喬松普·薩達(dá)馮

In training for a Vangvieng Trail hike at the end of this year， my friends and I would normally walk along the Mekong riverbank to prepare for such an event but one recent weekend we decided to try somewhere different.

Out of the many places we considered， we settled upon the Tad Xai waterfall at Ban Hatkhai in Borikhamxay province， which lies within the Phou Khaokhouay National Protected Area.

Reached by travelling on Road 13 South， its near the border between Vientiane and Borikhamxay province， and is about three hours drive from Vientiane.

We chose this place because we heard that trekking guides are available， which we thought was a good idea because we were by no means experienced trekkers.

I have been to Tad Xai a few times before， but mostly just to have a picnic and enjoy the waterfall， which is one of the most beautiful of the many that are to be found in the national protected area. This was the first time I would be able to explore the area more fully.

We arrived at Ban Hatkhai around 10 am where a local tourist officer was waiting to guide us on the walk. The fee for each of us was 45，000 kip1. It was several kilometres from the village to the park itself and some sections of the road were quite rough. Drivers would need a vehicle with good clearance or four-wheel drive.

We arrived at the parking place which was shaded by large trees and bordered by a stream which burbled through various shaped rocks. It would make a good picnic spot and you could also have a dip as the water was not at all deep. A sign pointed the way to Tad Xai waterfall， which could be found at the end of a 400 metre path.

But we were intent on having a long walk so we went in another direction along a small trail which passed through woods， so the tree canopy protected us from the hot sun.

We quickly became immersed in our environment and stopped to look at the unfamiliar plants and flowers that we encountered in profusion.

Our surroundings were so enjoyable that we walked slowly and took loads of photos， forgetting that the purpose of the expedition was to get in training for the strenuous Vangvieng Trail. Never mind， the whole experience was all part of the goal， we told ourselves.

After a while we heard the unmistakable sound of a waterfall， which soon came into view. The water cascaded down from a high cliff， so it is aptly named Pha Xay waterfall， or cliff waterfall. It was one of those hidden gems that you would only encounter by walking deep into this scenic area.

After lingering for a while to enjoy the view and taking more photos， we continued on our way through more oddly-shaped trees and plants and then came to an open field of green grass interspersed with rocks.

Then we were back in the forest again， walking through small and large trees， listening to the sounds of insects and birds against the backdrop of faraway waterfalls， and observing the strange plant life around us. We became engrossed in our surroundings and never had time to feel tired. Now and again we saw groups of colourful butterflies， and stopped to relax near a small stream.

The many streams that traverse the park meant we sometimes had to walk across wooden bridges and near the end of the trail we came upon a mass of different sized boulders piled up on top of each other alongside a large stream overhung with dense foliage.

The tall thick trees were a wonderful sight and created a calming atmosphere so we took a long break and breathed in the smells. We felt we had earned a rest as this was the first trek we had made in this kind of environment.

From here we took a different path back， which led us to the main Tad Xai cascade where most people come to enjoy a picnic.

The waterfall has seven levels over which pours a torrent of foaming white water on its way through Phou Khaokhouay， creating a spectacular sight.

This made another great rest stop and we loitered here for some time before making our way back to the parking area， deeply satisfied with our achievement and our decision to visit this awe-inspiring area.

我和朋友們計(jì)劃今年年底去萬(wàn)榮步道徒步旅行 。為了準(zhǔn)備這種旅行，我們通常會(huì)沿湄公河河岸行走，但最近一個(gè)周末，我們決定去不同的地方走走。

我們考慮了很多地方，最終選定了波里坎賽省班哈凱的泰德賽瀑布，它位于普考奎山國(guó)家保護(hù)區(qū)內(nèi)。

那里靠近萬(wàn)象和波里坎賽省交界處，距離萬(wàn)象約3小時(shí)車程，沿南13號(hào)公路即可抵達(dá)。

我們選擇這個(gè)地方是因?yàn)槁?tīng)說(shuō)這里有徒步導(dǎo)游，由于我們?nèi)狈ν讲铰眯械慕?jīng)驗(yàn)，所以覺(jué)得有個(gè)導(dǎo)游比較好。

我以前去過(guò)泰德賽幾次，但主要就是去野餐和觀賞瀑布。這個(gè)國(guó)家保護(hù)區(qū)里有很多瀑布，泰德賽瀑布是最美麗的瀑布之一。這回是我第一次能更全面地探索這個(gè)地區(qū)。

上午10點(diǎn)左右我們到達(dá)班哈凱，當(dāng)?shù)氐囊晃宦糜喂賳T正等著為我們此次徒步當(dāng)向?qū)?。我們每人的費(fèi)用為4.5萬(wàn)基普。從村子到公園里還有幾公里路，有些路段相當(dāng)崎嶇。開(kāi)車的話得開(kāi)高底盤或四輪驅(qū)動(dòng)的車。

我們到達(dá)了停車場(chǎng)，這里有大樹(shù)遮蔭，場(chǎng)邊還有一條溪流，潺潺流過(guò)形狀各異的巖石。這是野餐的好地方，也可以游會(huì)兒泳，因?yàn)樗稽c(diǎn)兒都不深。一塊路牌指示了通往泰德賽瀑布的路，沿著一條400米長(zhǎng)的小徑走到盡頭就能看到了。

但是我們打算多走些路，于是便沿著一條林間小路向另一個(gè)方向走去，樹(shù)冠幫我們抵擋了炎熱的陽(yáng)光。

我們很快就沉浸在周圍的環(huán)境中，沿途遇到許多陌生的植物和鮮花，我們不時(shí)停下來(lái)觀賞。

周圍的景色令人愉快，我們慢慢溜達(dá)著，拍了很多照片，忘了這次短程旅行的目的是為艱苦的萬(wàn)榮步道旅行做準(zhǔn)備。我們安慰自己說(shuō)，沒(méi)關(guān)系，整個(gè)體驗(yàn)都是實(shí)現(xiàn)目標(biāo)的一部分。

不一會(huì)兒，我們聽(tīng)到了確定無(wú)疑的瀑布聲，很快瀑布便映入眼簾。瀑布從一處高高的懸崖傾瀉而下，因此被貼切地稱為帕夏瀑布（即懸崖瀑布）。這個(gè)瀑布是隱藏的瑰寶之一，只有深入這個(gè)景區(qū)才能看到。

我們逗留了一會(huì)兒，欣賞風(fēng)景，又拍了些照片，繼續(xù)前行，穿過(guò)一些奇形怪狀的樹(shù)木和植物，來(lái)到一片開(kāi)闊的綠色草地，草地上散布著巖石。

之后，我們返回了森林，經(jīng)過(guò)大大小小的樹(shù)木，聽(tīng)著遠(yuǎn)處瀑布背景下昆蟲(chóng)和鳥(niǎo)兒的鳴叫，觀察周圍奇異的植物。我們?nèi)褙炞⒂谒幍沫h(huán)境，根本無(wú)暇顧及疲倦。我們不時(shí)看到一群群色彩斑斕的蝴蝶，便在一條小溪旁停下來(lái)休息。

公園中有許多溪流穿行，這意味著我們有時(shí)必須走過(guò)木橋。快到小路的盡頭時(shí)，我們?cè)谝粭l大溪流旁發(fā)現(xiàn)了一片石堆，許多大小不一的卵石層層堆積，溪邊大樹(shù)枝葉繁茂，掩映溪水。

茂密的大樹(shù)構(gòu)成美妙的景觀，營(yíng)造了寧?kù)o的氛圍，于是我們?cè)诖撕煤眯菹⒘艘环?，呼吸著各種氣息。這是我們第一次在這樣的環(huán)境中徒步旅行，我們覺(jué)得可以像這樣休息一下。

我們從這里返回時(shí)走了另一條路。這條路把我們帶到了泰德賽主瀑布，大多數(shù)人都是來(lái)野餐的。

瀑布有七級(jí)，逐級(jí)傾瀉而下的激流噴濺出白色的浪花，一路穿過(guò)普考奎山國(guó)家公園，形成一道壯觀的風(fēng)景。

這里又是個(gè)可以好好歇腳的地方，我們?cè)诖颂庨e逛了一陣子才返回停車場(chǎng)。對(duì)于決定來(lái)這個(gè)令人驚嘆的地方并且收獲滿滿，我們都感到非常滿意。

（譯者為“《英語(yǔ)世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎(jiǎng)?wù)?單位：常州工學(xué)院）