好英语网冬季游缅甸正当时
IT’S rare that a country bursts onto the tourism scene with quite as much vigor as Myanmar. After decades of isolation, it is Asia’s newest hot spot, offering richly layered history, spectacular natural beauty and the edginess that comes with a country still in transition. Since the ruling military junta began to loosen its grip on the government in November 2010, signs of progress — like the release of some political prisoners earlier this year and elections scheduled for April 1, with the opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi running for a seat in Parliament — have led Western nations, including the United States, to consider dropping long-held economic sanctions.
很少有哪个国家像缅甸这样突然就成了旅游热点。在与世隔离几十年之后，它成了亚洲最新的热门景点，这里有层次丰富的历史，绝美的自然风光，以及过渡阶段国家特有的临界感。自从2010年11月执政的军政府开始放松控制，就出现了一些进步的迹象——比如今年早些时候释放了一些政治犯，于4月1日进行选举（本文最初发表于2012年3月22日——译注），届时反对派领导人昂山素季女士将竞选议会议员——这些让西方国家，包括美国，开始考虑取消对该国长期实行的经济制裁。
But a visit to the country, also known as Burma, can be a bit tricky. Here, then, is a cheat sheet for a visit.
但是要探访该国，还是有点麻烦。所以下面就告诉大家一些旅游攻略。
缅甸中南部有几处地方特别欢迎被该国美丽的自然风光吸引而来的游客；茵莱湖就是其中之一。上图是一位正在捕鱼的渔夫。
BEFORE YOU GO
出发前的准备
Although it is now possible to get a visa on arrival, travel agents recommend having one in hand before your trip begins. Arrangements take up to three weeks and can be made via travel agents or directly through the Myanmar Embassy in Washington. Instructions can be found on the Web site (mewashingtondc.com/visas_passports.htm).
虽然现在也有可能拿到落地签证，但是旅行社还是建议你在旅行开始之前，就把签证拿到手。申请签证要三周的时间，可以通过旅行社申请，也可以直接通过华盛顿的缅甸大使馆申请。下面这个网站上有申请签证的指南：mewashingtondc.com/visas_passports.htm。
Most tourists visit during the dry season, from November to February. Vaccinations are not required, but Myanmar travel experts like Eric Kareus, the Asia destination manager at Asia Transpacific Journeys, recommend making sure your tetanus, typhoid and polio shots are up-to-date, and getting a hepatitis A vaccination. He added that travelers to remote areas, especially during the summer monsoon season, should consider prophylactic malarial medication.
大多数游客会在干季旅行，也就是从11月到2月。不必接种疫苗，但是一些缅甸旅游专家，比如亚太旅游公司(Asia Transpacific Journeys)亚洲目的地经理埃瑞克·凯若斯(Eric Kareus)，建议你确认一下你的破伤风、伤寒和脊髓灰质炎的疫苗没有过期，另外还要打一针甲肝疫苗。他补充说，到偏远地区旅行的人，一定要预防疟疾，特别是在夏季季风季节。
Since Myanmar’s economy is still cash based, plan to pack enough crisp, new dollars (accepted almost everywhere) for expenses, or settle lodging and flights in advance through a travel agent.
在缅甸，付款以现金为主，所以要备好足够多的崭新的美元（几乎所有的地方都接受美元），或者提前通过旅行社解决住宿和机票问题。
GETTING THERE
交通
Although Myanmar’s biggest city, Yangon, is served from most major Asian hubs (there are no direct flights from the United States), the shortest and most convenient connections are from Bangkok. Depending on the season, up to eight flights a day — including service by AirAsia (airasia.com), a regional low-cost carrier — make the 90-minute trip. Well-maintained regional jets link major cities within the country.
亚洲大多数交通枢纽都有航班飞往缅甸最大的城市仰光（美国没有直飞航班），最快捷的是从曼谷飞仰光。依季节而定，每天最多有8个航班——包括经济型区域航空公司亚航(AirAsia, airasia.com)的航班——飞行时间为90分钟。当地的航班把缅甸国内各主要城市连接了起来，这些航班的飞机保养得还不错。
LODGING
住宿
Accommodations generally provide excellent value (especially compared with neighboring Thailand) and range from smallish luxury properties in Yangon to friendly family-run hotels and tropical boutique resorts in other key areas. Thanks to the British colonial legacy, English is widely spoken in the major tourist areas.
缅甸的食宿条件总的来说物超所值（特别是与相邻的泰国相比）：仰光的酒店小巧而奢华，其他一些主要区域有友好的家庭旅馆和热带精品度假村。由于缅甸曾是英国的殖民地，所以在主要的旅游地点，很多人都会说英语。
SAFETY
安全问题
Karen MacRae, a senior destination expert at Kensington Tours, said Myanmar is safe for families and described it as “a whole country full of gentle people.” However, rebel groups continue to be active in northern regions of the country, so tourists should stick to the south and central areas. But crime statistics are low — the State Department Web site specifically mentions that “violent crime against foreigners is rare” — and the Burmese generally welcome visitors.
肯辛顿旅行社(Kensington Tours)的资深旅游目的地专家凯伦·麦克雷(Karen MacRae)说，全家前往缅甸还是很安全的，还说“这个国家的人都很温和”。但是该国北部地区的叛乱组织还很活跃，所以游客一定不要去北方。但是该国的犯罪率很低——美国国务院的网站特别指出“针对外国人的暴力犯罪非常少见”——缅甸人大都欢迎游客的到来。
As in many developing countries, travelers should drink bottled water only and avoid raw food except at tourist-friendly restaurants.
就像在很多发展中国家那样，游客应该只饮用瓶装水，不要吃生食，除非在一些卫生条件极好的餐馆。
WHAT TO EAT
就餐
Which isn’t to say that adventurous eating shouldn’t be high on your agenda. Burmese cuisine is heavily influenced by its neighbors: India, China, Thailand. Ms. MacRae, who lived in Myanmar for two years, recommended lighter dishes like laphet, a pickled tea-leaf salad, and mohinga, a fish broth-based noodle soup “akin to Vietnamese pho” and best eaten, she said, at a Yangon street stall.
但你仍然可以冒险尝试各种美食。缅甸的烹饪方法深受其邻国印度、中国和泰国的影响。麦克雷(MacRae)女士在缅甸住过两年，她推荐了一些比较清淡的食物，比如laphet，是一种用腌制的茶叶做的沙拉；以及名叫mohinga的鱼汤面，“类似越南河粉”，她说最好是在仰光街边的食摊上吃。
WHERE TO GO
游览
The classic Myanmar itinerary begins in Yangon, where visitors will want to spend at least a day visiting the Shwedagon Pagoda — a towering stupa covered in pure gold — wandering among the colonial-era buildings downtown and bargaining for local crafts at the covered Scott Market.
游缅甸的经典路线始于仰光，可以在这里至少花一天的时间游览“仰光大金塔”(Shwedagon Pagoda)——一座周身覆满纯金的舍利塔，逛逛市中心殖民地时代的建筑群，在有屋顶的瓮山市场(Scott Market)讨价还价，买些当地的手工艺品。
Bagan, a dusty region 300 miles north of Yangon along the Irrawaddy River, is studded with thousands of bell-shaped stupas, brick temples and castlelike structures that date from the 11th to 13th centuries. Bagan can be reached from Yangon by air or via comfortable cruise boats that ply the Irrawaddy to and from Mandalay, in the central area of the country.
从仰光出发，沿着伊洛瓦底江(Irrawaddy River)向北300英里，有一处古老的地方，叫蒲甘(Bagan)。这里有好几千座钟形的舍利塔，砖砌的庙宇和类似城堡的建筑物，可追溯到11至13世纪。可从仰光乘飞机到蒲甘，或者乘坐伊洛瓦底江上往返于该国中部地区曼德勒(Mandalay)和仰光之间的舒适的游船。
Both Lake Inle, in ethnically diverse Shan State, and Ngapali Beach, along the country’s western Bay of Bengal shoreline, are good places for low-key R & R, with new resorts opening regularly. Emerging destinations include the pristine Mergui Archipelago in the southeast, great for snorkeling, and Mrauk-U, a 15th-century royal capital in the southwestern state of Rakhine.
缅甸西部孟加拉湾沿岸有两个地方很适合低调度假，一个是茵莱湖(Lake Inle)，位于多民族聚居的掸邦(Shan State)，另一个是纳帕里海滩(Ngapali Beach)；这两个地方不断有新的度假酒店开业。新兴的景点有东南部的丹老群岛(Mergui Archipelago)，这里有原始的自然风光，特别适合浮潜，以及西南部若开邦(state of Rakhine)的Mrauk-U，在15世纪那里是皇都。