Mauritius: A Tourist's Paradise(b)|模里西斯：观光客的天堂

Mauritius: A Tourist's Paradise

by Brian Foden

 

Mauritius is an island nation full of natural beauty and has a rich multi-lingual culture.

　　With its alluring beaches and crystal clear, turquoise waters containing the world's third-largest coral reef, Mauritius is an attractive destination for many tourists each year. In fact, it has a reputation as a top destination for luxury tourism. The main draw is the island of Mauritius, but the island of Rodrigues, which is also part of the Republic of Mauritius along with the islands of Agaléga and Saint Brandon, also sees a good number of tourists.

　　Naturally, many visitors take advantage of the numerous water sports options that are available to them. Snorkeling, scuba diving, catamaran rides, and deep-sea fishing are just some of the activities tourists can enjoy. On land, one of the most popular tourist attractions is the Seven Colored Earth of Chamarel in the southwestern part of Mauritius. A wondrous, natural geographical formation, the sand dunes consist of seven vibrant and distinctive colors—red, green, yellow, purple, pink, brown, and blue.

　　Besides taking in the wonderful tourist attractions, visitors to the island country can experience a rich culture with a surprising number of influences. English is generally thought of as the country's official language, although numerous other languages are present, including French, Creole, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Cantonese, and Mandarin. Chinese-Mauritian people make up about three percent of the total population of nearly 1.3 million, and a majority of them are Hakka.

　　Another notable aspect of Mauritian culture is their love of sports. Soccer is one of the most popular athletic activities on the islands, but the national sport is horse racing. Such an interesting mix of culture and natural beauty makes visiting Mauritius an exciting and memorable experience for all tourists.

 

模里西斯：观光客的天堂

模里西斯是一座充满自然之美，并具有丰富的多语言文化的岛国。

　　模里西斯拥有相当吸引人的沙滩和清澈碧绿的海水，海水中还包括了世界第三大的珊瑚礁，它每年都吸引许多观光客到此一游。事实上，它是一个以豪华旅游著称的顶级旅游景点。该国主要引人瞩目的是模里西斯岛，但罗德里格斯岛、阿加莱加岛及圣布兰登岛也都是模里西斯共和国的一部份，也都有许多观光客会前往游览。

　　当然，许多观光客会好好享用提供给他们的众多水上运动选择。浮潜、水肺潜水、双体船游览（编按：双体船就是把两个瘦长的船体横向连在一起所组成的船，船体间用甲板桥连接，各具独立的推动装置，常见于竞技及娱乐用的船只设计。）以及深海捕鱼只是观光客所能享受的部份活动而已。在陆地上，其中一处最热门的旅游景点即是位于模里西斯西南部夏玛瑞尔高原的七色土。它是一个奇妙又自然的地理形态，该沙丘是由七种色彩鲜明而独特的颜色所组成，这些颜色分别是红色、绿色、黄色、紫色、粉红色、棕色和蓝色。

　　除了欣赏精彩的旅游景点之外，造访该岛国的游客还可以体验到具有惊人影响力的丰富文化。尽管有许多其他语言存在于此，但英语仍被普遍视为该国的官方语言，这些语言包括法语、克里奥尔语（编按：克里奥尔语是一种混合多种不同语言的词汇，有时也掺杂一些其他语言文法的语言。）、阿拉伯语、北印度语、乌都语（编按：乌都语是巴基斯坦的国语，也是印度的二十四种规定语言之一。）、粤语以及华语。模里西斯全国总人口将近一百三十万人，其中华人占了三成左右，而其中大部份都是客家人。

　　模里西斯文化的另一项引人瞩目之处，即是他们对体育的热爱。足球是这些岛屿上最流行的体育活动之一，但该国的全国性运动却是赛马。这样一个有趣文化及自然美景的结合让所有观光客在造访模里西斯时留下令人兴奋且难忘的体验。