2014-01-07

【Aiden in English】

        Finally, it was time to get off the cruise ship Nautica Oceania. After 30 days of swaying and bumpy nights, I wanted to free myself. But I didn't want to wake up at 4 a.m. to catch a flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg. From the most populous city in South Africa, we flew to Victoria Falls National Park, situated on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, to see one of the world's largest waterfalls and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

        Once you've seen the Iguazu Falls of Brazil and Argentina and the Victoria Falls of Zimbabwe and Zambia, you may never go back to the Niagara Falls of the US and Canada because both Iguaçu and Victoria are at least twice the size of Niagara.

        Victoria is famous for its width, about 2 km/1.2 miles long. The Iguazu is popular for its number of falls, consisting of three significant and 272 minor falls. Niagara is unique for the tremendous volume of water it carries, among the three most significant falls on Earth. All are shared by two countries internationally. In addition, there is Angel Falls in Venezuela, which is the tallest in the world.

        Today, I came to Victoria Falls in person. I was swept away like the water when I first saw the waterfall. A massive curtain of water gushed from above a giant granite ledge. And where the falls met the Zambezi River below, enormous hazes of mist rose underneath splendid rainbows against the sun. If you thought that was amazing, the Devil's Throat might give you a heart attack. The Devil's Throat was the closest you could get to the waterfall. I don't recommend bringing the camera with you unless it is waterproof. The spray was so big that it formed raindrops the size of a golf ball. I didn't stay very long at the Devil's Throat, and nobody did.

        Victoria Falls is truly magnificent on the African savannah, even though the Iguazu is the most beautiful and the Niagara is the most powerful on our planet. I still think Victoria comes in a very close second to the Iguazu. Sooner or later, I will see the world's tallest Angel Falls back on the American continent. But for now, I indeed had enough water.

        In 1989, Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

【红霞译】

        终于到了该下“大洋·航海”号游轮的时候，经过30天摇曳不止颠簸不休的日日夜夜，我巴不得恢复正常生活，但万万没有想到凌晨4点便要起床打点行装，为的是赶赴开普敦“云朵聚集之地”国际机场乘坐飞往约翰内斯堡“金城”的班机，然后再从这个人口爆炸的南非都市转去津巴布韦“石头房子”和赞比亚“大河”之间的维多利亚“胜利女王”瀑布国家公园，鉴赏世界上三大瀑布之一、联合国科教文组织《世界遗产名录》非物质文化保护地。

        如果你亲眼见过巴西、阿根廷之间的伊瓜苏“洪水”瀑布，并且有幸目睹津巴布韦、赞比亚之间的维多利亚瀑布，想必你不愿再光顾美国、加拿大之间的尼亚加拉“雷鸣”瀑布，因为前两个瀑布至少要比后一个大上两倍之多。

       维多利亚瀑布宽幅最大，前后横跨2公里／1.2英里之远；伊瓜苏瀑布数量最多，共由三个大瀑布和272个小瀑布组成；尼亚加拉瀑布流量最强，为北美水利发电创造了先决条件。上述三大瀑布各自跨越两个不同国土，唯有地球上最高的天使瀑布独居委内瑞拉境内。

        今天我莅临津巴布韦维多利亚瀑布，实地观摩其壮观场面，初来乍到立刻被滔天洪水淋成落汤鸡。烟霞渺茫，汹涌澎湃，波涛沿巨大花岗岩断面狂泻直下，狠劲跌入赞比西“大”河，由此掀起“霹雳之雾”，使得阳光下的彩虹七彩斑斓，份外妖娆。如果你为之陶醉倾倒，那麽“魔鬼喉 ”轰鸣作响的浩大声势足以叫你心惊肉跳。“魔鬼喉 ”是游客走近维多利亚瀑布的极佳景点，正因如此，我建议你最好不要携带相机，除非有防水功能。瀑布喷出的水珠大如高尔夫球一般，“魔鬼喉 ”绝非久留之地，大家有目共睹。

        在我看来，尽管维多利亚瀑布不及伊瓜苏瀑布美妙秀丽，也不如尼亚加拉瀑布气壮山河，但在非洲大草原的衬托下蔚为奇观，因而仅次于最美的伊瓜苏瀑布，相信不久的将来，我要亲自考察位于美洲大陆全球落差最大的天使瀑布，不过时下我已经看足了瀑布。

        1989年，莫西奥图尼亚“雷鸣般烟雾”/维多利亚瀑布被联合国教科文组织纳入《世界遗产名录》。

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2013: Iguazu Falls, Brazil(巴西伊瓜苏瀑布)

2010: 澳洲大洋路(Great Ocean Rd, Australia)

Departure from JNB Intl Airport

(约翰内斯堡国际机场离境 01-07-2014)

Craft Shop @ JNB Intl Airport

(约翰内斯堡国际机场·工艺品店 01-07-2014)

Departure from JNB Intl Airport to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

(约翰内斯堡国际机场·前往津巴布韦维多利亚瀑布 01-07-2014)

River Limpopo, the 2^nd-Largest River Flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa 

(林波波“瀑布”河·非洲注入印度洋的第二大河)

Aerial View of Johannesburg (鸟瞰约翰内斯堡)

Arrival @ VFA Intl Airport, Zimbabwe

(津巴布韦·维多利亚瀑布镇入境处 01-07-2014)

Outdoor Customer Inspection @ VFA

(津巴布韦·海关入境户外检查处 01-07-2014)

Victoria Falls Hotel, Zimbabwe, the 1^st Hotel Built in Victoria Falls in 1904, Overlooking the Zambezi River & Victoria Falls. Referred to as "the Grand Old Lady of the Falls," Due to Its Edwardian Grandeur & Colonial History 

(津巴布韦维多利亚瀑布酒店·建于1904年的维多利亚瀑布第一家酒店，俯瞰赞比西“大”河和维多利亚瀑布，因其爱德华时代的宏伟和殖民历史而被称为“瀑布的老太太” 01-07-2014)

Bulawayo Room of Victoria Falls Hotel, Zimbabwe

(津巴布韦维多利亚瀑布酒店·布拉瓦约“屠宰场”厅 01-07-2014)

Stanley's Room @ Victoria Falls Hotel, Zimbabwe

(津巴布韦维多利亚瀑布酒店·斯坦利“石场”厅 01-07-2014)

Craft Shop @ Victoria Falls Hotel, Zimbabwe

(津巴布韦维多利亚瀑布酒店·工艺品店 01-07-2014)

Flat Tire on the Way to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

(赶往津巴布韦维多利亚瀑布途中爆胎 01-07-2014)

Statue of David Livingstone @ Victoria Falls NP, Zimbabwe

(津巴布韦维多利亚瀑布国家公园·苏格兰籍非洲探险家雕像 01-07-2014)

Long-Lived Ebony (长寿的黑檀树)

Amakwezi Dancers (津巴布韦星辰舞者)

Victoria Falls Bridge Between Zimbabwe & Zambia 

(介于津巴布韦与赞比亚两国之间的维多利亚瀑布桥 01-07-2014)

Victoria Falls Bridge Viewed from Victoria Falls Hotel, Zimbabwe

(从津巴布韦维多利亚瀑布酒店远望维多利亚桥 01-07-2014)

Victoria Falls by Batoka Gorge

(巴祖卡峡旁维多利亚瀑布)

Rainbow Falls, the Highest in Victoria Falls NP

(维多利亚瀑布国家公园·最高的彩虹瀑布)

Daylight Rainbow in Shower & Mist

(雨雾中日光彩虹 01-07-2014)

Cracks of Basalt Bedrock (玄武岩基岩裂缝)

Devil's Cataract w/ Approximately 70-Meter/230-Ft Drop

(魔鬼大瀑布·约70米/230英尺的落差)

Gorge Cliffs Composed of Batoka Formation

(由巴祖卡玄武岩熔岩流组成的峡谷悬崖 01-07-2014)

Victoria, the Widest in 2 Km／1.2 Miles

(维多利亚瀑布宽幅最大·2公里／1.2英里)

River Zambezi, the 1^st Largest River Flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa 

(赞比西河·非洲注入印度洋的第一大河)

Waterworn Roughhew Landscape

(被水冲蚀的粗糙地貌 01-07-2014)

Thundering Smoke (雷鸣般的烟雾 01-07-2014)

Devil's Pool in Zambia (赞比亚·魔鬼池)

Sunset over Zambezi River (赞比西河日落)

Crosslinks(相关博文):

2013: Iguazu NP, Argentina(阿根廷伊瓜苏国家公园)

2012：纽约州尼亚加拉瀑布州立公园(Niagara Falls SP, NY)

Across the Indian Ocean(穿越印度洋)

Africa (漫游非洲)

5th Grade(小学五年级)