One of Australia’s top tourism attractions is to be closed to visitors because its Aboriginal owners reckon it is sacred ground.
Parks Australia announced Wednesday that Uluru, formerly Ayers Rock, would likely be off-limits by October 2011.
There are around 350,000 visitors a year to Uluru, 440km south of Alice Springs, around a third of whom vote with their feet and climb the 347-meter monolith.
Traditional owners have long urged visitors to make do with looking at the giant sandstone rock rather than climbing it during their trips.
The imposing rock, Australia’s most photographed physical feature, sits in a dead-flat plain in the center of the continent.
“For visitor safety, cultural and environmental reasons, the director and the board will work towards closure of the climb,” a Parks Australia management plan states.
Tour operators in far north Australia have complained that transferring ownership of land to indigenous people often means tourists are not allowed to visit or are charged exorbitant entry fees.
Alice Springs is reliant on the tourist trade and any reduction in arrivals would affect its economy. Many budget travelers who can’t afford to fly to Uluru travel by bus from Alice Springs. (DPA)
澳洲最著名的旅遊景點之一即將對外關閉,因為這塊土地被其原住民地主奉為聖地。
澳洲公園管理處上週三宣佈,「烏魯魯」(昔稱艾爾斯岩)可能於二O一一年十月對外關閉。
烏魯魯位在愛麗斯泉南方四百四十公里處,每年到此的遊客約有三十五萬人次,其中有約三分之一的遊客不顧勸告,爬上這座三百四十七公尺高的巨石。
長久以來,這塊土地的傳統擁有者一直力勸遊客到此觀光時,從遠處欣賞就好,不要爬上這塊巨大砂岩。
這塊氣勢雄偉的岩石是澳洲最常出現在照片中的自然景觀,它坐落於澳洲大陸中部一片單調無生氣的平原上。
一份澳洲公園管理處的管理計畫聲明:「基於遊客安全及文化、環境等因素考量,公園管理處處長和委員會將致力於終止攀爬活動。」
澳洲最北部的旅行業者抱怨,將土地移轉給原住民,往往意味著不開放給遊客參觀,或是要收取過高的入場費。
愛麗斯泉十分仰賴觀光客帶來的商機,觀光人次減少將對當地經濟造成衝擊。許多預算有限、無法負擔直飛烏魯魯機票的遊客,都會選擇從愛麗斯泉搭巴士前往烏魯魯。(德通社╱翻譯:袁星塵)
Huge stretches of coral reef around the world are turning a ghostly white this year amid record warm ocean temperatures. On April 15, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed the world’s fourth mass global bleaching event is underway — with serious consequences for marine life and for the people and economies that rely on reefs. WHAT ARE CORALS? Corals are invertebrates that live in colonies. Their calcium carbonate secretions form hard and protective scaffolding that serves as a home to many colorful species of single-celled algae. The two organisms have evolved over millennia to work together, with corals providing shelter to algae,
Taiwanese cuisine boasts a rich culture of thick soups, with various options available at street vendors or high-end restaurants. In English, this style of dish is typically called “thick soup.” Western cuisine typically uses flour, cream, or mashed vegetables to create a creamy consistency, while in Taiwan, thick soups are made by simply incorporating food starch into the soup and creating a smooth and silky texture. Tutuo fish in thick soup is such a soup with fried tutuo fish chunks, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and wood ears. 台灣羹品飲食文化豐富,無論是巷口小店或是高檔餐廳,都有提供羹料理。羹在英文稱作「濃湯」,西式濃湯是以麵粉、鮮奶油、蔬菜泥等達到濃稠的口感,台灣的羹湯用太白粉即能做出濃稠絲滑的湯頭。土魠魚羹就是在勾芡的羹湯中加入炸土魠魚塊、香菇、竹筍、木耳等食材的料理。 boast (v.) 擁有(令人驕傲的事物) consistency (n.) 濃稠度 chunk (n.) 厚塊,大塊 wood ear (n. ph.) 木耳 The star of this
In Taiwan, a quick stop at a local convenience store allows you to grab a hot dog whenever you want. But have you ever wondered how this popular snack got its unique name and became a leading light of American cuisine? First, the name “hot dog” is actually a combination of different ideas. Vendors called the sausages “red hot” to get customers to buy one fresh off their grills. As for the “dog” part, it’s a playful joke to compare the meat of the sausage to that of a dog—specifically , a dachshund. This small, long dog breed was
A: Also, police seized seven pornographic videos featuring minors that entertainer Mickey Huang purchased in his hard disc. B: That’s just outrageous! A: His ex-girlfriend entertainer Little S and some others are calling for a legal amendment to increase the penalty. B: The buyers and sellers should both be punished heavily. A: But the porn sellers’ Web sites are mostly overseas, so they are hard to catch. A: 此外警方也在黃子佼的硬碟裡,查到7部他買的未成年色情片。 B: 真是令人火大! A: 他的前女友小S等人,還呼籲修法,加重相關的罰則。 B: 購買者和販賣者雙方都該重罰。 A: 不過色情網站大多設在海外要抓也不容易吧。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)