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T R A V E L · C U LT U R E · L I F E S T Y L E · F O O D & W I N E
Issue 1
Ω≈travel.com.au
30 July 2016
M
A
G
A
Z
I
N
E
WIN CALIFORNIA
A 9 - D AY T R I P T O
COURTESY OF
Cuba
Visit Havana before
it changes forever
INDIA
How to
live like a
maharajah
Exploring
KAKADU
Far from the
madding crowd
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not combinable, available on new bookings only and may be withdrawn at any time. A limited number of offers are available on selected itineraries and departures. DEPOSITS & FINAL PAYMENTS: A non-refundable deposit of $2,000 pp is due within 7 days of booking. Final payment is due 100 days prior to departure. AIRFARE OFFERS:
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4
Let’s do
the time warp
India…
10
Live like a
maharajah
Kakadu…
14
Untamed
country
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Cover photo: 500px — Alex Segre.
Sorry about the cigar… but we’re not in charge of Cuba and that’s what Cubans do.
30 July 2016
3
Let’s do the
time warp
4
500px — Antonio Pascual
30 July 2016
Cuba
Change is in the air as Sue Wallace
falls for Cuba’s many charms.
W
alk six blocks, pass by the colourful Plaza Vieja, turn left at the
second street, then right to a small craft market in the middle of
Old Havana.
Two weeks ago I was strolling along the cobbled streets and stumbled
upon the market where I purchased several bright necklaces.
This time I am back to buy more from the entertaining stallholder,
Francisco. But, in the 14 days since I last visited, the prices have tripled
and I decide that maybe he isn’t that entertaining after all.
“Why have prices gone up in such a short time?” I ask Francisco, who is a
native of Cuba’s capital, Havana, home to more than two million people.
“Why… why?” he says with a grin, rubbing his hands together. “It’s simple
— the Americans have landed so we can charge what we like.”
I tell him I am not American so we negotiate and I leave with my gifts and
a little change.
That’s just one scenario that reflects the changing face of Cuba, which has
recently opened up to US tourism following the easing of travel restrictions
by President Barack Obama.
There’s now a sweeping tide of US tourists arriving by cruise ship and
embarking from planes. Rumours abound that soon up to 110 flights will
arrive daily from the US.
Though there are new hotels being built faster than you can say “Ernest
Hemingway”, along with private restaurants opening in houses and home
stays getting coats of paint, Havana’s charm remains intact.
While there are many like Francisco, there’s also a desire to protect Cuba’s
identity and a reluctance to “Americanise”.
Photo: Kendall Fayle
courtesy of Intrepid Travel
30 July 2016
5
First impressions of the old city
make me feel I’m in a time warp,
especially when vintage Chevrolets,
Buicks, Dodges, Chryslers,
Oldsmobiles and Fords in lollipop
colours of hot pink, orange, lime
green and cobalt blue, drive along
the streets honking their horns.
A trip in one of these cars is the
best way to enjoy a city tour and
I climb into a 1956 pink and white
Ford Fairlane that looks like it has
just come off the production line.
There’s nothing quite like being
driven along the streets of Havana
in cars that have been handed
down through the generations and
lovingly cared for.
Dressed in bright clothes and
head scarves with rows of beads at
their necks, they pose for photos
— at a cost of three pesos —
and also tell fortunes.
We pass the Plaza de la
Revolucion, Havana’s largest
square surrounded by the National
Library, National Theatre and the
impressive Jose Marti Monument
and museum that pays homage to
the national hero.
Cigars are big business in Havana
and the famous Partagas Cigar
Factory is a good place to learn
about them. Rum is another Cuban
staple and is sold cheaply at stores
and the El Museo del Ron Havana
Club is a dedicated rum museum.
Then it’s on to the sweeping
El Malecon, an impressive
boulevard that winds along the
shoreline offering grand sea views
and snapshots of everyday life in
Havana. Lovers wander hand in
hand, the elderly walk their dogs
or vice versa, fishermen throw in a
line and hope for the best, while
teenagers listen to music and
smoke the odd cigar.
Dining is a big part of the Havana
experience and there are so many
eateries ranging from cool cafes
to private restaurants or paladar
including the chic La Guarida
where the Oscar-nominated film
Strawberry and Chocolate (Fresa
y chocolate) was filmed. Don’t be
put off by its shabby exterior but
do book ahead — it’s a gourmet
experience.
Back in Old Havana, near the
Hotel Ambos Mundos, I see huge
cigars in the hands of several
larger-than-life Afro-Cuban women.
It doesn’t take long to discover
Havana has great depth and if
you scratch the surface you will
discover another layer.
Norske Skog is Australia’s only local manufacturer
of publication papers for use in the printing of
newspapers, magazines and catalogues.
We have invested heavily in our future by converting
a paper machine at our Boyer Mill in Tasmania to
produce a coated mechanical paper (Light Weight
Coated). Now available, LWC will extend our already
broad range of papers and offer publishers and
printers access to a world class coated paper from a
local source.
For enquiries, call us in Sydney on +612 8268 2001
or in Auckland on +649 524 3400.
6
norske vantage poster.indd 1
30 July 2016
VANTAGE
LIGHT
WEIGHT
COATED
20/07/2016 3:08 PM
Walk the streets of Old
Havana and see teenagers
lounging on steps, young
boys bouncing soccer balls
and swapping baseball
cards, older women with
their hair in rollers gossiping
and younger women in tight
Lycra attracting whistles.
Yes, it’s easy to fall under its
spell, even though change
is in the wind. But head
out to the countryside to
see another face of Cuba.
I ventured to historic
Trinidad, Santiago de Cuba
with its Afro‑Cuban cultural
influences and great music,
coastal Baracoa where cocoa
thrives, the tobacco fields
of Vinales and the glorious
beaches of Varadero.
Home stays are a good way
to connect with ordinary
Cubans and they offer clean,
comfortable basic rooms
with tiny bathrooms and
tasty breakfasts.
Challenges include queues
to change money in country
areas and restricted wifi —
it is only available at hotels
or town squares after you
purchase a wifi card.
Back in Havana, there is
so much to like about its
bars and their stories —
La Bodeguita del Medio
claims to be the birthplace
of the mojito cocktail.
Seems legendary author
Hemingway had many
favourite watering holes —
every bar I walk into claims
he raised a glass there.
The Best in Worldwide
4-star Touring
It’s Your time
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My favourite, however, is
El Chanchullero, a quiet bar
with good music that makes
great mojitos and has a
sign setting people straight:
“Hemingway was never
here”.
Let Collette
Take Care
of You
From Start
To Finish
That’s Havana for you.
Sue Wallace was a guest of
Intrepid Travel.
Rhythm of everyday life
It’s an odds-on bet you will hear the
catchy Cuban song, Guantanamera,
at least once in every bar you visit.
Bands and singers are out in full force
in the evening in Havana where rhythm
seems to be genetic.
The best places to enjoy music and
sip the country’s national drink, Cuba libre — made with Havana
rum — include La Casa de la Musica Centro Habana and Teatro
Bertolt Brecht, which attracts a discerning Cuban audience.
Salsa dancing and classes are popular and group lessons will have
most mastering basic salsa steps in no time.
El Floridita serves daiquiris and has live music — it was one of
Hemingway’s hangouts and there’s a life-size statue of the author.
Cabaret shows are performed at the famed Tropicana and there is
plenty of street music with hip youngsters jamming away and old
hippies showing their style.
Fast facts
FLY: Qantas flies to Santiago, Chile, then codeshares to Havana.
STAY: Saratoga Havana, hotel-saratoga.com;
The Hotel Nacional de Cuba, hotelnacionaldecuba.com.
DO: Intrepid Travel’s Best of Cuba, intrepidtravel.com/cuba.
For your free brochure
call 1300 792 195
gocollette.com
ABN: 32 600 161 671 I AFTA Allied Member
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CHOOSE YOUR CRUISE®
A special welcome
at Umaid Bhawan
500px — Yuvraj Samant
India
Umaid Bhawan overlooks
the city of Jodhpur
Karen Halabi
enjoys the royal
treatment at India’s
exotic palace hotels.
N
othing is as tantalising as watching a
good movie set in a beautiful place.
So it’s no surprise that fans of the two
Best Exotic Marigold Hotel films are busy seeking out
screen locations and romantic hotels around India.
Rajasthan, which means land of the rajas or kings,
is where many of the maharajahs’ grand residences
have been turned into luxury hotels.
There are many Indian palace hotels — some
are restored while others are decaying ruins.
Umaid Bhawan, the
14th-century domed and
turreted palace, which
overlooks the desert city
of Jodhpur, is one of the
most impressive.
Built of luminescent
pink desert sandstone
that turns to gold at
sunrise and sunset, it
perches on Chittar Hill,
overlooking the “blue”
city and spectacular
Mehrangarh Fort.
The magnificent view
from Brijrama Palace
in Varanasi
The last of the great
palaces of princely
India, Umaid Bhawan is surrounded by 10 hectares of
lush gardens. The 347-room palace still serves as the
principal residence of the Maharajah of Jodhpur, who
lives in one wing.
The royal treatment starts on arrival. I receive an
unforgettable welcome — royal courtiers in traditional
red turbans hold up a red tent canopy while I walk the
red carpet beneath. As I enter the sandstone
foyer, sari-clad hostesses bearing brass
platters throw rose and marigold petals at my
feet and anoint me my forehead with a red
dot, a tilak, a mark of auspiciousness.
I freshen up with a lime juice in the Trophy
Bar, surrounded by tigers, elephant tusks and
old hunting photos of the maharajahs. Later
I catch a glimpse of the current maharajah
descending the main staircase of golden
stone. Little wonder movie star Liz Hurley
chose this palace for her lavish over-the-top
Bollywood-style wedding in 2006.
Falaknuma Palace,
Hyderabad
If you’re
lucky you’ll
catch a
glimpse
of the
maharajah
My next stop is Udaipur, four hours
away, where a turbaned moustachioed chauffeur
awaits with a Rolls Royce to whisk me to the lake’s
edge. From there, a boat ferries me across to the
18th‑century Lake Palace that floats like a mirage
in the middle of Lake Pichola.
30 July 2016
11
The Lake Palace where
Octopussy was filmed
Known as India’s Venice,
Udaipur is dotted with
floating palaces and
lakeside havelis (mansions)
and was the setting for
the James Bond movie,
Octopussy.
“The Lady of the Lake”
is a spectacular floating
palace of pearlescent
white marble that glistens
in the twilight. Inside, it’s
like a Venetian palace with
stained glass windows,
intricate coloured mirror
work, miniature paintings,
fine glass mosaic inlays
and fretwork.
From Udaipur, a short scenic drive
though the Aravali Hills leads
to the enchanting Devigarh,
a rambling 18th-century fort
palace in the village of Delwara.
The former royal residence of
the rulers of Delwara has been
restored to a luxurious retreat with
a distinctly modern edge — right
down to the designer food.
In nearby Jaipur, the Pink City, the
Palace of the Winds (Hawa Mahal)
and the City Palace reign supreme.
But I’m off to my own royal abode.
Rambagh Palace is the former
home of Rajasthani royalty such
Staff at
as 17th-century Maharajah Sawai
Devigarh
Ram Singh II and glamorous
20th‑century Queen Rajmata
Gayatri Devi. Full of period
furniture, its rooms are
named after famous guests
such as Lord Mountbatten.
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*Valid until 10 August, 2016, subject to availability. Promo code must be advised at time of new booking & not valid in
conjunction with other offers. Price based on twin occupancy & subject to change. Booking conditions apply at
www.gate1travel.com.au or call 1300 653 618. ABN 74 169 034 575. ATAS accreditation number A11423
12
30 July 2016
A marriage of Rajput and
Moghul architecture,
Rambagh is spread over
19 hectares of lawns
and gardens that evoke
memories of elephants
and polo-playing princes.
Built in 1835, Rambagh
became the residence of
the Maharajah of Jaipur until
the Taj group took over the
palace in 1957, converting
it to a five-star hotel. In the
finest tradition of Rajput
hospitality, Rambagh offers
its guests a taste of royal
living that was once the sole
preserve of kings — butlers,
doormen, Rolls Royces and
cocktails at the Polo Bar.
Rajasthan isn’t the only place to
find palace hotels. In Hyderabad,
in southern India, the Taj’s
Falaknuma Palace features
large Venetian chandeliers, rare
furniture, grand marble staircases,
priceless statues and artworks,
stained-glass windows, crystal, a
library that’s a replica of the one
at Windsor Castle with one of the
most acclaimed collections of the
Koran in the world.
There’s also a new small boutique
five-star palace hotel called
Brijrama in Varanasi, situated right
on the ghats (riverfront steps).
Opened in mid-March, it has taken
six years of renovation to return it
to its former splendour.
Staying in a palace is an
unforgettable experience but
you can always visit one of the
non‑hotel variety. The Amber Fort
and Palace outside Jaipur, the
Palace of the Winds in Jodhpur,
or the spectacular city palaces
in Jaipur and Udaipur are worth
seeking out.
Karen Halabi was a guest of Tikka Tours,
tikkatours.com.au.
The gardens at Rambagh Palace
India
RAJASTHAN ROYAL ESCAPE
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INCLUDES 5-STAR PALACE HOTEL ACCOMMODATION IN RAJASTHAN
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Terms and conditions apply. Prices per person, twin share. Prices are land-only, they do not include international flights. Please see tempoholidays.com for more details.
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Australia
Untamed country
Kylie Stevenson discovers a beautiful but remote pocket of Kakadu.
Photo: Keren Shanley
We’ve already seen wallabies, brumbies
and a family of buffalo, but we aren’t
prepared for what slithers onto the
bonnet of our car. “Snake!”
We had spotted the thin, colourful
critter shoot under the car when we last
stopped, but assumed he’d kept going
— or that the hefty creek crossing had
taken care of him.
His bright blue head and golden tanned
body disappears back under the 4WD
and we quickly close all vents and plan
how to exit the car when we arrive at
our campsite.
Despite being a world-renowned
destination that attracts more than
200,000 visitors a year, much of Kakadu
is still untamed country. Our destination,
Koolpin Gorge (Jarrangbarnmi) in the
park’s south remains largely unscathed
by tourism, with a permit system limiting
access to 40 visitors at a time.
We arrive at the cosy bush camp and
park the car near someone else’s tent
for the night.
The next morning we wake to the
trickle of Koolpin Creek, which runs
alongside the campsite and continues
for many kilometres. We have our
sights set on a dip, so we have to hike
about one kilometre upstream where
it’s safe to swim.
We hike up to the next swimming hole,
another large pool. Smooth, flat rocks
angle into the water at 35 degrees.
Again, looking pretty upon entry is a
challenge. The view back down over the
creek and the surrounding landscape is
spectacular. It’s the perfect way to finish a
day in Kakadu.
At times we are gripping rock ledges
and ducking under craggy outcrops.
There are lots of pauses atop boulders as
we look out for the colourful ribbons that
mark the way.
After about an hour of rock scrambling,
we come to the main rock pool, its
surface an upside-down watercolour
reflecting back the terracotta walls of the
gorge and the small puffs of cloud in the
crisp blue sky.
Uneven stepping
stones into the
shallows give a sense
that entering the pool
with poise is possible.
It’s not. We all slide
down the slippery
surface and plunge
ungracefully into
the water.
Day trippers can stay at Jabiru (135km) or Cooinda (90km). Some tour
companies offer trips to Koolpin.
I feel refreshed and rejuvenated —
though still a little unsettled. I hope
that snake hasn’t taken up permanent
residence under my car.
kakadu • kimberley • west coast
PEDITIO
EX
WILD
NS
Koolpin Gorge (Jarrangbarnmi) is about 220km from Darwin. You need
confident four-wheel-driving, moderate walking skills and bookings
in advance. Contact the permits officer on (08) 8938 1140 or email
[email protected].
30 July 2016
After lunch, we scuttle up the side of the
gorge, determined to discover the secret
rock art we’ve heard about. Miraculously
we find it, though without some local
tips it’s likely the red earthy figures would
have blended into the background.
We walk along the creek, then spy an
expanse of water. The vast, shimmering
pool is tempting, but its silky surface is
interrupted by the sharp edges of a steel
croc trap — no swimming here. We trek
on.
Getting there
14
It’s early dry season and the water is cool,
so we circumnavigate the pool to warm
up, pausing only for a firm massage at the
small waterfall opposite our entry point.
A
U
IA
I
t’s near dusk as we bump our way
down a four‑wheel-drive track,
the dirt road hemmed with tall grass
and gums.
S T RA
L
LOCAL COMPANY
EXPERIENCED TOUR GUIDES
PRIVATE WILDERNESS CAMPS
FREQUENT DEPARTURES
 1300 73 88 70
 [email protected]
www.wildexpeditions.com.au
FOLLOW THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
ESCORTED JOURNEYS
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6995
$
per
person
TRAVEL DATES STILL AVAILABLE, FEBRUARY & MARCH 2017
nights’accommodation•5nightHurtigrutencruise•Mealsasperitinerary
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1nightinauniquedeluxeglass-roofedigloo•Excursiontothemedievaltown
ofTallinn•Traditionalhuskydogsafari•VisitRovaniemi,homeofSantaClaus
Call 1300 558 987
bentours.com.au
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Prices are land-only, they do not include international flights.
Please see bentours.com.au for more details.
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