Indice dei contenuti per February 2018 in Wanderlust

MATT MORAN Chef and cookbook author Matt has a passion for the cuisine of his birthplace: Australia. He shares a recipe with us from his new book, Australian Food: Coast & Country, that champions macadamia nuts – endemic to his home nation (p16)… Mountain, desert, ocean or jungle… which are you? I love travel and adventure, so it’s all of the above! First great travel experience? After working solidly for ten years (from the age of 15), I drove around the west coast of Australia. I loved it, and the landscapes were incredible. Favourite journey? I hope I’m yet to have it! Anywhere that has excitement, great culture and, most of all, good food. Top five places worldwide? I’m biased but Australia has to be top. New York and Tokyo…

‘I remember going to Penang in Malaysia, and it would be unthinkable if you weren’t eating on the street every night. It’s the same in Mexico’ Your latest TV series covered Mexico and California. What fascinates you about the food of those destinations? I first went to these places in 1968 as a 21-year-old. I journeyed all through Mexico and as far as San Francisco, USA. It was a formative part of my life because I’d never tasted exotic, foreign foods before. I think the reason I’ve travelled a lot since and enjoy tasting different cooking is because of that early experience. In the series, I went back to see how they had changed over the last 50 years. What did you find? California has changed a great deal. When…

YES Andrew Coogans, Wanderlust reader “I wasn’t deterred when the mass cancellations hit. I understand it’s not a glam way to travel but I like how they’re honest and open about their terms and conditions, and if you don’t need a particular service, you don’t have to pay for it. I feel that this was the same with their cancellations. Yes, it was a terrible mistake, but instead of continuing to provide an unreliable service, they drew a line and were clear that no more flights would be cancelled for this reason.” NO Joanne Costello, Wanderlust reader “Absolutely not. My flight back to the UK was cancelled in September and the information I received was very misleading, as was the refund, re-booking and compensation process. Ryanair have sent me two…

Wasn’t he the globetrotting hero of Jules Verne’s classic travel yarn Around the World in Eighty Days? Yes, that’s the chap. It’s been 145 years since the fictional intrepid Englishman Phileas Fogg and his French valet Jean Passepartout were introduced to the English-speaking world, with the first publication of Verne’s hit French serial in translation. Remind me – how does it go again? Fogg claimed that a new railway in India made it possible to circumnavigate the world in 80 days. His fellow Reform Club members disagreed, throwing in a £20,000 wager to encourage him to prove it. Today, Fogg’s route from Mumbai to Kolkata can still be ridden by rail, and while it rarely features in ‘top railway’ lists for scenery, you’ll still ford the lush hills of the…

WHY COSTA RICA? Costa Rica has more protected land than any other country in proportion to its size. You can experience cloud forest, volcanoes, mangrove swamps and Pacific and Caribbean coastline, encountering a diverse range of animals and birds as you go! WHERE TO STAY: Esquinas Rainforest Lodge is a remarkable place. This beautiful eco-friendly property in the heart of primary rainforest allows for total immersion in nature – soak up the sounds and colours of the jungle as you discover its many trails and pathways. Fall asleep to a chorus of frogs and insects and awake to birdsong all around you. WILDLIFE: There is a marvellous, often-bizarre variety of animals here. Catatonic sloths lazily crawl along cecropia branches, screaming howler monkeys rustle the forest canopy, toucans screech overhead, scarlet…

VITAL STATISTICS Capital: Kinshasa Population: 78 million Language(s): French, Lingala, Kikongo, Swahili, Tshiluba, plus regional dialects Time: GMT+1 International dialling code: +243 Visas: Required by UK nationals. Most tour operators will get this for you; on this trip they are bought at the Rwanda/DRC border in Bukavu and cost $100 (£75). Money: CDF (Congolese France), currently CDF2,092 to the UK£. US dollars ($) are also widely accepted. When to go • Peak gorilla spotting – although not the driest time of the year, between September and December is when the gorillas live off the bamboos shoots that grow closer to the Kahuzi Biega NP forest lodge, making them much easier to spot. • Off-season – for the rest of the year, the gorillas live off leaves and fruit, which means…

VITAL STATISTICS Main island: Hirta Population: Around 35 (volunteers and MOD staff) in summer; 10 in winter Language: English and Gaelic Time: GMT (GMT+1 Mar–Oct) International dialling code: N/A – there are no phones on the island. Visas: Not required by UK nationals, though you can get your passport stamped in the gift shop if you ask. Money: UK£; credit cards are accepted in the gift shop. When to go • Spring/summer – this is the only time that day boats and sailboats like Bessie Ellen will run to St Kilda. Any trip is weather dependent and can be cancelled at short notice, so be prepared (and persistent) – it’s worth it! • Autumn/winter – stormy seas and bad weather mean that no boats will operate, meaning there are no…

Wildlife is a major part of much of our travels. Sadly, though, many species are increasingly under threat, with poaching and trafficking gangs taking their toll. It is these two factors in particular that have played a devastating role in reducing the elephant population of Chad (pictured) to some 800 and left the number of northern white rhino in existence at just three. While safeguarding our wildlife’s future is vital, so is documenting the fight to protect it. It’s a role photojournalist Kate Brooks has taken on, using her lens to highlight the poaching and trafficking of rhinos and elephants. She has charted an often unseen fight that stretches from the frontlines of Kenya, where the northern white rhino clings on, to Asia’s black markets. The end result is The…

1 Macadamia nuts are endemic to eastern Australia and are one of the original bush foods; p16 2 In the Americas, the black panther is the name more commonly given to the black jaguar; p54 3 French author Jules Verne used the International Date Line as a plot device in Around The World In 80 Days years before it was even invented; p89 4 Thanks to its topography and strong winds, no trees are able to grow on St Kilda (or ever have); p120 5 Not only is Ethiopia’s gelada baboon one of the rarest monkeys on the planet, it’s the most terrestrial primate – except for humans – on Earth; p110…

IN PLANE SIGHT Great Barrier Reef Australia Photographer: Gray Malin Diving the rich kaleidoscopic coral of the Great Barrier Reef is one of the world’s iconic travel experiences. However, while swimming among its tropical life puts you nose to fin with nature, flying overhead gives you a much deeper appreciation of its colossal expanse, as evidenced in this overhead shot by Gray Malin. The light aircraft resembles a toy replica against the backdrop of an endless aquatic ecosystem. And while coral bleaching continues to pose a big threat to the reef’s future, images like this can only serve to rally viewers to fight for its survival. Escape (Abrams, £35) by Gray Malin is out now. www.graymalin.com BLACK & WHITE WONDER Tanzania Photographer: Laurent Baheux The Masai Mara’s great…

DESTINATIONS 2018 Manchester, 18–21 Jan London, 1–4 Feb www.destinationsshow.com EventCity, Manchester / Olympia, London. Manchester from £8.30; London from £11 (under-12s free). Book online or call 0844 412 4627. Wanderlust subscribers receive two free tickets with this issue; non-subscribers will get a discount. Draw trip inspiration from a host of specialist tour operators and hear from a litany of well- known travel personalities, including Rick Stein and Timothy West, at the Stanfords Travel Writers Festival. We’ll also reveal who you picked as the champions of travel at our 2018 Reader Travel Awards (Thurs, 1 Feb). Make sure to afford time to visit the Wanderlust Travel Photo of the Year exhibition (sure to be as impressive as ever) and we’ll be hosting a Thailand-themed photography talk (Fri, 2 Feb), too. Don’t…

How did you reach Antarctica? I flew from Buenos Aires down to Ushuaia, and from there I boarded an icebreaker that was once part of the Dutch navy. This then took us to the Falklands, South Georgia, the South Orkney and South Shetland Islands, and eventually Antarctica itself. What activities did you do? We made many stops on those islands along the way, but around the continent itself we took Zodiac cruises to explore some of the different bays and went ashore twice to walk around and watch the wildlife. We could see Adélie penguins making nests; it was just like watching a David Attenborough documentary. We went for a hike on one of the nearby islands, and I ended this with a swim in the cold Antarctic waters wearing…

1 French Market, New Orleans, USA The Big Easy’s oldest street food hub is a frenzy of activity, from hollering oyster vendors and pots of bubbling cajun gumbo, to raucous live music. Make a beeline for its po’boy sandwiches, usually stuffed with freshly fried seafood. 2 Mercado da Ribeira, Lisbon, Portugal This food hall pigeon-holes all of Lisbon’s best eats under one roof, from gourmet shacks by Michelin-starred chefs to outlets hawking staple snacks such as Portugal’s famed pasteis de nata (custard tarts). 3 Marche Sandaga, Dakar, Senegal Here exists a fusion of African, European and Middle Eastern flavours, but the legacy of Senegal’s French occupation (until 1960) lingers largest in the market’s food, with spiced dibi›(grilled meat) served in a baguette an enduring staple. 4 Night Market, Luang Prabang,…

1 Consider the weather  Clear blue skies can look dull, but dark cloud, low-lying mist, frost or snow will provide atmosphere and drama. Therefore, use a good weather app – MeteoEarth or Yr – and visit photogenic locations when the weather suits the location. For example, sunshine and showers will often produce dramatic and attractive spot lighting. 2 Keeping steady  The most beautiful light often occurs early-morning and late in the evening – the so-called ‘golden hours’. However, light levels will be low and exposure times can be excessively long. To avoid the risk of camera motion ruining your shots, use a tripod – lightweight and compact carbon models are ideal for travel photographers. 3 Perfect symmetry  Photographers are often told not to place the horizon centrally in their shots,…

How we did the test… We asked gear manufacturers to submit the winter walking boots they felt were best suited to travellers. From the 14 pairs we were sent, our editor, Phoebe Smith, took them out on the road to see which performed best. The ‘Value Buy’ and ‘Best in Test’ boots are indicated. KEEN Targhee Exp £115 The test: At the budget end, you get a bendy sole that isn’t crampon compatible but a good set of multi-directional lugs for slippery ground (though not ice). A big rubber rand helps protect your toes, while the upper is synthetic fabric and mesh, to help it breathe. There is a waterproof lining but all that stitching could affect durability. You do get a good amount of ankle support and reasonable cushioning,…

1 MADAGASCAR Everywhere! STAR PRIMATE: Lemurs – ring-tailed, aye-aye, golden-crowned sifaka and many more... WHY IT’S A HOTSPOT: Madagascar’s forests, grasslands and deserts are home to countless endemic wonders, but few as famed as its lemur – over 100 species of which live only on this island. Tracking them down isn’t difficult, though most spend their time up in the trees, which is arguably why the ring-tailed species is so iconic. It spends a lot of its day foraging on the ground, and visitors to the tamarind forests of the private Berenty Reserve have been known to find troops of them strutting the car park. Treks into its spiny forests also reveal Verreaux’s sifakas and (at night) the adorable grey mouse lemur. To the north, the protected area of Loky-Manambato…

STAR LETTER Serbian surprise My wife, Sarah (pictured), and I enjoyed a long weekend in Belgrade recently. We took advantage of its free guided walking tours, abundance of restaurants and great nightlife. Wanderlust took us to the largest Orthodox Christian church (by volume) in the world, St Sava. When finished (there’s no rush, it’s been in the making for over 100 years), it will have a capacity of over 10,000 worshippers. The mosaic inside of the dome is due to be completed at the end of the year… it’s planned to be quite spectacular. Paul Wilcox, via email Andalucían joy I recently read your Andalucía article [October 2017; issue 180] and it made for great reading. I loved the accounts of the villages and hikes, which were off the beaten…

PHOEBE SMITH • EDITOR • Getting herself shipshape aboard the Bessie Ellen and sailing to St Kilda SEE PAGE 120 TOM HAWKER • PRODUCTION EDITOR • Marking up his festival calendar – 2018 will be one hell of a party... SEE PAGE 22 GARETH CLARK • SUB-EDITOR/WRITER • Monkeying around with all the primates found across the world SEE PAGE 110 RHODRI ANDREWS • ASSISTANT EDITOR • Dreaming of a round-the-world trip, just like Phileas Fogg... SEE PAGE 89…

‘Saudi Arabia are hoping to attract 30m visitors by 2030, and will plough £35bn into tourism’ Speak to most UK travellers and they’ll tell you Saudi Arabia barely registers on their radars. The country’s strict laws and customs put many off, and that’s before you consider the difficulty of even getting in. However, that could all be about to change. The Middle Eastern superpower has now announced that it will introduce specialist tourist visas – they currently only cover pilgrims and those going there to work. And while details are still hazy at the moment, it’s hoped they’ll be first issued in 2018, initially to those travelling with tour groups. “We want to target people who want to literally experience this country and its grandness,” says Prince Sultan bin Salman…

Australian cuisine can be hard to pin down. At a glance it’s a mishmash of South-East Asian tastes and a sprinkling of Brit classics. But Aussie food runs deeper and older than the dishes it’s inherited, and those who visit its eastern coast will spy an ingredient that has influenced local diets for millennia. Long before the Brits arrived or the first shrimp was thrown ‘on the barbie’, Australia’s Aborigines roamed the eastern forests for macadamia trees – indigenous to the area. Its nuts were considered a delicacy and given as gifts at inter-tribal meets. Now, their old hunting ground, the Great Dividing Range (from Melbourne to northern Queensland), is veined with trails, winding rocky plateaus and forests, so you can walk in their footsteps. It wasn’t until the late…

Death is just the beginning for this month’s books, and indeed for mortician Caitlin Doughty, whose professional curiosity sees her travelling to gain an understanding of how the planet deals with passing on. Taking her from the USA to Indonesia, Japan and Bolivia, From Here to Eternity (W&N, £15) is a study in cultures, places and profound moments – and with a necessary slice of morbid humour, too. In Voyage of the Southern Sun (Black Inc, £17), Michael Smith gets to feel death’s icy breath as well, though it may just be wind resistance. His quest to be the first person to travel the world by amphibious plane almost comes to an end off the Canadian coast. Thankfully, a hefty thwack of Aussie can-do attitude and good cheer gets him…

PERU Experience local Peru - takes the lead on Steppes Travel’s Textiles of the Sacred Valley tour as you get hands-on (literally). Learn to weave and dye using traditional Andean techniques and meet local Accha Alta, Chinchero and Pitumarca communities, unravelling their stories, myths and traditions. Spy pre-Columbian art in Lima, explore the ruins of Macchu Picchu and meet the Andean communities of the Sacred Valley. Finish among the timeless waters of Lake Titicaca, its impenetrable depths having sustained communities for millennia, from the floating communities of the Uros to the people of Taquille, an island where crafts are not just vital to the economy but a way of life. WHO: Steppes Travel (01285 601050; www.steppestravel.com ) WHEN: 19 Oct 2018 HOW LONG: 10 nights HOW MUCH:…

VITAL STATISTICS Capital: San José Population: 4.9 million Language: Spanish. English is fairly widely spoken Time: GMT-6 International dialling code: +506 Visas: Not required by UK nationals for stays of up to three months. Money: Costa Rican colón (CRC), currently around CRC752 to the UK£.US dollars are also widely accepted, and many ATMs dispense both dollars and colónes. Credit and debit cards are widely accepted. When to go  Turtle Watching Wear black or dark clothing – bright colours can scare turtles off. Avoid perfume or strong odours. No cameras or video-recording equipment are allowed. No lights are allowed on the beach; you can take a torch (or use the one on your phone) for walking to or from the beach, but you then have to keep it off. As you…

Although India offers travellers a wealth of experiences, it can also present some health issues, too. And while Rajasthan is one of the healthiest spots to visit on the subcontinent, as with any destination there are considerations to keep in mind. SMOG & HEAT Many travellers to Rajasthan pass though Delhi (or one of the other megacities), where traffic rules are ‘unusual’ – it may seem like there’s a complete lack of any system. Cars and motorbikes drive fast, other road users (including dogs and cows) are unpredictable, and crashes are many. Be sure to do a quick check of the state of any taxi you get into. The big cities can also be very polluted, so anyone with a history of asthma, even if only as a child, would…

• Your Story The Feast Romanian weddings aren’t typically swift affairs; they’re epic, belly-busting events, discovers reader Steve Fryer… Slowly, I pushed open the door to the banqueting hall and peered inside. Pow! In a flash, control was snatched from my hands and tradition took over. The band struck up a rousing tune and the reception party paraded over to greet us. We were quickly whisked over to our allotted seats at a long table just as some more guests arrived. The band struck up again with another rousing tune as the reception party paraded out to greet them, and then they, too, were shepherded to their seats, as yet more guests appeared. And so it continued. That morning, our oldest son’s best friend (and very much a part of…

Before you arrive ‘Salta la Linda’ (‘Salta the Beautiful’) is the charming and entirely accurate sobriquet given to this charismatic city in north-western Argentina. The colonial buildings around its sizeable central plaza set the scene for one of the most interesting and, yes, joyfully aesthetic cities in Argentina. Despite its somewhat Andalucían appearance, Salta is the heart of Andean Argentina, a region characterised by its mountain culture, which has more in common with Bolivia or Peru than cosmopolitan Buenos Aires. This spirit is summed up in its food, in particular a hearty stew called locro, typically made with meat, corn and Andean potatoes, found throughout this region. But it is perhaps music that defines Salta more than any other aspect, and it is heard everywhere. A visit to a peña,…