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 set myself free. But what I didn't want was to wake up at 4 am just to catch a flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg. From the most populated city of South Africa, we were flying out to Victoria Falls National Park, Zimbabwe to see one of the largest falls in the world and a UNESCO Heritage Site.

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

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

        Today I came to Victoria Falls in person. When I first laid my eyes on the waterfall, I was swept away like the water. A huge curtain of water gushed from above a giant granite ledge. And where the falls met Zambezi River below, enormous hazes of mist rose up 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 that you could get to the waterfall. I don't recommend bringing the camera with you unless it was 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 are truly magnificent on the African savannah even though the Iguazu is the most beautiful and the Niagara becomes the most powerful on our planet. I still think Victoria comes in a very close second to the Iguazu. Sooner or later I will go to eye-view the world's tallest Angel Falls back to the American continent. But for now, I surely had enough water.

【红霞译文】

        终於到了该下“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，但万万没有想到淩晨4点便要起床打点行装，为的是赶赴开普敦国际机场乘坐飞往约翰内斯堡(意指“金城”)的班机，然後再从这个人口爆炸的南非城市转去津巴布韦维多利亚(意指“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、赞比亚之间的女王瀑布，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後一个大上两倍之多。

       女王瀑布宽幅最大，前後横跨2公里／1.2英里之远。洪水瀑布数量最多，共由三个大瀑布和272个小瀑布组成。雷鸣瀑布流量最强，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女王瀑布，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 ”是游客走近女王瀑布的极佳景点，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，尽管女王瀑布不及洪水瀑布美妙秀丽，也不如雷鸣瀑布气壮山河，但在非洲大草原的衬托下蔚为奇观，因而仅次於排名第一的洪水瀑布。相信不久的将来，我要亲自考察位於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。

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2013: Iguazu Falls, Brazil(巴西伊瓜苏洪水瀑布)

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

Departure from JNB Intl Airport

(金城国际机场离境 01-07-2014)

Craft Shop @ JNB Intl Airport

(金城国际机场·工艺品店 01-07-2014)

Departure from JNB Intl Airport to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

(金城国际机场·前往津巴布韦女王瀑布 01-07-2014)

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

(林波波河·非洲注入印度洋的第二大河)

Aerial View of Johannesburg (鸟瞰金城)

Arrival @ VFA Intl Airport, Zimbabwe

(津巴布韦·女王瀑布镇入境 01-07-2014)

Outdoor Customer Inspection @ VFA

(津巴布韦·海关入境户外检查 01-07-2014)

Victoria Falls Hotel, Zimbabwe

(津巴布韦女王瀑布酒店 01-07-2014)

Craft Shop @ Victoria Falls Hotel

(女王瀑布酒店·工艺品店 01-07-2014)

Porter @ Victoria Falls Hotel (女王瀑布酒店·门卫 01-07-2014)

Flat Tire on the Way to Victoria Falls

(赶往女王瀑布途中爆胎 01-07-2014)

Statue of David Livingstone

(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 and Zambia 

(介于津巴布韦与赞比亚两国之间的女王瀑布桥)

Rainbow Falls, the Highest in Victoria Falls NP

(女王瀑布国家公园·最高的彩虹瀑布)

Cracks of Basalt Bedrock (玄武岩基岩裂缝)

Devil's Cataract (魔鬼大瀑布)

Gorge Cliffs Composed of Batoka Formation

(由巴祖卡玄武岩熔岩流组成的峡谷)

Victoria, the Widest in 2 Km／1.2 Miles

(女王瀑布宽幅最大·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)

The Smoke that Thunders @ Victoria Falls

(女王瀑布·雷鸣般的烟雾 01-07-2014)

Daylight Rainbow in Shower & Mist

(雨雾中日光彩虹 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(阿根廷伊瓜苏洪水国家公园)

2012：纽约州尼亚加拉雷鸣瀑布州立公园(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)