2014-01-03

【Aiden in English】

        If you love hippos, crocodiles, and aquatic birds, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in South Africa is the place to be, mainly when you happen to be in Zulu territory, on the outskirts of Richards Bay. Many animals reside there, and it has also been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

        The iSimangaliso Wetland was well protected since St. Lucia Lake flourished with life, thanks to a rich supply of fish. The hippos could be seen around every bend and came in pods of ten or twenty. Their giant heads would bob up and down. If you were lucky, you might even catch a yawn or two. The enormous mouth had teeth on both sides, and two big ones were in the front.

        If you love birds, this place would feel like paradise. African Fish Eagles flew around while Pied Kingfishers searched for food. The sky was filled with a spectacular variety of birds. The yellow weaver is the most common, which you would also find on the reeds. The ever-hyper little birds nested in colonies woven from the cattail-like, delicate leaf fibers. They shot around, looking for insects.

        iSimangaliso Wetland Park turned out to be a fantastic place. The ecosystem was so lively that you couldn't help exploring it. Out of all these animals, there was no way to compare them. It was impossible to say which was the best unless you encountered a crocodile. If you saw one, you'd better watch out.

        In 1999, iSimangaliso Wetland Park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

【紅霞譯】

        如果你喜愛河馬、鱷魚以及水鳥動物，那麽南非伊西曼格利索“奇蹟”濕地公園應該屬於零距離接觸它們的理想場所，特別當你訪問理查茲“堅強統治者”灣遠郊南非人口最多的祖魯“天堂”族領地，有幾個理由叫你非去不可，它不僅動物品種繁多，而且還成為聯合國科教文組織《世界遺產名錄》之一。

        伊西曼格利索濕地之所以得到如此厚愛，主要因為聖盧西亞“光明”湖水產豐富，河馬無處不在，10個或20個成群結隊遊蕩湖中，大腦袋上下擺動。如果你有幸碰到它們打個哈欠，碩大的嘴巴里兩顆犬齒格外搶眼。

        倘若你為鳥類愛好者，伊西曼格利索濕地公園無疑是飛禽生活的天堂。吼海雕鷹擊長空，斑魚狗翩翩起舞，這裡各種鳥類薈萃，到處呈現“鶯歌燕舞春無限”的美好景象。最常見的當屬織巢鳥，蘆葦叢中屢見不鮮，這些歡蹦亂跳的小東西群居在用香蒲狀的細葉纖維編織的鳥窩，昆蟲逃不過它們敏銳的眼光。

        伊西曼格利索大濕地公園的確是一個難得的好地方，活龍活現的生態系統令人心嚮往之，每個動物都各有特色，很難說誰比誰更為上乘，除非你遇到了鱷魚。如果真是那樣，你千萬要小心為妙。

        1999年，伊西曼格利索被聯合國教科文組織納入《世界遺產名錄》。

Today in History(歷史上的今天):

2013: Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay(烏拉圭殖民聖鎮)

2011: 算命先生(Fortune Teller)

2009: 祝願孩子(Wish)

Richards Bay, the Largest Export Coal Terminal in the World

(理查茲灣·世上最大的煤炭出口碼頭)

Breakwaters Constructed in 1976 Using South African Invented Dolosse "Large Concrete Blocks" 

(防波堤·建於1976年，使用南非發明的多洛斯“大型混凝土塊”)

Zulu Tribe Dominating Southeastern under the Leadership of Shaka Zulu, & for Being a Dominant Group in Modern South Africa

(祖魯部落——以沙卡·祖魯“腸甲蟲·天堂”為首統治非洲東南部，並為現代南非的主導群體)

Mandela Housing in a Zulu Village

(祖魯村·曼德拉民居)

Savanna Covered Hills @ the Zulu Kingdom

(祖魯王國·疏林草原覆蓋的山丘)

Zulu Natives (祖魯土著人)

iSimangalisoWetland (伊西曼格利索濕地)

Mapelane Nature Reserve (楓香自然保護區)

Eucalyptus Forest (桉樹林)

Timber Industry (伐木工業)

iSimangaliso Wetland Park (伊西曼格利索濕地公園)

Zulu Street Performers (祖魯街頭藝人)

Woodland @ iSimangaliso Wetland Park

 (伊西曼格利索濕地公園·樹林)

African Fish Eagle (非洲海雕)

Pied Kingfisher (斑魚狗)

Weaved Nest w/ Narrow Entrances Facing downward

(編織巢入口狹窄朝下)

Yellow Weaver Weaving Nest by a Male Bird & Using as a Form of Display to Lure Prospective Females

(雄性黃織巢鳥正在築巢·雄鳥將草窩用作展示形式來吸引潛在的雌鳥)

Crocodile (鱷魚)

Hippopotamus Pod (河馬群)

Mostly Submerged Hippos w/ Exposed Eyes, Ears, & Nostrils 

(河馬身體大部分沒入水中，但眼睛、耳朵和鼻孔暴露在外)

Hippo Showing Tusk for Demonstration of Its Strength & Aggressiveness 

(河馬·打哈欠以顯示自己的力量和侵略性)

Hippo Tusk (河馬牙 01-03-2014)

Crosslinks(相關博文):

South Africa(出遊南非)

Across the Indian Ocean(穿越印度洋)

Africa (漫遊非洲)

5th Grade(小學五年級)