Mīrandus: Melanesia

A SOUTH SEAS SOJOURN

南太平洋巡航之旅

Roger and Jackie Harris of Charlotte Travel explore the remote South Pacific nations of Micronesia and Melanesia aboard Silverseas’ luxurious Silver Discoverer. Words & Photos by Roger Harris

樂悠遊創辦人 Roger 及 Jackie Harris 乘坐銀海郵輪的豪華探險船銀海 發現者號，探索偏遠的南太平洋國家密克羅尼西亞及美拉尼西亞的風光。 圖、文 Roger Harris

Remoteness and inaccessibility are, in many ways, what you make of them. Sure, they can sometimes be burdensome challenges that need to be overcome. But in today’s travel climate, where we can traverse the globe in a single day, they can also serve to increase the allure of a destination, if only because its environment and culture have survived the onslaught of globalized influences and commercial excesses. The increase in difficulty of visiting these destinations, and the lack of infrastructure once you arrive, can also preserve locales as they are, and have always been. Fortunately, expedition cruise ships easily overcome both problems, allowing today’s intrepid travellers easy access to previously unreachable locations in the comfort that modern cruise ships provide.

某程度上，所謂的「偏僻」及「難以接近」，只是視乎你的看法。當然， 這些因素有時會是一些讓人煩惱及需要克服的挑戰。但在現今人類可 以以一日穿梭地球的旅遊模式中，它們反而讓某些旅遊目的地吸引力大 增 那些環境及文化飽受全球化影響及過度商業化的衝擊下，仍能倖 存下來的地方。前往這些地方的難度越大，以及缺乏到埗後的公共設 施，從另一個角度來看，也正正代表住這地區能保留由古至今一直以來 的原貌。幸運是，探險船能易如反掌地克服這兩個困難，讓現今勇敢無 畏的旅行家，輕鬆自在地安坐於現代化遊輪所提供的舒適環境中，前往 昔日不能到達的地方。

The isolated islands of Micronesia and Melanesia, a scattering of pearls on the South Pacific, are a prime example. While they remain one of the last corners of the world untouched by mass tourism, we reached the likes of Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu in comfort and style, aboard the 130-passenger Silver Discoverer , one of the specialist expedition vessels of Silversea Cruises.

其中一個典型例子就是南太平洋上兩顆散落的珍珠──孤島密克羅尼西亞群島和 美拉尼西亞群島。雖然它們仍是全球最後幾個並未成為廣泛旅遊熱點的角落之一， 但我們登上能搭載 130 名旅客、銀海郵輪的專業探險船之一的銀海發現者號，就能 以舒適及時尚的方式抵達帛琉、巴布亞新畿內亞、所羅門群島及瓦努阿圖等地。

The Republic of Palau is the scenic gem of Micronesia’s archipelagic nations, which, with Polynesia to the east and Micronesia to the south, make up what is commonly referred to as the South Pacific, a region of vast stretches of ocean, making it ideal cruising grounds. Palau is renowned for its crystal-clear waters, beaches, blue lagoons and coral reefs, which provide first class diving and snorkeling, and it’s clear on arrival that the tiny country is serious about conservation. Visitors are required to sign a pledge stamped into their passport to “preserve and protect your beautiful island home.”

帛琉共和國是密克羅尼西亞群島的著名觀光勝地，與東部的玻里尼西亞及南部的密 克羅尼西亞，組成了大家經常提及的「南太平洋」，這裡盡是一片廣闊無邊的海洋， 讓它成為了理想的郵輪之旅目的地。帛琉以其清澈見底的海水、海灘、藍湖及珊瑚 礁聞名，是潛水及浮潛的一流勝地，也正正代表著，這個小國是非常重視環境保育， 到訪的遊客必須在他們的護照上簽署一份「保護你的美麗島嶼家園」的帛琉公約。

Beautiful but far wilder, the coastal islands and villages of the north coast of Papua New Guinea offer close encounters with hospitable communities who greet visitors with elaborate ceremonies and spectacular traditional dress. Unlike many similar experiences, these events don’t feel at all staged, and as these remote communities receive very few visiting cruise ships each year, the residents clearly make the most of the occasion, offering a warm welcome with festivities that often continue well after the ship’s guests have departed.

巴布亞新畿內亞則展現了美麗而狂野的一面，其北部沿海島 嶼及村落會透過精心編排的慶典及華麗的傳統服飾來迎接旅 客，讓他們感受到親切熱情及賓至如歸的感覺。與許多相類似 的體驗不同，島上所有歡迎活動也是從心出發，因為這些偏遠 地區每年只接待寥寥可數的遊輪，所以村民會充份利用這時 機，以各種慶祝活動表示對旅客的熱烈歡迎。有時就算旅客已 乘船離開，慶典仍會繼續。

Melanesia is replete with volcanoes, many of which are still active. During our May 2018 cruise, Silver Discoverer sails close to Kadova, a tiny island 25 kilometres off the north coast of New Guinea, PNG’s largest land mass. The volcano at the centre of the tiny island erupted – for what is thought to be the first time in recorded history –in January 2018, sending a plume of ash more than two kilometres into the air and prompting the evacuation of Kadova’s 500 residents.

美拉尼西亞到處也佈滿了火山，當中有許多依然活躍。在 2018 年 5 月的郵輪之旅中，我們乘坐的銀海發現者號就駛近 Kadova，這個小島距離新畿內亞北岸只有 25 公里，也是巴布 亞新畿內亞最大的陸地。而在 2018 年 1 月，位於這個小島中 心的火山爆發──據說是有史以來的首次，噴上高空的火山 灰超過兩公里，令 Kadova 的 500 名居民要立即撤離。

Another unique opportunity comes to the east, at Garove Island, located in the Bismark Sea off the island of New Britain. Here, the Silver Discoverer slips through a narrow gap in a sunken volcanic caldera that now forms a five-kilometer-wide lagoon wreathed by steep 100-metre high forested walls. Upon our arrival, the entire population of Widu, the only village on the island, performs a warm and elaborate welcoming ceremony for the new visitors. It’s another extravagant festival of singing and dancing and it’s hard not to be impressed and touched by the warmth of the greeting as well as the obvious effort that goes into its preparation. Residents go to astonishing extremes with their highly decorative costumes and makeup to offer a truly authentic encounter.

另一個獨特的體驗機會就是來自東部，位於新不列顛附近的 俾斯麥海上的 Garove Island。在這裡，銀海發現者號要穿 過一個被 100 米高陡峭樹牆包圍住的藍湖，湖的闊度達五公

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里，是由一座沉沒了的火山噴口上的狹窄縫隙所形成。當我們抵埗後，島上唯一村 落 Widu 上的所有村民，為新相識的遊客精心籌備了一個親切的歡迎儀式。這是另 一個精彩的歌舞盛宴，很難不被這種窩心的問候及無微不至的預備所感動。村民甚 至會穿上極華麗的服飾及細心打扮，讓大家有一個更充實的體驗及回憶。

Rabaul, on New Britain, also has a spectacular harbour, which reaches across to the flanks of Tavurvur, another towering volcano, which, in 1994, destroyed half the town. After exploring the ruins, which remain clogged and coated in volcanic ash, we visit the nearby Baining Mountains, home of the Baining people. Here, fire dances are traditionally performed by young men as an initiation into adulthood, to celebrate childbirth, in remembrance of the dead, and to celebrate the coming of the annual harvest. Wearing elaborate masks, young warriors leap through the fire, creating a dazzling display of sparks as they chant rhythmically to the beat of drums in a ceremony that’s as old as time itself.

新不列顛的拉包爾，亦有一個延伸至 Tavurvur 兩翼的壯麗海港。Tavurvur 是另一 座高聳入雲的火山，在 1994 年摧毀了半個鎮。探索過仍被火山灰堵住及覆蓋的廢 墟後，我們就到附近的貝寧山脈參觀，也就是貝寧人的家園。這裡的傳統火舞是由 年輕男子負責表演，可以作為踏入成年的儀式、慶祝新生、紀念死者及慶祝每年的 豐收。與古老的慶祝儀式一樣，年輕的戰士會戴著精緻的面具，隨著鼓聲的節奏在 火中跳躍，製造出耀眼閃爍的花火。

Just when you think you have seen it all, our ship arrives at Vanuatu’s Pentecost Island, best known as the site of the legendary land diving ceremony, one of the most extraordinary socio-religious events a seasoned traveller could wish to witness. Young men dive head-first from an 80-foot high tower, their fall arrested before they hit the ground by a natural vine attached to their ankles. The ceremony takes place from April to June when the vines have the right moisture content to stretch and absorb the impact of the dive. This amazing ritual, which helped give birth to the modern bungy jump, serves to welcome the yam harvest and to bestow prestige on the participants, some of whom have on occasion suffered serious injury or death as a result. The whole village turns out, dressed in traditional costume, to dance and chant, whipping the atmosphere into an excited frenzy of dance, activity and noise that helps bestow courage on the men preparing to jump.

當你以為所有精彩節目已盡收眼底之時，我們的船隻已到達了瓦努阿圖的五旬節島。 這裡最著名的就是傳說中的陸地俯衝慶典，也是經驗豐富的旅行家想親眼見證的最 特別社會宗教活動之一。年青男生要從一個 80 呎高的塔上面向地俯衝，而腳踝上 則綁上了一條天然藤蔓，在接近擊中地面的一刻就會被拉起。慶典在四月至六月舉 行，這個時份的藤蔓水份含量最適中，可以伸展及承受俯衝的衝擊力。這個讓人驚 嘆的慶典，促成了現今笨豬跳的誕生，亦有助於山藥的採摘及授予參加者一種至高 無上的榮譽，但當中亦有不少人會因而受重傷或死亡。整個村落的人也會穿上傳統 服飾載歌載舞，此時熱鬧的跳舞聲及喧叫聲，頓時將氣氛推至最高峯，為準備俯衝 的參加者打氣。

Cruising the South Pacific offers an array of extraordinary encounters with diverse cultures, spectacular scenery, pristine marine life, genuine warmth and a reminder that our global society is far more complex than we imagined.

南太平洋的郵輪之旅為我們帶來了一系列多元化的文化、壯觀瑰麗的風景、原始純 樸的海洋生態、真摯熱誠的問候，以及提醒我們，地球上還有很多地方是遠遠超越 我們所想的。