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Road Trips Four good wheels take you off the beaten path

游客2024-02-28  33
问题                     Road Trips
    Four good wheels take you off the beaten path.
    Getting there’s half the fun, as the old saying goes. With an international driving licence, a road map and a good set of wheels, you are your own guide, and the journey is personal. Stopping to take in not-in-the-guidebook sites or unexpected scenery and exploring out-of-the-way villages can be done without the pressure of mass tourism. Here we present a trio of great driving trips from three countries: in Australia from Darwin to Ayers Rock; in Vietnam from Hanoi to Halong Bay; and in England through Devon and Cornwall.
    CRUISING INTO THE RED CENTRE
    The Stuart Highway, which stretches like a long black ribbon 1,500 km through the Northern Territories--from Darwin in the "Top End" to Alice Springs in the "Red Centre"--passes through one of the most rugged landscapes on earth. Waterfalls, canyons, open savanna and grasslands are scattered with ghostlike gum trees and rock formations resembling a moonscape lining the highway. Fill the car with fuel, stock up on plenty of water, slip a Yothu Yindi CD in the sound system and drive.
    Before hopping on Stuart Highway, head east for Kakadu National Park, one of the world’s most stunningly varied tropical environments as well as the spiritual home of Gagudju, an aboriginal (土著的) group who have lived in the park for more than 25,000 years. Some aboriginal rock paintings date back to beyond 35,000 years. Saltwater crocodiles that grow up to 25 feet also live in the park, so tourists are wise to obey the warning signs.
    In the Northern Territories drivers should be wary of wandering kangaroos, camels
(Australia has more than Saudi Arabia), donkeys and wild horses. Convenient stops can be made every 100 to 200 km for fuel and the infamous Aussie meat pie. Accommodations are plentiful, but nothing beats night out camping under the southern stars. One stop worth making: Pine Creek, an 1870s mining town where you can still pan for gold. Farther south, the atmosphere of Alice Springs reflects its red-gold surroundings. Nearby are two very different attractions, the unlikely Chateau Hornsby Winery and the Virginia Camel Farm, where guests can swap (交换) their cars for camels. About 6 hours’ drive from Alice Spring is Ayers Rock (Uluru in aboriginal language), Australia’s most famous natural landmark and one of the most important sacred sites for aboriginal people.
    DRIVING OUT TO TIME
    Vietnam has plenty to offer to the road-tripping traveler, but the countryside’s sometimes difficult driving conditions--and a scarcity of road signs--mean that driving yourself isn’t necessarily the best option. The solution: hire a car and driver.
    "We’ll do the driving--you ask lots of questions," says Bui Tuan Ngoc of the Huong Hai Tourist Co. , which takes the visitors on a drive-sail excursion (游览) that provides a unique glimpse of Northern Vietnam.
    On the four-hour drive from Hanoi to Halong Bay, travelers pass through tranquil scenes that have changed little in hundreds of years. Men and women wearing conical hats to ward off (避开，挡住) the sun toil with bent backs in rice fields that change color with the seasons. Several villages along the way--Bat Trang is one--display traditional pottery at the roadside. Try your hand at bargaining for items such as plates, bowls and laughing Buddhas which are molded, fired and hand-painted using methods dating from the 16th century.
    At Halong Bay, the blood-red sails of the Huong Hai (Chinese-style) junk unfurl (展开) and the boat makes its way past bizarre karst (石炭岩地区常见的地形) formations and caves, grottoes and waterfalls. Legend says that Halong’s 3,000 islands were created when a dragon split mountains into pieces with its tail to prevent an enemy pursuing Vietnamese boats.
    In each of Halong Bay’s many coves small fishing boats offer crabs (螃蟹), prawns (对虾) and red snapper. Days on board are spent swimming, snorkeling, kayaking or lazing on deck watching red sails flap in the warm breeze. As dusk falls guests can try their hand at fishing for squid or simply relax in the moonlight as the limestone cliffs turn into centurions to guard over their sleep.
    TRAVELING A WORLD AWAY
    Few things in life are better for rejuvenating (使年轻) soul than a touch of moorland (高沼地) magic. About three hours southwest of London--and a world away from its hectic pace--the traveler arrives in a part of the West Country still haunted by the ghost of King Arthur. Here, you’ll find some of the finest stretches of unspoiled countryside in England, from the rolling hills cloaked in purple heather and yellow gorse to the magnificent, cliff studded coastline.
    Devon and Cornwall are the most southwesterly counties of England, famous for their rural fishing villages and mystical legends. Without ever raking you any farther than 35 miles from the sea, a cobweb (蜘蛛网) of roads links farming villages that have changed little in 500 years, seaside towns such as Penzance and Torquay and imposing castles, cathedrals (大教堂) and abbeys (修道院).
    Torquay, on the "English Rivers" is one of England’s most popular seaside resorts. Agatha Christie lived here and used many of the town’s settings in her widely read mysteries. To the West, Plymouth still retains the site where Sir Francis Drake played bowls before defending Britain against the Spanish Armade. From its oldest section, the Barbican, the Pilgrim Fathers set sail for America on the Mayflower on Sept. 6, 1620.
    A bit farther south, the Cornish fishing village of Mousehole, once a major port, retains the unspoiled charm of centuries past. Visitors should try the off-the-calorie-scale cream teas or value-for-money pub lunches accompanied by glasses of West Country cider (苹果酒).
    Drive north along the east coast and find the Big Sheep at Bideford, a working family farm turned wacky tourist attraction that combines traditional rural crafts such as sheepdog trialing and cheese making, with novelties like sheep racing. End your journey by heading inland toward Exeter; just south of the city, Powderham Castle near the River Exe is set in the middle of an ancient deer park, the setting for the movie "The Remains of the Day." If you find yourself at the end of your day, head back to Exeter for a stay at the Hite Hart, a 15th-century inn that is said to have stabled Oliver Cromwell’s horses--and where you can now garage your car. [br] The Cornish fishing village of Mousehole was once ______.
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答案 a major port
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