老外在中国：漫步巴拿马

过去六年，我和家人居住在北京和上海，通过高效的地铁和公交系统，我们对这两座城市有了初步的了解。这两座大城市的公共交通系统与这里的人口密度很相称。春节期间，在巴拿马西部旅游时，我们感受了另一种生活节奏。

One good way to get to know a place is to hop on a train or bus.

了解一个城市的好方法就是乘坐当地的火车或公交。

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.

过去六年，我和家人居住在北京和上海，通过高效的地铁和公交系统，我们对这两座城市有了初步的了解。这两座大城市的公共交通系统与这里的人口密度很相称。

During Spring Festival, we experienced a change of pace while visiting western Panama.

春节期间，在巴拿马西部旅游时，我们感受了另一种生活节奏。

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.

我们在阿穆埃耶斯港和佛尔坎停留了一段时间，前者是太平洋沿岸的一个小港口，大约有25000人口，后者是一个高地社区，位于休眠的巴鲁火山附近，约有15000人口。

Their combined population is only 1.7 percent of the 2.3 million in Beijing's Chaoyang district, where we live.

我们居住的北京市朝阳区有230万人口，而这两地加起来的人口总数只占朝阳区的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 2017. A portion of the second line is forecast to open in January.

我们游览的这两座城市的人口也远远比不上该国首都巴拿马城的人口数量。巴拿马城是一座拥有约350万人口的大都市，2017年，这里开通了中美洲第一个地铁系统——轻轨列车。第二条线路部分将于明年1月开通。

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.

巴拿马的西部则不太发达，那里的情况有所不同。最近，那里开通了一条通向阿穆埃耶斯港的四车道高速公路，人们认为这表明沉睡已久的阿穆埃耶斯港正在觉醒。

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.

虽然省会城市大卫有一座现代化的机场，但当地的交通还是以各种类型的私人巴士组成的车队为主。当地有大型快速公交可以通往巴拿马城，而本地的交通则靠数量众多的小巴维持，这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.、

这些小巴通常有空调，比较舒适，但也会很拥挤。在城镇里，许多人都会拼出租车出行。

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.

当地巴士上的人很友好，他们经常会在上车时和同行的乘客打招呼。在车上，你总能遇见盛装打扮准备去社交的青少年，或是农场工人，亦或是带着孩子或提着购物袋的家长。

The heyday of railroads ended in Panama decades ago, and old train stations and carriages are museum pieces.

在巴拿马，铁路的全盛时期几十年前就结束了，旧的火车站和马车都只能在博物馆中看到了。

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码头还在坚挺地屹立着，火车厢曾在这里的铁轨上运行，在太平洋上将成吨的香蕉运送到货船上。如今香蕉种植园再次兴起，但码头却已废弃，成为了当地的地标。

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，在中国的帮助下，政府提出了一项新的铁路货运和客运列车系统的建设方案。今年2月，巴拿马官员会见了中国铁路设计公司的工程师，研究修建一条从巴拿马城到大卫，全长445公里的现代化铁路的可行性。

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.

这条铁路建成后，火车时速可达160公里/小时，两地之间7小时的车程将被压缩至2.5小时，坐飞机要花1小时。

There is talk of extending the rail system into other parts of Central America to stimulate economic growth.

有传闻称要将铁路网扩展到中美洲其他地区以刺激经济增长。

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.

但是有一个问题，修建这条铁路系统预计需要花费55亿美元，即使有中国的经济援助，这个仅拥有400万人口但地理位置重要的小国能负担得起吗？

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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.