2013-12-23 
【Aiden in English】
The closest thing to Seychelles is Hawaii, except Seychelles is in the Indian Ocean, while Hawaii is in the Pacific. Our tour took Mom and me to the National Botanical Gardens in Victoria, the capital city of the Republic of Seychelles. Victoria is on Mahe, the largest island in the nation. There were exotic flowers and trees like trumpet pitchers, screw pines, Coco de Mer, Spanish daggers, cannonball trees, and many more. Ninety-five percent of the trees here were not originally from this island. If you closed your eyes and walked forward, it would be like walking into a minefield. Plants that were green, red, white, and yellow all seemed to blend into a colorful painting while different sizes of fruits hung from the trees. Coco de Mer, the most interesting coconut tree, had a butt-shaped coconut. It was huge! Its coconut could weigh up to 30 kilograms/66 lb and seem twice the size of a human head. In addition to its dioecism, I was intrigued by how long it took to grow. For the first 15 years, the sapling only grew leaves. Then, it took another 10 years to develop the trunk. Finally, it took eight years to expand and ripen its nuts. On the way to Beau Vallon Bay, something caught my eye. Bats were roosting on one of the palm fronds. Bats fly in the daytime using their ears, known as flying foxes. At night, they go hunting since bats are nocturnal and can see in the dark. This was different from what I had learned about bats. In addition, our local guide had even eaten one, and it tasted like a chicken to him. Generally speaking, the locals would eat the flying fox if someone else cooked it. If the locals had to cook it themselves, they would probably prefer chicken because the bat's insides looked like human organs! Sometimes, even the most different creatures have something similar to each other, like the shape of the coconut and the insides of the flying fox, which are similar to our human body. 【红霞译】
塞舌尔共和国看上去很像夏威夷，只不过两者地域不同：一个位于印度洋，另一个则在太平洋，今天我和妈妈要去首都维多利亚“胜利女王”参观国家植物园，而维多利亚座落在全国最大的马埃“神赐”岛上。
塞舌尔国家植物园内有很多奇特的花卉和树种，最为常见的如瓶子草、兜树、海椰子、凤尾兰、炮弹树等，其中95%以上的植物并非本地特有，在这里如果你闭上眼睛摸黑前行，就好像掉进了地雷区劈里啪啦被树撞来撞去，周围绿、红、白、黄色奇花异草共同描绘，各种大小的果实结满枝头。
海椰子形如人的屁股，因此特别引人注目，其块头出众，有的甚至重达30公斤／66磅，差不多有两个人头那么大。海椰子雌雄异株，生长周期更加触目惊心，从种子发芽成苗长出叶子需要15年漫长岁月，然后还得花上10年功夫修心养性壮大树干，末了再继续投资8年大好时光方才展示出丰收的喜悦。
离开植物园前往美谷湾之前，什么东西恍然从我眼前一闪而过，原来是善食棕榈叶子的狐蝠，它们白天靠听觉飞行，晚间像其它夜行蝙蝠一样出来觅食，我从没有听说过这种动物。
另据导游介绍，他曾经吃过狐蝠，感觉如同鸡的味道，通常说来当地人只吃别人烹饪而不吃自己做的的狐蝠，否则他们情愿吃鸡，因为狐蝠内脏长得太像人的器官！ 海椰子的形状和狐蝠的脏器都与人某些部位相像，可见世界之大无奇不有，宇宙间两个极不相干的事物有时竟会莫名其妙地表现类似的特质。
Today in History(历史上的今天): 2012: Youth Ctr @ Sea, Chile(智利游轮少年中心)  Port of Victoria, Gateway to the Seychelles
(首都维多利亚港·塞舌尔的门户)
 Nautica Oceania (“大洋·航海”号游轮)
 Wind Turbines by the Sea (海上风电场)
 Government Complex Built in 1910
(政府大楼·始建于1910年)  State House, the Official Residence & Office of the President of Seychelles
(总统府·塞舌尔总统官邸和办公室)  Natl House (国家宫)
 Port Glaud Lagoon of Government Complex, a Hidden Haven
(政府大楼格劳德“跛脚”港泻湖·隐秘的避风港) 
Victoria Clock Tower, a Replica of the Little Ben Clock Tower near Victoria Station in London Erected in 1903, Commemorating Queen Victoria's Reign & Serving as a Symbol of the Island's Colonial Past & Its Enduring Connection to the British Empire (维多利亚钟楼·建于1903年、伦敦维多利亚车站附近小本钟楼的复制品，以纪念维多利亚女王的统治，象征该岛殖民历史及与大英帝国的持久联系 12-23-2013)
Diamond Jubilee Fountain Commemorating Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897 & Showcasing Intricate Victorian Design (钻石禧年喷泉·纪念1897年维多利亚女王登基钻石禧年，展示精致的维多利亚式设计 12-23-2013)
 St. Paul's Cathedral Providing Sanctuary During a Devastating Natural Disaste
(圣保罗“谦卑”大教堂·在毁灭性的自然灾害期间提供庇护)  Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa Mosque, the 1st Mosque in Seychelles
(谢赫·穆罕默德·本·哈利法谢赫·穆罕默德·本·哈利法“爱戴·智者·之子·继承者”清真寺——塞舌尔第一家清真寺)
 Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa Mosque Built in 1982
(谢赫·穆罕默德·本·哈利法清真寺——建于1982年)
 Arulmigu Navasakti Vinayagar Temple, the 1st & Only Hindu Temple in Seychelles w/ Ganesha as the Presiding Deity
(印度教寺庙·既是第一座也是唯一一座以象头神为主神的印度教寺庙 12-23-2013)  Arulmigu Navasakti Vinayagar Temple Built in 1992
(印度教寺庙·建于1992年) 
Arulmigu Navasakti Vinayagar Temple, after Lord Vinayagar, the Remover of Obstacles & the God of New Beginnings (印度教寺庙·以维纳亚加尔“象头”神命名，为消除障碍及好运之神 12-23-2013) 
Lord Vinayaka Symbolizing Wisdom & Faith (维纳亚卡神·象征智慧和信仰)  Hillside Bell Tower above Immaculate Conception Catholic Cathedral
(圣母无玷始胎天主教堂上方的山坡钟楼)  Saint Louis Hill, the Smallest District of Seychelles w/ an Area Slightly More Than 1 Km²
(圣路易斯“名将”山·塞舌尔最小的行政区，面积略大于一平方公里)  Inflatable Santa Claus, the Biggest in the Country
(全国最大的充气圣诞老人)  United Monument Erected in the Heart of Victoria in 1987
(团结纪念碑·1987年矗立于维多利亚市中心)  United Monument a Symbol of National Unity & Commitment to Peace
(团结纪念碑·象征民族团结和对和平的承诺)  Natl Botanical Gardens, Oasis on Mahe
(国家植物园·马埃岛的绿洲 12-23-2013)  Botanical Gardens Established in 1901 & Initially Served as an Agricultural Station
(国家植物园·建于1901年，最初为农业站 12-23-2013)  Aldabra Tortoise @ Botanical Gardens, the 2nd-Largest Tortoise Species, Only to the Galapagos Tortoise
(国家植物园阿尔达布拉“绿色”象龟·全球第二大龟类，仅次于加拉帕戈斯“马鞍”象龟)
Cannonball Tree, the Sacred Scriptures (炮弹树·神圣经文之树)  Cannonball Tree Flower Featuring Cauliflory Bloomed Directly on the Trunk & Large Branches
(炮弹茎花·直接在树干和大枝上绽放)
Coco-de-Mer @ 25-34 Meters (海椰子·25–34米高) 
Coco-de-Mer Producing the Largest & Heaviest Seeds in the Plant Kingdom (海椰子·植物界中最大、最重的种子) 
Coco-de-Mer-Bowl, the Beautiful Buttocks (海椰子果·美丽的屁股丰满的腚) 
Chalta, Particularly Popular w/ Elephants as Elephant Apple (番石榴·深受大象喜爱，又叫“大象苹果”)  Coconuts (椰子)
 Fruit Fox, a Megabat Endemic to Seychelles w/ a Wingspan of up to 1.2 Metres/3.9 Ft (果蝠·塞舌尔特有的巨型蝙蝠，翼展可达1.2米/3.9英尺)
Mahogany Tree Led to a "Golden Age of British Furniture-Making" in the 18th Century (桃花心木·引领了18世纪“英国家具制造的黄金时代”) 
Sir Selwyn Clarke Market Built in 1840 (塞尔温·克拉克“司徒永觉”爵士市场——建于1840年)  Great Egret Sir Selwyn Clarke Market
(维多利亚市场·大白鹭)
 Beau Vallon Beach, the Longest Beach on Mahé Island
(博瓦隆“美谷”海滩·马埃岛最长的海滩 12-23-2013）  Baie Beau Vallon, the Most Famous Seychelles Beach
(博瓦隆·塞舌尔最美的海滩 12-23-2013)  Takamaka Beach (塔卡马卡“红厚壳”海滩 12-23-2013)
 Takamaka Beach, Best-Suited to Snorkelling
(塔卡马卡海滩·最适合浮潜 12-23-2013)  Beau Vallon Resort, a Stunning Tropical Escape
(美谷度假村·绝美的热带度假胜地 12-23-2013)
 Bel Air Cemetery, the 1st Official Burial Ground on Mahé Island, Dating back to the Late 1780s in the French Era
(贝莱尔“美丽的空气”公墓·马埃岛上首个官方墓地，其历史可追溯至法国统治时期 18世纪80年代末) Crosslinks(相关博文): Across the Indian Ocean(穿越印度洋) Africa (漫游非洲) 5th Grade(小学五年级) |
