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
Cuba
go to Havana before
it changes forever…
WIN AMERICA
A TRIP TO
COURTESY OF
INDIAN
Palace
Hotels
Live like a maharajah
Exploring
KAKADU
Everything you
need to know…
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30 July 2016
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Cuba…
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4
Let’s do
the time warp
10
Indian
palace
hotels…
Live like a
maharajah
Kakadu…
14
Untamed
country
California Dreaming Competition
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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.
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Let’s do the
time warp
4
30 July 2016
Overseas
Change is in the air, but 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”.
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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.
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30 July 2016
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.
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.
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.
Home stays are a good way
to connect with ordinary
Cubans and they offer clean,
comfortable basic rooms
with tiny bathrooms and
tasty breakfasts.
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”.
That’s Havana for you.
Sue Wallace was a guest of
Intrepid Travel.
Rhythm of everyday life
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VERTICAL
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.
Even in small country towns, music
plays a vital part of life. Cubans
start swaying at the slightest sound of music whether they are
lining up at shops or sitting on a park bench, music is everywhere.
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 a variety of daiquiris and has live music — it was
one of Hemingway’s hangouts and there’s a life-size bronze 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.
Most groups sell their own CDs
after a performance and it is
hard to say no.
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VERTICAL
Live like a
maharajah
Umaid Bhawan overlooks
the city of Jodhpur
Overseas
Nothing 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.
R
ajasthan, 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.
Karen Halabi
enjoys the royal
treatment at India’s
exotic palace hotels
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.
A royal welcome at
Umaid Bhawan
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.
If you’re
lucky you’ll
catch a
glimpse
of the
Maharajah
I freshen up with a lime juice in the Trophy
Bar, surrounded by tiger and 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
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
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.
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QUARTER PAGE
“The Lady of the Lake” is a
spectacular floating palace of
Staff at
pearlescent white marble that
Devigarh
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
as 17th-century Maharajah Sawai 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. Winding marble corridors hung with Rajasthani art
lead to fountains and parterre gardens.
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30 July 2016
The Lake Palace where
Octopussy was filmed
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.
The gardens at
Rambagh Palace
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, stainedglass windows, crystal, a library
that’s a replica of the one at Windsor Castle with one of the
most acclaimed collections of the Holy Quran 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.
Fast Facts
FLY
Air India flies to Delhi from
Melbourne three times a week
and from Sydney four times a
week.
www.airindia.com
GO
Tikka Tours runs small group and
independent tours to India. They
offer a Best Exotic Marigold tour
to some of the smaller palace
hotels: tikkatours.com.au.
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30 July 2016
13
I
Australia
t’s near dusk as we
bump our way down a
four‑wheel-drive track,
the dirt road hemmed with
tall grass and gums.
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!”
Untamed
country
Kylie Stevenson discovers a beautiful
but remote pocket of Kakadu.
Photo by Keren Shanley
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 worldrenowned destination that
attracts more than 200,000
visitors a year, much of Kakadu
is still untamed country. Our
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30 July 2016
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 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Getting there
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].
Day trippers can stay at Jabiru (135km) or Cooinda (90km).
Some tour companies offer trips to Koolpin.
KIMBERLEY WILD SIXTH
PAGE
I feel refreshed and
rejuvenated — though a
still a little unsettled. I hope
that snake hasn’t taken
up permanent residence
under my car.
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30 July 2016