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The Culture of Curaçao 库拉索的文化

详细资料: 创建于 2011年3月17日; 最后更新于 2024年5月25日; 发布于 2014年2月22日; 作者：Mike Lee; 点击数：267

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If you want the beach, you’ve got the wrong island 如果你是想要享受海滩风情，就来错岛屿了

Curaçao is in the Netherland Antilles and became an independent country October 10, autonomous from the Dutch. The strip of desert in the middle of the ocean is studded with volcanic rock, limestone cliffs, a dozen kinds of cactus, and the divi-divi tree, whose branches point west in the direction of the wind.

库拉索原为荷属安地列斯群岛一员（译注：荷属安地列斯群岛原有五大岛，库拉索为其中之一），在十月十日脱离荷兰取得自治，成为独立的国家。这块汪洋中的带状荒漠，布满了火山岩石、石灰岩峭壁、十几种仙人掌，还有狄薇木，后者枝桠会顺着风的方向指向西方。

Most beaches are rocky rather than sandy, and people come here for diving in the clear blue water rather than sunning next to it. Curaçao’s reefs have more than 50 species of coral and hundreds of species of fish, with dozens of dive sites.

大多数海滩都布满岩石而非沙子，游客往往来此在清澈湛蓝的海里潜水，而不是在岸边做日光浴。库拉索的礁石群里包含了五十多种珊瑚礁，还有数百种鱼类，至于潜水地点则有数十处。

The island is an intriguing intersection of cultures. The location is more Latin than Caribbean, the culture more Dutch. The official language is Dutch, but many people speak English, Spanish or a Creole language called Papiamentu.

这座岛屿是个引人入胜的文化交汇点。地理位置接近拉丁美洲，离加勒比海地区较远，文化上则更具有荷兰风。官方语言为荷兰语，但不少人讲英语、西班牙语以及称为帕皮阿门托的克里奥尔语。

Poverty and affluence are side by side as well, even in the touristy part of town along the harbor where the cruise ships dock. A prettily painted house sits next to one that is boarded up, a sheet of corrugated tin tearing loose from the roof.

贫、富二种世界也比邻而居，即使在邮轮停泊的港口沿岸这种观光区也不例外。一栋漆着优美色彩的房屋旁，是一间用木板封住的屋子，一片波纹的锡板从屋上裂开而松脱下来。

Touring the island 岛上游览

To get my bearings, I sign up for a three hour tour. From a hilltop south of the capital Willemstad, our tour guide points out Spanish Waters, the bay where Spanish galleons once put ashore.

为了熟悉环境，我报名参加一个三小时的游览行程。在首都威廉斯塔德南边一座山丘顶上，导游指出西班牙水域的方向，这个海湾曾是西班牙大帆船靠岸之处。

At nearby Caracas Bay, we climb deteriorating stone steps to Fort Beekenburg, where Curaçao was defended from pirates and French and English invaders in the 17th and 18th centuries. Blo-blo lizards skitter through the cacti, and a little land crab raises its claws as if to thwart this invasion by tourists.

在附近的加拉加拉斯湾，我们攀爬已开始朽坏的石阶登上比肯伯堡，这里是十七、十八世纪时库拉索抵御海盗与英、法入侵者之地。布罗布罗蜥蜴（音译）轻快地穿过仙人掌丛，一只小陆蟹举起螯，彷佛在阻挡观光客的入侵。

At Fort Nassau, we get a spectacular view of the Schottegat lagoon. We see the Isla oil refinery, the Queen Juliana Bridge stretching like a ribbon high above the harbor, a tugboat accompanying a freighter entering Santa Anna Bay, the deepwater channel that divides Willemstad.

在纳苏堡垒，沙特给舄湖壮丽的景色尽收眼底。我们还看到埃拉炼油厂、如缎带般伸长高悬于港口之上的朱莉安娜王后桥，还有一艘拖船伴随货轮进入圣塔安娜湾，此处的深水航道把威廉斯塔德一分为二。

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Curaçao [ˋkjʊrə͵saʊ] n. 库拉索

stud [stʌd] v. 散布于；密布于；点缀 [（+with）] scatter or intersperse like dots or studs

cactus [ˋkæktəs] n. 仙人掌

sunning [sʌnɪŋ] n. 晒太阳

touristy [ˋtʊrəstɪ] adj. 观光客的

prettily [ˋprɪtɪlɪ] adv. 漂亮地

board up 用〔木板〕遮住[堵上] to enclose or seal a building or part of a building with boards or panels

corrugated [ˋkɔrə͵getɪd] adj. 波纹的; 有瓦楞的

hilltop [ˋhɪl͵tɑp] n. 山顶

galleon [ˋgælɪən] n. 十五、六世纪西班牙大型帆船

skitter [ˋskɪtɚ] v.〔像小动物那样〕轻快地跑

tugboat [ˋtʌg͵bot] n. 拖船

freighter [ˋfretɚ] n. 货船; 运货飞机

Caracas Bay

Blo-blo lizard

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Historical harbor 深具历史意义的港口

The Dutch West India Co. turned Willemstad into a center of trade in the late 1600s, and the harbor remains its economic heart. Willemstad grew up on the south side of Santa Anna Bay, in an area called Punda. Here I find the Jewish quarter and synagogue, the oldest in the Caribbean; the Maritime Museum, housed in the former Hotel Venezuela; stores that sell Dutch linens, European watches and blue-and-white Delft porcelain to tourists.

荷兰西印度公司在十七世纪末使威廉斯塔德变成了贸易中心，这个港口迄今仍是经济重心。威廉斯塔德是从圣塔安娜湾南方的庞达区开始发展。在这里，我发现了犹太区跟加勒比海地区最古老的犹太教堂，还有前身为委内瑞拉饭店的海事博物馆，以及一些商店，店里贩卖荷兰亚麻布、欧洲手表和蓝白台夫特瓷器给游客。

At the Old Market, people sit at long, communal tables and eat baked whole snapper, fried plantains, goat stew and the other traditional foods of Curaçao. Here also is the floating market, where boats line the canal and fisherman lay out their catch for shoppers. On the sidewalk, produce stalls are stacked high with tropical fruits and vegetables brought from Venezuela. The vendors live on these little boats.

在旧市集里，游客坐在长形公共桌旁，享用烤全鲷、炸大蕉、炖山羊肉跟其他库拉索传统美食。这里也有水上市集，船只成排停靠在运河边，渔夫把渔货摊开供购物者挑选。在人行道上，农产品摊位上高迭着一堆堆委内瑞拉来的热带蔬果，而摊贩就以那些小船为家。

The waterfront street, the Handelskade, is lined with Dutch Colonial-style buildings painted in bright colors. This strip, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the iconic picture of Curaçao.

滨海的街道汉德尔斯卡德，两旁尽是荷兰殖民风格建筑，都漆上了鲜艳的色彩。这块长形区域获联合国教科文组织指定为世界遗产，也是库拉索最具代表性的画面。

The other side 另一边

Across the bay is Otrobanda, the “other side.” Here a Dutch entrepreneur renovated Dutch colonial houses from the 18th and 19th centuries and turned them into the Kura Hulanda, where I am staying. One day I explore the Kura Hulanda museum, which displays the art and history of Africa, focusing on the slave trade.

海湾对面是欧特洛邦达，即「另一边」。一名荷兰企业家在此地翻新了一批十八、十九世纪荷兰殖民时期的房屋，改装成库拉瑚兰达饭店，也就是我留宿之处。有天我探索了库拉瑚兰达博物馆，里头展示非洲艺术与历史，以奴隶买卖为重点。

Punda and Otrobanda are connected by two bridges. The Queen Emma is a pontoon bridge for pedestrians. But when a freighter or cruise ship approaches, the bridge operator fires up the engine, and like a truck driver, steers the Punda end of the bridge a full 90 degrees to the opposite shore so that the length of the bridge is snug up against the Otrobanda side, leaving plenty of room for the ship to pass.

庞达与欧特洛邦达由二座桥相连。爱玛王后桥是供行人走动的浮桥，但货轮或邮轮接近时，操作员合发动引擎，就像卡车司机一般，把庞达那端的桥头转个九十度到对岸，使整座桥紧贴欧特洛邦达岸边，腾出宽敞的空间让船只通过。

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quarter [ˋkwɔrtɚ] n.（城市中的）区

synagogue [ˋsɪnəgɑg] n. 犹太教堂

linen [ˋlɪnən] n. 亚麻布制品（如床单，桌巾，内衣等）

porcelain [ˋpɔrslən] n. 瓷；（总称）瓷器

snapper [ˋsnæpɚ] n.【鱼】真鲷

plantain [ˋplæntən] n.【植】大蕉

stew [stju] n. 炖肉，焖菜

strip [strɪp] n. 狭长的一块土地a long narrow region of land or body of water

renovate [ˋrɛnə͵vet] v. 修复; 装修; 整修

pontoon [pɑnˋtun] n.〔架设浮桥用的〕浮舟﹐平底船

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Road trip 开车上路

The other bridge, the Queen Juliana, is narrow and nearly 200 feet high – enough for cruise ships to pass under. It is from this bridge that I leave Otrobanda to tour the island in my rental car. The road that circles Curaçao is an easy day trip, and I’ve planned several stops: Christoffel National Park, the Nena Sanchez art gallery and the salt flats where a flock of flamingos hangs out.

另一座桥就是朱莉安娜王后桥，桥身狭窄，高近二百呎，足够让邮轮在下方通行。我就是从这座桥开着租来的车离开欧特洛邦达，游览这座岛屿。环绕库拉索的道路很方便做一日游，我打算在几个点停留：克里斯多福国家公园、妮娜．桑琪丝美术馆以及一群火鹤驻足的盐场。

The temperature is in the low 80s, and the sun is fierce, so the park ranger recommends against trying to climb Mount Christoffel, which at nearly 1,300 feet is the highest point on the island. Instead, she suggests the loop road on the east side of the park and points out some short walks. The first is an easy climb to a plateau with a panoramic view of Mount Christoffel on one side, the ocean on the other.

气温在华氏八十度出头，阳光强烈，所以园区管理员不建议去爬克里斯多福山，这座山将近一千三百呎高，是岛上最高点。她建议去园区东边的环区道路，并指出一些短程徒步路线。第一条可以轻松登上一座高原，一边可以看到克里斯多福山的全景，另一边则是汪洋大海。

After another short drive, I follow a foot trail to caves with Indian drawings. Crude brick-colored drawings mark the entrance to one cave; other marks look like contemporary graffiti.

开了一小段路后，我沿着一条步道来到刻画着印地安图画的几座山洞。砖红色粗略的图画标记着通往某一山洞的入口，其他图案看起来则像是当代涂鸦。

Art and history 艺术与历史

Near the middle of the island, at an old plantation house, is the gallery of Nena Sanchez, a Curaçao native. Her scenes of the Caribbean, painted in bright turquoise, fuchsia and sunny yellow, appeal to me, and I buy a small painting of hibiscus flowers.

接近岛的中部，在一座老旧的庄园里坐落着库拉索人妮娜．桑琪丝的美术馆。她用明亮的土耳其蓝、桃红色与亮黄色画出一幅幅加勒比海的景象，很是吸引我，于是我买了一小幅木槿花画作。

Across the road are the Salinas, or salt ponds. I pause at a small monument honoring “freedom fighters” in the slave rebellion of 1795. Slaves worked the salt mines. Today the salt ponds are a sanctuary for a flock of flamingos.

路的对面是盐沼，又称盐池。我在一座小型纪念碑旁停伫，那是用来纪念1795年奴隶反抗运动中的「自由斗士」。过去奴隶在盐矿场里工作。如今这些盐池成了一群火鹤的保护区。

It is dusk as I leave the Salinas and drive back to Willemstad. My mind remains at the salt ponds, though – they are one more unique piece of the history of this little island.

黄昏时分，我离开盐沼，开车回威廉斯塔德。然而我的心却留在盐池──它们是这蕞尔小岛上独特的历史片段之一。

－by Marjie Lambert

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