exceptional travel experiences 2013 The Marriott Rewards速 Premier Credit Card From Chase
2013 exceptional travel experiences 1
2013 exceptional travel experiences 2
ABSORB THE CULTURE 2013
Contents Exceptional Travel Experiences This is the reason you travel. It’s for those transformative moments, when you shiver, wideeyed and speechless, because you’ve just experienced something that made you feel like a child again. It’s often a Proustian pleasure, like the texture of the perfect Shanghai dumpling, or the taste of homemade mead bought from a Russian babushka in a headscarf. Or maybe it’s learning Flamenco, and the moment you realize that you had to actually be in Spain to truly understand the dance down to your bones. On the next few pages, we’ve gathered some of our favorite exceptional travel experiences from AFAR.com followers all over the world. Now it’s your turn.
EAT 13 DRINK 19 DO 25 SHOP 05
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2013 exceptional travel experiences 3
of Columbia. Restrictions and limitations apply. See www.MarriottPremier.com for pricing and rewards details. Marriott Rewards points needed for a standard reward free night stay range from 7,500 points for Category 1 hotels to 45,000 points for Category 9 hotels. Refer to MarriottRewards.com for all reward redemption values. © 2013 JPMorgan Chase & Co. All rights reserved.
2013 exceptional travel experiences 4
EAT In 2007, when residents reported noxious
photographer based in Bangkok, recalls
WHERE TO BUY AND TASTE NAM PRIK
fumes in London’s Soho neighbor-
that when she was growing up, preparing
PAO IN BANGKOK
hood, police and firefighters feared the
nam prik pao was a special event for
possibility of a terrorist chemical attack.
her large family, who came together to
Nam Prik Nittaya
They smashed down the door of a small
make big batches once or twice a year.
This well-known curry paste shop in the
commercial storefront to discover the
For one day, the driveway of her house
Banglamphu district sells nam prik pao
culprit: a pot of burning chilies. The
was converted into a makeshift kitchen.
that is just the right mixture of spicy, salty,
chef of the Thai Cottage restaurant was
Family members roasted chilies and stir-
and sweet. The store also stocks a wide
making nam prik pao, the chili paste
fried garlic and shallots over a charcoal
selection of pastes, prepared curries, and
that just might be the secret weapon of
fire, and chopped and pounded all the
other ready-made goods.
Thai cuisine. A single bite of the jam-like
ingredients by hand. They carefully
136-40 Thanon Chakhraphong,
concoction contains all the elements that
followed the instructions of Punlopruska’s
66/(0) 2-282-8212
make Thai food so addictive: it is at once
grandmother. “Nobody else can make it
spicy, salty, slightly sweet, smoky, and just
like she did, because the taste was in her
Aw Taw Kaw Market
a little bit sour.
tongue,” Punlopruska says. “She wanted
Across the street from Bangkok’s famous
In Thailand, most nam prik pao devotees
to make everything from scratch, and it
Chatuchak Weekend Market, Aw Taw Kaw
have strong opinions about the right way
was a ritual that she controlled.
sells beautiful fruits and seafood as well
to make it and the best way to eat it. The
She put a lot of love into it, and she was
as a diverse variety of nam prik pao. The
purists stick to the basics—roasted dried
very serious.”
closest subway stop is Kamphaeng Phet.
chilies, roasted garlic and shallots, fish
Like most Thai cuisine, nam prik pao
Phaholyothin Rd.
sauce, dried shrimp, and palm sugar. The
is bold but delicately nuanced. Cooks
improvisers come up with hundreds of
typically make their chili jam by taste,
Khao Tom Jay Suay
riffs, depending on the region and the
so written recipes are hard to come by.
A classic Chinatown restaurant with a vast
season, like variations made with spicy
Punlopruska compares the process of
display of vegetables out front, Khao Tom
ginger, mackerel, or green mango. Some
making nam prik pao to creating a theater
Jay Suay serves such traditional dishes as
people consume nam prik pao primarily as
piece. “There’s nothing really complicated
smoked duck, jap chai (a vegetable stew),
a dip for vegetables and crackers; others
in the actual cooking of Thai food,” she
and clams stir-fried in nam prik pao.
incorporate it into stir-fry dishes, salad
explains. “It’s all in the prep work—what
547 Thanon Phlubplachai,
dressings, and soups.
happens before the ingredients come
66/(0) 2-223-9592
Thai people from all walks of life hold their
onstage. It’s like a long rehearsal, and
nam prik pao memories dear. Nutchanand
you have to be ready to bring so many
Osathanond, a Bangkok food columnist,
different elements together.”
cookbook author, and cooking teacher,
In these fast-paced times, when premade
remembers the paste from her childhood.
versions are readily available in small
“In the olden days, you made nam prik
shops and large supermarkets, homemade
pao to give to your friends to take as a
nam prik pao can be a rare treat. “If I can’t
snack on trips to the country,” she says.
get the best, I don’t eat it,” Punlopruska
“My favorite way to eat it is still as a dip
says. “Savory and sweet together, that’s
with shrimp crackers.”
how it should be. It’s the blend of flavors
Korakot Punlopruska, a food writer and
that makes the magic.” —Marie Doezema
AFAR January/ February 2013, p.48,49
ART CREDIT: Jason Michael Lamg
thailand’s sweet heat
2013 exceptional travel experiences 6
EAT HIGHLIGHTS
6 Best Tapas Bars, Barcelona By MAYSSAM SAMAHA
Chinese Prosperity Salad By ARWEN JOYCE
This summer, I spent a few days in Barcelona. Of course, any trip of mine is always
Throwing and eating yu sheng (or lo hei in Cantonese) is a Chinese New Year tradition
highlighted by the many restaurants I visit. In Barcelona, I ate at these six outstanding
unique to Singapore and Malaysia. This celebratory salad is piled up with shredded
tapas bars, each offering a different vibe and a different attitude.
veggies, raw salmon, and condiments like lime juice and crushed peanuts, all topped with
Read more
a sweet dressing. Each layer and ingredient symbolizes prosperity in some way for the New Year. Read more
2013 exceptional travel experiences 7
2013 exceptional travel experiences 8
EAT HIGHLIGHTS Ethiopian Cooking School By KRISTIN ZIBELL Any visitor to Ethiopia, or any Ethiopian restaurant, is familiar with the ubiquitous injera. Made from the indigenous tej wheat, this crepe is the plate, fork, and bread at most Ethiopian meals. At the Lalibela Cookery School in the ancient capital of Lalibela, Ethiopia, you will learn, on a wood-fired stove, how to make injera and some of the complementary lentil and chickpea curries and sautéed vegetables served with it. Read more
Bangkok’s Food Scene By Matt Long There is nothing quite like the worldfamous Thai food experience in Bangkok itself. While an emerging middle class
Butter Museum in Cork, Ireland By FLASH PARKER
has led to an influx of new, experimental
Admit it. Come on. You saw butter museum in the title and you giggled. Then you made
often marked with an umbrella to keep
a promise to yourself to visit this place the next time you’re in Ireland.
out the afternoon sun, offering simple but
It’s all in good fun, and the museum is housed in a beautiful building in Old Cork, so it’s
delicious meals on the go.
worth checking out on those merits alone. And you know you want to tell your friends
Read more
restaurants, my favorite foods aren’t found on menus, but on the streets of the city itself. Walk a few blocks in any direction and you will begin to notice small stands,
you visited the Butter Museum in Ireland. You know you do. Read more
2013 exceptional travel experiences 10
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* Purchase and balance transfer APR is 15.24% variable. Cash advances and overdraft advances APR is 19.24% variable. Penalty APR of 29.99% variable. Variable APRs change with the market based on the Prime Rate, which was 3.25% on 03/21/13. Annual fee: $0 introductory fee the first year. After that, $85. Minimum Interest Charge: None. Balance Transfer Fee: 3% of the amount of each transaction, but not less than $5. Note: This account may not be eligible for balance transfers. Cash Advance Fee: 4% of the amount of each advance, but not less than $10. Foreign Transaction Fee: None. Credit cards are issued by Chase Bank USA, N.A. Subject to credit approval. To obtain additional information on the current terms and information on any changes to these terms after the date above, please call 1-888-623-7829 or visit www.MarriottPremier.com. You must have a valid permanent home address within the 50 United States or the District of Columbia. Restrictions and limitations apply. See www.MarriottPremier.com for pricing and rewards details. Marriott Rewards points needed for a standard reward free night stay range from 7,500 points for Category 1 hotels to 45,000 points for Category 9 hotels. Refer to MarriottRewards.com for all reward redemption values. 息 2013 JPMorgan Chase & Co. All rights reserved.
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DRINK
Along Russia’s Kamenka River, the
painted with ornate flowers and vines,
performances. On weekends, a cappella
medieval township of Suzdal draws
and waitresses in embroidered aprons
choral music echoes throughout the
weekenders from Moscow, about 130
serve stacked trays of mead in small clay
building.
miles southwest, to its opulent, onion-
cups. Join customers on wooden benches
As you walk around the town, look for
domed Orthodox churches and well-
toasting with a hearty “Budem zdorovy!”
Russian babushkas (grandmothers) in
preserved monasteries. But Muscovites
(Let’s be healthy!).
head scarves selling homemade mead
also visit to experience Suzdal’s other
Then, stroll (or wobble) through
from folding tables. They smile, point, and
treasure: mead.
neighborhoods of delicately latticed
market the merits of the cloudy brews
Russian mead, or medovukha, is a blend
wooden homes and dozens of churches
contained in an assortment of stubby
of fermented honey and yeast and has
and monasteries scattered across Suzdal,
brown bottles. You can purchase one for
the approximate alcohol content of
some reconsecrated as active centers
less than $5.
wine. Additional ingredients make the
of worship and refurbished to their
At the end of the day, relax on a park
mead sour (lime), sweet (extra honey),
original glory. Walk a half-mile north
bench on the bluff behind the square, sip
spicy (pepper), or bitter (pine-tree
from Torgovaya Square to the Savior
your Suzdal-made mead, and gaze over
buds). Sample Suzdal’s best at the Zal
Monastery of Saint Euthymius to see the
the Kamenka River toward golden domes
Degustatsii Medovukhi (Mead Tasting
16th-century seven-domed Cathedral
sparkling in the fading light. —Bill Fink
Hall), wedged behind the shops off the
of the Transfiguration of the Savior.
central Torgovaya (Trading) Square.
There, brilliantly colored frescos provide
Inside, the walls and arched ceilings are
the setting for virtuoso bell-ringing 2013 exceptional travel experiences 14
AFAR May/June 2010, Bill Fink. p.18
ART CREDIT: Opposite page: Flikr; Lindsey Gira. This page clockwise: starting top left: Flikr; Serg-smirnoff, Lindsey Gee, Serg-smirnoff, Jim Kelly, Darriuss Royce.
Medieval Russia, with Extra Mead
DRINK HIGHLIGHTS Drink of the Pirates in Cuba By SUE MANUEL With the U.S. travel restrictions to Cuba recently relaxed, I was able to realize a lifelong dream and visit that enchanting tropical isle under an official educational license for “people to people” travel. In between the fascinating meetings with locals and the exhilarating live music and the walking tours of colorful colonial neighborhoods, I was also on a mission to decide who made the best mojito in Cuba. Read more
Coffee with a Heart in Japan By ARWEN JOYCE A super-talented barista in Cafe Ponte near Hiroshima Peace Park inscribed a message of peace and love on my morning latte. For the last 67 years the city of Hiroshima has devoted itself to the causes of peace and nuclear non-proliferation. Read more
Pourhouse in Vancouver By SAVANNAH OLSEN (AFAR) They serve comfort dishes here, but the simplicity is deceptive. The burger, for instance, is made from bacon, brisket, and chuck. Cocktails are an experience: Order absinthe and they will bring out the proper bohemian barware so you can party like it’s 1889. Read more
2013 exceptional travel experiences 15
DRINK HIGHLIGHTS
NYC’s Best: Employees Only By MAGGIE BACH
Hawking Horchata By KAROLYNE ELLACOTT
This West Village “speakeasy” was a great choice for celebrating a 30th birthday. Hidden
Found in stalls plotted roadside and lining market streets, horchata is a staple of Salvadoran cuisine.
behind a neon psychic sign and very intimidating bouncer, they have an impressive
Elsewhere in Central America, the sweet beverage is often built from a ground rice or sesame seed base,
creative cocktail list. I recommend the West Side and the Ginger Smash. Although the
however the Salvadoran version is usually crafted from morro seeds. Certainly my top beverage, the only
menu is limited, the Bone Marrow Poppers and Oriecchiette pasta were excellent.
complaint I have is that it disappears far too quickly...
Read more
Read more
2013 exceptional travel experiences 17
2013 exceptional travel experiences 18
Do
“Elbows out, twist your hands, hold
stomp, and pause. “To help us catch
On several evenings the group joined
your posture, feel the rhythm . . . feel
the rhythm, the teacher, Lourdes Recio,
crowds of tourists and Sevillanos at
the rhythm,” Christine Lian told herself.
would play the same song over and over,
professional flamenco shows. “I felt
She was in a flamenco lesson in Spain,
and beat time on the drum. She’d often
very inspired that this was the capital of
trying to master the steps of this fluid,
show us the move herself—she made it
flamenco, and the locals loved it as much
dramatic dance. “My biggest challenge
look easy,” Christine recalls. Then it was
as I did,” she says. Afterward, Christine and
was grasping the beat,” she says. Christine
time for private Spanish lessons with
her friends would sit down to a late dinner
had taken classes for more than a year
tutor Carmela Gordillo. “We’d sit for two
of tapas: calamari, caracoles (snails), oxtail,
in Tampa, Fla., but she wanted a deeper
hours and talk about our lives and the
and other local specialties. Then the trio
understanding. So she traveled with two
status of the world. ¿Cómo se dice ‘global
would return to the modest but well-kept
friends to study at Taller Flamenco in
warming’?”
flat of a Spanish family.
Sevilla, the capital of southern Spain’s
Later, Christine and her friends explored
With each day the dancing got easier.
Andalusia region, where the Roma people
the cobblestone streets and Moorish
“I had to feel the beat of the song with
(Gypsies) are said to have created the art
architecture of Sevilla. They shopped for
my heart,” says Christine. “At first I had
form hundreds of years ago.
flamenco skirts, sturdy leather dancing
to close my eyes, but finally I felt it.” On
Every morning for five days, Christine
shoes, and the fabric flowers dancers
Friday, everything came together. “You’ve
spent two hours in a technique class at
pin in their hair. “One day we walked
got the balance, the coordination, the
the school. Along with six classmates, she
into a department store where there
hands, and the rhythm, and you’ve been
would warm up, then work on posture,
were thousands of dresses for sale,” says
sweating over it,” she says. “But all of a
head movements, and when to snap,
Christine. “We were in flamenco heaven.”
sudden your body is in sync.” —Kelly Lack
2013 exceptional travel experiences 20
AFAR September/October 2011, Kelly Lack. p. 65
ART CREDIT: Opposite page: Flikr; Flavio~. This page clockwise starting top left: AFAR.com; David Wilson, Emily Adams, Vanessa Petersen, Greg Oates, Albert Millan.
Spanish Steps
DO HIGHLIGHTS
Seaside in Sestri Levante By CHELSEA CHRISTENSEN
Tokyo Urban Oasis By KOKLEONG THAM
Along the northern coastline of Italy there is a place where the mountains touch the sea.
A most gorgeous development is the T-Site—one can just hang out amid the hip crowd,
A place where the palm trees, pine trees, and cacti grow together in the mild climate.
sip coffee, or take in lunch. The flagship Tsutaya bookstore is here and it’s amazing. The
A place where the aroma of the food is so robust that the Italians call it, “the fragrant
whole development is a really sumptuous urban oasis that feels like Tokyo but does not
kitchen of Italy.” That place is Liguria, famous for incredible seafood, pesto, focaccia,
look like the built-up city that you may see most of the time.
monstrous yachts, celebrity sightings, dry white wines, and romantic sunsets.
Read more
Read more
2013 exceptional travel experiences 21
2013 exceptional travel experiences 22
DO HIGHLIGHTS Panama’s Comarca Kuna Yala Fishermen By LARA DALINSKY The Comarca Kuna Yala, also known as the San Blas Archipelago, is a remote group of nearly 400 islands strung along the Caribbean coast of northeastern Panama. The Kuna Yala are a semi-autonomous Indian group who inhabit the area, and most of their communities are only accessible by boat or plane. During our visit, it was not uncommon to see men paddling or sailing around the islands, searching for the best catch of the day. Read more
Getting Dizzy in Turkey By SHERRY OTT The Whirling Dervish Lodge in Bursa puts on a nightly spiritual performance that gets you back to the basics of why the whirling
Tulum Ruins and Beaches By REY MADOLORA The Mayan Ruins of Tulum are already spectacular, but then you peak over the cliffs at
dervishes exist. This is no “show” for tourists; this is a spiritual event and service. You can see the utter devotion on these men and boys’ faces—a true experience in Turkey! Read more
one of the most beautiful beaches you’ve ever seen! I guess there is no wonder as to why the Mayans chose this spot for their city. Be sure to pack your swimsuit and some towels (maybe some snacks) for your visit to the Tulum Ruins, because the beach below the ruins is not to be missed. Read more
2013 exceptional travel experiences 24
ecuador, In Fino Veritas Blame it on a U.S. president that a straw
a black band and wide brim. Today, their
in Montecristi. In general, the tighter the
hat made on the coast of Ecuador is
quality ranges from cheap knockoffs
weave, the higher the quality. The weave
known, erroneously, as a Panama hat. A
made in China to high-priced Montecristi
of finos is so tight—up to 50 strands per
photo from the turn of the 20th century
finos, the hand-woven, hand-blocked
square inch—that the hats take on the
showing Teddy Roosevelt (wearing said
version from Montecristi.
texture of fine linen.
hat) near the Panama Canal construction
“These high-end hats are works of art,
If a $5,000 price tag puts a Montecristi
site helped to create the misnomer.
not articles of clothing,” says Tom Miller,
fino out of your reach, Panama hats made
The headwear actually originated in the
author of The Panama Hat Trail. “What’s
with only 20 strands per square inch can
coastal town of Montecristi, Ecuador,
special about them is the craftsmanship,
cost $500 and are still considered quite
where some of the finest hats are still
the raw material that they start out with,
good, just not quite so fino as fino.
produced today.
and the care that goes into weaving and
—Aaron Britt
Made of tightly woven straw-like toquilla
finishing the hats—it’s a whole process.”
palm fibers, Panama hats, called
For travelers interested in purchasing
sombreros de paja toquilla in Ecuador,
a hat in Ecuador, Miller recommends
are light in weight and characterized by
visiting one of the several high-end stores
2013 exceptional travel experiences 26
AFAR December/January 2010, Aaron Britt. p.50
ART CREDIT: Opposite page: AFAR.com; Matthew Smith. This page clockwise starting top left: Flickr: DanNevill, Flickr: prilfish, AFAR.com: Matthew Smith, Flikr: Tea, two sugars, Flikr: Tea, two sugars.
SHOP
SHOP HIGHLIGHTS Watch your silverware! In Johannesburg By NINA DIETZEL Meet the other Prince—a jewelry designer who has his workshop at the Unity Gallery, inside the Bus Factory. Prince makes rings, bracelets, necklaces and pendants out of... silverware. We had a good laugh when I told him I wouldn’t let him anywhere near my kitchen! If you want to connect with locals, the Bus Factory is a great place. Read more
Underground Market By SUNDARI SWAMI I was visiting the town of Santiago de Atitlán in Guatemala and went to the town market as part of this visit. It is a large and bustling market, as most markets tend to be, with portions that are both covered
and has a highly interesting atmosphere.
Nice People at Tegalalang Market By JAYMS RAMIREZ
Read more
A couple of hours from Kuta Beach (the main beach in Bali) there are a bunch of
and uncovered and above and below ground. The market sells all sorts of goods
beautiful villages and rice paddies with picturesque sunbeams shooting through the clouds and intermittent rain cooling you down in the sultry humid air. I came along the village of Tegalalang, a small village known for its woodwork and bamboo art... Read more
2013 exceptional travel experiences 27
SHOP HIGHLIGHTS
Arts & Crafts in Lima By JULEE K.
Plaid Pigeon, Austin, Texas By LARA DALINSKY
When I decided to go to Peru, I knew there would be plenty of handicrafts to capture my
We pulled up in our car to the normal-looking residential home and were surprised to
attention. Vendors, all dressed in native costume, had spread out their goods and wares
be greeted by a backyard full of playful plant art and a large greenhouse as we turned
all over the plaza area. On the periphery were vendors selling from stalls. Each of the
the corner. The small company, run by a friendly couple, Ian and Megan, creates unique
stalls had a sign indicating where the vendor was from, so it was good place to begin to
terrariums, succulent arrangements, and planters.
learn about the crafts specialties of the various regions of Peru.
The East Austin Studio Tour is held in November when local artist’s open their studios
Read more
and workshops to the public. Read more
2013 exceptional travel experiences 29
2013 exceptional travel experiences 30
exceptional travel experiences 2013 The Marriott Rewards速 Premier Credit Card From Chase
2013 exceptional travel experiences 31
2013 exceptional travel experiences 32