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Travel season is here, when so many Americans decamp to Cape Cod or the Jersey Shore. All of which is wonderful, and some day I plan to do a 10-part series on the world’s best beaches.
旅游旺季到了，许多美国人选择到科德角或泽西海岸游玩。这些地方都很出色，我打算哪天做一个世界十佳海滩系列专题。
But travel can also be an education, a step toward empathy and international understanding. So for those with an adventurous streak who want to get beyond the madding crowd this summer, here are a few little-known travel spots that I recommend.
但旅行也是一种教育，一种面向感同身受与国际间相互理解而踏出的一步。所以，我向那些想要躲开汹涌人潮的冒险家推荐几个鲜为人知的旅行目的地。
These just might be the world’s coolest places.
它们有可能是全球最酷的地方。
Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands. This coral island in the Pacific Ocean was the site of American nuclear weapons tests in the 1940s and 1950s, but after decades left to itself it is now dazzlingly beautiful in a way that belies its history. Radiation has dissipated, and the deserted white-sand beaches are lined with coconut palms and scattered with seashells and an occasional giant sea turtle — which will hurriedly call to its friends: Look, there’s a rare sight, a human! The island is a reminder of the redemptive power of time and nature.
马绍尔群岛的比基尼环礁。这座珊瑚岛位于太平洋，在20世纪40至50年代曾是美国的核武试验基地，但在数十年寂静的休养生息之后，今日的它美艳惊人，初见时我们根本猜不到那段历史。辐射已经消失，与世隔绝的雪白沙滩上是成排的椰子树，星星点点的贝壳，偶有巨大的海龟奔走相告：“快看！那儿有个稀罕东西——人类！”这座小岛会让你想到，时间与大自然有着何等强大的自愈力。
Potosí, Bolivia. Perhaps no country in Latin America is more picturesque than Bolivia, and the most memorable Bolivian city may be Potosí. European explorers discovered a huge silver mountain here in the 1540s, and, in the 1600s, this was one of the major cities in the world. Tourists can descend the silver mines, and it is a searing and unforgettable experience. You go down hundreds of feet in tiny, sweltering tunnels thick with dust, talk to some of the miners, and get a glimpse of what life is like for the many Bolivians who work each day in the mines. After a couple of hours deep underground, sometimes struggling to breathe and fretting about cave-ins, you may have new empathy for the laborers responsible for silver bowls and cutlery.
玻利维亚的波多西。拉美恐怕没有哪个国家比玻利维亚风景更美的了，而玻利维亚最令人难忘的城市大概是波多西。16世纪40年代，欧洲探险家们在这里发现了巨大的银山，到了17世纪，它成了一座世界级的重要城市。游客可以向下爬到银矿底部，这将是一场永生难忘的焦灼经历。穿过许多狭小酷热、烟尘弥漫的隧道，下行几百英尺，跟矿工聊天，对每天在银矿里卖力的无数玻利维亚百姓的生活投去惊鸿一瞥。在幽深的地底度过两三个小时，有时艰于呼吸，有时因封闭而燥热难当，这些感受或许会让你对银餐具的源头——矿工，多一些恻隐之心。
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Maybe our best family trip started at Victoria Falls, which drenches you with spray and is so vast that it makes Niagara Falls seem like a backyard creek. Then we rented a car and made our way to Hwange National Park, which was empty of people but crowded with zebras, giraffes, elephants and more. Zimbabwe has far fewer tourists than South Africa or Kenya, and there’s less crime as well.
津巴布韦的维多利亚瀑布。我们最精彩的合家游大概就是维多利亚瀑布之旅，水雾打湿了我们全身，它如此壮阔，相形之下，尼亚加拉瀑布简直是后院的水渠。看完瀑布之后我们租车去了万基国家公园，园内人迹罕至，却有成群的斑马、长颈鹿、大象等各种动物。津巴布韦的游客比南非或肯尼亚少得多，治安状况也好得多。
Amritsar, India. The Golden Temple, Sikhism’s holiest shrine, is in northwestern India near the Pakistani border, and it is a delightful place to contemplate the draw of faith. A four-century-old temple set in a lake, it attracts Sikhs from around the world. It is much less visited by tourists than the Taj Mahal, yet it is just as serene, grand and unforgettable. You walk the circuit of the lake barefoot, with your head covered, and, for the full experience, you can sleep and eat in temple buildings.
印度的阿姆利则。金庙是锡克教最神圣的殿堂，它位于印度西北部与巴基斯坦接壤的地方。这个美不胜收的地方最适合沉思信仰的魔力。这座经历了四百年风雨的古庙坐落于湖边，吸引了世界各地的锡克教徒。此地的游客远不如泰姬陵那么多，却同样神圣庄严，令人难忘。你可以戴上头巾沿着湖畔赤足漫步，为了得到更完整的体验，不妨在庙内住宿用餐。
Tanna, Vanuatu. This remote island in the South Pacific is notable for its live volcano that you can climb at night. From the lip, you look down and see the fires and molten lava. It’s a natural fireworks display. The people of Tanna are also likely to invite you to drink kava, the local intoxicant, or perhaps join a village dance. The local faith tradition is a cargo cult. People believe in a god they call John Frum, perhaps based on an American military officer around the time of World War II who gave islanders their first glimpse of industrial products. One theory is that he introduced himself as “John from America,” but only the first two words survived and became his name.
瓦努阿图的塔纳岛。这座遥远的南太平洋小岛之所以闻名于世，是因为有一座游客可以乘夜色攀登的活火山。从火山口望下去，可以看见火焰和炽热的岩浆，堪称天然的焰火表演。塔纳岛的居民可能会邀你喝一杯醉人的本地卡瓦酒，或与村民一起跳舞。本地人信仰的是一种货物崇拜。他们的神灵名叫约翰·弗拉姆(John Frum)，大概与“二战”期间为岛民发放工业产品的美国军官有关，那些货物是岛民平生第一次见到。有种理论认为，军官自称“美国人约翰”(John from America)，但岛民只记住了前两个单词，以为那是他的名字。
Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam. Follow a guide in wriggling on your stomach underground through these tunnels dug by Vietcong soldiers who used them and even lived in them during the Vietnam War. The tunnels are now widened to accommodate portly Americans, and they are still a tight fit. After a couple hundred feet of crawling in the tunnels, you’re desperate to come up again, and you understand that military victory is sometimes not about weaponry but about commitment.
越南古芝隧道。跟着向导，在地下隧道中匍匐行进。这些隧道是越南战争期间由越共士兵挖掘而成的，他们甚至住在里面。如今，隧道已拓宽，好让大腹便便的美国游客得以通行，不过仍然感觉很紧。在隧道中爬行两三百英尺之后，你绝望了，几乎不敢相信自己还能出得去，此刻你就会明白，有时打胜仗的原因不是武器精良，而是有赤诚的信念。
There’s nothing wrong, of course, with a delicious week at the beach with a pile of books. But if you’re hankering to escape the crowds this summer, encounter new worlds and come back with a tale, think about some of these destinations. The tourism infrastructure may not be great, but the people (or elephants) will make up for it.
当然，躺在沙滩上看小说度过惬意的一周，也没有什么不对。可是，如果你渴望躲开夏季的人潮，遇见全新的世界，带着传奇归来，那就考虑一下这几个地方吧。它们的旅游基础设施或许不够完美，但淳朴的村民（或大象）却能弥补不足。
When I visited the Pacific island country of Kiribati years ago, I made a reservation by phone to make sure I would have a place to stay. The man at the hotel agreed to hold me a spot, but he skipped the details.
几年前造访太平洋小国基里巴斯之前，为了确保能有住宿的地方，我提前打电话预订。酒店接电话的男子答应为我保留房间，但却略过了细节。
“I don’t need the name,” he said. “If there’s an American at the airport, I’ll recognize him.”
“我不需要知道你的名字。”他说，“只要在机场看见一个美国人，我就知道是你。”
