過去六年，我和家人居住在北京和上海，通過高效的地鐵和公交系統，我們對這兩座城市有了初步的了解。這兩座大城市的公共交通系統與這里的人口密度很相稱。春節期間，在巴拿馬西部旅游時，我們感受了另一種生活節奏。

One good way to get to know a place is to hop on a train or bus.
了解一個城市的好方法就是乘坐當地的火車或公交。

We got an early sense of Beijing and Shanghai, two cities where we've lived in the past six years, through their efficient subway and bus systems. The population density in the two megacities is ideal for such public transit networks.
過去六年，我和家人居住在北京和上海，通過高效的地鐵和公交系統，我們對這兩座城市有了初步的了解。這兩座大城市的公共交通系統與這里的人口密度很相稱。

During Spring Festival, we experienced a change of pace while visiting western Panama.
春節期間，在巴拿馬西部旅游時，我們感受了另一種生活節奏。

We stayed in Puerto Armuelles, a small port on the Pacific coast that is home to about 25,000 people, and Volcan, an uplands community of some 15,000 near the dormant Baru volcano.
我們在阿穆埃耶斯港和佛爾坎停留了一段時間，前者是太平洋沿岸的一個小港口，大約有25000人口，后者是一個高地社區，位于休眠的巴魯火山附近，約有15000人口。

Their combined population is only 1.7 percent of the 2.3 million in Beijing's Chaoyang district, where we live.
我們居住的北京市朝陽區有230萬人口，而這兩地加起來的人口總數只占朝陽區的1.7%。

The two cities we visited also are dwarfed by Panama City, the nation's capital, with a metro area population of about 3.5 million. The city opened Central America's first metro system, a light rail train, in 2014. A portion of the second line is forecast to open in January.
我們游覽的這兩座城市的人口也遠遠比不上該國首都巴拿馬城的人口數量。巴拿馬城是一座擁有約350萬人口的大都市，2014年，這里開通了中美洲第一個地鐵系統——輕軌列車。第二條線路部分將于明年1月開通。

In less-developed western Panama, conditions are different. The recent opening of a four-lane highway to Puerto Armuelles is seen as a sign that the sleepy port is starting to awaken again.
巴拿馬的西部則不太發達，那里的情況有所不同。最近，那里開通了一條通向阿穆埃耶斯港的四車道高速公路，人們認為這表明沉睡已久的阿穆埃耶斯港正在覺醒。

While the provincial capital of David is served by a modern airport, most local transportation is done through a fleet of privately owned buses of various sizes. There are large express buses to Panama City and a huge number of half-size and three-quarter size buses for local transportation.
雖然省會城市大衛有一座現代化的機場，但當地的交通還是以各種類型的私人巴士組成的車隊為主。當地有大型快速公交可以通往巴拿馬城，而本地的交通則靠數量眾多的小巴維持，這些小巴只有正常巴士的一半大，或是四分之三大。

These smaller buses are customarily air-conditioned and comfortable, but can get rather crowded. Within cities and towns, many people use shared taxis.、
這些小巴通常有空調，比較舒適，但也會很擁擠。在城鎮里，許多人都會拼出租車出行。

On the local buses, people are friendly, and often greet fellow passengers as they board. On any given day, you'll sit next to a teenager dressed up for a social occasion, a farmworker or a parent carrying a child or a shopping bag.
當地巴士上的人很友好，他們經常會在上車時和同行的乘客打招呼。在車上，你總能遇見盛裝打扮準備去社交的青少年，或是農場工人，亦或是帶著孩子或提著購物袋的家長。

The heyday of railroads ended in Panama decades ago, and old train stations and carriages are museum pieces.
在巴拿馬，鐵路的全盛時期幾十年前就結束了，舊的火車站和馬車都只能在博物館中看到了。

Still standing is Puerto Armuelles' stout pier, built with rails that once carried boxcars out over the Pacific Ocean to disgorge loads of bananas into cargo ships. The banana plantations are coming back, but the pier is only a local landmark now.
但是阿穆埃耶斯港的碼頭還在堅挺地屹立著，火車廂曾在這里的鐵軌上運行，在太平洋上將成噸的香蕉運送到貨船上。如今香蕉種植園再次興起，但碼頭卻已廢棄，成為了當地的地標。

There is a proposal, however, to build a new train system for cargo and passenger traffic with China's help. In February, Panamanian officials met with engineers of China Railway Design Corp to begin a feasibility study for a modern, 445-kilometer railway from Panama City to David.
然而，在中國的幫助下，政府提出了一項新的鐵路貨運和客運列車系統的建設方案。今年2月，巴拿馬官員會見了中國鐵路設計公司的工程師，研究修建一條從巴拿馬城到大衛，全長445公里的現代化鐵路的可行性。

The train, traveling at 160 kilometers per hour, would cut a 7-hour trip on the express bus to 2.5 hours. The trip takes about an hour by plane.
這條鐵路建成后，火車時速可達160公里/小時，兩地之間7小時的車程將被壓縮至2.5小時，坐飛機要花1小時。

There is talk of extending the rail system into other parts of Central America to stimulate economic growth.
有傳聞稱要將鐵路網擴展到中美洲其他地區以刺激經濟增長。

But one question that remains is whether Panama, a small but strategically placed country of just over 4 million, can afford the price tag — estimated at $5.5 billion — even with Chinese financial help.
但是有一個問題，修建這條鐵路系統預計需要花費55億美元，即使有中國的經濟援助，這個僅擁有400萬人口但地理位置重要的小國能負擔得起嗎？

英文來源：“CHINA DAILY”微信公眾號

譯者：沈家歡
編審：丹妮 董靜
音頻編輯：焦潔

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Author & Broadcaster

Matt Prichard is a copy editor and writer who works on the front page team of China Daily. He has lived in China for more than four years, in Shanghai and Beijing. Before that, he had a 30-year career as a reporter and editor in the United States and Latin America. He has an ABJ from the University of Georgia and did postgraduate work at the Universidad Nacional del Sur in Argentina. He speaks Spanish fluently and is still learning Mandarin.