庫沙達斯

十多天前，我們的遊輪停靠土耳其庫沙達斯，十五歲的兒子曾傷感作文。今日土耳其政變，經兒子同意，我譯成中文與大家分享。

Kusadasi / 庫沙達斯
July 2, 2016（2016年7月2日）

As I visited this Turkish seaside resort town for the second time in my life, sights from all around the streets brought back memories when I took a walk along the Aegean seashore.

遊輪停靠土耳其庫沙達斯海港，把我們帶回去年來過的旅遊勝地，沿著愛琴海岸線重遊小城，美好記憶依依在目。

A strangely nostalgic feeling went through my mind as I looked for all the old places I saw last year during my previous visit to the town. The parks, the statues, the flags, the shops, and the restaurants were all right there, where I remembered them to be. I found the restaurant where I had tried ayran (the Turkish salty yogurt drink), the bank where my dad had used the ATM, the hotel where my family had stayed, and the same street corner where I had taken a picture during that previous visit.

環顧去年走過的路，莫名的眷戀感油然而生。公園，雕塑，旗幟，商店，飯店一切如故，和記憶中不差分毫。我看到我們品嚐鹹味酸奶（土耳其人稱為愛蘭）的小店，我爸爸取錢的ATM機器，我們住過的酒店大樓，還有那個我拍過照的角落。

It almost felt like returning to a long-lost home, though the people there obviously did not remember myself, merely one of the thousands of tourists visiting Kusadasi in a given year.

不過是來訪庫沙達斯的千萬個遊客之一，盡管此地沒人記得我，我卻恍惚回到一個久違的家。

But when I strolled through the streets and looked into the souvenir shops and resturants, I noticed how few tourists there were. Although I was visiting in the peak tourist season, there were even fewer tourists than when I visited last year in the low season.

走過街道兩邊的紀念品小店和飯店，我發現遊客蕭條。盡管現在是旅遊旺季，客人比我們去年春假淡季來時還稀少。

Due to the recent terrorist activities in Turkey, tourism had been in decline for quite a while since I last visited. Whenever I mentioned to others that I visited Turkey last year, their reactions were mostly being concerned about my safety, or sometimes asking why I even travelled there in the first place.

因為近期恐怖分子在土耳其的活動，一年來遊客驟減。我的朋友聽到我的土耳其之旅，第一反應是擔心安全，驚訝為什麽去那裏。

To make this problem worse, just a few days ago, another incident of attempted bombing had been discovered in the Istanbul's international airport. In light of these issues, student groups, who take up over half of the population on the cruise ships, have not even been allowed to enter the country.
Being unable to enter Turkey does not only mean that they will no longer be visiting this seaside town, but that they will no longer be able to see the ruins of Ephesus, rich in history as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the highlight of an Aegean cruise vacation.

前幾天伊斯坦布爾機場發現炸彈，更讓土耳其旅遊業雪上加霜。我們遊輪上有上千名遊客是來自各國的中學生，基於安全考慮，被迫改變行程，不上此岸，與世界七大古跡之一的以弗所遺址擦肩而過，多麽可惜！

The United States Government has issued a travel advisory against visiting Turkey due to increased terrorism and instability. Soon, not only will it be the student groups not visiting Turkey, but the Aegean cruise ships themselves may no longer even be docking in Turkish ports.

美國政府已發文勸告美國遊客禁來土耳其。下周，不但學生們不能上岸，愛琴海上的遊輪也將不停泊所有的土耳其港。

Restaurant and shop owners all over the town of Kusadasi, all depending on foreign tourists for business, seem worried about how they will be able to make a living after all their customers are gone. With such low business nowadays, the food stands selling grilled snacks and ice cream along the seashore were all closed down when I walked by.

此地的飯店和商店完全依賴旅遊業，遊客不來，店主們將如何謀生？沿著海岸走一圈，海邊曾經繁榮的美味燒烤小吃站和爽口土耳其冰淇淋小店幾乎全部消失了。

As the cruise ship leaves the port of Kusadasi and sails away, I gaze through the window as the land grows further and further away. Waving goodbye to the city, I wonder when I will ever have a chance to visit this beautiful country once again.

當我們的遊輪啟航離開庫沙達斯，隔窗眺望著愈來愈遠的土地，揮手告別小城，心中惘然，不知何時再來訪問這個美麗的國家。

Afterword / July 15

Today, the situation in Turkey has been made even worse from an attempted military coup. As protesters filled the streets, shots and explosions have occurred throughout Istanbul and Ankara, the capital. Flights at Istanbul's international airport have been suspended, and bridges connecting the two continents of Turkey have been closed off. Martial law has been imposed, and the future of the country is unclear. Praying for the safety of the Turkish people, we can only hope that order and peace will be restored once again.

後記/7月15日
今日的軍方政變讓土耳其情勢愈加惡化，伊斯坦布爾和首都安哥拉充滿了抗議者，槍聲和爆炸聲此起彼伏。伊斯坦布爾國際機場已停止運行，連接歐亞大陸的橋梁已關閉。軍管實施，前途未卜。我們為土耳其人民的安全祈禱，期望他們早日恢複秩序與和平。

更多我的博客文章>>>

• 庫沙達斯
• 琅琊粗考
• 盛唐琵琶
• 品味石榴
• 逝水流年