澳洲游：人间胜地

澳洲游：人间胜地

Down Under, Up & Over

A journey along Australia’s east coast and southeast Asia might read like a backpacker’s itinerary; a student on a gap year of self-discovery before taking the plunge into ‘real life’.

But when your rucksack has been replaced by luggage carriers, the cramped hostels exchanged for luxurious five-star accommodation and those long, arduous bus rides have been swapped for comfortable cruising in opulent surroundings, you get to enjoy the best of both experiences.

Australia’s east coast is a traveller’s dream; rays of sunshine beam down to illuminate the miles of golden coastline, waves crash on sandy beaches and an enormous living, breathing city of coral thrives beneath the surf.

The first stop, however, is arguably Australia’s most iconic city, Sydney. Located in the south east, the vibrant and beautiful Sydney is teeming with life and excitement. There is such cultural diversity and so much to see and do that you will wish you had more time in the day. Free tours, fabulous wide open parks, stunning botanical gardens, world-class museums and restaurants and, of course, the jewel in the city’s crown: the harbour. Sydney Harbour is a colourful and trendy place filled with incredible sights, both natural and man-made. Just as beautiful and as impressive as all the millions of pictures you’ve no doubt seen of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, it won’t stop you from wanting to take a few of your own.

Shimmying up the east coast, you will have the chance to encounter that most impressive of natural phenomena, the aforementioned city of coral… the Great Barrier Reef. Stretching for over 2,500km, which is longer than the main section of the Great Wall of China, it is the only living organism that can be seen from space. It’s a whole new world under the sea, and, as you can imagine, this enormous series of reefs is home to abundant life. The bursts of neon-coloured coral and weirdly wonderful fish will mesmerise.

Leaving the sunny shores of Australia behind, you will encounter Komodo Island, one of the only places in the world to see the legendary Komodo Dragon. Komodo is nestled between Sumbawa and Flores, and is home to an enormous species of monitor lizard popularly known as the "Komodo Dragon," the sole survivor of those carnivorous dinosaurs that thrived in tropical Asia 130 million years ago.

These great lizards were considered only a myth until the turn of this century when a few pearl fishermen were forced to land there one night in a storm. Today Komodo and the neighboring islands of Padar and Rinca are a national park.
Journey to the beautiful island of Bali and you will find it is home to lush green rice fields, turquoise seas and beautiful white sands, not to mention over 10,000 temples including the stunning Pura Ulun Danu, Tanah Lot and Pura Besakih. Bali is often described as “breath-taking” or “paradisal” but these adjectives fade upon experiencing the island first-hand.

The emerald forests, butter coloured beaches and Hindu temples are a banquet for the eyes, but that’s only scratching the surface of this wondrous place. With so much more to discover, why not stroll along one of the black-sand beaches, traverse the rim of an active volcano, or simply lay back and soak in the tranquillity.

沿着澳大利亚东海岸和东南亚一路游玩，这听起来似乎像个背包客的旅程，或是学生为了在进入社会前发现自我的间隔年旅行路线。

但是当你的帆布包变成了旅行箱，拥挤的旅馆换成了五星级酒店，而漫长无趣的公交旅途变成舒适豪华游轮游，你既能体验背包客的乐趣，又能踏上一场寻找自我的旅程。

澳大利亚的东海岸是旅行者的圣地，在阳光的照耀下，黄金海岸线熠熠生辉，海浪拍打着沙滩，而波涛涌动之下，是一个鲜活的珊瑚世界。

旅途第一站当然是澳大利亚最著名的城市悉尼了。位于澳洲大陆东南部的悉尼极有生活气息和娱乐氛围，美丽而且富有朝气。这里截然不同的文化氛围和目不暇给的美景会让你流连忘返。自由的旅行，美丽广阔的公园，令人震撼的植物园，世界级的博物馆和酒店，当然了，还有素有“皇冠上的珠宝”美誉的港口。悉尼的港口是个多彩且时尚的地方，由各种各样的天然景观和人造景观组成。你肯定在成千上万的照片里看到过悉尼歌剧院和海港大桥，现实里的它们和照片里是一样地美丽而且令人印象深刻。它们的魅力会让你不由自主地摄影留念。

当东海岸上的海浪开始摇摆时，你将有机会碰到最让人震撼的自然现象，也就是上文提到的珊瑚虫的世界——大堡礁。大堡礁绵延2500余公里，跨度超越中国长城主体，它是唯一能从太空中看到的生物体。这是一个存在于海底的全新世界，而且，和你想象中的一样，这个巨型的珊瑚世界正是海底生物的大本营。七彩珊瑚和艳丽的奇特鱼爆发的景象让人目眩神迷。

离开了澳大利亚的阳光海岸，你会进入科莫多岛——世界上唯一能看到传说中的科莫多龙的地方。夹在松巴哇和弗洛里斯中间的科莫多是各个种类的大蜥蜴的聚集地。这些大蜥蜴被称为“科莫多龙”，是1.3亿年以前在亚热带生活的肉食性恐龙中的唯一幸存者。

人们一直以为这些大蜥蜴只是传说，直到这个世纪初，一些采珍珠的渔民由于风暴被迫在科莫多岛上待了一宿，科莫多龙的存在才得以被证实。今天的科莫多岛和邻近的帕尔达岛、林卡岛组成了一个国家公园。

登上美丽的巴厘岛，你会置身于郁郁葱葱的稻田，宝石绿的海水和美丽的白沙，更不要说乌伦达努寺、海神庙和布沙基寺在内的10000多座寺庙了。人们一直用“叹为观止”和“天堂”来形容巴厘岛，但是当你真正身处岛屿之上时，任何语言都会显得苍白无力。

翡翠森林，奶油色沙滩和印度教寺庙让我们大饱眼福，这些只是这个神奇的地方的冰山一角。既然有这么多可以探索的地方，为什么不去黑沙滩上散个步或者沿着活火山的边缘走一圈呢，或者只是简单地躺下，感受这里的宁静与祥和。

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