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JANUARY 2016 • `150 • VOL. 4

WHERE TO GO IN

ISSUE 7

2016

AZERBAIJAN MEETING THE ELEMENTS MAURITIUS WATER ADVENTURES

99(+1)

REASONS TO TRAVEL THIS YEAR PLUS 15 MUST-SEE PLACES AROUND THE WORLD

Charminar

a HISTORY REPLETE WITH SPLENDOROUS GLORY OF ANCIENT RULERS.

Step onto the shores of Telangana. It is here that the tourist’s desire to experience different parts of the country comes to fruition.

Telangana has a fascinating mix of every religion and every place. The place is replete with countless attractive temples and historic forts. A glorious legacy inherited from distinguished dynasties like Satavahanas, Rashtrakutas, Kakatiyas, Qutb Shahis and Asaf Jahis. It is also home to exquisite handicrafts and pristine natural beauty. What probably would be of interest is its unique and colorful festivals - Bonalu and Bathukamma, which are steeped in rich cultural beauty. The cuisine is not only spicy but it’s a part of rich Telangana culture. The Hyderabadi Biryani is popular the world over. Little wonder that Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana, has bagged ‘World’s 2nd Best Tourist Place - 2015’.

Warangal Fort

Qutb Shahi Tombs

Ramappa Temple

Mecca Masjid

For bookings & more details visit www.telanganatourism.gov.in Call (Toll-Free): 1800-42-546464

Golkonda Fort

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JANUARY 2016

CONTENTS Vol 4 Issue 7

T R AV E L I D E A S F O R 2 0 1 6

78

Uruguay, Botswana, Greenland: Our smokin’ hot list of 15 places to visit now

100 REASONS TO TRAVEL NOW Myriad ideas inspire us to travel. Here are places and experiences we’re currently crazy about

JOURNEYS

100

THE ELEMENTS

In Azerbaijan, the elements are evocative, cultures coalesce, and the familiarity is heart-warming

By Niloufer Venkatraman Photographs by Chirodeep Chaudhuri

58 Salisbury Plain, South Georgia Island

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112

THE LONG WAY HOME

A road trip across nine countries, spanning 20,200 kilometres, 58 days and eight time zones, in pictures Text & Photographs by Rishad Saam Mehta

KEENPRESS/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINES/GETTY IMAGES

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WHERE TO GO IN 2016

24

44

VOICES

JANUARY 2016 • `150 • VOL. 4

WHERE TO GO IN

ISSUE 7

18 Tread Softly

20 Book of Hours

The illustrated story of the postman who built a palace in Hauterives, France

22 Clan Rules

Over 70 years later, a photo album continues to inspire travels

N AV I G AT E

24 The Insider

Maximum Milan: A mosaic of food, fashion, and design captures the essence of Italy

28 Book Extract

120 Active Holiday

Three ways to experience the ocean in Mauritius AZERBAIJAN MEETING THE ELEMENTS MAURITIUS WATER ADVENTURES

99(+1)

REASONS TO TRAVEL THIS YEAR

On The COver Richard I’Anson’s image of the Carnaval del Uruguay in Montevideo goes straight to the heart of this vibrant festival of music, dance, and colour. Young and old join parades celebrating their history, freedom, and rich culture.

Blackbucks and raptors thrive in Gujarat’s Velavadar National Park

38 Off Track

Amidst the desert dunes of Oman, the surprise of glittering waters

44 Hidden Gem

The ancient wall art of Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh, still weaves a spell

50 The Comeback

Kashmir’s hearty winter delicacy, Harissa, hits the spot

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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

SHORT BREAKS

From Delhi

124 Grand havelis, bowls of bhujia, and baby camels in Bikaner, Rajasthan

Stay

126 Slowing down at a homestay near Mumbai 127 A green corner in the concrete jungle

of Guwahati

120

32 National Park

54 Local Flavour

Exploring Goa’s mangrove forests on a kayak

PLUS 15 MUST-SEE PLACES AROUND THE WORLD

Revisiting the ancient Silk Road outpost of Kashgar in China

In Rome, Nero’s lavish palace re-emerges after a decade

122 Active Break

REGULARS 12 Editor’s Note 14 Notebook 128 Strange Planet

DINODIA (CAVE), TOMMASO GIROLAMO/AGE FOTOSTOCK/DINODIA (MONUMENT), PHOTO COURTESY: BLUE SAFARI (CORAL) RICHARD I’ANSON/LONELY PLANET IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES (COVER)

In Goa, a chance for travellers and nature to rejuvenate

GET GOING

2016

Editor-in-Chief NILOUFER VENKATRAMAN Deputy Editor NEHA DARA Associate Editor KAREENA GIANANI Associate Editor-Special Projects DIYA KOHLI Features Writer RUMELA BASU Art Director DIVIYA MEHRA Photo Editor CHIRODEEP CHAUDHURI Associate Art Director DEVANG H. MAKWANA Senior Graphic Designer CHITTARANJAN MODHAVE Editor, Web NEHA SUMITRAN Assistant Editor, Web SAUMYA ANCHERI Features Writer FABIOLA MONTEIRO Features Writer KAMAKSHI AYYAR

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Disclaimer All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is strictly prohibited. We do our best to research and fact-check all articles but errors may creep in inadvertently. All prices, phone numbers, and addresses are correct at the time of going to press but are subject to change. All opinions expressed by columnists and freelance writers are their ownand not necessarily those of National Geographic Traveller India. We do not allow advertising to influence our editorial choices. All maps used in the magazine, including those of India, are for illustrative purposes only.

About us National Geographic Traveller India is about immersive travel and authentic storytelling that inspires travel. It is about family travel, about travel experiences, about discoveries, and insights. Our tagline is “Nobody Knows This World Better” and every story attempts to capture the essence of a place in a way that will urge readers to create their own memorable trips, and come back with their own amazing stories.

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Editor’s Note |

N I LOU F E R V EN KATRA M A N

BACKPACK OF MEMORIES

L

12

and escape to one of the moments stored in my backpack.

The learning and memories from travel have a way of balancing the scales in my daily life. For instance, my years of trekking in the mountains have taught me that even when I’m physically wiped out and feel like I cannot walk another step, I can still manage that last steep incline. Even when my aching muscles have announced they cannot move any further, I’ve learned to overcome physical exhaustion to get to where I need to be. It is eventually a lesson of mind over matter. A lesson I often dip into in daily life.

A few days ago, I came home from work completely exhausted. I didn’t want to eat dinner or interact with anyone; I just wanted to sleep. But the Christmas holidays were on, and my nine-year-old daughter had been waiting for me to return home. She was eager for us to do something together after dinner and she’d planned for me to help her bake octopusshaped chocolate cookies. My initial reaction was to say no.

But when I saw the look of disappointment on her face I revised my answer. I put myself on a mountain, on a steep incline, with no choice but to overcome fatigue and continue the journey upward. As the aroma of baking cookies filled the house I felt energized, a simple happiness gained from reaching the top of the hill.

As the new year dawns, one of the most important things I will do for myself is find time to get away from the everyday crunch of deadlines and decisions.

Whether it’s one-day trips or week-long vacations, I promise myself several breaks.

They are the perfect buffer against the daily grind.

Waterfall near Gushaini, Himachal Pradesh

Years of trekking have taught me that even when I’m physically wiped out and feel like I cannot walk another step, I can still manage that last steep incline

National Geographic Traveller India is about immersive travel and authentic storytelling, inspiring readers to create their own journeys and return with amazing stories. Our distinctive yellow rectangle is a window into a world of unparalleled discovery.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

ANDRÉ MORRIS

OUR MISSION

unchtime conversation in the office is always interesting.

Recently, our art director Diviya was telling us about a friend who works in his family business even though he hates it. His heart lies in doing other things, but he’s forced by family pressures to do what’s expected of him, to toe the line and work in an environment where respect means saying nothing. His story is not an isolated one; it’s the story of countless young people in India. However, there is one small difference. To keep his sanity, every few months, this young man takes off on a trip that extends anywhere between a few days to a few weeks. He lives for these trips, travelling solo in India or abroad. It is his escape, but more than that, it’s his way of enhancing his life, of meeting new people he connects with, of experiencing new things. We all travel for different reasons and, for some, it’s a velvet escape point—a way of making reality more bearable.

Although I’m in a job I love, I can see how travel serves to make the rat race more manageable, the stresses and strains of the real world more acceptable. On almost every trip I take, I find I come back with at least one special memory or moment that I unconsciously store away in a memory bank. It’s usually something quite simple or fleeting: hiking to a waterfall with my daughter, sitting under an apple tree, the call of a barking deer in the jungle at night.

Sometimes a new experience might replace an older one. In this way, I’ve accumulated a small backpack full of joyful moments that I reach into whenever I’m struggling with a situation, person, or emotion. Sometimes, when I’m drowning in work, or when everything around me seems completely overwhelming or is driving me crazy, I try to close my eyes

Notebook |

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BEST OF THE WEB

Time Travel in Lucknow To live a history that hasn’t found its way into our textbooks, Online Features Writer Fabiola Monteiro explored the majestic architecture of the City of Nawabs.

See Web Exclusives>Experiences Bara Imambara in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

Responsible Travel At our December Meetup, wildlife conservationist Vidya Venkatesh, radiologist and cycling enthusiast Aditya Daftary, and rural tourism advocate Rashmi Sawant discussed planet-friendly travel with NGT India’s Deputy Editor Neha Dara. Some tips from the experts and the audience.

Work with baby turtles in Costa Rica or help with research at a rainforest in Agumbe, Karnataka. Tailor a feel-good holiday with our list of ideas.

See Web Exclusives> NGT Recommends

in the footsteps of the godfather

gujarat’s iconic stepwells

Journey to the Italian town of Savoca to retrace the locations of Francis Ford Coppola’s seminal movie, The Godfather.

See Web Exclusives> Cinemascapes

Take a road trip to discover Gujarat’s intricately carved stepwells with the help of our itinerary that includes places to eat, shop, and stay.

See Web Exclusives>Guides

GO TO NATGEOTRAVELLER.IN FOR MORE WEB EXCLUSIVE STORIES AND TRAVEL IDEAS

LETTER OF THE MONTH

Carved in White I am an avid trekker, and last year I attempted the Chadar trek on the frozen Zanskar River in Ladakh. Over nine days, I trekked 75 kilometres and have never felt so exhilarated.

The sheet of ice I was walking on gave way twice, leaving me knee-deep in ice-cold water. I had about 30 minutes to climb on to the nearest wall of a gorge and change my sodden socks, or risk frostbite. Chadar challenges even the most seasoned trekkers, but the journey is worth it. As I gaped at a frozen waterfall in Naerak village, our final destination, I promised I’d do this all over again. —Sudip Bhar

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The Chadar trek, Ladakh

■ Engage with the locals and the environment. Travel with realistic expectations— sensitivity and respect are key.

■ Be informed about the animals and national parks you visit. Understand the impact you have on your destination.

■ Stay at the centre of a new city. Walk, cycle, or take local transport to explore it.

■ Help the local economy by savouring local food and purchasing regional handicrafts.

NEXT MEETUP: 8 January 2016, 7-8.30 p.m.

Venue: Title Waves bookstore, Bandra (West), Mumbai.

PHOTO COURTESY: JEREMIAH C RAO/UPTWC2015 SUDIP BHAR (MONUMENT), SUDIP BHAR (TREKKER)

volunteer holidays

■ Choose an eco-friendly stay built using local materials and style. Observe how the hosts conserve water and manage waste.

Notebook |

CONNECT

NGT INDIA@WORK

Back to School Last month, I was in Boracay, Philippines, and went helmet diving for the first time.

Essentially, you wear a giant, Jules Vernesque helmet and scramble 10 feet down a ladder to the ocean floor. The helmet weighs at least 30 kilos on ground, but it feels like it’s only around two kilos underwater. It also has a pipe connected to an oxygen tank in the boat. In the water you channel your inner astronaut and bob around the seabed, navigating your way around clumps of coral and schools of multicoloured fish. At first I felt like an intruder in that space, but soon my apprehension gave way to curiosity.

Eventually I was happy bouncing about, trying to follow peacock-hued parrotfish and clownfish as they went about their way, past us pesky humans living out 15 minutes of our fantasy from The Little Mermaid.

—Online Features Writer, Kamakshi Ayyar

INSTAGRAM OF THE MONTH

THE FIND

Tapping into a Surprise Mumbai-based author and journalist Deepanjana Pal captured this exhibit of games played by children of tribal communities in Bhopal’s Tribal Museum, aka Janjaatiya Sangrahalaya. Its collection is a window into the everyday life, rituals, and crafts of seven major tribes of Madhya Pradesh (Gond, Bhil, Korku, Baiga, Sahariya, Kol, and Bhariya). About 1,000 members of these communities have built the exhibits on display. Catch the photo story and a glimpse of MP’s indigenous cultures at www.natgeotraveller.in FOLLOW @NATGEOTRAVELLERINDIA ON INSTAGRAM

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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

I love collecting bric-a-brac on my travels and am always looking for unique, local souvenirs. On a recent trip to Azerbaijan, I was ambling along Taaza Bazaar in the capital Baku. In the section chock-a-block with hardware stores, I stumbled upon a shop selling these taps covered with traditional designs. I picked up this tap—the simplest of them all—and brought it home. Now, all I need to do is to make some serious changes to the plumbing in my home.

—Photo Editor, Chirodeep Chaudhuri

PHOTO COURTESY: DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM, PHILIPPINES (DIVERS), DEEPANJANA PAL (MUSEUM), CHIRODEEP CHAUDHURI (TAP)

Tribal Route

TR EA D SO F TLY

Hitting Reset IN INDIA’S BEACH CAPITAL, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR TRAVELLERS AND NATURE ALIKE TO RECHARGE AND RECOVER

S

itting on the veranda of my eco-cottage at Wildernest in Goa, surrounded by lush forests, I can see the beautiful Vajra Falls streaming down to the river below.

In the distance, the Sahyadris are agleam in the late evening light. However, a closer look across the valley and on to the furthest hill reveals the pockmarks left on the landscape by human plunder—mining and deforestation.

While most of my visits to Goa have been for sun and sand, this time I decided to give those a miss and head inland towards the Western Ghats. Wildernest Nature Resort is a three-hour drive from Dabolim Airport and a fantastic spot for anyone looking for a quiet oasis and a first-hand experience of what far-reaching changes a few people can make.

The Western Ghats has one of the richest, most biodiverse forests of the planet and new species are still being discovered here each year. However, large tracts are being plundered and cleared for mining and development without a care for the ecosystem.

Tucked between these mining areas and land marked for big hydropower projects, Wildernest is a bastion of resistance with a small group of committed citizens fighting a battle to protect 450 acres of prime virgin forest.

The resort has 16 cottages which are carefully interspersed between foliage and trees. Each acacia wood eco-cottage is built for comfort, but with minimal impact on the environment. The food served here is delicious and made from locally grown produce cooked in large clay pots by women and men from the neighbouring village of Chorla. Meals feature a spread of ragi rotis, local red rice, an assortment of vegetables, and fish curries made according to traditional recipes. Some of the locals are trained as guides, which has helped generate awareness amongst these communities about the forest and its importance. The operations team keeps the resort plastic free and helps visitors engage with the natural environment. Guests can go on long forest walks accompanied by a naturalist. For those who prefer a less active morning, the property’s machans and freshwater pool offer great relaxation. An infinity pool looks over the valley and a whole afternoon can be spent sitting in the shade of the trees surrounding the pool.

Every evening, a wildlife documentary is screened in the dining hall before dinner.

The films themselves are fascinating and provide rich food for thought about conservation and our link with nature.

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Mike Pandey is a conservationist and wildlife filmmaker. He has won the Green Oscar three times.

Wildernest’s sustainable business model supports the surrounding community and helps fund research initiatives of the Nature Conservation Facility. This is a field station for scientists and researchers in the area who are working towards long-term monitoring of the Ghats and its biodiversity. The facility also has an interpretation centre with a small library open to all.

The area that the resort now covers was once barren and earmarked for mining. But with some careful reforestation, the trees and plants started proliferating—an example of how small steps can bear fruit within a few years. Today, leopards, and hundreds of species of birds and reptiles call this piece of the planet home. Researchers have also documented tigers, slender loris, and dholes in the area, though sightings are extremely rare. The return of these endangered species shows that the biodiversity of the area is creeping back again.

Wildernest is a special experience. With no phone networks or television sets in the rooms, guests have no choice but to look out of the large windows, observe the trees and butterflies, listen to the music of gurgling streams. Here, the Sahyadris teach you to be still, tune into your habitat, and become a part of the forest. As I sat with my local pao and tea for breakfast, I spotted a pair of mating vine snakes. My morning had been filled with the music of the Malabar whistling thrush and I saw a grey hornbill on my walk to the eco-restaurant. It was a splendid way to start the day—and it rejuvenated me furthermore knowing that my stay here was helping this beautiful forest in some way.

Wildernest Nature Resort, Chorla, Goa

PHOTO COURTESY : WILDERNEST NATURE RESORT

Voices |

Voices |

BOOK OF HOU RS

Amruta patil

ANAﾃ記 SEGHEZZI (AMRUTA PATIL)

is the author of graphic novels Kari and Adi Parva. Book of Hours chronicles an hour spent here, there, elsewhere.

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Voices |

CLA N RU L ES

The Journey of Many Lifetimes

Aditya Daftary is a Mumbai-based radiologist who likes to wander. While in the city, he spends more time on his bicycle than in his car, and hopes that soon family vacations will also be the same.

A

s a child I was always intrigued by some photo albums that lay in an old roll-top desk in our home. The maroon albums were mildly frayed but in remarkably good condition for their age. The people in the blackand-white pictures looked strangely familiar; they were four Indians in a distinctly European environment, looking slightly out of place, and yet seemingly enjoying themselves. Over the years, as inquisitive children pestering the family elders, my sister and I learnt the story of the photographs in those albums.

The story began in the year 1954 with a young Gujarati couple that had settled with their two children in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. The husband, my paternal grandfather, was a chemical engineer in the British Chemical Company’s soap division, when he was deputed to visit a number of perfumeries in Europe to develop the company’s activities in Ceylon. My grandparents travelled to India first to drop their children with family here, and then, accompanied by an aunt, made a five-week steamer journey to England. There, they were joined by the aunt’s son, a student in England. They purchased a small Ford Anglia car and drove it to the edge of the English Channel and then ferried it across to France.

Over the next 100 days, the men dressed in European suits and the two sari-clad ladies drove across the Continent. As a child, I had listened to animated tales of how they experienced pickpockets in Rome, southern France’s beauty, the ruins of Pompeii. In Germany, my grandparents had met their daughter’s pen pal, whom she would meet only 40 years later. Then they drove to Norway to see the Northern Lights and the midnight sun. During this part of their trip they’d met my father’s penfriends’ family, the Kongstadts, in Oslo.

Some stories in particular I recall well. According to family legend, the ladies at some point gave a curious group of Norwegians an impromptu demonstration of how a sari is worn, on the steps of Oslo’s Royal University Library. The Kongstadts, unclear on how to feed these vegetarian guests from India, simply stocked their kitchen with a variety of produce, decorated the house with Indian and Norwegian flags, and gave them free rein of the kitchen. The ladies apparently produced a wondrous Indian meal, and so began a long friendship between two families that would continue only through letters sent each year at Christmastime. Births, deaths, weddings, and other interesting tidbits that had transpired in both families were penned in these annual newsletters.

Every December I would know the update had arrived when I saw the envelope with a Norwegian

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stamp and neat cursive calligraphy. Not just my grandparents, but my parents, sister, and I all eagerly read about what the Kongstadts had done through the year. It felt like we were keeping up with close friends even though I’d never met them. My mother continued to exchange letters with the Kongstadts well after my father and grandparents passed away, and eventually even visited them when she was in Norway over 35 years after that first trip. Every now and again the albums resurface, and we show them to my daughter and her cousins, retelling the travel tales we heard in our youth. As the next generation listens spellbound to stories of their great-grandparents, conversation often veers to discussing new and exotic corners of the world that each of us would like to explore.

It’s interesting how the story of this 1954 road trip through Europe has the power to live on and bring joy 70 years on.

Perhaps its ability to animate and thrill family members three generations later stems from the fact that it is much more than the story of one journey: It is really a narrative of a philosophy of life, of a couple’s desire to explore places on their own terms, to interact with peoples of new lands. And because they documented it with photographs, the story of the trip has transcended their existence and become a journey for many lifetimes. And I think it has secretly instilled in each one of us Daftarys a dream to take off one day on an incredible 100-daylong road trip, to unseen lands and lifelong friendships.

PHOTO COURTESY: ADITYA DAFTARY

OVER 70 YEARS LATER, A TRAVEL STORY CONTINUES TO INSPIRE

NAVIGATE 38

50

off track Exploring the wadis near Muscat in Oman

54

the comeback In Rome, Nero’s lavish palace re-emerges after a decade

local flavour Kashmir’s winter delicacy, harissa, hits the spot

In the maze that can be Milan, locals and visitors orient themselves by the lacy spires of the city’s Duomo.

Maximum Milan THE ESSENCE OF ITALY BY BEPPE SEVERGNINI

24

therefore most interesting, city.” I agree.

Milan is far from perfect. But it has guts, to start with. Over the past hundred years, many of Italy’s pivotal changes started in Milan: socialism, Great War fever, fascism, resistance to fascism, the economic boom of the sixties, the political turmoil of the seventies, and the populist tycoon, Silvio Berlusconi. Good and bad, all in Milan.

Milan has ideas, always had. Food.

Fashion. Design. Television. Advertising.

Publishing. Milan is the country’s go-to city for all these sectors, plus industry, commerce, and finance—leaving only

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

ATLAS

SLOVAKIA IA

BANGLADE ADESH

COLOMBIA

O

Milan, Italy The construction of the Duomo di Milano, or the Milan Cathedral, though started in 1386, took nearly six centuries to complete. It receives around five million visitors every year.

SIME/ESTOCK PHOTO

M

ilan may not take your breath away, like Venice. It’s not as elegant as Florence, as spectacular as Rome, or as picturesque as Naples. It doesn’t have Como’s gorgeous lake or Siena’s harmonious hills. But Milan is Italy, more so than any of those lovely places.

Milan is a flat, closed, circular city. It’s easy to lose your way. Italy is a maze; Milan even more so. The architect Renzo Piano says that as a boy, he lived in Florence, but found it “too boring, because it was too perfect.” Milan, on the other hand, “was the least perfect, and

politics, public television, and cinema to Rome. Go to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II on Piazza del Duomo and take the escalator to Spazio restaurant. Look down into the Galleria, the mother of all malls, alive with activity. You’ll see why Europe has always respected Milan.

Cross the square and take an elevator to the roof of the cathedral, the Duomo.

Lose yourself among the pinnacles and spires, observe the city and the plain below as the golden statue of the Madonnina seems to float in the air.

If God ever built a sandcastle, this is what it would look like. Walk back into the Galleria and exit the opposite end, where Piazza della Scala lies, with the opera house and Palazzo Marino, the city hall. Beauty and politics keep an eye on each other, like suspicious relatives. Sit in the square and watch the Milanese coming down from Via Manzoni and the fashion quadrangle to the Ristorante Trussardi. In summer, the scent of linden trees fills the air.

Just around the corner, Milan dances to a faster beat. The courtyards of the Università Statale, a former hospital, and the Accademia di Brera buzz with students. Arco della Pace and Colonne di San Lorenzo belong to the autonomous republic of the aperitif. So do the navigli, the old waterways that

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converge on the Darsena basin. Yes, Milan has got its river back at last! Have a stroll, linger in any of the cafés. Take your time. Look at us, the Italiani, how we talk with our smiles, our eyes, our hands. How we try to impress you, and often succeed.

Dinner? The rooftop restaurant in the Triennale museum. Does the view from there look like Manhattan’s Central Park? Maybe, but around you la grande bellezza, the great beauty, is different.

Parco Sempione, dark green; Castello Sforzesco, bathed in orange light; the slender, silver buildings of Piazza Gae

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Aulenti that brought Milan’s skyline into the 21st century.

Milan has gusto, both in the English sense of keen enjoyment and with the Italian meaning of good taste. Expo Milano 2015, which ran from May to October, with 145 countries exhibiting, instantly became a movable feast. This opportunity for Italy was a serious attempt to ponder nutrition, and a fantastic six-month-long party, to boot.

Expo 2015 was the world as it would like to be, and isn’t.

But it looked, it sounded, and it smelled like Milan. And that is good.

ANNETTE SCHREYER/LAIF/REDUX (BRIDGE), STEFANO TINTI/SHUTTERSTOCK (MEN)

Once an important part of city industry, Milan’s old navigli (canals) (top) are in the midst of a revival; The fashion industry is a vital part of Milan’s identity and when the biannual Milan Fashion Week comes around, many flaunt their trendy styles and natty attire in the city’s streets (bottom).

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BOOK EXTRACT

The New Kashgar REVISITING THE FABLED CHINESE STAGING POST ON THE ERSTWHILE SILK ROAD BY DAVID EIMER

D

avid Eimer’s travelogue delves into the outermost reaches of China, thousands of kilometres and light years away from the shining megacities of Shanghai and Beijing. Culturally diverse and ethnically complex as well as a seething hotbed of political volatility, these areas are really the final frontiers of this sprawling country. Far removed from the centres of power is one such frontier town called Kashgar. Sitting on the edge of western Xinjiang in the very heart of Asia, this place dates back 2,000 years and has a longstanding history of wars, power struggles, and legendary heroes.

Revisiting the places that captured your heart when you were young is always unwise. You hope they remain trapped in time and that their magic is still potent. But invariably they have changed, just as you have, leaving you questioning your memories and wondering if they are wishful thinking or merely imagined.

My return to Kashgar was a disappointment foretold. Trying to tune into the resonance of 1988 was like searching for a signal on an antique radio, and all I got was faint hisses and crackles.

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I knew already Kashgar was no longer the isolated oasis it had been when I first visited. The railway arrived in 1999, there are daily flights and even the tortuous bus journey from the east of Xinjiang now takes only thirty hours and not the three days I endured. I was aware, too, that there would be far more Han Chinese than before, and that the city is undergoing the same rapid development happening all over China, which means expanding roads jammed with new cars and a rising skyline.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

The Emperor Far Away: Travels at the Edge of China (Bloomsbury Paperbacks, 2015, `350)

Yet I was still unprepared for its transformation. On my first morning, I returned to the Chini Bagh, where I had stayed in 1988. Then it had consisted of the same wooden one- and twostorey buildings in flaking green and yellow paint that housed the British consulate in Kashgar from 1890 to 1948. Now a newish hotel covered in off-white tiles stood around a car park. The gates and mudbrick walls that had surrounded the compound were gone, and security guards occupied a kiosk close to where the Pakistani traders once grilled their bowel-loosening kebabs.

Kashgar’s consulate was the most remote of Britain’s diplomatic outposts in Asia, a three-week ride on horseback from India. The people who passed through included some of the most remarkable figures from the colonial past. The half-

REZA/SYGMA/CORBIS/IMAGELIBRARY

Part of China’s old Silk Route, Kashgar has been under much strife. The Uighurs have a complicated relationship with the government which has imposed religious restrictions on them.

BOOK EXTRACT

Chinese Sir George Macartney, whose same-named ancestor was Britain’s first ambassador to China in the eighteenth century, served as consul here between 1890 and 1918. Sir Percy Sykes, who effectively ran Persia during the First World War, relieved Macartney briefly in 1915.

Great Game (coined by Kipling, this term refers to the tug of war between the British and Russian powers for control of the region) players, both legendary and unsung, were regular visitors.

Francis Younghusband stayed a winter. He went on to lead a British invasion of Tibet in 1903–4, only to experience an epiphany on the roof of the world that transformed him from an empire-builder into a soldiermystic. In 1918, Colonel F.M. Bailey was at the consulate en route to an extraordinary series of adventures in central Asia. They included helping to propagate the revolt among Muslims which resulted in so many Kyrgyz crossing into Xinjiang after the Russian Revolution.

Bailey was such an effective spy that he was recruited by the Cheka, the forerunner of the KGB, to hunt himself, the British agent who was stirring up the peoples of central Asia against their new communist masters.

He was also a noted naturalist, just as Sykes and Eric Shipton, the last British consul in Kashgar, were part-time explorers.

A traveller in a more modest way, I felt a pleasing sense of solidarity with those men, simply by virtue of having stayed in the same place they had, even if Beijing, rather than London and Moscow, is now the imperial power in this part of the world.

But I doubted whether Bailey, who could have stepped out of the pages of a John Buchan thriller, would have approved of how I and many of the other guests at the Chini Bagh spent our nights smoking hash on the balconies of our rooms. He would have been a whisky-and-soda man, although I suspect Younghusband in his

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Kashgar’s street food is dominated by Uighur specialties like kebabs and various breads (top) including an assortment of naans, bagels, and many other loaves studded with spices and cooked in a tonur or clay oven; Uighur folk music comprises complex symphonies and features hammered dulcimers for percussion along with a variety of string instruments (bottom).

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later incarnation would not have been averse to a joint to aid his spiritual journey.

While we were sitting stoned under the stars on one of those hot summer evenings, the British among us came up with the idea of a party to celebrate the Chini Bagh’s unique history. A Union Jack was found at the bottom of a backpack and draped over the balcony rails and we held open house, drinking beer from the bottle, until there was a knock at the door and the police arrived.

They weren’t concerned about the reek of hashish in the still desert air; it was the flag that was the problem. They had heard, probably from our teetotal and less imperially minded Pakistani neighbours, that we were gathering in honour of the

Chini Bagh’s past. The Union Jack was clear evidence of our separatist tendencies. It took some time to convince them it was a joke, and that we had no intention of reclaiming this little bit of Kashgar for Britain.

Eventually, they left smiling, but only after we had taken down the flag and promised not to display it again. It was an early lesson in how the Chinese authorities regard anything that could remotely be conceived as a threat to Beijing’s dominion over its furthest-flung territories as nothing less than treason. DAVID EIMER was the China Correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph from 2007 to 2012, and columnist for the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong.

ERIC LAFFORGUE/AGE FOTOSTOCK/DINODIA (BREAD), TIBOR BOGNÁR/AGE FOTOSTOCK/DINODIA (MUSICIANS)

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NATI O N A L PA R K

Golden Grasslands BLACKBUCKS AND FLOCKS OF RAPTORS THRIVE AT VELAVADAR NATIONAL PARK

BY SHASHANK BIRLA | PHOTOGRAPHS BY DHRITIMAN MUKHERJEE is host to its larger cousin, the nilgai. It is also a birder’s delight, with over 200 avian species. In the park and in the village areas surrounding it, one can find other endangered bird species like the lesser florican, locally called kharmor or grass peacock. Predators and scavengers such as the striped hyena, the golden jackal, the Indian fox and the otherwise rarely seen Indian grey wolf roam the grasslands of the park and the jowar fields beyond it.

EXPLORE

Spread out over 34 square kilometres, Velavadar is divided into two parts separated by a road: the Grassland Area

and the Wetland Area. The grasslands, which constitute the blackbuck’s habitat, are among the most photographed areas of the national park. Because such habitats are often classified as wastelands, they are disappearing over much of India, tragically undervalued in terms of the threatened species they house and the role they play in maintaining the ecosystem.

Habitats such as the wetland area in the southern part of the park, near the Gulf of Khambat, have also been under threat. Thankfully, there has been a strong movement for their protection, as citizens have begun to recognise how vital these areas are as havens

As grasslands are converted into agricultural fields, blackbucks resort to raiding crops and are treated as pests.

Velavadar in Gujarat is one of the few places in India where they thrive.

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n India, the blackbuck is an animal as infamous as it is threatened.

Better known for its role in the drama of actor Salman Khan’s life than for its own particular characteristics, this species of antelope is native to the subcontinent. A large number of blackbuck live in Gujarat’s Velavadar Blackbuck National Park, just south of Ahmedabad. It’s the park’s signature species, and it is here that you are nearly guaranteed a close encounter with this graceful animal as it crosses a road in front of you, or darts out into a meadow.

Besides herds of blackbuck grazing their way across the grassland, Velavadar

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NATI O N A L PA R K

for waterbirds, waders, and a variety of aquatic life. In fact, Velavadar is classified as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International, a certification of its avian diversity.

Both the grasslands and wetlands are worth visiting; more mammal sightings are likely in the grassland area, while birders might find the wetland area more rewarding. However, as with any wild haven, animals don’t follow rules, all wildlife moves freely and you never know where you might get lucky with a sighting.

The guides of the forest department are very adept at reading signs of life, and will help you get the most out of your visit if you let them know of your particular interests.

WILDLIFE

Over 5,000 members of the threatened species of Indian blackbuck congregate in the vast, open grasslands of Velavadar.

They are a sight to behold, with the adult males pronking (sprinting off the ground with all four feet in the air), a behaviour designed to advertise the antelope’s fitness and ward off predators. You can tell the males by their corkscrew horns, pale black upper bodies, and white underbellies. Females and juveniles often lack horns and are a sandy brown colour. The other major ungulate, or hoofed mammal, in the park is the hulking nilgai or bluebuck, less gregarious than the blackbuck, but just as common. While generally quite languid, they can run at great speeds despite their bulk. Other easyto-spot mammals include wild boar, the Indian grey mongoose, and the blacknaped hare.

Many wildlife enthusiasts and photographers travel to Velavadar from far away to capture two enigmatic predators: the Indian grey wolf and the largely nocturnal striped hyena. Also well represented here are the Indian fox and golden jackal in addition to wolves. Though this was once the hunting ground for the now extinct Asiatic cheetah, Velavadar’s lone feline predator is the jungle cat. Many species of butterflies and reptiles also live here, the latter including the saw-scaled viper, Indian cobra, and common krait.

For birders, Velavadar is a particularly good place to see grassland species including numerous varieties of larks,

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Velavadar has several wintering species of harriers (top), lightly-built birds of prey that hunt small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds; Though it looks like a dog, the striped hyena (bottom) is more closely related to the cat and is a capable predator with powerful jaws.

pipits, sandgrouse, francolins, quails, and bushchats. Winter certainly is the best time to come if you are an avid birdwatcher, with many migratory waterbirds and waders making the national park their home during these months (Nov to Mar). Prominent among them are flamingos, pelicans, cranes, storks, and a multitude of duck species. Majestic birds of prey make this a raptors’ paradise. They include eagle species such as steppe, tawny, and eastern imperial. There are also a huge number of roosting harriers including the pallid, Montagu’s, western marsh,

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

and hen harriers, and the short-eared and Indian eagle owls. Velavadar is one of the largest harrier roosting sites in the world. Watching hundreds of these birds of prey taking to the air during early dawn and returning to their roosts just before dusk is a memory that’ll last a lifetime.

Velavadar National Park is closed during the monsoon, when it supports one of the highest densities of the endangered lesser florican during its breeding season. The sight of the male preening and leaping in the air repeatedly to woo his mate is one

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NATI O N A L PA R K

Unlike the adult male blackbuck, young fawns are light brown and easily camouflaged by the tall grasses.

treasured by birders who come to the surrounding grasslands.

SAFARI COST AND TIMINGS

Unlike most other national parks, visitors can take their own cars into the jungle. The dirt tracks are clearly marked out, though they might be difficult to negotiate if you have a sedan with low ground clearance. An alternative is to arrange for a jeep from the Blackbuck Lodge, which charges `1,800 for a two-hour safari, which includes the services of a naturalist (not including park fees).

Entry to the national park costs `400 per vehicle (up to six people), plus `100 for a forest department guide, and another `100 for each camera you carry. The advantage of having your own car is that you can use it for the entire duration of the two time slots (6.30 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; varies with season), whereas the lodge’s vehicles cost extra beyond two hours.

When the park is closed during the monsoon, the Blackbuck Lodge organises safaris in the surrounding grasslands and fields that also yield good sightings of birdlife and a few mammals.

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STAY

There are two options for those who want to stay longer at Velavadar.

Kaliyar Bhavan Forest Lodge Owned and managed by the forest department, this is a basic, budget option in Velavadar.

Its main advantage is its location within the park, surrounded by grasslands with wildlife visible from the lodge itself. The lodge has four rooms, and the caretaker cooks simple vegetarian meals. Facilities are clean but basic (0278-2426425; doubles `3,000 for an AC room, and `1,000 for a non-AC one; payment has to be made in advance via Demand Draft made out to the Deputy Conservator of Forests, Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar, Bahumali Bhavan, Annex building, Block No. S-10, Forest Department, Bhavnagar 364001, Gujarat).

The Blackbuck Lodge Spread out over 70 acres, this property has 14 large, well-equipped cottages. Rooms have air-conditioning, comfortable beds, large bathrooms, and rear verandas that overlook the grassland around the property. Sitting there, I spotted birds like francolins, cisticolas, lapwings.

Sightings of the blackbuck and jungle

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

cat are also common. Meals are multicuisine, service is excellent, and the in-house naturalist who accompanies you on safaris is well-informed (90999 12375; theblackbucklodge.com; doubles from `14,500).

SEASONS

During summer (Apr-Jun) the days can get hot with temperatures over 40°C. If you can bear the heat, this is a good time to see most mammals, as they congregate near water sources.

Vegetation is sparser, making sightings easier. The park is closed mid-June to 14 October. After the park’s opening, the weather takes a pleasant turn. There’s a distinct nip in the air in winter (DecJan) when the temperature drops to 4-5°C at night. This is a good time for birdwatching, with a sizeable number of winter migrants and resident species.

GETTING THERE

Velavadar is 65 km/1 hr north of Bhavnagar, Gujarat, the closest airport and major railhead (taxi `3,000 oneway). Daily buses ply this route as well (every hour; ticket `100). Ahmedabad is about 140 km/3 hr north of Velavadar.

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OFF TRAC K

Arabian Surprise EXPLORING THE WADIS NEAR MUSCAT IN OMAN BY ANDRÉ MORRIS The Bimmah sinkhole is a cavernous limestone pool with turquoise waters— a spectacular setting for a picnic.

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all over Oman you see canals or falaj systems set up for irrigation, to channel this water across an otherwise arid land.

Oman’s numerous wadis can sometimes stretch for kilometres. Along them lie pools of tranquil turquoise-blue water, abundant greenery and vegetation, cultivated terraced fields, and even orchards and underground caves.

On a bright February morning, my travel companions and I sped down the smooth highway in a 4WD, heading from the capital Muscat to the western Al Hajar mountains. I was eager to explore some less well-known places, particularly the oases in the rugged terrain of this Arabian state.

JEBEL SHAMS

From the historic town of Al Hamra, a steep, winding road glides up into the mountains. The air gets cooler and soon we’re driving without air-conditioning.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

Then, there’s a sudden curve in the road, and we’re atop Jebel Shams, Oman’s “Mountain of the Sun.” At over THE VITALS To travel to Oman Indians need to go through a local sponsor: a friend, relative, or local tour operator/destination management company based in Oman.

Reputed Indian travel agents can also help travellers by arranging a visitor’s visa and making ground arrangements, including a guide. The Oman tourist office in India can also assist potential visitors get in touch with the right travel agent in their city (info@tourismoman. co.in; 022-29256965). Documents required for a visa include scanned copies of a valid passport, passport-size photographs with a blue background, a return ticket, and hotel confirmation voucher. A visa takes about one week to process, costs OMR5/`840 and is valid for 10-days (www.rop.gov.om).

TOM LAU/MOMENT/GETTY IMAGES

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hen thinking of Arabia or any of the Middle Eastern countries, I’ve always imagined vast dunes and expanses of sand, stretching as far as the eye can see. Instead, as I travelled through Oman’s interiors, I was in for quite a surprise in the form of mountains and oases.

The Al Hajar mountain range lies about 50 kilometres inland from the Gulf of Oman, and runs 300 kilometres along the length of the country, from northwest to southeast. Its tallest peak rises just under 10,000 feet. The wadis, or ravines, within these mountains are Oman’s real hidden gems. These waterbodies have been the lifeline of this country for thousands of years and provide more than a glimpse into the history and culture of the place and its people. They are dotted all around the mountains, hidden in canyons, and within valleys;

OFF TRAC K

From atop Oman’s highest peak, Jebel Shams, visitors take in views of Wadi Nakhr, also called the Grand Canyon of the East (top left); At emerald wadis across the country, young and old enjoy a day out splashing about in the cool waters (bottom left); A narrow trail on the edge of the cliff at Wadi Shab, allows access deeper into the canyon, with views of inviting streams and pools visible along the way (right).

9,800 feet, it is the highest peak, not only in the Al Hajar range, but in all of eastern Arabia. Fifty feet from the road, we walk to the edge and see a spectacular gorge below us: This is Wadi Nakhr, the so-called Grand Canyon of the East. The afternoon sun barely reaches the dry river bed at the bottom of the chasm, and plays visual tricks on me as I gaze across the canyon.

I’m tempted to walk down the narrow trail I see along the rim. Our guide says this is the Balcony Walk, which leads to the abandoned village of As Sab. It’s a three-hour walk one-way, and unfortunately, we haven’t planned for enough time to do this. Instead, I settle on a rock and take in the spectacular view and cool breeze. I watch, laughing as a stray ram takes a fancy to my guide Waheed, who then gives it chase. At nearby shacks, young girls and women sell colourful souvenirs woven from goat hair, and ammonite fossils they’ve picked

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up from the riverbed at the bottom of the canyon. This is the first time I’ve seen women out and about like this in Oman.

From behind their veils, they explain that the men go out to graze the goats while they try to make a few extra rials from tourists.

WHERE Jebel Shams is 4 hours/240 kilometres from Muscat, close to the ruins of the historic town of Al Hamra.

TIP Plan enough time to walk the Balcony Walk, even if it’s just for an hour or two.

WADI BANI KHALID

This is one of the greenest oases in Oman, surrounded by palm groves and fruit orchards. From the parking lot, we make our way on foot along the falaj canals into the wadi. The blue-green pools of clear water along the way look very inviting. This wadi is obviously a popular place for a family picnic, and is full of locals and tourists alike enjoying

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

themselves with a dip, some even jumping into the water from cliff edges.

Though my companions aren’t too keen, I decide to walk deeper up the wadi as I’m eager to explore the underground caves I’ve heard of.

A 20-minute walk past calm, deep pools and imposing boulders later, I encounter Ahmad, a local lad who offers to lead me further down the Moqul cave system. He waves a torch at me and that’s enough to convince me to follow him. The entrance is low, and only six feet wide. Soon I’m twisting and contorting my body as we go deeper into the cave. It’s pitch dark and I’m hoping my torch won’t die on me. Ahmad fearlessly slithers down rocks and boulders with the ease of a veteran. At one point I suggest turning back, but he insists it’s not much further in. Suddenly I feel a blast of hot air, which doesn’t help my sweat-drenched body, and I hear the roar of flowing water.

GFC COLLECTION/AGE FOTOSTOCK/DINODIA (MAN ON CLIFF), ANDRÉ MORRIS (AERIAL VIEW OF CANYON), AWL RM/INDIAPICTURE (CHILDREN)

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Hiking up Wadi Tiwi involves negotiating rocks, boulders, and pools of various depths (left); Majestic mountains reflect off the crystal-clear waters of a pool at Wadi Tiwi (right) near the Omani city of Sur.

The glow from Ahmad’s torch tells me where to stop. We’re at an underground stream, but unusually, the water is hot and the air thick and almost pungent but breathable. I sit there in the darkness mesmerised by the sound and pleased at having had this completely offbeat experience. Ahmad totally deserves a good tip for this; I’d never have made it so far down into the bowels of the mountain on my own.

WHERE Wadi Bani Khalid is 3 hours southwest of Muscat, via the city of Sur. TIP Take a torch and a local guide if you’d like to explore caves. Don’t venture in there if you are claustrophobic.

WADI TIWI AND WADI SHAB

Two other wadis that I visit are Wadi Tiwi and Wadi Shab, both en route from Sur to Muscat. At Wadi Tiwi we are able to drive a significant part of the way in, at some points almost getting engulfed by the sheer cliffs and canyon walls, at other times driving through shallow water. The deeper we go into the canyon, the more interesting it gets. There are deep pools of blue water, with chains attached to cliff

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edges for people to haul themselves out, and sometimes gently flowing streams, and at one point, even a waterfall.

At Wadi Shab, a boat takes us across a large water body that empties into the sea. Then, it’s a six-kilometre-long walk to some of the best pools and caverns of the wadi. The trail rises precariously along a narrow ledge—one wrong step and you can end up in the water below you. Soon, I’m back on the valley floor, admiring the lush vegetation as I walk along a narrow falaj. I pass an ancient adobe structure that resembles a cliff dwelling and think this must be the end of the trail, but a friendly tribesman eggs me on, saying “Go, go, good pool inside.”

It’s another thirty minutes before I reach the “good” pools. The serene spectacle and refreshing dip that follow more than make up for the long, hot walk.

WHERE Tiwi town and Wadi Tiwi are 100 kilometres/2 hours from Muscat.

Wadi Shab is a few kilometres away.

TIP Both wadis can be covered in a day unless you decide to camp out. Driving from Muscat to Tiwi, the last leg of the drive is a lovely stretch along the ocean.

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BIMMAH SINKHOLE

This is another unusual site, an ancient crater or sinkhole, we stop at along the route from Sur back to Muscat. As I enter the Hawiyat Najm Park, where the sinkhole is located, I’m a little sceptical as it looks rather manicured and man-made.

But when I reach the actual sinkhole, I’m lost for words. It’s just sitting out there, a pool of emerald and turquoise water with a flight of steps leading down to it. Local legend, I’m told, holds that a meteorite crashed into the earth and caused this crater, but there’s now a more scientific explanation that attributes its creation to the slow collapse of the limestone rocks at this site. I prefer the local legend about a meteorite. I walk down to dip my feet in to cool off, but the next thing I know, loads of tiny fish are nibbling away at the dead skin on my feet. If you’re hot and sweaty take a dip, don’t worry you won’t be the only one.

WHERE Two hours from Muscat en route to Sur, before Wadi Tiwi and Wadi Shab.

TIP Make this part of a trip to Wadi Tiwi and Shab and pack a barbecue or picnic to enjoy in the park.

A. DEMOTES/PHOTONONSTOP/PASSAGE/CORBIS/IMAGELIBRARY (TOURISTS), YELLOW STREET PHOTOS/GETTY IMAGES (MOUNTAINS)

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HIDD EN GE M

Rock of All Ages BHIMBETKA’S ANCIENT ART GALLERIES COME ALIVE BY ZAC O’YEAH

CAVE ART

The UNESCO World Heritage Site is very peaceful on the weekday that I visit.

Starting down the path, I find myself

Bhimbetka’s cave paintings show a variety of scenes of life over the centuries, from man’s struggle for survival in a harsh environment to representations of soldiers preparing for war. There are drawings of hundreds of animals suggesting that hunting and cattle rearing were major concerns.

The human stick figure drawings look much like the tribal art found in the region even today.

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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

ASIT JAIN/SHUTTERSTOCK (SOLDIERS, CELEBRATION, BOAR, CATTLE & DEER), ZAC O’YEAH (BISON, MAN & BIRD), FREDERIC SOLTAN/TERRA/CORBIS/IMAGELIBRARY (ELEPHANTS)

W

alking through the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka in central Madhya Pradesh, a set of sprawling galleries of ancient wall art, I find myself wondering whether there really is a big difference between modern and prehistoric art.

Some stick figure drawings make me think of Giacometti’s sculptures, other more abstract sketches bring to mind works by Picasso. There are mystical geometrical patterns that could be modern naïvist art. It feels a bit as if I’ve come to an ancient source of world art.

Bhimbetka is vast. Out of an estimated 750 rock shelters, 400-500 are adorned with paintings, and 15 of the best have been made accessible to tourists via walkways and signposting. It is splendid; like a Stone Age version of the Louvre.

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facing a gigantic Stone Age assembly hall—39 metres long and 17 metres tall—known as the Auditorium Cave.

Maybe this was where ancient artists got together to listen to painting lectures by their gurus.

Here, I find a drawing of two elephants and one mahout with a prod in hand, a Mesolithic hand imprint, several cup-shaped indentations thought to date from around—hold your breath—10,000 B.C. And finally, as if to demonstrate the wide temporal range of work on display, there is one comparatively recent Sunga Era edict (100 B.C.) carved onto a side wall near the cave. I’m a bit put off by the tacky modern sculptures of Stone Age people that seem to be recently installed in some of the initial caves, but fortunately the rest have been more or less left the way they were discovered.

Walking under a dramatic cliff, I reach the famous Zoo Rock, with paintings of over 200 animals on it. There are deer with majestic antlers, bulky buffaloes, massive elephants, a giant chicken, and a dozen other species running helterskelter across the rock wall. Here and there, I spot paintings of human figures who, like me, are trying to make sense of it all. In the midst of the chaos, one mahout is goading an elephant through the zoological traffic jam. At another spot, a hulking man with a giant upper torso looks like he might be suffering from road rage. To add to the chaos, there’s a royal procession with warriors on horseback rattling their weapons. It all seems to imply that traffic could get wild already around 4,000 B.C., which is when this particular rock is believed to have been painted.

A bit further down the hillside is Rock Shelter No. 8, shaped like a pocket which I crawl into. While squatting, I’m able to study several paintings of humans and animals in various poses up-close.

At the next rock shelter I find a crazy hunting scene depicted in blood red— arrows and spears fly as hunters chase a herd of animals. Most of the artworks are in white, but some artists also used ochre, red, and green. Another rock I study, features rows of people dancing and a man beating a drum so huge that I can almost feel the beat some five or six thousand years later. Is this a successful hunt being celebrated?

46

Some of the cliffs of Bhimbetka soar high, like monuments or temples created by nature. It is little wonder that these rock walls attracted prehistoric artists.

CRADLE OF THOUGHT

I bump into some teens on holiday. One of the boys shouts to the other, “This surely isn’t worth wasting time on. Let’s go.” In this age of multiplexes and 3D action movies I suppose the caves might seem unimpressive to some, but I feel we need to put them in context and see them for what they are.

After the boys leave, the quiet helps me concentrate as I sit there, surrounded by black-faced langurs and lizards. Were these caves a dwelling for some ancient tribal headman? Maybe they were a religious spot; some of the cliffs soar like temple spires. My favourite theory is that it was an art school, because here and

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

there newer paintings have been made over older ones, suggesting recycling or imitation.

Whatever the case, this is a great location for an arts space. The hill is part of the Vindhyas, offering charming vistas of thickly forested, gently undulating countryside to the south. To the north is the Hyderabad highway. But too far away to disturb us. I’m struck by the jungle soundtrack of birds, animals, and the wind rustling the trees, perfectly complementing the cave paintings.

As one signboard puts it, Bhimbetka is considered “one of the earliest cradles of cognitive human evolution.” That probably means that the relics here are

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Bhimbetka caves have walkways and fencing and are well signposted making it easy for visitors to stroll around and appreciate the art even without a guide (left); Some representational sculptures of Stone Age humans have been placed in the first few caves (right).

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Bhavan Art Gallery, designed by the architect Charles Correa in 1978.

The modern art section located in a cavernous hall with multiple levels immediately makes me recall my walk through the Bhimbetka caves. In the more tucked away tribal art gallery, with a large number of canvases painted by local Adivasi artists, I recognise motifs, artistic styles, and ideas from the caves.

The dancing and celebrating stick

figures are surely not a coincidence? I realise that the art forms and traditions practised at Bhimbetka never died out, they just moved on to being everyday decorations on the walls of village huts.

Now, with the increasing recognition being given to Madhya Pradesh’s tribal artists, the same school of art has found its way here, into a modern gallery. The passage of art through the ages seems to have come full circle.

THE VITALS Getting There The Bhimbetka caves are located within the Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary, a 45 km/1.5-hr drive south of Bhopal, on the way to Hoshangabad. Taxis charge `2,100 for the return trip, which includes waiting time and a detour to the magnificent Bhojpur Shiva temple, built

by Raja Bhoj, founder of Bhopal.

There are frequent buses from Bhopal to Hoshangabad, and you can ask to be dropped off at the Bhimbetka junction from where the caves are a 3-km uphill hike. You can also get off at Obdullaganj, some 5 km before the Bhimbetka junction and hire a rickshaw to take you up the hill. (Open daily 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; Entry fee Indians `50, foreigners `100; guides available at extra cost although main caves are well signposted.)

Need to Know Due to the hilly location, the site isn’t disabled-friendly, although the approximately 1,400-metre walk through

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

the caves follows well-kept pathways.

Try to go on a weekday when you’re less likely to run into other tourists.

There are no facilities at the site except for semi-broken, never-cleaned toilets, and I noticed many tourists opted to do their business in the gardens instead. The MP Tourism restaurant and café, the Highway Treat, located 3 km downhill from the caves on the main road (25 km from Bhojpur), serves tea and food and has better loo facilities (open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.). They also have three airconditioned guest rooms in case you want to stay the night (07480-281558; bhimbetka@mptourism.com; doubles `2,590). Bharat Bhavan The performing arts centre and art gallery is located in the Shyamla Hills district on the shore of Bhopal’s Upper Lake (entry `10; free on Fridays). The complex has several art galleries, a theatre, library, and a nice, affordable canteen.

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some of the very early signs of human creative expression on the planet. It is a thought that humbles me.

Although most of the art is between six to nine thousand years old, archaeological researchers think that the site was in use as early as 100,000 B.C., well before the art of painting evolved. The most current artwork seen here dates to 400 years ago and is comparatively modern, showing kings on horseback, and sword- and shield-wielding soldiers. From that time the caves were forgotten, until everything was rediscovered by Indian archaeologists in 1957.

As I continue down the face of the hill, I come to a monkey-infested rock that has the iconic, huge red painting of a boar or bison or bull (experts differ) attacking tiny stick figure people. If it wasn’t for the irony of seeing this after the previous wild hunting scenes and the post-hunt parties, I’d almost feel sorry for those hunters of long ago who suddenly became the hunted.

Rocks tell lots of stories. Maybe they’re the equivalent of a Stone Age cartoon strip that to its people felt like a depiction of their day-to-day lives. The occasional party scenes and dances interpolated into all the action make me think of Bollywood movies; it just takes a bit of imagination to see it all come alive.

In the late afternoon I travel back towards Bhopal and decide to have a look at the rather eccentric Bharat

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THE CO M EBAC K

Golden House Underfoot

Today’s Domus is different. The building which is buried underground, was recently reopened after a decade following a ceiling collapse. At its unassuming entrance, our guide, an art historian, greets us with a smile

and safety helmets. As I step inside, I am struck most by the severe lack of features. The 11-metre-high bare brick walls and gaping holes in the ceiling make the room seem hauntingly empty.

Metal bars and panels secure the ceiling at this underground site. The place is dim except for a few strategically-placed lights. This is done, the guide notes, to protect the walls from light damage and algae growth. But even with the best precautions, it is hard to miss the algae and ferns that have taken root in the path of the light. The corridors take us deeper into the villa where faded reds, blues, and yellows begin to appear.

Delicate figures of real and mythical creatures are preserved in patches, some more complete than others, on the walls and ceiling. It’s hard to believe I am looking at frescoes that are 2,000 years old.

But where are the dazzling gold leaf and other treasures of the Domus Aurea? The answer to their absence

Nero is the infamous Roman Emperor who ruled from A.D. 54-68. A relief of his head (top) rests at the entrance to the gardens of the Domus Aurea ruins; A sketch (bottom) shows the octagonal room of the Domus Aurea in its heyday.

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hen my friend Olga, who is a licenced tour guide in Rome, invited me for “a rare visit,” I didn’t ask too many questions. Before long I was by her side tearing through the frenzy of tourists outside the city’s famous Colosseum, following the gentle slope of the Colle Oppio hill to arrive at the quiet green gardens of the mostly underground Domus Aurea, or Golden House.

Built in A.D. 64, after much of Rome was destroyed in a raging fire, the Domus Aurea was Emperor Nero’s glittering palatial residence. At the time, its estimated 150 rooms boasted the finest marble, ivory veneers, precious stones, frescoed walls, and exquisite gold leaf vines, which gave the mansion its timeless name. The mansion’s excesses stretched along its three gilded colonnades, each a mile long. Complete with gardens, vineyards, and even a man-made lake, the Domus was a 200-acre ecosystem of grandeur.

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THE CO M EBAC K

The Domus Aurea’s ceiling has numerous holes which were used to enter the buried complex since its discovery in the late 15th century.

52

influence for the Renaissance movement, inspiring artists like Raphael and Michelangelo. I begin to appreciate that the Domus’s charm lies in its emptiness, for it elicits the same excitement a child feels with an empty colouring book. The high-vaulted arches, and long thin galleries and vaults were once covered with ornamental motifs.

Raphael used this art to breathe life into the Loggia at the Vatican.

The guide leads us into the final, and perhaps most captivating, room of the Domus Aurea. I walk along the eight walls of the octagonal dining room, unable to take my eyes off the round skylight at the centre of the dome above.

Even as a blank canvas, the room is stunning. The guide begins to fill in the details: Waterfalls cascaded from the room’s decorated arches, beneath the sparkling night sky visible through the skylight. Here, under a mist of exotic perfumes, Nero treated his guests to lavish meals and profligate performances.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

It was precisely this decadence that ultimately spurred his downfall.

Nero’s palace was excised from memory, but he was not forgotten.

In fact, Rome’s most iconic symbol gets its name from the Colossus of Nero, a gigantic statue of the emperor which once stood outside it. Not many recognise this structure, the Flavian Amphitheatre, by its official name now, but everyone knows and loves it as the Colosseum. THE VITALS The Domus Aurea is a few minutes’ walk from Rome’s Colosseum.

Archaeologists are still excavating the site so it is open for limited public tours only on weekends. Tours take roughly 90 min and are capped at 25 people.

Tickets must be booked in advance (www.coopculture.it/en; tickets €12/`860). Carry a warm jacket with you as the Domus is underground and it can get a little chilly.

ANDREA IZZOTTI/SHUTTERSTOCK

lies in Nero’s life. His extravagance and arrogance attracted fierce enemies, who led a rebellion and displaced him from the throne. Nero was accused of starting the Great Fire of A.D. 64, a charge that stuck because he built the Domus Aurea on grounds that were cleared by the fire. In the face of these accusations, Nero committed suicide. But even in death, he faced damnatio memoriae, Latin for “condemnation of memory.” It is quite literally the systematic deletion of someone from history. The palace’s destiny mirrored its master’s. It was stripped of its magnificence and buried underground. New structures were built over the complex, and the mansion was presumed lost forever.

It was in the late 15th century, nearly 1,400 years later, that a young man fell into what he thought was a grotto, and noticed the same faded frescoed paintings that are before my eyes today.

Rising from the ashes of condemnation, the Domus Aurea became a prominent

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LOCA L F L AVOU R

A plate of harissa is garnished with hot oil at a tiny outlet in the Ali Kadal neighbourhood of Shahar-e-Khaas, the downtown area of Srinagar’s old city.

Hunting Down Harissa KASHMIR’S WINTER-ONLY BREAKFAST DELICACY TEXT & PHOTOGRAPH BY SUGATO MUKHERJEE

O

n winter mornings, a crowd gathers in front of a few shops in Srinagar’s old town area during the wee hours, even as the mercury hovers around freezing point. They line up to buy harissa, a traditional breakfast delicacy that is cooked overnight in the cold months.

Harissa was introduced to Kashmir by the Mughals in the 16th century and the recipe has not changed much since then.

Don’t mistake it for the North African hot sauce with the same name. This dish requires meticulous preparation, and is made from the best portions of minced mutton, mixed with local rice, fennel seeds, garlic, cinnamon, cardamom, and other seasonings. The concoction simmers in a huge earthenware pot over a slow fire for at least 10 hours.

Zahoor Ahmed Bhat runs one of the harissa shops near or in the Ali

54

Kadal neighbourhood. He’s the fourthgeneration owner of the business that has been running for almost 150 years. He opens shop at 5.30 a.m. and by 10 a.m. he is done for the day, having dispatched large quantities of harissa to different parts of Srinagar, and the adjoining districts of Budgam and Pulwama.

I find myself at a small table in the dimly lit interiors of Zahoor’s shop. He is seated on an elevated stone platform, and uses a brass ladle to scoop out a generous helping of harissa from the steaming pot.

He garnishes it with a dose of flaming hot oil and serves it to me with two choche, a kind of Kashmiri roti. I take a tentative jab at the concoction with a piece of the choche. The blend of succulent meat and rice melts in my mouth. The distinctive taste of each spice—from the strong taste of cardamom to the faint whiff of cinnamon—tickles my taste buds, leaving

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

a smoky trail. Zahoor refills my plate with a generous second helping. “I won’t encourage you to take a third, though,” he smiles. He says that with good reason, referring to a local story about the 18thcentury Afghan governor of Kashmir.

Apparently he loved the winter dish so much that he died overeating it. THE VITALS To try this winter indulgence, trace the harissa shops in the labyrinthine lanes of Ali Kadal and Saraf Kadal, downtown in Srinagar’s old city area. The shops, about five in number, have no names or signage, but locals can point you to them. They open from November to March from 5.30 a.m. until they sell out the day’s preparation. Reach early to avoid disappointment. A 100-gm portion costs `100-120 and comes with a couple of choche.

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world 100 travel ideas we are currently crazy about

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world Our smokin’ hot list of 15 places to visit now

58 Glasgow, Scotland

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57

Botswana’s Okavango Delta sometimes spills across more than 20,000 square kilometres, an ample runway for wildlife.

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Where to go in 2016

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In Focus |

ID EAS FO R 2016

OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA All hail this African queen IN A PART OF THE WORLD not given to small gestures and bland landscapes, Botswana’s Okavango Delta still manages to leap out as a singularly unlikely miracle.

A massive fan of water that gets its start in rivers percolating out of the deciduous forests of Angola’s highlands, the delta evaporates 320 kilometres later in the sands of the Kalahari Desert. This wilderness is one of the last places to see the Big Five of the traditional African safari: elephant, lion, buffalo, leopard, and rhinoceros. It so nearly wasn’t.

By the 1900s, European and American hunters had killed almost all of the area’s elephants, without which crucial channels in the delta silt up. But in the decades that followed, conservationists reversed the near collapse of this exquisitely balanced ecosystem and, in June 2014, UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site. Still, the designation will be meaningless unless the Angolan and Namibian governments also ensure that the rivers feeding the delta are protected.

The romantic intimacy of the delta is best explored in a guided mokoro (dugout canoe). Experienced this way, the Okavango is Venice with wildlife. The flash of a malachite kingfisher, the mocking shout of hippos, the cry of a hadada ibis—each is a reminder that without wilderness we are diminished, lonelier. We humans are a part of, not apart from, our rich, rare, and fragile world. —ALEXANDRA FULLER

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AUSTRALIA

1 Okavango Delta, Botswana 2 Uruguay 3 New York City, U.S.A. 4 Masurian Lake District, Poland 5 Seychelles 6 Greenland 7 Glasgow, Scotland 8 Philippines 9 South Georgia Island 10 Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil 11 Danube River 12 Eastern Bhutan 13 Côte d’Or, Burgundy, France 14 Bermuda 15 Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, U.S.A.

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Cheetahs rest on a mound near the Kwara Camp in the Okavango Delta.

Café Brasilero, founded in 1877 in Montevideo’s Old Town, is a perfect spot for a cortado, or espresso with milk.

URUGUAY LOW-PROFILE Uruguay has received attention recently, thanks in part to the unconventional ways of José Mujica, its president from 2010 to 2015, who lived in a ramshackle house on a dirt road and donated much of his salary to charity. The attention is deserved: South America’s second smallest country, dwarfed by surrounding giants Brazil and Argentina, is an oasis of stability.

A fashion-fixated international crowd flocks to the beaches, luxury lodgings, and arts scene in Punta del Este. To the east, wetlands stretch up the Atlantic coast to Brazil, notably the Bañados del Este Biosphere Reserve, home to more than a hundred bird species. Then there’s 17th-century Colonia del

Sacramento, a World Heritage Site for the fusion of Spanish and Portuguese architecture in its old town.

Montevideo, where about half of the nation’s 3.3 million people live, is “the calmest capital city in Latin America, whether you’re strolling along the Plata River or ducking into a boutique museum,” says novelist and filmmaker Carolina De Robertis.

Highlights here include the colonial Old Town and the costume-filled Museo del Carnaval.

Uruguay may never emerge from the shadows of its neighbours, but for a land where banknotes feature artists and writers instead of generals and admirals, that may be a good thing.

—WAYNE BERNHARDSON

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Under-the-radar South America

ID EAS FO R 2016

NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A. Start spreading the news about this famous skyline IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW America’s most visited city, you may want to take a second look. Over the past year, the tallest office building (One World Trade Center) and tallest residential building (432 Park Avenue) in the western hemisphere have topped out, at 1,776 feet and 1,396 feet respectively, part of a crop of bold new skyscrapers that are transforming the celebrated New York skyline.

Public spaces, too, have been revitalised, from the waterfronts of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn to the High Line and the new Whitney Museum on the west side.

The view from One World Trade Center’s 102nd floor observatory? Stunning.

The view from a helicopter? Utterly surprising, revealing hidden nooks, rooftop gardens, and everyday activity made novel with a different perspective. The greybrown metropolis becomes quilted with white in winter; in spring, pockets of colour bloom. You almost can hear Frank Sinatra belting out, “I’ll make a brandnew start of it, in old New York.” —GEORGE STEINMETZ

GEORGE STEINMETZ

One World Trade Center towers over lower Manhattan in this image from photographer George Steinmetz’s new book, New York Air.

In Focus |

ID EAS FO R 2016

MASURIAN LAKE DISTRICT, POLAND Classic European countryside IF YOU JOIN some merry campers at a bonfire in Poland’s Masurian woods, sooner or later you’ll hear them break into a popular sailing tune that celebrates the Masurian Lakes region.

“The song lists the many treasures we cherish here,” says Maciej Milosz, who co-owns a boat rental company, “including lots of fish to catch, wild mushrooms to eat, and unimaginably vast forests.”

Stretching across northeastern Poland 200 kilometres north of the capital Warsaw, the Masurian Lake District claims some 2,000 lakes, many connected by rivers and canals. Always popular with Polish vacationers, the region remains a quintessential example of the simple pleasures of traditional country life.

In summer months, Masuria’s lakes ripple with sails, while the red-roofed resort towns of Gizycko and Mikołajki teem with boaters and bathers. If you prefer solitude, head over to Nidzkie or Łuknajno lakes, nature reserves free of motorboats, where you will easily find a quiet waterside spot. Don’t count on being alone, however. The lakes’ navy blue waters attract diving cormorants, mute swans, and clamouring storks, while deer, moose, wolves, wild boars, and the elusive lynx roam the Pisz Forest, a remnant of a pristine wilderness that once covered much of northern Poland.

It all adds up to even more to sing about.

—ADAM ROBINSKI

Youngsters assemble a raft near the Krutynia River in Poland’s scenic Masurian Lake District.

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SEYCHELLES NOTHING COULD keep Sherla Mathurin away from her native Seychelles for long, not even the opulence of Bahrain. The former private chef to a Bahrain royal now leads cooking classes in her homeland, using hand-selected spices, line-fished snapper, and octopus caught that same morning to create aromatic creole curries and seafood salads.

Seychelles clearly has its own wealth.

Located 1,770 kilometres off Kenya’s east coast, in the Indian Ocean, the Seychelles archipelago of 115 islands dishes up vistas so lush that they can stop a queen in her tracks. During a 1972 visit, Queen Elizabeth II halted her convoy at Mission Lodge, along the Sans Souci mountain road on the main island of Mahé, for an impromptu afternoon English tea with a view.

Six fiercely guarded marine national parks provide havens for endangered hawksbill turtles, spinner dolphins, and more than a thousand types of fish. You’ll find Seychelles blue pigeons and other endemic species in the World Heritage Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve, on Praslin island, which looks like something out of Jurassic World. Among its large-leafed palm trees rise endemic coco-de-mer trees, which produce fruits that encase the largest seeds in the plant world. As in the Garden of Eden, Seychelles flaunts its beauty with abandon.

—LOLA AKINMADE

Clownfish in the waters of Seychelles.

GERHARD WESTRICH/LAIF/REDUX (CHILDREN), DAVID DOUBILET/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE (FISH)

Beauty and the bounty

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The aurora borealis arcs over the remote East Greenland village of Tiniteqilaaq, accessible by foot, helicopter, boat, or dogsled.

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GREENLAND Northern exposure THE INUIT OF Greenland call it sila, the immense natural world experienced with all five senses. It is the whispering wind that shapes the surface of the snow, the crisp inhale of Arctic air, the coarse touch of rocky shores.

“We know we can’t control nature; we can only be close to it,” says Greenlander Jane Petersen.

Kalaallit Nunaat, as Greenland is called by indigenous Inuit, is the great frontier of the north, a vast, stone-faced giant capped by an ice sheet more than five times the size of Rajasthan. Aquamarine rivers squiggle across its white void, feeding a thousand thundering waterfalls that flow into enormous fjords.

The qajaq (kayak) allows close sightings of spouting whales—and, if you’re lucky enough to be on a small ship that can access remote habitats, Greenland may be the best place in the world to see polar bears in the wild.

Circumpolar athletes will gather in the capital Nuuk for the 2016 Arctic Winter Games, the largest international event ever hosted in the country. Along with skiing and ice hockey, participants will compete in ancient games such as the finger pull and kneel jump.

“We understand that we are only borrowing this land,” says Petersen. “That is why we love sharing it with others.”

KATHLEEN WASSELLE CROFT

—ANDREW EVANS

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Musicians entertain at a Glasgow pub.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND Amped up with the arts IF EDINBURGH is the blue-blooded aunt at Scotland’s tea party, then Glasgow, just 72 kilometres to the west, is the T-shirt-clad cousin kicking over the kettle on the way out.

A wealthy shipbuilding and trade hub on the River Clyde since the 15th century, Scotland’s largest city fell into dereliction, earning a rough-and-tumble reputation that stuck to soot-covered buildings well into the 1980s. Now scrubbed up and gleaming, Glasgow flexes cultural muscle, artfully burnishing its industrial cityscape.

Scotland’s self-proclaimed Year of Innovation, Architecture, and Design 2016 kicks off in January, with Glaswegians proudly puffing their chests. The Turner Prize, Britain’s most esteemed contemporary art exhibition and award, is in Scotland for the first time, culminating on 17 January at Tramway, Glasgow’s former streetcar terminus.

But it is music that really pumps Glasgow’s cultural heart. From the bagpiper busking top-20 tunes along Buchanan Street to the crooner wooing crowds at storied clubs like King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow’s soundtrack is unrivalled.

“To describe a typical Glasgow musician is quite difficult to do,” says Stirling Gorman, who performs with his brother, Cha, in their band, King of Birds. “It’s really a Glasgow swagger that ties us together like twine.”

—KIMBERLEY LOVATO

Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum dangles artist Sophie Cave’s “Floating Heads.”

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PHILIPPINES An island for every taste Then head to some of the thousands of beaches, from the pink sands of Great Santa Cruz Island to the black sands of Albay. Divers off Palawan, Apo, and Siargao islands delight in hundreds of coral and fish species. On the southern isle of Mindanao, more than 1,300 land species—including the endangered Philippine eagle—reside in Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, which recently joined northern Luzon’s rice terraces as a World Heritage Site.

If the Philippines is that quirky member of the family, it also is the one that always invites you over for dinner, a uniquely Filipino fusion experience that intermingles salty, sour, and savoury flavours. —ERIK R. TRINIDAD

JIM RICHARDSON/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE (MUSICIANS), MATTEO CARASSALE/SIME/ESTOCK (HEADS), PER-ANDRE HOFFMANN/AURORA PHOTOS (HILLS)

IN EVERY FAMILY, there’s always an odd one out—and in the clan of AsiaPacific nations, that member would be the Philippines. This nation of 7,107 islands (about 2,000 inhabited) began as a loose grouping of Indo-Malay tribes, which endured nearly 400 years of Spanish rule, then 48 years as a U.S. territory. Today, the Philippines is a mix of tribal pride, Catholic fervour, American pop-culture savvy, and tropical affability.

Most visitors don’t linger in the muggy, traffic-clogged capital, Manila, but you should explore at least one of the Spanish churches in the old, walled centre of Intramuros and stroll around Manila Bay at sunset.

The unusual Chocolate Hills are limestone outcrops on the Philippine isle of Bohol.

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SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND Wild kingdom in the South Atlantic ON A ROCKY BEACH, hundreds of thousands of noisy king penguins gather in a mosaic of black-and-white dots across grassy tussocks. Among them, fur seal pups bark, two-tonne elephant seals galumph into the surf, and albatrosses patrol the air past slate-grey cliffs and glaciers edging into the ocean.

Welcome to South Georgia Island, a 160-kilometre-long expanse of peaks rising out of the South Atlantic almost 2,100 kilometres east of Ushuaia, Argentina. “It’s a complete sensory overload,” says Eric Wehrmeister, a Lindblad videographer on the National Geographic Explorer, one of the few passenger ships that visit this remote isle. South Georgia was the promised

land for shipwrecked explorer Ernest Shackleton and his crew, who, a hundred years ago, sailed 1,290 kilometres across one of Earth’s most inhospitable seas in a lifeboat to get help at a whaling station located here.

This British Overseas Territory is still reachable only by ship, and the five-day cruise from Ushuaia is strenuous, with summer temperatures hovering around -6 °C . But brave it and you’ll see mountains no human has climbed, rare whales—such as fin-blue hybrids—and inquisitive waist-high penguins in one of the only places that remain as wild as they were when explorers were still filling in blank spots on the map. —KATE SIBER

FRANS LANTING/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE

Visitors can view vast colonies of king penguins on South Georgia Island, a stop on Antarctic-bound cruises.

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RIO GRANDE DO NORTE, BRAZIL Its nickname? “Bride of the Sun” ment from both the public and private sectors. The sertão is rich in local culture (clay figurines, woven palm mats) and cuisine (sun-dried beef, cassava fries). It also is the cradle of forró, a rambunctious musical blend of accordion, triangle, and zabumba drums that sends couples twirling much as it did during World War II, when the area housed U.S. troops who used the state as a “Trampoline to Victory” in North Africa. To this day, Rio Grande do Norte is one of the most welcoming and sun-splashed places in Brazil.

—MICHAEL SOMMERS

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IN BRAZIL, WHERE IDYLLIC beach escapes come a dime a dozen, the northeastern state of Rio Grande do Norte is ready to reveal that it’s more than another sun-and-surf getaway.

Famed for non-stop sands, sea salt products, and the world’s largest cashew tree, this region known as Brazil’s elbow is where the Atlantic seaboard makes a sensual swerve. The state capital, Natal, three hours by air north of Rio de Janeiro, reigns over a coastline that racks up some 233 days of sunshine a year. Recently, the state’s arid interior region, the historically poor sertão, has been seeing unprecedented love and invest-

■ WO RLD Creamy sand dunes at Genipabu Beach, in Natal, Brazil, can be explored by buggy or dromedary (Arabian camel).

Cycling downtown Winnipeg

The Danube glitters in Budapest, Hungary, where the river glides under eight bridges.

DANUBE RIVER FLOWING ALMOST 2,900 kilometres from the Black Forest to the Black Sea, the Danube River has been the main thoroughfare through central and eastern Europe for millennia.

Herodotus called it the “greatest of all rivers” 2,500 years ago, and it still may be. Winding through 10 countries, it’s like a medieval version of Route 66, except your stops will be at 13th-century Gothic churches rather than diners, and you’ll be treated to views of Transylvania instead of tumbleweeds.

Imagine the spires of the palace-bedecked capitals of Vienna and Budapest slowly rising above the trees as your boat glides around a bend. Then picture docking beside Old World towns such as Regensburg, Germany, orphaned by the modern highway system but enjoying a tourism rebirth via the burgeoning number of Danube River vessels.

Back in 1933, as he sat beside the Danube, famed travel writer Patrick Leigh Fermor wrote: “I lay deep in one of those protracted moments of rapture that scatter this journey like asterisks. A little more, I felt, and I would have gone up like a rocket.” Cruise along this legendary river, and you may feel the same. —BILL FINK

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ADAM HESTER/GETTY IMAGES (BEACH), PAUL PANAYIOTOU/4CORNERS/SIME/ESTOCK (BRIDGE)

Blue or not, it blows our minds

In Focus |

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CÔTE D’OR, BURGUNDY, FRANCE

Stupas in eastern Bhutan.

EASTERN BHUTAN Next great adventure THE LAST REMAINING Himalayan Buddhist kingdom, Bhutan is distant by most standards. Flying in requires a plane nimble enough to navigate around mountain peaks and land in Paro Valley, the main tourist hub, where the number of hotels has tripled over the past decade as the once isolated country opens to more visitors. Then there is eastern Bhutan. This far-flung region remains largely unexplored by tourists. But the arduous two-day journey there by 4x4 delivers many rewards.

“You are the first foreigner we have seen in 22 years,” exclaims a surprised monk welcoming an American trekker to his mist-shrouded outpost near Mongar.

In Lhuntse village, women display their vibrantly hued silk wares to Bhutanese traders, who travel here from the capital city of Thimphu in search of precious kushutara textiles. Family homestays fill in for hotels, offering travellers a place to sleep and dine on traditional dishes, including ema datsi, spicy chillies and cheese, often served with red rice. This is Bhutan at its most welcoming—the perfect adventure combination.

—COSTAS CHRIST

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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

WITH VINEYARDS first planted by ancient Romans, the Côte d’Or—the most revered winemaking area in Burgundy (Bourgogne)—draws wine pilgrims from around the globe. Natives here insist there’s no place in France with wine traditions more deeply rooted, more consciously cherished. They have something else to be proud of: In July 2015, UNESCO inscribed the region on its World Heritage List. Plans for a new wine centre, the Cité des Vins de Bourgogne, will further celebrate this hallowed terroir.

A far cry from Bordeaux’s flat landscape, historically dominated by aristocratic families, the fabled chalk slopes of the Côte d’Or form a snaking ribbon of land in some places no more than half a kilometre wide. This labyrinthine wine terrain about three hours’ drive southeast of Paris is owned by hundreds of farmers, many of them descendants of peasant families and some with just three rows of vines in a field the size of a bowling alley.

Rent a bicycle to taste your way along the Route des Grands Crus, which includes oenophile-magnet vineyards in PulignyMontrachet. At neighbourhood haunt La Grilladine, in the medieval town of Beaune, pair the beef bourguignon with one of the local vieilles vignes (wine from old vines). End the day at Hôtel Le Cep, in Beaune’s historic heart. Third-generation family owner Jean-Claude Bernard sets the tone, worldly yet down-to-earth. Which is to say, Burgundian to the core.

—LIZ BEATTY

JOHNNY HAGLUND/GETTY IMAGES (STUPAS), GÜNTER GRÄFENHAIN/SIME/ESTOCK (VINEYARDS)

Best vantage on vintage France

Vines in PernandVergelesses, Burgundy.

Bermuda’s famed pink sands, here at Elbow Beach, are coloured by tiny pink-shelled plankton called foraminifera.

BERMUDA “I LOVE YOU! God loves you!” repeats Johnny Barnes, a 92-year-old Bermudian who waves at passing scooters and cars each weekday morning at a roundabout in Bermuda’s capital of Hamilton.

“We may seem very proper,” says taxi driver Larry Rogers, “but we are also an eccentric island.” Indeed, scratch the immaculately gardened surface of this British overseas territory, and you’ll find a place brimming with personality. Every

year, participants in the Non-Mariners’ Race vie to construct the shoddiest vessels to see who sinks fastest; descendants of Native Americans proudly hold powwows; and policemen and businessmen insist on wearing knee-high socks with their shorts, no matter what the rest of the world may think.

You can beat the crowd headed to Bermuda for 2017’s America’s Cup by going now, and don’t forget to say hello to Johnny. —CHANEY KWAK

PIETRO CANALI/SIME/ESTOCK

Because life is shorts

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Lava from K lauea, one of Earth’s most active volcanoes, flows into the Pacific at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, U.S.A.

HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, U.S.A. VAST FLOWS OF solidified lava sprawl across Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, a blackened, primordial calling card from the park’s most illustrious resident, the Hawaiian fire goddess Pele. Said to dwell in Kīlauea, one of two volcanoes here that are among the world’s most active, Pele has been a busy lady. Since 1986, hundreds of acres of new land have been created by molten rock welling up from deep inside Earth and spilling, hissing and steaming, into the Pacific Ocean.

“Lots of visitors come for the lava,” says Clarence “Aku” Hauanio, the third of four generations of his family to have worked at the 1,350-square-kilometre Big Island park, which celebrates its centennial in 2016. “But there is so much more— the coast, the rain forest, the thousands of petroglyphs made by ancient Hawaiians, all the different plants and animals found nowhere else but Hawaii. You could work here for 29 years, like me, and still see something new every day.” —CHRISTOPHER HALL

TOSHI SASAKI/GETTY IMAGES

100 years of earth, wind, and—most of all—fire

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Experience a tangerine sunset in the Thar Desert on the back of a camel (Reason No. 55) in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.

From a secret beach to an iconic work of art, the reasons that inspire us to travel are as myriad as the stars. Here is a selection of places, experiences, and ideas we’re currently crazy about

By AMY ALIPIO, JENNIFER BARGER, and OTHERS

EXOTICA.IM/UNIVERSALIMAGEGROUP/GETTY IMAGES

REASONS TO TRAVEL NOW

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C O O L E S T PA S S P O R T

Hikers on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela trail in France and Spain, fill a paper Pilgrim’s Record with inked stamps collected along the way at inns, churches, and tourist offices.

2 KOH BULON

That idyllic untrampled Thai beach you’ve been dreaming of? This is it.

3 DUBLIN’S NEW CHEFS

The Fumbally café features communal tables and no head chef—just wonderful Irish home cooks making great sandwiches and soups.

4 SPIFFIER ROME

The Pyramid, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and Domus Aurea (Emperor Nero’s villa) all show off much needed— and tasteful—touch-ups.

5 KING OF WINES

In Tokaj, Hungary, the sweet Tokaji aszú wine is once again top-notch and sought-

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after (Louis XIV dubbed it the “wine of kings”).

6 CLIMBING HUAYNA PICCHU

That green Peruvian peak backdropping all those Machu Picchu photos allows only 400 hikers a day. Book early. The views are worth it.

9 UNDERWATER GALLERY

Dive or snorkel into one of the world’s only underwater sculpture parks in the Caribbean island of Grenada’s Molinière Bay, where more than 60 eerily beautiful figures riff on local culture.

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BATHING IN MUD

ART IN QATAR

Just outside Argentina’s top wine region, the Termas Cacheuta resort overflows with mud and mineral baths.

Abu Dhabi may have the Louvre, but Doha boasts the I. M. Pei–designed Museum of Islamic Art, an Ali Baba’s cavern of cherished objects.

11 JOYS OF CAMPING

8 REAL MEXICO

The revived colonial mining town Real de Catorce offers 17th-century churches and buildings (some converted into hotels) and horse rides into peyote country.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

No need to go anywhere exotic. The simple freedom of being in a tent makes for a multisensory journey of its own: rain pattering on the roof, the view out the flap, the woodsy smoke of a campfire.

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Beyond the Blue Lagoon

GONZALO AZUMENDI/AGE FOTOSTOCK/DINODIA (HIKER). IMAGE SOURCE SALSA/ALAMY (HOT SPRING)

Hot springs and a cold river converge at Hveragerรฐi, in southern Iceland, the perfect spot for a soak after a hike through ancient lava fields and around bubbling mud pots.

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SYMPHONY OF LIGHTS

MEXICO CITY HEALTH TICKET

BLISS OUT, MOROCCAN STYLE

PORTUGUESE FEAST

This synchronised sound-and-light show illuminates buildings on both sides of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour each night at 8 p.m.

At many subway stations in Mexico’s capital, do ten squats at a special machine and you’ll get a free ticket to ride.

With its orangeblossom-scented massages, Les Bains de Marrakech provides a luxurious respite from dusty streets and souks.

Celia Pedroso’s humourfilled Eat Portugal tour leads visitors to Lisbon’s greatest tastes, including the new Mercado da Ribeira.

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and bars built underground in Coober Pedy, in northern South Australia, a quirky outpost that celebrated its centennial last year.

HIKE THE LYCIAN WAY

Passing sleepy villages, beekeepers making honey, and ancient tombs carved in the rocks above, this ancient offthe-radar Turkish trail skirts the Mediterranean.

24 ANTARCTICA

Join Gentoo penguins and Weddell seals at the stark, unearthly end of the world.

18 NORWAY FJORDS

Gape at impossibly blue water, towering cliffs, and glacier and waterfall views in Frozen country.

25 FUN IN FUNICULARS

Reach the heady heights of Valparaiso, Chile, on one of the port city’s click-clacking, 100-year-old incline cable railways, or ascensors.

19 CARNIVAL FEVER

Before Ash Wednesday, the tiny island country of Trinidad essentially shuts down for one of the world’s largest carnival celebrations.

Line up for “fetting” (partying in the streets) and socafuelled dancing.

26 SURF PERU

Catch the longest left-hand waves in the world from Peru’s northern coast, with its white-sand beaches and laid-back resorts. Find surf shops in Máncora and sleepy Punta Sal.

20 TRIBAL TEXTILES

In riverside Luang Prabang, Laos, watch skilled women weave, tie-dye, and batik fabric at the Ock Pop Tok workshop, then take a halfday crafting class.

27 LET THEM EAT BLACK FOREST CAKE

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21 DANCING DERVISHES

Prepare to be moved by the sacred ceremony where Sufi monks whirl to mystical music at Karabas-i Veli, a cultural heritage centre in Bursa, Turkey.

22 OPAL COUNTRY

Visit gem mines, houses,

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G E R M A N Y ’ S A S PA R AG U S S E A S O N

Germans mark the April-June crops of spargel (white asparagus) with festivals and menus that serve the tasty stalks traditionally (with hollandaise sauce, new potatoes, and ham) or with a twist (in ice cream).

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Lots of places in Germany serve up this decadent dessert, but Hotel Alemannenhof ’s version comes with a sweet terrace view of the Black Forest’s famed Lake Titisee.

28 THE CHEESE STANDS ALONE

Throughout Switzerland, and particularly in Alpine areas like Canton Uri, farmers set their cheese out on tables to buy on an honour system.

AMANAIMAGES/CORBIS (LIGHTS), PATRICIA HOFMEESTER/SHUTTERSTOCK (ASPARAGUS)

In Focus |

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Jagged, cloud-kissed peaks helped eastern China’s Huangshan range launch a thousand artworks.

Either board a cable car or tackle a challenging day-long hike to the top of the western steps.

RADIUS IMAGES/CORBIS

Yellow Mountain

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Sledding for Grown-ups

SONDEREGGER CHRISTOF/PRISMA/DINODIA

“Sledging” down Swiss slopes on steerable sleds with runners is the latest Alpine craze, but traditional toboggans are just as fun. Try it in the mountainous Swiss region of Graubünden.

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O O M PA L O O M PA

Hotel Chocolat’s Rabot Estate, in St. Lucia in the Caribbean, is part lodging, part tropical Wonka factory, with a chocolate-themed restaurant and tree-to-bar candy-making experiences.

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providing superlative adventure highs.

QUINTESSENTIAL JAPANESE TEAHOUSE

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Near Kyoto’s Kodaiji Temple, sit and sip at ultra-traditional Rakusho, with its garden, lanterns, and a koi fish pond.

ROCK AND ROLL IN OMAN’S SNAKE GORGE

Wade, rappel, and swim through the crystal-clear pools of Oman’s Snake Gorge on a canyoning trip that’s challenging and very literally, completely breathtaking.

33 UNDERGROUND GALLERY

The Swedish capital Stockholm’s subway system amounts to the world’s longest art exhibit (110 kilometres), with works installed throughout.

43 HUG A REDWOOD

Hiking trails through California’s Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park pass gurgling streams with limpid waters, and offer breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and soaring redwood forests. Hugging a redwood is said to bring luck and peace.

34 SUPER SONICS

Snorkellers in the turquoise waters around Salt Cay, in Turks and Caicos, can hear the plaintive songs of thousands of humpback whales from January to April.

RAISE YOUR GLASS

OYSTERS IN CANCALE

Szimpla Kért started Budapest’s “ruin bar” trend in Hungary when it opened in 2002, and it remains cool as ever with its good food and beer in dilapidated open-air courtyards.

Europe’s highest tides nurture the molluscs in this French port town. Slurp them down along Cancale’s crescent-shaped waterfront.

legendary beef salad is served only one way: incendiary.

38 WATER THAT GLOWS

36 HIPSTER JOBURG

Maboneng Precinct, in Johannesburg, South Africa, fills converted warehouses and one-time factories with galleries, cafés, and the best people-watching in town.

37 A BEEF WITH BANGKOK

In Thailand, most restaurants ask if you want food Thai or farang (tourist) spicy.

Not so at Nahm, where its

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In Mosquito Bay in Vieques, Puerto Rico, nighttime kayak trips glide through glittering water at the world’s brightest bioluminescent bay.

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40 DANCE TO THE MUSIC

Against the background of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, illuminated jets of water dance to a range of music, from Pavarotti to Bollywood, contemporary Arabic to Pop, every evening at The Dubai Fountain at the Dubai Mall.

WILL WORK FOR WINE

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There is no better locale to try WWOOFing (volunteering with World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) than on a vineyard in Australia’s Barossa Valley

TAKE THE LEAP

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

Close to Nepal’s border with Tibet, high above the gushing Bhote Kosi River, The Last Resort runs a 160-metrehigh bungee jump and the world’s highest canyon swing,

45 CULINARY DARE

Offal is fine, but you haven’t earned your culinary chops unless you’ve eaten a plate of stupendously stinky fermented tofu deep-fried in pig fat. It’s a Taiwan classic served in night markets across Taipei. Just how stinky are we talking? Its odour has been compared to rotting garbage, even decomposing meat.

JOHN S LANDER/CONTRIBUTOR/LIGHTROCKET/GETTY IMAGES

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Sky Bike Built for Two

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At Mashpi Lodge, in Ecuador, ride a tandem “bike” suspended from a 656-foot-long cable above the Andean cloud forest.

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W H A L E S ON M AU I

From January to April, watch whales sans expensive boat tours by parking yourself on the shores of the ‘Au‘au Channel in the Hawaiian islands. The humpback hangout makes spotting easy.

48 HANG WITH ORANGUTANS

Learn a thing or two about the bare necessities of life from the orangutans of Borneo. At the Tanjung Puting National Park in Indonedia’s Kalimantan, see them up-close and very personal.

New Zealand, the place with a whopping 85 characters in its name. The Maori name means “the place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed, and swallowed mountains, known as ‘landeater’, played his flute to his loved one.”

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BEAR HUGS IN CHENGDU

WATCH WILD HORSES IN MONGOLIA

Visit the Chengdu region in China’s Sichuan province for the bear hug of a lifetime.

The Doujiangyan Panda Base and the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Center, both offer programmes where you can spend the day cuddling, feeding, and caring for these balls of fur.

50 WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Send a postcard from Taumatawhakatangiha ngakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu (or Taumata Hill) in

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Camp close to the Hustai National Park in a traditional Mongolian ger, and spend the day marvelling at the world’s only truly wild horses, the Przewalski’s horse or takhi.

52 MEET SANTA

Santa may come only once a year, but in the Finnish city of Rovaniemi, families can meet Santa all year round.

Explore his underground home cavern, see him sort through paperwork in the office, or take a walk around Santa Claus Village.

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Verona Voices

EYESWIDEOPEN/GETTY IMAGES (ARENA) FACING PAGE: MONICA & MICHAEL SWEET/GETTY IMAGES (WHALE)

In northern Italy, summertime operas sound and look extraordinary from a stone seat in Verona’s Roman amphitheatre, dating to the first century A.D.

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Indian Destinations

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Street food markets, soulful music festivals, and rugged hikes that will change your life. Here’s our round-up of reasons to explore our vast and magnificently diverse country.

Sandakphu peak in West Bengal.

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SNOW-CAPPED BREAKFAST VIEWS

DUNE TO DUSK

MOON OVER CHERRY BLOSSOMS

ASIA’S HIGHEST POST OFFICE

The undulating dunes of Thar Desert around Jaisalmer glow rose, gold, and orange at sunset. This spectacle is best experienced riding on the back of a camel.

Overnighting in the dunes, with a bonfire and some music for company, caps off a meditative journey.

Japan’s cherry blossom season is legendary, but closer home, Shillong’s cherry trees begin to blush around November, painting the town in shades of ballerina-pink.

The stretch around Ward Lake is particularly picturesque.

Instagram quotient: Off the charts.

Perched 14,567 feet above sea level, Hikkim post office in Himachal Pradesh’s Spiti Valley is the highest post office in Asia. It’s a bumpy 23-kilometre ride from Kaza, the region’s capital, but the views are better than those on the postcards you’ll find in Spiti.

PALLAB SETH/MOMENT OPEN/GETTY IMAGES

Lace up for outstanding views of the Kanchenjunga, Everest, Makalu, and Lhotse mountains.

The eight-day Sandakphu trek in West Bengal’s Darjeeling area isn’t very tough, and the rewards are many. Among the highlights: Impossibly starry night skies.

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JOIN THE FESTIVITIES

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DAWN OF FOLK MUSIC

FEEL THE BEAT

CELEBRATE THE BLUE GOD

The Rajasthan International Folk Festival (RIFF), held in Jodhpur’s magnificent Mehrangarh Fort is the place to listen to the exceptional traditional, contemporary, and fusion music of folk artistes drawn from around the globe. The sessions, which begin at dawn, are particularly captivating.

Every year in February, the Khajuraho temples in Madhya Pradesh reverberate with the music of ghungroos and percussion beats. During the Khajuraho Festival of Dance, the stage is set against the backdrop of the temples, and exponents of Indian classical dance put up an extravaganza of tradition, culture, and art.

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here is a force to reckon with: both terrifying and deeply humbling.

THE GREAT WHITE

At the endless sweep of white that is Gujarat’s Great Rann of Kutch, it seems that no horizon separates earth and sky. Chasing mirages in this salt desert makes for an unforgettable story.

66 HAGGLE OVER CRABS

On the Konkan Coast, Malvan’s daily beach auction is attended by moustachioed uncles and haggling fisherwomen, giggling aais (mothers) and fierce ajjis (grandmothers), cats and egrets, all trying to score the day’s catch. Nearby, wooden boats lap up on the shore hauling crates brimming with seafood.

62 ZEN AND THE ART OF THANGKA

Take a class in thangka painting, wood-carving, or wood-painting at the esteemed Norbulingka Institute in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh. Classes are as much about Buddhism as they are about the skills being taught.

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64 EARTH’S WETTEST PLACE

Cherrapunji has been dethroned. The record for the wettest place on Earth now lies with Mawsynram, a village in the Khasi hills of Meghalaya. The monsoon

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THE BURN OF BHUT JOLOKIA

Cultivated across much of northeastern India, the bhut jolokia’s incendiary powers are known far and wide. In kitchens across Kohima, the capital of Nagaland, it’s smeared on fatty pork ribs that are cooked until the meat falls off the bone.

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Bir in Himachal Pradesh, has emerged as one of the best places for paragliding.

A 30-minute tandem ride with an expert offers the thrills of flying with unparalleled views of the Dhauladhar Range.

68 PICKING RED GOLD

Watch locals gather purple crocus flowers at the Saffron Picking Festival at Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir. The harvest lasts for two weeks in October and is accompanied by performances by troupes of folk artistes, and cups of delicious kahwa tea, garnished with almond slivers.

AMAR GROVER/JAI/CORBIS/IMAGELIBRARY (SINGER), ADRIAN_AM13/SHUTTERSTOCK (CHILLIES)

GRIFFON’S-EYE VIEW

RELEASE BABY TURTLES

Few experiences can trump the unadulterated joy that comes with helping justborn, endangered olive ridley turtles make their way into the ocean. Turtle-hatching season in Velas, Maharshtra, stretches from end-February to early April.

During Janmashthami, Vrindavan celebrates Lord Krishna’s birth with much revelry. The streets of this Uttar Pradesh town are filled with devotees (and entertainers) dressed like Krishna, the air resounds with his songs, and the early morning darshan at the Banke Bihari temple thrums with energy.

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Art of the Matter

IP-BLACK/INDIAPICTURE

Kitschy reproductions of Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings adorn café walls, boho-style bags, and designer T-shirts, but the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum in Vadodara, Gujarat, holds the originals. It’s the largest Ravi Varma collection in the world, and it will take your breath away.

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R OYA L R I D E S

Rajasthan’s royalty travelled in style back in the day, and decades later, the erstwhile rajas still love showing off their wheels. Vintage car rallies held in Jaipur and Udaipur are a treat for automobile enthusiasts; a chance to see classics like the 1934 Rolls Royce, 1964 Ford Mustang, or a 1957 Chevy Bel Air. 75

I N D I A N FA R E

WAKE UP IN THE HIMALAYAS

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William Blake said “Great things happen when men and mountains meet” and watching the auburn glow of the sun colouring the white peaks of some of the tallest mountains in the world is one of those things.

MADURAI’S MESSES

Don’t be fooled by Madurai’s claim to fame as a temple town. Its no-nonsense messes (eateries) serve delights such as peppery partridge fry, rabbit roast, and omelettes stuffed with mutton marrow. All traditional Tamilian fare— and wonderfully inexpensive.

76 WATCH A ROCKET LAUNCH

At 11.45 a.m. on the third Wednesday of every month, the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre near Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, launches a sounding rocket—and a certain number of people are allowed to watch. Better still, it happens on a beach by the Arabian Sea. Book ahead.

Indore’s Sarafa Galli is as much of a delight for vegetarians as it is for lovers of meat.

There’s namkeen, chaat, biryani, sabudana khichdi (garnished with potato chips no less), and lip-smacking kebabs. Save space for the jalebas: plate-sized jalebis smothered in thick, creamy rabdi.

73 KOLKATA’S CHINESE BREAKFAST

Wake up early on a Saturday morning and drive the winter chill away with a breakfast of soup with spicy pork and fish balls at the Tiretta Bazar Chinese market in Kolkata.

Buy a string of sweet Chinese sausages for a souvenir to take home, and pop in to the neighbourhood grocery store to watch the owner do his accounts on an old abacus.

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I F TA R I N AU R A N G A B A D

During Ramzan every year, a number of seasonal food stalls open in Aurangabad, hawking biryani, kebabs, and sticky-sweet malpuas.

The cream of the crop: Haleem, made from broken wheat, hunks of boneless meat, and a medley of whole spices. It is slow-cooked for 12 hours over amber coals and then beaten with a wooden paddle, until it acquires a creamy texture.

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77 11-FLAVOURED PANI PURI

Save the kebabs for later.

Begin your Lucknow streetfood trail in the Chowk area with a plate of pani puri: 11 puris, each with a different flavoured pani, from jeera to aam panna.

78 BREAKING DAWN IN AMRITSAR

Chants fill the air, and the atmosphere is electric.

Watching the ritual moving of the Guru Granth Sahib while dawn breaks over the Golden Temple in Amritsar isn’t clichéd, it’s a classic.

PAPRIKA MEDIA

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WILD CARDS

79 SPOT THE SNOW LEOPARD

Hiking through Ladakh’s Hemis National Park in winter is not for the easy-going traveller.

Temperatures are well below freezing, accommodation is largely limited to camping, and days involve plenty of walking on ice. But it affords the chance to spot the regal and critically endangered snow leopard.

80 SNAKE THROUGH AGUMBE

Researchers at the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS) in the dense forests of Karnataka spend their time tracking the elusive king cobra and the region’s many other snakes. Volunteer to help out, or trek through the diverse ecosystem.

One of the longest bird migration routes is that of the Amur Falcon, which leaves its north Asian breeding grounds to travel to South Africa during the months of October and November. Lakhs make a pit stop at the Doyang Reservoir area in Nagaland.

STEVE WINTER/ NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC/GETTY IMAGES

81 WITNESS THE AMUR FALCON MIGRATION

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Dance of the Gods Watch kathakali in all its eyebrow-wiggling glory at a nightlong performance at Sree Vallabha Temple in the town of Thiruvella in Kerala. These performances are offerings to the gods, unlike the trimmed, touristy shows at cultural centres across the state.

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Z I P L I N I NG OV E R H I STORY

Combine a thrill ride with Indian history via Flying Fox’s zip line course above sites such as the 15th-century Mehrangarh Fort.

84 THE PERFECT PICNIC

At low tide, a narrow strip of sand connects the tiny Ross and Smith Islands, near Diglipur in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. On a sunny day, the place boasts perfect white sand and an inviting blue bay. Tiny thatched sitouts line the beach.

85 SUNDERBAN CRUISE

Cruise along the HooghlyMalta estuary, as the

Sunderbans forest is called in West Bengal, keeping your eyes peeled for crocs, monitor lizards, and pods of Gangetic and Irrawaddy dolphins.

86 WWII CONNECTION

The grassy hillsides outside Manipur’s capital Imphal was where one of the greatest battles of World War II was fought. Even today, the ground throws up relics like old bullets and bayonets.

87 LAGER THAN LIFE

Bar hop in the country’s microbrewery capital, Bengaluru, where there’s an ale, lager, stout or cider for drinkers of all persuasions.

Mango-ginger cider anyone?

88 STRETCH IN TIME

Take a yoga course in Rishikesh. There are a variety of workshops and they all begin with deep breathing on the banks of the Ganga.

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BEACH KAYAKING

KERALA’S NEW WAVE

SOAR OVER LAND’S END

Choose your waters and glide through the surf in style.

Kayaks can be rented from water sport shops on most of the popular beaches of Goa, Kerala, and Karnataka.

Ride pristine high waves with Soul & Surf, a seasonal surfing retreat in seaside Varkala, Kerala. In this temple town, surfing is the new religion of the ocean-hungry.

Learn to kitesurf at Pamban Island in the Gulf of Mannar in south India. The region has at least 300 annual surfing days so there’s almost always an opportunity to ride the waves.

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SAIBAL DAS/MAJORITY WORLD/DINODIA (KATHAKALI), FRANK BIENEWALD/CONTRIBUTOR/LIGHTROCKET/GETTY IMAGES (KAYAKS)

E X P L O R E I N D I A’ S C O A S T

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ROAD TRIPS

MEET SARUS CRANES

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DA L HOUSI E TO SH I M L A

Even in summer this route has its fair share of snow and ice. It winds via the Sach Pass, Lahaul, Spiti, and Kinnaur and brings the grandeur of the Himalayas right to your window.

An adult sarus crane would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with basketball player Michael Jordan. They’re the planet’s tallest flying birds (and among the loudest too) making them easy to spot.

Found in Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan, Madhav National Park in Madhya Pradesh and around Corbett.

97 PLAN BIG-B

Rahul, Simran, and otherwise-named Bollywood geeks can now get a behindthe-scenes tour of Film City in Goregaon, Mumbai.

Additional perk: watching other visitors randomly break into song and dance.

98 MATTER OF PRIDE

There was never a better time to visit Gir National Park.

The reserve has more lion cubs than ever before— and is the only remaining home of the Asiatic lion that once roamed Turkey, Iran, Israel, Bangladesh, and India’s midriff.

99 ALPINE LAKES

Kashmir’s Great Lakes trek is a walk to remember. Around every twist in the trail, over crests of high altitude passes, and rocky outcrops, postcard perfect views play out continuously over six days.

DELHI TO MUMBAI— THE LONG WAY

Ditch the flight for this road trip that winds through the Indian heartland via Udaipur, with stops to see the Taj Mahal in Agra, Khajuraho’s intriguing temple sculptures, and the tigers of Panna and Pench.

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SAURASHTRA LOOP

TIME TRAVEL IN KARNATAKA

Starting in Ahmedabad, carve a circle through the Saurashtra peninsula. Capture a bit of everything: the cradle of civilisation at Lothal, elegant architecture in Junagadh, the shipyards of Alang, and the majestic Somnath Temple.

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Trace the evolution of temple sculpture in Karnataka over many, many centuries as you drive from Mumbai to Bengaluru, via Bijapur, Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal, and Hampi.

100 GETTING OFF THE GRID

The biggest reason to travel today is to get off the grid: Enjoy being wholly in the now.

RISHAD SAAM MEHTA

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world A road trip spans nine countries and 20,200 kilometres

CHIRODEEP CHAUDHURI

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azerbaijan East meets West, the strange and the familiar

100 Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan.

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The Elements

At this confluence of East and West, the land and sea is evocative, the familiarity heart-warming

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By Niloufer Venkatraman Photographs By Chirodeep Chaudhuri

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Guests tend to linger at Shirvanshah, a museum restaurant in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The restored multi-level eating and cultural space is filled with stunning artefacts and serves outstanding Azeri food.

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architecture. On another “Yes” I reply, amazed not side lies the Caspian Sea just at the use of that and Baku Bay. word, for we so rarely As the day progresses, hear India being called I keep hearing familiar Hindustan, but also at words like sheher, sabun, his ability to so easily kitab, dil, kafi—they identify my nationality. mean the same thing in I’ve been in Azerbaijan’s Azeri as in Hindi. Latcapital city Baku just er, as we walk through one day, but parts of it Baku’s popular Fountain already seem so familiar.

Square, filled with cafés My first impression of and restaurants, I unexthe city however, was just pectedly see people enthe opposite. Stepping joying beers in the open. out of the airport termiI had, after all, come nal the previous night, a here with some preconmassive, lit-up building ceived ideas of what a shaped like a multi-tiered Muslim-majority nation wedding cake caught would be like. Although my eye. Driving towards Azerbaijan’s population downtown Baku, in the is primarily Shia, it’s eyeshadow of a late setting High-powered LED lights set Baku’s tallest skyscrapers, the Flame Towers, ablaze every night. The colourful lights rise and fall along the structure, giving opening to learn that it is sun, I was gobsmacked at the illusion of flames. a secular country. Yasin the extent of illuminated surprises me by stating that the biggest holiday in Azerbaijan buildings lining the highway. I might well have been on the Las is Novruz, directly derived from the Zoroastrian new year, and Vegas strip minus the casinos. Baku’s architecture is eye-popheld like in India and Iran, around the 21st of March. Being half pingly over the top. On the confluence of Asia and Europe, a Zoroastrian myself, I’m very familiar with that holiday. The difcolourful modern city aglow with a billon lights isn’t what I was ference here is that celebrations for Novruz start a month earlier. expecting at all.

On four Tuesdays before Novruz a different natural element is I’m on an eight-day trip to Azerbaijan with photographer commemorated: starting with water, then fire, earth, and finally Chirodeep Chaudhuri and other National Geographic editors air, celebrating the arrival of spring. and photographers. And our guide is the well-informed young Shaped like the head and beak of a bird in flight, the Yasin Aleskerli.

Absheron Peninsula sticks out of the Eurasian land mass eastOn day one Yasin leads us through the old, walled city of ward into the Caspian Sea. We’re spending a few days explorBaku, the medieval fortress and UNESCO World Heritage Site ing this promontory, on which Baku and the area around it sits. of Icheri Sheher (Old City). At its entrance is the sixth-century It’s a region that has been occupied for millennia, with strong Kyz Galasy or Maiden Tower, a cylindrical limestone structure links to Iran in the south. Baku became a significant seaport believed to originally be a Zoroastrian fire temple, and later in the 12th and 13th centuries and the peninsula is still dota defensive watchtower rebuilt in the 12th century. We climb ted with the ruins of fortresses, castles, and towers. With the eight storeys to the roof as Yasin provides a nutshell history of 19th-century oil boom, the region began to be indiscriminately pre-Islamic Azerbaijan, where Zoroastrianism was the exploited for its reserves and was, by 1900, producing half the prevailing religion. At the windswept top we look at the world’s supply of oil, leading the area around Baku to become an spread of Baku city. Up on a hill to one side are the famous environmental disaster. Today however, there has been a masFlame Towers, glinting in the sunlight. The three modern, flamesive clean-up and most of the oil drilling has moved offshore. shaped skyscrapers are an iconic image of the city’s oil-boom

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IZZET KARIBAR/LONELY PLANET IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES

I CAN’T STOP STARING AT THE GAUNT, ELDERLY GENTLEMAN SITTING ON A CHAIR NEAR HIS STALL IN BAKU MARKET. THE GREY STUBBLE, SUNKEN CHEEKS, AND LOOSE, CRINKLED SKIN MAKE HIM LOOK LIKE ONE OF MY MATERNAL UNCLES. HE TURNS TO ME AND SMILES, REVEALING LARGE FRONT TEETH, GAPS WHERE HIS CANINES OUGHT TO BE, AND A GLIMMER OF GOLD NEAR THE TOP MOLARS. I SMILE BACK, EMBARRASSED THAT HE’S CAUGHT ME STARING. “INDUSTAN?” HE SAYS AS IF NO OTHER WORDS ARE NECESSARY.

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At Sahil Park, a multitude of illuminated water fountains splash through the night, while young and old sit at benches or enjoy the spray at the edge.

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Marco Polo’s 13th-century record of his travels to this area talks of burning fires, which probably referred to ones like Yanar Dag. It is the last of the burning natural gas seeps still visible on the Absheron Peninsula.

FIRE

We drive a few kilometres outside Baku one evening after dark to visit Yanar Dag, the Burning Mountain, where part of a hillside burns continuously as a result of a natural gas leak.

Fires like this once burned all over the Baku area, and are believed to have given this country its name: Azerbaijan, the Land of (Sacred) Fires. Scientifically, these natural flames exist because Azerbaijan has huge natural gas reserves that are very close to the surface. As drilling and exploitation of these gas resources increased, the level at which they are found lowered, causing the naturally burning fires to slowly disappear. Yanar Dag however, is protected as a national heritage site and no drilling occurs nearby so its flames can stay as they have for several millennia.

In the darkness, the 10-metre-long wall of fire along the edge of the hill burns fiercely. I’ve seen this phenomenon once before, albeit on a much smaller scale, at the Muktinath temple high up in the Nepal Himalayas. There the flame was no bigger than my thumb. Here, part of the hillside is on fire and standing a few feet from it I can hear the crackling of the flames, feel the heat, and smell crude oil and gas in the air. It’s easy to see why, before the discovery of the commercial use of natural gas and petroleum, fires blowing out of the belly of Earth amazed and fascinated our ancestors. In fact, this area is considered crucial to the birth of Zoroastrianism, a religion that to this day considers fire sacred, to be treated with respect, and as an essential vehicle to send prayers to god.

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EARTH

A blustery wind is blowing outside the window of our van. The driver is off-roading along a route he seems to know well, twisting and turning though I cannot see any path on the arid, barren landscape. There’s barely a shrub in sight and though it is desolate the view is clear; it feels like a studio without a backdrop.

Suddenly Yasin points to several black-and-white swallows soaring alongside our vehicle, keeping pace. The birds are flying strangely low, just below the level of the windows. They accompany us for several kilometres before disappearing into the same nothingness from which they came.

After a few additional minutes of jerks and bumps, the van stops. When we step outside, the wind feels even more powerful, whipping across the grey-brown lunar landscape of Dashgil’s mud volcanoes. Across the sweep of this plateau, 90 kilometres from Baku, are pockets of fluid mud forming small pools and little hilly mounds atop which churn puddles of watery clay.

In spite of the bellowing breeze I hear an occasional gurgle from the earth. At one point it’s a glug, and the surface breaks a bubble and sprays mud on me. It dries instantly on my clothes and shoes. I reach down and touch the liquid earth. It is cold, the texture of wet clay, not hot as I’d imagined. We walk around the plateau, climbing a few of the “volcanoes” (no more than a few metres high), with a circular crater of bubbling molten earth at the centre. They look like pots of chocolate fondue, except for the colour, which is an elephant-grey. From my vantage point on top of a small mound I can see the Caspian Sea not too far away.

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Beaches to the north of Baku city are cleaner and more popular because there is less oil production in that area.

Yasin leads a few of us further into the plateau to a small lake, where saline water has seeped into the mud creating a strange viscous slurry. He explains that these mud volcanoes are caused when natural gas lies near the surface of the land. As it pushes its way upwards through cracks and vents, it causes the mud to become liquid, eventually bubbling its way to the surface. Watching this breathing, belching, churning matter is soothing in its unexpectedness. This liquid earth, this feisty wind, this outlying plateau untouched by the drone of mass tourism, it silences all conversation and gives me something to take back home.

AIR

Back in downtown Baku, purple taxis whiz by as frequently as Mercedes-Benz cars and limousines. A strong breeze blows nonstop from the darkness of the Caspian Sea on to Baku Boulevard, the capital city’s waterfront walkway. We’re having a post-dinner stroll, partly to work off some of the large multi-course meal we’ve just had.

I too come from a waterfront city, one where public spaces are sadly short. Baku’s public spaces are, in a word, astounding.

Huge parks, squares, greenery, walkways—the number of accessible, clean, safe public areas in this city is phenomenal, and even more wonderful is watching the citizenry make the best use of it, late into the summer night.

Atop the hill, overlooking the bay, the Flame Towers flash their colourful lights. For me however, Baku’s lingering symbol came to be not its Flame Towers, but the almost eternal Caspian Sea

breeze. It even has a name, Gilavar, which makes it sound like an old aunt. Gilavar makes three hours of walking after a long day of sightseeing seem like nothing. We walk and chat, four women from vastly different countries and cultures who’ve only just met, but the conversation flows with ease, sharing thoughts, ideas, lives, as the wind blows our hair almost perpendicular to our bodies.

At 11 p.m. there are still hundreds of people out on Baku Boulevard: young, old, families, children, even the very elderly.

I stop to watch young children running on the boulevard, women laughing and chatting as they communally babysit their children by the sea. Red and blue lights flash on the heels of the rollerblades of a young boy as he zooms down the boulevard ahead of his friends, his arms spread out in happiness as he cuts through the lively night air.

WATER

Late one afternoon Yasin takes us to visit the Mardekan Fortress ruins near Baku. At the Sahil beach in this seaside village, we are greeted by Gilavar again. Friend and foe, this steady wind appears everywhere. We are not here to swim, but for a glimpse of local life and people-watching. A man races his horse on the beach causing heads to turn. I step up to touch the water. I could be at Mumbai’s Juhu beach: Though the sand is darker, the water is warm and the very same grey as our end of the Arabian Sea. It’s from these Caspian Sea waters that most of the world’s sturgeon is fished. That morning in Baku’s Taaza Bazaar I had JANUARY 2016 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

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We walk around the plateau, climbing a few of the “volcanoes” (no more than a few metres high), with a circular crater of bubbling molten earth at the centre. They look like pots of chocolate fondue, except for the colour, which is an elephant-grey

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About 30 per cent of the world’s mud volcanoes are located in eastern Azerbaijan in places like Dashgil.

tasted caviar, the eggs of the sturgeon fish. A single 100-gram jar of Beluga caviar costs about $180/`12,000.

Though a sign says swimming isn’t permitted, scores of people are in the water. A mother holds her young child as waves wash over them. A young boy in black trunks rolls on the sand at the water’s edge, delighting in both the coolness and warmth it offers. He’s joined by his friends; they laugh, frolic, play. I cannot understand their words, but they all look so familiar; they could well be lads from Mumbai’s Dadar Parsi Colony.

SPIRIT

When we drive 30 kilometres from Baku to the town of Surakhani we head straight to the Atashgah, the Fire House or fire temple. Historically this area, like Yanar Dag, had many spots where natural gas found its way to the surface and was ignited. Zoroastrians worshiped at these eternal flames and later built fire temples here. One of these was built in Surakhani, but destroyed in the mid-7th century. In the 18th century, Indian traders funded the rebuilding of this temple on the old ruin, but it fell into disuse in 1883 once gas reserves lowered and the fires died out. The site we’re at was restored and made a protected monument in 1975.

The seven fires burning in the complex are assisted by piped gas.

At the centre of the courtyard is a four-arched pavilion with an altar with a flame. Around the complex are inscriptions in Sanskrit, Devanagari, Gurmukhi, and even a swastika, indicating that this was once used by people of various religions. All around the pavilion are little guest rooms where travellers and pilgrims stayed. Some say this is not actually a fire temple.

Even though I’m Zoroastrian on my mother’s side I’ve never entered a fire temple before. This one isn’t a functioning one, it’s a museum. As the sun begins to go down and the fires dance with their shadows, a calming energy fills the space. When dusk settles, I’m drawn to the central pavilion where a yellow flame burns. But it’s not just the fire that pulls me there it’s the atmosphere of the place. In its emptiness it feels like the locus to be, a spot where I will find answers to everything and nothing.

I’ve never thought much about my Zoroastrian heritage, but at this moment the fire makes me think of departed souls I’ve pushed to the recesses of my brain for a variety of reasons.

I wonder if it’s because while growing up, an oil lamp was lit in our home every day to remember family who had passed on.

I think of the grandfather I knew only until I was five, the grandmother who told me stories of her youth, and their daughter, my mother, who proudly held her unique religion close to her heart and prayed and lit a lamp at least twice every day, including in the final few hours before she died. I’m not religious, I’m not a New-Ager, nor do I consider myself spiritual or a seeker, but there are places of transcendent beauty that I’ve been to, where I feel enveloped in warmth and serenity. This is one of them.

I step away from everyone to be alone. In the few minutes of quiet I feel mentally stilled. I register that there are no timelines on loss or memories. I recall a long-forgotten lesson from my childhood, the foremost Zoroastrian edict: good thoughts, good words, good deeds.

I look at my travelling companions, a mix of a Hindu, Muslims, Jews, Christians. Some unwittingly whisper, not wanting to disturb the quietude, others stand and stare unhurriedly. It is abundantly clear that everyone is feeling the power of this place.

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No matter where in Baku you are, you cannot escape Gilavar, the gusty wind blowing in from the Caspian Sea (top); At Highland Park, situated atop a hill overlooking the city, athletes train (bottom) to compete in international championships of wrestling, which is an important national sport.

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Fashion designer Zenfira Gurbanova’s studio in Baku is stocked with flamboyant costumes and gowns that would not be out of place on an international runway.

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TEMPORAL

Baku isn’t the city I had imagined, nor does its citizenry fit my preconceived notions. I hadn’t expected to see so many women in public places. Nor its streets full of mixed architecture: from Victorian buildings and Soviet-style structures, to the very modern Heydar Aliyev Centre.

Here I spot women in short dresses and stylish haircuts, there I watch men enter a mosque. At Baku’s Highland Park, Azerbaijani and Russian wrestlers train for international championships, and in a small corner of an old Baku building fashion designer Zenfira Gurbanova makes outlandish clothing befitting international ramps. At Fountain Square couples walk hand-in-hand and what were once storage basements are now bustling restaurants serving, not pizza and pasta, but Azerbaijani fare.

Meals in Azerbaijan always start with a basket of tandir flatbread (like our naan), fresh fruit, and platefuls of fresh green herbs—sprigs of dill, tarragon, and maroon basil leaves—and the coveted Absheron tomato. This is often followed by soup: dovga, a yogurt soup with herbs for the vegetarians and perhaps kofta bozbash, lamb kofta broth for the meat eaters. And then the main course which could be one of a variety of dishes: We enjoy platters of kebabs and parcels of dolma, vine leaves stuffed with rice and mince. It’s all very delicious. One particular dish, chighirtma, catches my attention: It’s made of meat or vegetables and cooked with eggs until set, like a frittata or shakshuka. It’s just like the signature egg dish the Parsis of India made at home frequently, one which has no commonality with any other dish in our country.

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At the Mardekan Fortress we meet Vidadi Amirullaoglu, historian and caretaker of the ruin. He doesn’t speak English, but that doesn’t stop him from rattling off non-stop in Azeri, while Yasin, one of the best guides I’ve ever travelled with, tries his best to keep up the translation.

At one point Vidadi turns to me and says something. The only word I catch is, “Industan,” and Yasin laughs. Wherever I’ve gone in Azerbaijan people start off by asking where I’m from, and before I can answer, they ask rhetorically: “Industan?” It’s a pleasant surprise that though none of them has ever been to India, or knows any Indians personally, they can identify Chirodeep and me as Indians with ease. I gather later that this familiarity stems from years of watching Hindi cinema. Not the latest Bollywood blockbusters, but Raj Kapoor films that, believe it or not, are still immensely popular.

On the flip side, few Indians know where Azerbaijan is, let alone having visited it, or being able to recognise an Azeri in a crowd.

Yet for me there are many connections to this ancient land. Not only are the people friendly and happy to have a conversation even without a common language, often they look like they could be my relatives. And as we travel through the Absheron Peninsula I find unexpectedly, that each time I encounter various elements—wind, earth, fire, and water—I find myself contemplating aspects of my roots I’ve never really considered.

Vidadi keeps talking, adding intrigue to the story of the ruins as we roam the Mardekan grounds, and crumbling interiors. When it’s time to leave, he turns to me, does a namaste with his hands and says: “Salamlar, take my greetings back to your country.” Niloufer VeNkatramaN is the Editor-in-Chief at National Geographic Traveller India.

EDDIE GERALD/MOMENT/GETTY IMAGES

Though the Atashgah fire temple in Surakhani is a museum and not a place of worship anymore, its atmosphere and ambience is spiritual and serene.

â– AZ E RBAIJAN

Mugham is the popular folk music of Azerbaijan, often played in restaurants and public spaces. A basic ensemble consists of at least one singer with an instrument and two other players.

THE VITALS ORIENTATION Azerbaijan is one of those rare countries that is considered a transcontinental nation, i.e. it is both in Asia and Europe.

Quite simply, Azerbaijan is considered to be geographically in Asia, but politically a part of Europe. The country lies on the western coast of the Caspian Sea, and has mountain ranges on three sides.

The Greater Caucasus and Russia lie in the north, Georgia is to the northwest, the lesser Caucasus and Armenia are west of it and the Talysh Mountains lie between Azerbaijan and its southern border with Iran. The capital city Baku sits on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, a headland that extends into the Caspian Sea.

CSP_PETERHERMESFURIAN/FOTOSEARCH LBRF/DINODIA (MAP)

Absheron Peninsula

GETTING THERE There are no direct flights from India to Baku. The quickest route to Baku is via Dubai or Doha in the Middle East.

Travellers can also fly in via Istanbul, though that requires a longer layover.

TRAVEL AND VISA To travel to and obtain a visa for Azerbaijan, tourists need to either be part of a tour group or approach a travel company approved by the government,

such as Improtex Travel Tours & Conferences (improtex.travel) or Geo Travel (geo-travel.az). These agents assist in making stay and travel arrangements, (which are necessary for obtaining a visa) and will also organise a visa on arrival

(visa fee $46/`3,066 for Indians). There is an Azerbaijan embassy in New Delhi but to obtain a visa you need to contact one of these agencies (full list available at azerbaijan.travel/upload/File/viza_ shirketler_en.pdf).

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Journeys |

ROAD TR I P

THE LONG WAY

HOME

A ROAD TRIP ACROSS N I N E COUN T R I ES, SPA N N I N G 20, 20 0 K ILOMETRES, 58 DAYS, A N D EI G H T T I ME ZON ES, I N P I CTU RES T E X T & P H OTO G R A P H S BY R I S H A D SA A M M E H TA

â– WO RLD The drive between the cities of Novosibirsk and Ulan-Ude in Siberia, Russia, is exceptionally scenic in the fall. The road seems never-ending, and on some stretches Lake Baikal can be spotted in the distance.

Journeys |

ROAD TR I P

M

y childhood was filled with tales of adventurers who put their trust in a single ship, steed, or motorcycle while they crossed continents. Stories in which the internal combustion engine is a trusted companion and ally fuelled my wanderlust. My parents had a passion for motoring but could only afford cars that were already three decades old.

Their love for road trips meant that we undertook motoring holidays in cars that had to be coaxed to complete the journey. Those journeys, often punctuated with hissing radiators and groaning clutches, were the start of my lifelong affair with the open road. And the romance of trusting a single car for a long road trip began. From my teens, I dreamt of driving my trusty car or motorcycle across continents from Europe to India.

Given the political climate in Iran and Pakistan, countries on the shortest and most logical route from Europe to India, I had resigned myself to never fulfilling this dream. But because the universe works in mysterious ways, in 2015 I was invited to drive one of a pair of cars from Germany to India along a route that entered India via the northeast.

This journey took me across Eastern Europe, Russia, Siberia, Mongolia, China, and Myanmar. Although I’ve done road trips before, this was the longest yet; the realisation of a cherished dream.

The route we took was once the only link between Europe and Asia. Along this route flowed ideas, inventions, cultures, languages, spices, even disease and gunpowder. But more than the excitement of following the footfall of adventurers, armies, and smugglers, for me it was the thrill of driving a Maharashtra-registered Audi Q7 all the way from Munich to Mumbai—a journey that spanned 2 continents, 9 countries, 40 cities, over 58 days, across 20,200 kilometres.

THE ABCs OF PLANNING A ROAD TRIP ACROSS COUNTRIES The joy of driving your own car or motorcycle across countries and continents is unmatched The logistics and paperwork for a drive like this are considerable, but if you break it down and give a year to the planning, it will become simpler. Now that the border between India and Myanmar is open for vehicular traffic, you can actually drive your own car into or out of the country.

CARNET DE PASSAGE Along with a passport and visas for every country you will enter, you need the Carnet de Passage, which is like a passport for the car. In Mumbai it is issued by the Western India Automobile Association (WIAA) on behalf of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). It must be stamped while leaving and entering India, and is usually issued against a bank guarantee that is returned when the car is back in the country.

INSURANCE Your vehicle needs international insurance. Some countries also require local insurance to drive there.

DOCUMENTATION Among the documents required are an international driving licence and proof that the car belongs to you or that you are legally allowed to drive it. China and Myanmar need provisional registration for the car which has to be applied for in advance.

China also needs drivers to have a provisional driving licence to be applied for in advance.

COST OF SHIPPING A VEHICLE Costs vary based on where you ship your vehicle. The cost of shipping the

car depends on the space (volume) it occupies on a plane, not its weight. While the Audi Q7 cost `9 lakh to ship from Bombay to Munich, my Royal Enfield motorcycle would have cost `45,000.

A small car that is roomy inside is a good option. Sending your car by boat is cheaper, but takes considerably longer.

I put the car on a plane in Mumbai on a Saturday and was driving it in Munich three days later, on Tuesday.

BORDERS Driving across nine countries was never a hassle. Still, border crossings can be dodgy because language is a barrier and it’s not every day that patrollers see Indian cars crossing over from Poland to Belarus, or Mongolia to China. On border crossing days, keep a few hours as buffer. While you might waltz across some borders, it’s possible that you will have to wait for five hours at others. Pack so everything from the car can be emptied and inspected easily.

Smuggling of illegal goods is what most border officials are paranoid about.

HOMEWORK Research everything thoroughly. Find out about countryspecific driving etiquette and requirements. For example, in the Czech Republic, you have to purchase a vignette (a sort of highway tax symbol) which must be stuck on the windshield.

WHO CAN HELP? The local RTO can help with some paperwork. However, it’s simpler to become a member of the local Automobile Association (AA) like the WIAA in Mumbai, and let them help with documentation. A company that specialises in arranging road trips abroad for Indians with their own cars or motorcycles is www.roadtripper.in.

They can assist with visas, shipping, local guides, and more.

THE ROUTE MUNICH

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2,400 km (4 days)

7,000 km (13 days)

MOSCOW Russia

4,200 km (9 days)

ULAANBAATAR Mongolia

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

1,500 km (6 days) CHENGDU China

5,100 km (25 days) MANDALAY Myanmar

MUMBAI Total Distance 20,200 km

â– WO RLD

EUROPE The drive started on familiar terrain across countries that I had already visited and driven in. We stopped at pretty tourist cities and towns like Prague (above) and Regensburg (right).

The first few days through Europe allowed us to get used to driving a right-hand drive car on the right side of the road.

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Journeys |

ROAD TR I P

RUSSIA Russia is so much more than just Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Driving across it I realised that it is actually a collection of vastly varied cultures, cuisines, climates, and time zones. In Kazan, we saw a family dressed up in traditional Tartar attire (top) and at Lake Baikal we spotted the brightly coloured houses typical of Siberia (left).

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â– WO RLD

MONGOLIA While most of Mongolia is standard steppes around the Gobi desert, Ulaanbaatar is a vibrant capital city with the Chinggis Khan Square dominating it (top). Out in the countryside, we encountered many shepherds on horses (bottom), herding sheep just like they have since the time of Chinggis Khan.

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ROAD TR I P

CHINA Driving across China was a revelation in food, history, and rapid development. I was astounded by the fact that the country firmly keeps its history alive, yet is right on top with the latest gadgets and fashions. Oh, and the Chinese will never leave home without a selfie stick! At Chengdu, we visited pandas and enjoyed sensational street food in Pingyao (top).

MYANMAR Myanmar is delightfully stuck in the past with gilded pagodas (facing page) and 70-year-old World War II bridges that are still termed “temporary� (top).

INDIA Some 58 days later Amar Jawan Jyoti and India Gate, New Delhi, marked the last leg of this road trip.

Rishad saam mehta is a travel writer and photographer. His second book Fast Cars and Fidgety Feet (Tranquebar) will be out in February 2016.

GET GOING

ACTIVE HOLIDAY

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active holiday Ocean adventures in the isles of Mauritius

122

active break Explore Goa’s thriving mangrove forests on a kayak

On a submarine ride to the depths of the ocean, visitors are provided fish charts to identify the many species they spot.

Chasing Blue Dreams I

sland getaways often translate into lying on a sunbed all day, cocktail in hand. The spectacular waters off Mauritius, however, deserve more attention. Even if you aren’t set to scuba dive or snorkel and prefer staying dry, these three fun activities will reveal deep-sea secrets and provide an unbridled rush of adrenaline. These pursuits, from the air, on the surface, and deep below the sea, cater to water babies, marine-life aficionados, and adventure enthusiasts.

UP IN THE AIR

The bigness of our blue planet hits me as I soar some hundred feet above the Indian Ocean attached to a rainbow-hued parasail. A cloudless sapphire sky meets the varied blues of Mauritius’ waters on a blurry horizon. Deep indigo waves conceal the mysteries of the

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2,313 The shortest distance in kilometres, between Mauritius and the nearest mainland, Mozambique in southeast Africa.

ocean, while clear aquamarine patches allow views of the seabed. The entire vista glints madly in the golden sunlight, like a sort of wild van Gogh painting. I’m happy breathing the salty air, legs dangling far above the water. Abruptly, the tension in the towline slackens, the parasail slowly collapses, and I rapidly descend. Before I can process what’s happening, my bottom is gently dunked into the warm ocean. Île aux Cerfs, where I’m parasailing, is a little speck off the east coast of Mauritius, geared for water sports of all kinds. The languid seven-minute parasail flight reinforces the might and mystery of the ocean from an aerial perspective. While observing reef patterns and the changing hues of the water below me, I can’t help but dwell on how little we know of the ocean, though it covers 71 per cent of Earth’s surface. I long to dive to its depths to learn more.

PHOTO COURTESY: BLUE SAFARI

UNDER, OVER, AND ABOVE: THREE WAYS TO FIND HAPPINESS IN MAURITIUS | BY MALAVIKA BHATTACHARYA

INTENSITY THESE ARE FUN WAYS TO ENJOY THE OCEAN EVEN FOR THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW HOW TO SWIM. NONE ARE PHYSICALLY TAXING

EASY

MODERATE

DEMANDING

DEEP DIVE

The following day, I do exactly that. Aboard the BS 1100—a 10-seater submarine operated by Blue Safari from Mon Choisy—I step straight into a Jules Verne novel. An eerie blue glow fills the cramped space, circular port windows line the sides, and the front is a muddle of knobs. We descend into the murky depths, watching shards of sunlight fight to pierce the ocean surface. Captain Oliver, the pilot, announces that we’ll be reaching a depth of 35 metres where the wreck of the Star Hope cruiser lies. “The abandoned ship was scuttled in 1998 to make an artificial reef and a five-starhotel for the fish,” he says. The sea creatures sure seem to be living in style, darting around the 58-metre-long, coral- and seaweed-covered parts of the sunken ship.

A bristly brown fish resembling an overused toothbrush swims past. It’s a lionfish, and its long spines can deliver a venomous sting that can cause extreme pain for days. Curious orange clownfish, pretty but poisonous purple coral, sad-eyed racoon butterflyfish: The ocean is a tangle of creatures in every possible hue and size. At this depth, colour and size are altered considerably. The diminished light and thick glass windows result in everything outside looking 25 per cent smaller.

It’s evident that the creation of artificial reefs—a practice used by Japanese fishermen since the 18th century—aids in the formation of a rich marine ecosystem.

“In 40-50 years, the entire wreck will be covered in coral”, says Oliver. In that cramped space we sit with noses pressed to the glass, inquisitive fish swarming around us, in a bizarre reversal of roles where we are in an airtight aquarium.

ON THE SURFACE

Back on land, I head to Black River by car to explore the placid lagoons of the southwest coast on a nifty little Seakart. With a steering wheel and easy accel-

ATLAS

Mauritius MADAGASCAR

Mon Choisy

ì

Port Louis Île aux Cerfs

ì

MAURITIUS

La Balise, Black River

The 330-km coastline of the island of Mauritius has 150 km of coral reefs surrounding it.

ì

eration, the turbine-propelled, four-stroke engine, 110 horsepower vessels look and run exactly like go-karts, except on water. A gentle squeeze on the accelerator and I’m bumping along the surface at close to 40 km/hr, manoeuvring past party yachts and the occasional wave. The two-seater craft is easy to handle, almost like a scooty. There are no seat belts and barely anything to hold on to. It makes for a scary but thrilling ride, and the operators insist that the Seakarts are “unsinkable and unflippable.” Speedboats are so passé. I’m zooming across open water and each little swell knocks me off my seat so I’m constantly hovering mid-air. The salty sea spray whips my face and in no time, I’m drenched.

Blue waves eventually give way to the aquamarine placid lagoon. The thrum of engines falls away and I jump in for a swim. Here at Crystal Rock, I swim around the rocky protrusion that floats on the emerald surface. A solitary shrub grows on it. In the distance, Le Morne Mountain shades the sun from my eyes. I’ve had the extreme thrill of speed and the deliciousness of a slow-paced swim on the same stretch of sea.

The Vitals Parasailing A round-trip boat transfer to Île aux Cerfs from Trou d’Eau Douce Bay and seven minutes of parasailing costs MUR 1,397/`2,577 per person. (Drive to the boat pick-up point near Le Touessrok resort. Book parasailing and other water sports at booths by the water on arrival at the island.)

Submarine Blue Safari’s submarine experience lasts two hours, including a one-hour dive, and costs MUR 4,400/ `8,119 per person. Mon Choisy on the northwest coast is a 50-min drive from Trou d’Eau Douce Bay (Trou aux Biches; +230-265 7272; www.blue-safari.com).

Seakart An hour-long experience with Fun Adventure Mauritius is MUR 5,300/`9,779 per Seakart (La Balise, Black River; +230-5499 4929; www.fun-adventure.mu).

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DEAGOSTINI/W.BUSS/CONTRIBUTOR/GETTY IMAGES (ISLAND), PHOTO COURTESY: FUN ADVENTURES (SEAKART)

Parasailing above Île aux Cerfs (left) provides the perfect vantage point to admire its sandy beaches and coral reef lagoon; Easy-to-drive Seakarts offer a thrilling way to enjoy the warm, blue water.

Get Going |

GOA

EASY

MODERATE

ACTIVE BREAK

INTENSITY KAYAKING DOES NOT NEED EXTENSIVE TRAINING, HOWEVER IT DEMANDS REASONABLE LEVELS OF FITNESS AS PADDLING REQUIRES UPPER ARM STRENGTH. KAYAKING TOURS IN GOA CAN RANGE FROM RELAXED TO STRENUOUS.

DEMANDING

Kayaking through Goa’s lush mangroves is the best way to explore these otherwise inaccessible expanses.

In winter, around 15 species of migratory birds (bottom) can also be spotted here.

Skimming the Surface EXPLORING GOA’S THRIVING MANGROVE FORESTS ON A KAYAK | BY RUMELA BASU

122

of fitness or skill. Even beginners can learn to paddle after a short tutorial. Those seeking more of a challenge however, can try more demanding routes on the Mandovi and Zuari. Most trips end at one of the fishing villages, with a meal of crab curry, fried fish, and beer.

MAKE IT HAPPEN Goa Kayaking

organises daily guided trips of varying intensity. Two-hour trips on the Sal River backwaters start early in the morning. Guests paddle at their own pace through the river’s shallow mangrove channels. More intensive is a 34-kilometre loop on the Zuari. (www.goakayaking. com; from `3,050 per head, `4,800 for couples; includes kayak, transport to and from pick-up point, life jacket, and snacks.)

Konkan Explorers organises three- and five-hour Chapora

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

942 Approximate area of mangroves, in acres, lining Goa’s rivers and estuaries.

River cruises on a boat, stopping to kayak around the mangroves at Eagle and Seagull islands. Customised trips to the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, Mandovi, are also possible (www.konkanexplorers.com; 3-hr trips `3,000 per head, 5-hr trips `3,500 per head; includes kayaks and necessary equipment).

NEED TO KNOW Wear comfort-

able clothes, preferably shorts and shoes you don’t mind getting wet and muddy. Carry a hat, sunscreen, towel, and change of clothes.

If travelling with children, enquire about age limits beforehand. Some companies do not allow young children on the kayaks without a crew member, others may tie their kayaks to the ones the parents are on so they can trail along.

PASCAL RIBO

F

or a novel experience in Goa, turn to its six rivers: Mandovi and Zuari are the big ones, but there’s also the Sal, Mapura, Terekhol, and Chapora.

Together, they support a thriving mangrove habitat, which attracts abundant wildlife. The riverine areas, where slow-moving waters meander through towns, forests, and villages, are rich in biodiversity.

Signing up for a kayaking trip is a great way to soak in its beauty.

The pace of these trips is easy, and paddlers can stop often and linger.

The small boats give visitors access to the heart of the mangroves, only feet away from inhabitants like herons, cormorants, kingfishers, and frolicking otters. From November to February, visitors may also spot flocks of migratory birds.

Best of all, navigating Goa’s calm waters doesn’t require high levels

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SHORT BREAKS 124

from delhi Handsome forts and bowls of bhujiya in Bikaner

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stay Slowing down at a homestay near Mumbai

127

stay A green corner in the concrete jungle of Guwahati

Bikaner’s grand havelis were built between the 17th and 20th centuries.

Their facades and carved windows and balconies display a mix of Rajput, Mughal, and colonial influences.

Best of Bikaner

B

ikaner is not very popular on travel itineraries and remains relatively less commercial as a result. The Old City in particular is impervious to the 21st century; even ubiquitous mobile network hoardings have not penetrated this part of town. Its labyrinth of narrow lanes, lined with shops selling deep-fried street food, paan, and piles of spices, is perfect for an evening of exploring. But it has more impressive draws too.

There are modest palaces, opulent havelis, and the handsome Junagarh Fort where royal heirlooms and even a reassembled

fighter jet are on display. These regal vestiges are clues to the city’s history: It was the capital of the erstwhile princely state of Bikaner ruled by the Rathores. There’s also the famous Karni Mata rat temple nearby, which draws both devotees and the curious. However, the trick to discovering this Rajasthani town is not through a whirlwind tour of the sights. It is to stroll along its bazaars, chat with locals, and dig into its sinful street food. Bikaner’s most popular export is after all, the Bikaneri bhujia which even has a geographical indication (GI) tag.

THE VITALS

Bikaner is 440 km/8 hr from Delhi, 330 km/5 hr northwest of Jaipur and 250 km/4.5 hr north of Jodhpur. The closest major airport is in Jodhpur, while the main railway station is Bikaner Junction. Regular trains and buses connect Bikaner to other cities in Rajasthan and around the country.

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SHUTTERSTOCK/INDIAPICTURE

GRANDIOSE HAVELIS AND SAUNTERING CAMELS IN A RAJASTHANI BORDER TOWN | BY AMBIKA GUPTA

HERITAGE HOLIDAY

3+

Delhi

440 km

Bikaner

D AY S

five ways to explore SHIP OF THE DESERT Baby camels are lanky, doe-eyed, furry, and oddly endearing.

Watch and even pet them at the National Research Centre on Camel. Camels of all ages live here, from babies flopping about on the ground to full-grown adults with big teeth and huge eyelashes.

Sample camel milk ice cream that’s all the rage with locals.

ORNATE FORT Junagarh Fort dominates the city centre. Its chequered history is closely intertwined with the region. Over the centuries, the fort was home to about 20 rulers, from Maharaja Rai Singhji (Bikaner’s sixth king who laid the foundation of the fort) to the family of Maharaja Ganga Singh who moved out in the early 1900s. Each added personal touches, evident from the elaborate and sometimes quirky rooms. Dazzling gold work adorns some ceilings and pillars and the fort museum includes a collection of stupendously ornate dressing tables, and a DH-9 DE Havilland fighter plane received as a World War I trophy. (Open daily 10 a.m.-4.30 p.m.; entry `200 adults, `100 children and students.)

In the early 20th century, the royal family moved into the sprawling Lallgarh Palace. The west wing of the pink sandstone manor is now The Lallgarh Palace Hotel. Its corridors have photographs of erstwhile royalty, offering intimate glimpses into their everyday life. Visit for a meal or coffee in the marble courtyard. The Sri Sadul Museum, on the grounds, has treasures such as a railway carriage and a special soup spoon, half-covered at the top so the king’s moustache remained dry. (www.lallgarhpalace.com; buffet `850 per head; musuem open Mon-Sat 10 a.m.-5 p.m., entry `20.)

HAUGHTY HAVELIS I consider Bikaner the land of havelis. The Old City has a number of gorgeous mansions, each grander and more ornate than the next. Some jut out at odd angles while others run the length of a small lane; most remain empty and locked up. I spend an afternoon taking in these massive structures in the narrow lanes. Their intricate facades alone are worth a trip—the atmosphere and setting are of a neighbourhood caught in a time warp.

BOUNTIFUL BAZAARS

At the National Research Centre on Camel (top), the sight of dozens of camels out on their daily stroll around noon is endearing; Junagarh Fort (middle) houses a museum, and has beautiful glass, lacquer, and woodwork in its palaces; It’s impossible to escape shops in Bikaner’s old bazaar selling a variety of dry snacks (bottom) including dal moth.

Bikaner’s old bazaar, inside Koth gate, is a delight. Craftsmen hammer away at lac bangles and goldsmiths fashion ornaments.

Smiling shopkeepers offer passersby khoya, paneer, or paan at no charge. Dig into piping hot jalebis and kachoris at the iconic Chhotu Motu Joshi sweetshop on Station Road, or sample a mind-boggling variety of bhujias in the tiny, yet crowded Bishanlal Babulal Bhujiawala (near Koth Gate, opp. Labuji ka Katla). JANUARY 2016 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

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AMBIKA GUPTA (CAMEL & FOOD), TBOISVIEUX CHRISTOPHE/HERMIS.FR/GETTY IMAGES (JUNAGARH FORT)

A HOME AT HEART

Short Breaks |

STAY

BLISSFULLY AWARE SLOWING DOWN THE PACE OF LIFE AT A HOMESTAY NEAR MUMBAI | BY BHAVANI

family-friendly

eco-friendly

Mumbai Bliss, ì Banyan Vasunde Gaon

THE VITALS

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The doors at Banyan Bliss are made of recycled wood, the roofs are clay-tiled, and most windows look upon soothing, green vistas. Its decor is simple, homely, and filled with character. The green leather sofa is comfortingly weathered, as is the easy chair, perfect for a long read. There are piles of books to browse, a drawer full of LPs in an old study table, and old curios perched in corners. It felt like the minute we said our goodbyes, the family would move back in.

There are plenty of things to do around the house, including taking a cooking class with Beena. Active travellers can go on village walks, trek to Behri to see the local rock temple, or visit the Amba River, a short hike away. More leisurely pursuits include stroking their horse, Prince, walking around the small fruit garden, and soaking your feet in the pond. While my companions took long naps, I sat on the veranda overlooking paddy fields with the hosts and other guests, fortified with a flask of chai and an endless stream of pakoras. As dusk set in, the wind picked up, filling the air with whistles, rustles, and calls. The best thing about Banyan Bliss, I realised, is that nature is an integral part of this home.

Getting There Banyan Bliss is in Vasunde village 30 km from Khopoli (120 km/2 hr southeast of Mumbai and 111 km/2.5 hr from Pune). Driving or hiring a car is the best way to get there. Local trains and state transport buses are available from Mumbai to Khopoli.

BHAVANI

W

e were parked under two cashew trees, at a clearing in a village near Khopoli, unsure of how to proceed. Through the narrow grills of a house, a dog barked at us. Close by, a horse harrumphed and shuffled its feet. The wind rushed through the trees loudly. There were several gates before us but no signboard, nor a human being in sight. Gathering our combined navigational skills, my three friends and I picked one. We walked in tentatively and came upon on a group lunching at a picnic table. Spotting us, a man with a wide smile, grey beard, and wired spectacles jumped up and rushed towards us saying, “You must be hungry!”

Banyan Bliss, a homestay run by Viinod and Beena Nair, sits on the slope of a hillock, about two hours from Mumbai. It has four rooms surrounding a wizened banyan tree, which is the heart of the nature-friendly getaway. The Nairs live in the adjacent house (with the barking dog). Until five years ago, they were residents of Mumbai, like most of their guests. Seeking to simplify and slow down the pace of their lives, the couple found this plot of land and began building one unit at a time.

Friends dropped by needing to escape the city, and not long after, the idea of a homestay was born.

Accommodation Banyan Bliss has four rooms with en suite bathrooms, and a clutch of tents. I stayed in the erstwhile master bedroom with a king-sized bed and a sit-out by the pond.

The Loft, accessed by a spiral staircase, is a cosy space for a young couple or friends. Meals are homely, supervised

by Beena, and made by local staff (www. banyanbliss.com; 93211 22616/93244 44290; `2,900 per person, including all meals).

Short Breaks |

STAY

GUWAHATI GEM A SPOT OF GREEN IN A CONCRETE JUNGLE | BY SARITA SANTOSHINI

relaxation

family-friendly

Prabhakar Homestay, Guwahati

ASSAM

Meals were a memorable affair. I began my day with breakfast in the garden, where I watched kingfishers as I sipped coffee. For lunch and dinner—served in the dining room—there was traditional food made by Pankaj, the cook. Don’t miss his Assamese thali, the highlights of which are chicken curry cooked with bamboo shoot, and masor tenga, a sour fish curry relished by locals.

His chocolate pudding, though not traditional, is delicious.

The morning I was set to leave, I saw Mr. Bora at work in the small room next to the hall and decided to say hello. He sat surrounded by shelves of notebooks and cartons of brightly coloured lampshades. I learned that they were all products of Elrhino, a company he started that makes things from rhino and elephant dung. Why poo?

Mr. Bora got the idea from another company that was making paper from elephant dung and thought it was a great way to highlight the plight of Assam’s wildlife and provide an alternate livelihood to villagers in the area.

I picked up a notebook with a colourful tribal print on the cover, for it reminded me of the Mishing tribe that I visited on the Assamese island of Majuli. I carry it along on my travels now, and every once in a while, I am reminded of the Boras’ hospitality and their lovely Guwahati homestay.

Getting There Located in the Chandmari locality of Guwahati, Prabhakar Homestay is about 27 km/1 hr from Guwahati airport and about 4 km/20 min from the railway station.

JANUARY 2016 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

CHIRODEEP CHAUDHURI

S

itting on the porch of Prabhakar Homestay, it was hard to believe that I was in Guwahati, a city that has been rapidly losing its green cover to urbanization. The carefully tended garden before me teemed with colour.

Magenta bougainvillea, red ixora, pink hibiscus, yellow chrysanthemum, and countless varieties of orchids—there were blooms everywhere, with halos of butterflies fluttering around them. My conversation with Sheila Bora, my affable host, was punctuated by birdsong. It made me happy knowing that the largest city of Assam, the state that we both call home, still has corners like this.

Prabhakar Homestay is the home of Sheila, a retired history professor, and Mahesh Bora, formerly a mining engineer. They started their homestay five years ago with the intention of contributing to tourism in the northeast of India, and over the years, have hosted people from across the country and world.

Flowers make their way into the Boras’ home too—on cushion covers, tablecloths, and linens, and in vases on bedside tables. Plenty of sunlight streams in through windows and after dark, elegant lampshades fill corners with warm, yellow light. The Boras live on the ground level while the guest rooms are on the floor above. My room was simple and thoughtfully furnished with a rocking chair by the window—a perfect spot for reading.

Accommodation Prabhakar Homestay has five rooms; four on the first floor and a smaller one on the ground floor. They are all air-conditioned and tastefully furnished. (prabhakarhomestay. com; doubles from `4,200, including breakfast; meals at `650 per meal per head).

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STRANGE

PLANET S N I P P E TS F RO M OU R FASC I N AT I N G WO R L D

MUGGLE MATCHES Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter,

in Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. and you can buy your own Quidditch broomstick, but if you feel like actually playing the game, you can probably find a league of your own. From American cities Boston to Baton Rouge, college students who grew up reading the Potter series now play it on hundreds of college campuses.

Successful wizards battle it out all the way to the World Cup. NO PULL Ringing church bells by hand is a dying art—even in Rome, where electric motors now power most bells, including those in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

SHELL SEEKERS A New Zealand couple, Fred and Myrtle Flutey, decorated nearly every square inch of their living room—including telephones and picture frames—with colourful paua shells.

When they died, their grandson donated the interior to the

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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2016

Canterbury Museum in Christchurch, leaving the curators, no doubt, shell-shocked.

LUCKY PATCHES Medieval travellers wore pilgrimage badges to fend off disease and bad luck. Badges of piety? Not necessarily. One dug up recently in the Netherlands featured X-rated scenes.

POLAR EXPRESS Flying low, Antarctica Flights offers day trips over Antarctica from Australia for spectacular views of Earth’s coldest, windiest, and driest continent.

CHECKMATE The world’s largest chessboard is located on the side of an office building at 767 Third Avenue in Manhattan. The board recreates famous chess matches, albeit slowly, when a building employee riding in a cherry picker moves one piece every week. —Andrew Nelson and Paul Martin

RICHARD ELLIS/ALAMY/INDIAPICTURE

Players at the 2014 Quidditch World Cup in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S.A.