雙語:印度洋上的明珠——斯里蘭卡

A teardrop-shaped island cast adrift in the Indian Ocean, Sri lanka is filled with cultural and natural treasures. Indians, Portuguese, Dutch and British have all left their marks here, making for a delightful mix of ancient cities, monuments and atmospheric colonial architecture. At the same time, palm-fringed beaches are never far away and lush mountainous greenery beckons inland. It's clear to see why Marco Polo proclaimed Sri Lanka to be one of the best islands in the world.

熱帶島國斯里蘭卡(SriLanka)舊稱錫蘭，如同印度半島的一滴眼淚，鑲嵌在廣闊的印度洋海面上。“斯里蘭卡”在僧伽羅語中意爲“樂土”或“光明富庶的土地”，有“寶石王國”、“印度洋上的明珠”的美稱，被馬可波羅認爲是最美麗的島嶼，因爲沒有一個度假勝地能有與其媲美的海濱，無窮祕密的古城，豐富的自然遺產，以及獨特迷人的文化.

The beach thing may be a cliche, but don't miss them. Then head to the hills to cool off amidst tea plantations and ancient cities. The island teems with bird life, and even the occasional elephant or leopard. To top it all off, the people are friendly, the food is delicious and costs are low.

美麗沙灘、熱帶雨林，奇異花卉鳥獸、高原茶園、繽紛節慶及千年古蹟，令人嘆息的古老佛教遺址是無所不在，斯里蘭卡其實有着比我們想像還要豐富的旅遊資源，島上處處散發另一種異域風情。即便只是走在那裏的街頭，完全陌生的風情都能讓人喜悅。而且斯里蘭卡物價低廉，對中國遊客很友好，非常適合度假。

Climatically the driest and best seasons are from December to March on the west and south coasts and in the Hill Country, and from May to September on the east coast. December to March is also the time when most foreign tourists come, the majority of them escaping the European winter.

氣候最乾燥的季節是是12月至3月，這也是在西部和南部沿海和丘陵地區旅遊的最佳季節，而5月至9月則是到東海岸旅行的最佳季節。十二月至三月是斯里蘭卡的旅遊旺季，大量的外國遊客紛紛來此，其中大部分是爲了逃離歐洲的冬天。

Out of season travel has its advantages - it's less crowded, and many airfares and accommodation prices go right down. Nor does it rain all the time. Reefs may protect a beach area and make swimming quite feasible at places like Hikkaduwa, which during the monsoon can be quite pleasant.

在淡季出行有它的好處 - 它不那麼擁擠，許多機票和住宿都有很大的折扣。而且也並使這時候的所有天氣都是雨天的。珊瑚礁可以保護海灘游泳區，在有季風吹拂的地方諸如Hikkaduwa，便可以擁有十分美好的旅遊享受。

July/August is the time of the Kandy Esala Perahera, the 10-day festival honouring the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha, and also the time for the Kataragama Festival in the South. In both towns accommodation just before, during and immediately after the festivals is very difficult to come by, and rates usually double or treble. Be sure to book rooms well in advance.

七月/八月是Kandy Esala Perahera的旅遊盛季，10天的節日來紀念佛牙，同時，也是南方Kataragama節時間。之前，期間和之後的節日期間在這兩個城市住宿是很難得的。但是這裏的旅行者通常也會增加兩三倍。所以一定要提前預訂好房間。

The country was also devastated by the 2004 tsunami, which killed more than 30,000 Sri Lankans and wiped out many coastal communities. While many tourists have been discouraged by the troubles, tourism is a healing force in this hard-hit country, and visitors will be guaranteed a warm welcome.

2004年的海嘯幾乎摧毀了這個國家，造成超過3.0萬斯里蘭卡人喪生也使得許多沿海社區遭受了滅頂之災。很多遊客爲此感到可惜，旅遊業將是推動這個遭受重創的國家重新恢復活力的重要因素，遊客來這裏也會受到熱烈的歡迎。