his name.

瓦努阿圖的塔納島。這座遙遠的南太平洋小島之所以聞名於世，是因爲有一座遊客可以乘夜色攀登的活火山。從火山口望下去，可以看見火焰和熾熱的岩漿，堪稱天然的焰火表演。塔納島的居民可能會邀你喝一杯醉人的本地卡瓦酒，或與村民一起跳舞。本地人信仰的是一種貨物崇拜。他們的神靈名叫約翰·弗拉姆(John Frum)，大概與“二戰”期間爲島民發放工業產品的美國軍官有關，那些貨物是島民平生第一次見到。有種理論認爲，軍官自稱“美國人約翰”(John from America)，但島民只記住了前兩個單詞，以爲那是他的名字。

Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam. Follow a guide in wriggling on your stomach underground through these tunnels dug by Vietcong soldiers who used them and even lived in them during the Vietnam War. The tunnels are now widened to accommodate portly Americans, and they are still a tight fit. After a couple hundred feet of crawling in the tunnels, you’re desperate to come up again, and you understand that military victory is sometimes not about weaponry but about commitment.

越南古芝隧道。跟着嚮導，在地下隧道中匍匐行進。這些隧道是越南戰爭期間由越共士兵挖掘而成的，他們甚至住在裏面。如今，隧道已拓寬，好讓大腹便便的美國遊客得以通行，不過仍然感覺很緊。在隧道中爬行兩三百英尺之後，你絕望了，幾乎不敢相信自己還能出得去，此刻你就會明白，有時打勝仗的原因不是武器精良，而是有赤誠的信念。

There’s nothing wrong, of course, with a delicious week at the beach with a pile of books. But if you’re hankering to escape the crowds this summer, encounter new worlds and come back with a tale, think about some of these destinations. The tourism infrastructure may not be great, but the people (or elephants) will make up for it.

當然，躺在沙灘上看小說度過愜意的一週，也沒有什麼不對。可是，如果你渴望躲開夏季的人潮，遇見全新的世界，帶着傳奇歸來，那就考慮一下這幾個地方吧。它們的旅遊基礎設施或許不夠完美，但淳樸的村民（或大象）卻能彌補不足。

When I visited the Pacific island country of Kiribati years ago, I made a reservation by phone to make sure I would have a place to stay. The man at the hotel agreed to hold me a spot, but he skipped the details.

幾年前造訪太平洋小國基里巴斯之前，爲了確保能有住宿的地方，我提前打電話預訂。酒店接電話的男子答應爲我保留房間，但卻略過了細節。

“I don’t need the name,” he said. “If there’s an American at the airport, I’ll recognize him.”

“我不需要知道你的名字。”他說，“只要在機場看見一個美國人，我就知道是你。”