暢游湄公河

Stretching roughly 4，184 kilometers from Tibet to the South China Sea， the sinuous1 Mekong is the thread2 that connects Cambodia， Laos， Myanmar， Thailand， Vietnam and Yunnan (China). It is the longest river in Southeast Asia. Many of the communities along the Mekong continue to live as they have for hundreds of years. The Chinese view the Mekong注1 as a vital3 energy source. Using the river as your guide is the best way to witness the diverse cultures in their most intact4 form.

Yunnan， China

Yunnan is a showpiece5 of China’s many natural wonders—rugged6， wild， and ancient. The legendary7 stories come alive in the snowy peaks of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain， the unfathomably8 deep abyss9 of Tiger Leaping Gorge10， and the imagination inspiring11 limestone12 columns of the Stone Forest. Yunnan is one of the most ethnically13 diverse provinces in Asia. The province shares a western boarder with Myanmar， and a southern border with Laos and Vietnam.

Bagan， Myanmar

With a population of 51 million， Myanmar is one of the largest countries in Southeast Asia. The country is a union of over 100 national races with their own languages and dialects14. Much like Siem Reap in Cambodia， the small town of Bagan， close to an archaeological15 site， is destined16 to develop rapidly as a tourist haunt. Bagan is the main tourist attraction in Myanmar—one of the richest archaeological sites in Asia. This vast site can be explored intricately17 for more than a week. In the early 11th century， Bagan was the world center of Theravada Buddhism注2 ，with more than 13，000 pagodas18 covering the plains bordered on both sides by the Ayeyarwady River. But the city fell to the invasion19 of Kublai Khan’s hordes20 in 1287 and wasabandoned21， leaving only 3，000 pagodas remaining in the midst of the Mongol22 destruction.

Luang Prabang， Laos

Laos has a rich history stretching back 10，000 years. Here Buddhism permeates23 everyfacet24 of life. Our first impression of this country is that the people go to bed very early. Change comes slowly—the land of mountain， mists25 anduntamed26 natural beauty tempts with unrivalled27 peace and serenity28.

It’s hard to imagine a town as magical as Luang Prabang—it was the first capital of Laos and has somehow managed to remain unscathed29 by war and modernization. The ancient capital wakes up every day to the sound of bells， gongs30 and drums from the local temples which send the monks on their morning rounds. Luang Prabang has around 1，000 resident monks who make the circuit31 around the town each morning to collect rice for their daily meal. This former royal capital is the perfect location for spiritual contemplation. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995， the town center is dominated32 by 33 temples and has a long history as a center for the study of Buddhism.

Nong Khai， Thailand

The Mekong River flows from Thailand’s top —the Golden Triangle where Myanmar， Laos and Thailand touch—to its northeast border， where Nong Khai is located. Nong Khai is one of the northeastern provinces of Thailand. The province is located in the valley of the Mekong River， which also forms the boundary33 with Laos. To the south it has some highlands. Vientiane， the capital of Laos， is only 25km away from Nong Khai.

The Golden Triangle is where Thailand， Myanmar and Laos meet across the Mekong River. It was once a notorious34 center of the opium trade35 but today the area is full of beautiful， natural scenery and ancient temples. Many tourists flock36 to the Golden Triangle region of Thailand for some“Wild west” scenery. Thailand can be a pleasantly overwhelming37 experience.

Phnom Penh， Cambodia

Everybody knows Angkor but Cambodia doesn’s end there. A broad range of activities enable visitors to pull back the curtain and discover the depth of the country’s true beauty. Take the Mekong River as it snakes through the heart of the country， its banks becoming a showcase for Cambodian life. Like Vientiane， Phnom Penh is another capital that the Mekong River flows past. Phnom Penh is a city that retains a colonial38 French charm despite its violent past. Wat Phnom is impressive. The hilltop pagoda gave the city its name. Wat Phnom is a symbol of the capital city Phnom Penh.

The beautiful and extensive temple ruins at Angkor， now a UNESCO Heritage site， represent39 the glorious Khmer civilization40 and one of the most spectacular41 historical sites in Asia. The incredible temple complex， which lay forgotten beneath the jungle for centuries， dates back to the 12th century and represents one of the world’s most remarkable architectural achievements.

Mekong Delta， Vietnam

Vietnam has two big deltas， the Red River Delta in the north and the Mekong Delta in the south. Hanoi， Vietnam’s capital， lies on the banks of the Red River， about 100km from its mouth. The Mekong Delta region is formed by the various tributaries42 of the mighty43 Mekong River. The land of the Mekong Delta is renowned for its richness. It produces enough rice to feed the entire country with a sizeable44 surplus45 left over. Take a sampan46 ride that meanders47 through small villages and experience the simple lives of the Mekong people. It’s fun to bargain at local floating markets where hawkers48 sell a variety of fruit and vegetables on boats.

Being the capital of the Mekong Delta， Vietnam， Can Tho is a thriving49 metropolis50 with huge streets. The center of Can Tho is quite busy and noisy with motorized cyclos51 roaring52 up and down the streets combined with throngs53 of people going about their lives.

Deep in history and rich in culture， this trip is one of the last travel frontiers54 with stunning55 natural beauty and incredible cultural diversity. There is a more urgent reason to visit the Mekong now as life along the river is set to change rapidly. It’s a wonderful experience to float along the Mekong River which provides visitors with the opportunity to explore the lush56 vegetation of the Mekong Delta and to sample localcuisine57.

蜿蜒的湄公河仿如一條細線，從西藏到南中國海延伸約4184公里，把柬埔寨、老撾、緬甸、泰國、越南及中國云南等地連起來。它是東南亞最長的河流。幾百年來，許多湄公河兩岸的居民的生活方式一直沒有太大改變。中國人視湄公河為重要的能源。沿著這條河暢游是領(lǐng)略最完整的多國文化的最好途徑。

中國云南

云南省匯聚了中國許多自然奇觀——其地勢高低不平，擁有古老的原始生態(tài)環(huán)境。從白雪皚皚的玉龍雪山峰頂?shù)缴畈豢蓽y的虎跳峽，還有令人遐想聯(lián)翩的石林都流傳著栩栩如生的傳奇故事。在亞洲，云南是最多民族聚居的省份之一。云南省的西面與緬甸接壤，南面邊境則連著老撾和越南。

緬甸蒲甘

緬甸人口達5千1百萬人，是東南亞最大的國家之一。緬甸有100多個支系的少數(shù)民族，每個民族擁有各自的文字與方言。像柬埔寨的暹粒一樣，小城蒲甘離考古地點很近，因此很快便成為一個旅游勝地。蒲甘是緬甸的主要旅游地——它是亞洲擁有最多考古點的地方之一。人們可以在這個地方呆上一個多星期進行細致的考察探險。在11世紀早期，蒲甘是全球小乘佛教的中心地——這里有1萬3千多座佛塔，遍布在伊洛瓦底江兩岸的平原上。但在1287年，蒲甘遭到忽必烈游牧部落入侵，隨后被遺棄。在蒙古人毀城的過程中，僅有3000座佛塔得以幸存至今。

老撾瑯勃拉邦

老撾的悠久歷史可以追溯到1萬年前。在這個國家里，佛教滲透在生活的方方面面。我們對于這個國家的第一印象是當?shù)厝硕己茉缢Ｗ兓従彾鴣怼綆n、薄霧以及純樸怡人的自然風光伴隨著無比的安寧與平靜。

很難想象一個小城能像瑯勃拉邦這樣迷人——它是老撾的第一個首都，這里沒有戰(zhàn)爭的創(chuàng)傷，也絲毫沒有受到現(xiàn)代化的影響。每天清晨，這個古都在當?shù)厮聫R的鑼鼓鐘聲中醒來，寺廟里的和尚大清早便抱缽?fù)獬龌墶，槻畲蠹s有1000名常駐僧侶，他們每天清晨會在城里走一圈化緣。這個前皇室首府是沉思冥想的最佳地點。瑯勃拉邦于1995年被納入聯(lián)合國教科文組織的世界文化遺產(chǎn)之列，其市中心便有33座寺廟。長久以來，瑯勃拉邦一直是重要的佛學之地。

泰國廊開

湄公河從泰國最北面——緬、撾、泰三國交界的“金三角”——流至泰國東北邊境，廊開便在這里。廊開是泰國東北面的一個省份。該省坐落于湄公河河谷，這里也是泰國與老撾的邊界線，其南面是丘陵地帶。老撾的首都萬象離廊開只有25公里。

金三角是泰國、緬甸及老撾交界之地，在湄公河邊隔河相望。這里曾是聲名狼藉的鴉片貿(mào)易中心，但如今這個地區(qū)到處是美麗的自然風光與古老的寺廟。許多游客聚集到泰國的金三角地區(qū)一睹“荒野的西部”景觀。泰國是一個賞心悅目又讓人無法抵擋的旅游國度。 柬埔寨金邊

眾人皆知吳哥窟，但柬埔寨值得一游的絕不止這一個地方。一系列豐富多彩的活動讓游客可以拉開幕簾，發(fā)掘這個國家真正的魅力。到湄公河去游一趟吧，因為它蜿蜒地穿過柬埔寨的中心，河兩岸展現(xiàn)了柬埔寨人的生活。與萬象一樣，金邊是湄公河流經(jīng)的另一個首都。盡管擁有一段暴戾的歷史，金邊是一個保留著法國殖民色彩的魅力城市。神殿金塔山更讓人印象深刻。金邊的名字便來自于山頂?shù)姆鹚Ｉ竦罱鹚绞鞘锥冀疬叺臉酥尽?吳哥窟美麗廣闊的廟宇遺址現(xiàn)已成為聯(lián)合國教科文組織的世界文化遺產(chǎn)，它象征著輝煌的高棉文明，是亞洲最壯觀的歷史遺址之一。令人嘆為觀止的古廟群在叢林下被掩埋了數(shù)個世紀，以致被世人所遺忘，其歷史可追溯到12世紀，是世界上最有名的建筑學成就之一。

越南湄公河三角洲

越南有兩大三角洲——北面的紅河三角洲與南面的湄公河三角洲。越南的首都河內(nèi)便坐落在紅河岸上，離入海口約100公里。湄公河三角洲地區(qū)由寬闊的湄公河的多條支流匯聚形成，以其肥沃的土地著稱。這里出產(chǎn)的糧食作物豐盛，足夠供給全國食用，而且還有相當大的剩余。你可以坐上小船蜿蜒穿梭于小村莊之間，體驗一下湄公河兩岸居民的簡樸生活。在當?shù)厮鲜袌鲇憙r還價也是一件樂事，小販會在船上叫賣各種各樣的水果蔬菜。

作為越南湄公河三角洲的首府，芹苴是一個繁榮興旺、街道寬闊的大城市。繁忙的市中心車水馬龍，摩托三輪車喧鬧地在大街上行駛，人們忙于為生活奔波。

湄公河沿途地區(qū)擁有深厚的歷史文化底蘊，這趟旅程是難得的多國邊境游之一，它讓你領(lǐng)略到美麗動人的自然風光以及讓人難以置信的多元文化。現(xiàn)在有一個更迫切的原因要去游覽湄公河——湄公河兩岸的生活將會日新月異。暢游湄公河是一段精彩的經(jīng)歷，它讓游客有機會探索湄公河三角洲青蔥的草木，還可以嘗遍當?shù)氐拿牢都央取?/p>

注釋

1)sinuous a.蜿蜒的

2)thread n.線

3)vital a.生命的，所必需的

4)intact a.完整無缺的

5)showpiece n.展出品

6)rugged a.高低不平的

7)legendary a.傳說的

8)unfathomably a.深不可測的

9)abyss n.深淵

10)gorge n.峽谷

11)inspiring a.鼓舞的

12)limestone n.石灰石

13)ethnically ad.種族上

14)dialect n.方言

15)archaeological a.考古學的

16)destine v.注定

17)intricately ad.精致的

18)pagoda n.寶塔

19)invasion n.入侵

20)horde n.游牧部落

21)abandon v.放棄

22)Mongol n.蒙古人

23)permeate v.彌漫

24)facet n.方面

25)mist n.薄霧

26)untamed a.未被馴服的

27)unrivalled a.至高無上的

28)serenity n.平靜

29)unscathed a.未受傷的

30)gong n.銅鑼

31)circuit n.巡回，周游

32)dominate v支配，控制

33)boundary n. 分界線，邊界，范圍

34)notorious a. 聲名狼藉的，臭名昭著的

35)opium trade 販毒

36)flock v. 聚集，成群而行

37)overwhelm v. 壓倒，淹沒，受打擊

38)colonial a. 殖民地的，殖民的

39)represent v. 表現(xiàn)，代表

40)civilization n. 文明，文化

41)spectacular a. 壯觀的，驚人的

42)tributary n. 支流

43)mighty a. 強有力的

44)sizeable a. 大的，相當大的

45)surplus n. 過剩，剩余

46)sampan n. 舢板，小船

47)meander n. 漫步，曲流（常用復(fù)數(shù)）

48)hawker n. 叫賣小販，飼鷹者

49)thriving a. 旺盛的，繁榮的

50)metropolis n. 首府，大都市，重要中心

51)cyclo n. 三輪車

52)roaring v. 怒吼，咆哮

53)throng n. 人群，眾多

54)frontier n. 邊界，國境，前沿

55)stunv. 打昏，使震驚

56)lush a. 豐富的，豪華的

57)cuisine n. 烹飪，烹調(diào)法