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J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0 • ` 1 5 0 • VO L . 8 I S S U E 7 • N AT G E O T R AV E L L E R . I N

Novak Djokovic’s Belgrade & Varun Grover’s Benaras

2020 SURPRISE SPOTS KHIVA

LAKELAND

ARCHES

YUNNAN

Uzbekistan’s Silk Route secret

Lapping up a Finnish summer

Red rock highlights in Utah

Heritage highs in southwest China

J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0 • ` 1 5 0 • VO L . 8 I S S U E 7 • N AT G E O T R AV E L L E R . I N

Novak Djokovic’s Belgrade & Varun Grover’s Benaras

2020 SURPRISE SPOTS KHIVA

LAKELAND

ARCHES

YUNNAN

Uzbekistan’s Silk Route secret

Lapping up a Finnish summer

Red rock highlights in Utah

Heritage highs in southwest China

N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C T R AV E L L E R I N D I A

January2020 VOL. 8 ISSUE 7

The Itinerary 14 SILK, SPICES AND STORIES IN SHEKI

A centuries-old caravanserai, psychedelic palaces, and a local stew that goes straight for the heart in the Azerbaijani city 22 GOING BOLDLY INTO THE FUTURE

Want to see where the world is headed? These tours will take you there

HEARTLANDS

Colonial-era stays with mountain views pepper Himachal Pradesh 32 MAPPING OUT MONTENEGRO Beautiful Adriatic beaches and dramatic mountains range free in this tiny Balkan country 38 2020’S EARLY TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS

Festivals, art dos and sports events worth travelling for

The Address 42 POSTCARD PARADISE Peaceful island life spiked with a dash of holiday adventure make up your stay at this modern Maldivian resort 48 SOUTH OF THE EQUATOR, SONGS OF THE SEA

Haute cuisine, roaring parties, and a slice of the Indian Ocean are your housemates at Club Med La Plantation d’Albion in Mauritius

REZA/GETTY IMAGES NEWS/GETTY IMAGES

28 WOODEN HOUSES IN FOREST

Regulars 104 Travel Quiz

The Destination 52 KHIVA: THE LAND OF BABUR’S DAUGHTERS

The Uzbek city is an exciting example of the wonder that is Central Asia 60 UTAH’S ROCK STARS Millennia-old formations and the comfort of an old friendship colour a hike in Arches National Park 68 LIVING THE SLOW LIFE IN YUNNAN

A writer seeks the China he had read about in history books, and finds it in the towns of its southwestern province 76 HOW TO SUMMER IN FINLAND Amid startling natural beauty, you fish, forage, swim and sauna. And do it all like a true-blue Finn

The Memoir 86 PICTURE IMPERFECT What happens when an Instagram enthusiast decides to not post about her vacation? 90 BELGRADE: ADVENTURES IN THE LAND OF DJOKER

How a diehard Federer fan gets pulled in by the magic of Djokovic’s hometown 96 SACRED LANES, SINFUL TREATS Writer Varun Grover unleashes his travelling soul in a chatty exchange ON THE COVER On the brink of this new decade, many suffer the fatigue of a fast-changing travel 2020 SURPRISE landscape. Shunning SPOTS showbiz travel, we’ve kept 2020 simple. Painted Uzbek towns (pictured) to Finnish summers—here are soulful experiences we vouch for. Nothing more, nothing less. J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0 • ` 1 5 0 • VO L . 8 I S S U E 7 • N AT G E O T R AV E L L E R . I N

Novak Djokovic’s Belgrade & Varun Grover’s Benaras

KHIVA

LAKELAND

ARCHES

YUNNAN

Uzbekistan’s Silk Route secret

Lapping up a Finnish summer

Red rock highlights in Utah

Heritage highs in southwest China

DAVORLOVINCIC/ISTOCK UNRELEASED/GETTY IMAGES MLENNY/E+/GETTY IMAGES (COVER)

Editor in Chief LAKSHMI SANKARAN Commissioning Editor KAREENA GIANANI Senior Associate Editor HUMAIRA ANSARI Assistant Editor SOHINI DAS GUPTA Assistant Editor JULIAN MANNING Assistant Digital Editor LUBNA AMIR Digital Writer SANJANA RAY Junior Writer POOJA NAIK Art Director DEVANG H MAKWANA Senior Graphic Designer BRIJESH GAJJAR

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The Itinerary

CHARUKESI RAMADURAI

SILK, SPICES AND STORIES IN SHEKI

Palace jaunts and a stew that warms the heart in the Azerbaijani city

22 GLOBAL TOURS: THE FUTURE IS BOLD 28 REST HOUSES IN HIMACHAL’S HEARTLANDS 

32 MAPPING OUT MONTENEGRO 38 2020’S EARLY TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS 

24 HRS/48 HRS/72 HRS

SILK, SPICES AND STORIES IN SHEKI A CENTURIES-OLD CARAVANSERAI, PSYCHEDELIC PALACES, AND A LOCAL STEW THAT GOES STRAIGHT FOR THE HEART IN THIS AZERBAIJANI CITY BY CHARUKESI RAMADURAI

ew travellers to Azerbaijan look beyond the capital, Baku. What they miss is the charm of Sheki, a city swaddled in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, and a significant stop on the Silk Route.

In July 2019, Sheki’s historic centre along with the Khan’s Palace was anointed as UNESCO sites. It takes a day spent in its cobbled alleys, silk and spice bazaars, weaving in-and-out of its red-tiled homes, to unravel Sheki's stories.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

REZA/GETTY IMAGES NEWS/GETTY IMAGES

Sheki’s architecture is a canvas for the art of shebeke—stained glass mosaics pieced together without glue or nails.

works magic on the wooden latticework, deftly incorporating bits of coloured glass. Other stalls display local embroidery, pottery, and the popular 11-stringed instrument—the Azerbaijani tar. A small history museum in the complex is also worth a stop for its galleries of traditional artefacts, cooking implements, pottery and weapons.

11.45 p.m.

For a modern-day Silk Route experience, walk down the main Dummy text 10 minutes. Step inside the historic Yukhari road for about Voluptumque us Karvansaray Hotel, where a lush central courtyard is fringed

Floral and paisley motifs pop inside Sheki Khan’s Palace.

10 a.m.

Sheki’s superstar is Xan Sarayi, or Sheki Khan’s Palace, perched on a hill at the northeast end of the town. Shaded by chinar trees, the two-storey structure was built as a summer palace for the ruler in 1762. The facade itself is quite the stunner, with turquoise, cobalt and ochre tiles studded on the walls, and wooden latticework windows. It is also the only fully restored building in the fortress complex which houses the Khans’ residences and a winter palace. Inside, every inch of the walls and ceilings pops with vivid murals and frescos of floral and paisley motifs, along with hunting and war scenes in the rooms on the upper floor. But the palace’s cynosure are the windows covered in shebeke: mosaics of stained glass pieced together like a large jigsaw. I marvel at the sunlight streaming through them, casting psychedelic shadows, bathing the room in its warmth.

11 a.m.

Walk down to the fortress grounds, to the roofed art and crafts bazaar where several artisans’ stalls showcase Azerbaijan’s unique handicrafts. The shebeke workshop is near the entrance, and the master craftsman demonstrates how he 16

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

The local 11-stringed instrument, tar, is an ode to Azerbaijan’s musical heritage.

24 HRS/48 HRS/72 HRS

by a two-level arcade of stone arches. Built in the 18th century for travellers and traders to rest for the night, the restored caravanserai is now open to both overnight guests and daytime visitors. There are far better hotels in town, so drop in just for a walk and their elaborate tea ritual at the çayxana (teahouse) with its cosy alcoves—sample dried fruit and nuts, apricot and white cherry murabba (jam), and baklava served with fragrant çay straight from the samovar.

3.30 p.m. A 20-minute drive north of Sheki, deep in a valley overlooking jagged peaks lies the village of Kish, home to only a few thousand residents. Walk its cobblestone streets until you reach: the Albanian Church of Kish, said to have been built in the first century A.D. The modest, beautiful space is now a museum, and displays pottery and Bronze Age skeletons excavated in the region over the past two decades. Aimless walks around Kish are equally rewarding, with the mighty Caucasus for company.

1 p.m.

For lunch, walk four minutes to Restoran Qaqarin for a quick meal of pilaf (fragrant rice baked inside phyllo pastry) and Azeri wine. Sheki is renowned for its sericulture industry, and few souvenirs are as lovely as the traditional silk Azeri headscarves known as kelagayi: These can be stylishly accessorised as scarves or stoles too. Pick one up from one of the shops lining the main road outside the Karvansaray hotel. And don’t forget to buy some famous Sheki halva, the rich and layered, nutty dessert also known as pakhlava, from Aliahmad Sweets, a five-minute walk away. 18

The Albanian Church is the main draw in the town of Kish.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

VASTRAM/SHUTTERSTOCK (BUILDING), VASTRAM/SHUTTERSTOCK (CHURCH) PREVIOUS PAGE: FABRIZIO TROIANI/AGEFOTOSTOCK/DINODIA PHOTO LIBRARY (PALACE), WALTER BIBIKOW/ DIGITALVISION/GETTY IMAGES (BOY)

Visit the Yukhari Karvansaray hotel for an elaborate tea ritual with white cherry murabba and baklava.

24 HRS/48 HRS/72 HRS

8 p.m. Back in Sheki, reward yourself with a hearty dinner of piti, Sheki’s signature dish, at the restaurant Nuxa at Marxal Resort and Spa. The thick stew of lamb, chickpeas, vegetables rich with the flavour of onions and garlic, chestnuts and the stray apricot is traditionally slow cooked for 8-12 hours in clay pots called dopu, which impart a unique taste. Piti is usually served with copious amounts of lavash or soft bread. To eat piti like a local, tear the bread into small bits, pour over it the liquid from the dopu, sprinkle some sumac, and enjoy the flavourful, soupy mess. Then mash the remaining stew into a chunky paste with a wooden pestle, pour it into the bowl and eat it as the second course.

ESSENTIALS

don’t hire a taxi, a bus from Baku International Bus Station (32 km/45 min drive west the airport) is a more economical option. Indian travellers to Azerbaijan can get an evisa at evisa.com.az, which costs $25/`1,800, plus a service fee.

Stay Rooms at the Sheki Saray Hotel are kitted with modern comforts and overlook either the city or the Caucasus Mountains (www. shekisaray.az; doubles from AZN70/`2,950).

Ringed by the Greater Caucasus Mountains, Sheki was a significant stop on the Silk Route; Sheki’s best flavours are hidden in a pot of piti (top left) and the sweetness of Sheki halva (top right).

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

ALIZADA STUDIOS/SHUTTERSTOCK (PITI), ELENA ODAREEVA/SHUTTERSTOCK (HALVA), ALIZADASTUDIOS/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES (CITY)

Getting There & Around There are no direct flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku. All connections need a layover at gateway cities like Dubai and Sharjah. Sheki lies about 300 km/4.5 hr northwest of Baku. If you

TRENDSPOTTING

GOING BOLDLY INTO THE FUTURE WANT TO SEE WHERE THE WORLD IS HEADED? THESE TOURS WILL TAKE YOU THERE BY NORIE QUINTOS | ILLUSTRATIONS BY ELENA XAUSA

FOOD TOURS GO HYPERLOCAL Today’s food tours reflect culinary trends, from one-dish deep dives to pop-up dining in people’s homes. There’s also a new wave of giving back, “where travellers consciously consume sustainable food and products, actively choose to visit unique destinations to offset the impacts of overtourism, and tread lightly through the places they visit by supporting local initiatives and organisations,” says Prachi Jain of the Indian outfitter Escape To.

VEGGING OUT

Between fried pakoras and spicy biryani, carnivores will find themselves converted in Escape To’s 10-day “Vegan Adventure to India.” Street food, vegan chai workshops, and almond milk smoothies are just the tip of the iceberg lettuce. The southern India (Bengaluru and Hampi) itinerary also covers fair-trade fashion and visits to rehab centres for bears and other wildlife. (escapeto.in)

THE SPICE OF LIFE

n the heels of a year that saw a record 1.4 billion travellers crisscross the globe, a flight shaming movement crystallised by Greta Thunberg’s sailboat journey from Europe to New York, and promising steps in the effort to reduce plastics and embrace sustainability, it’s time to ask: What will define travel in 2020? For insights, we turned to adventure travel operators, nimble outfitters that help people see and explore the world differently. What’s trending? “Look for trips that partially solve, or 22

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

at least acknowledge, the larger issues we face globally,” says Casey Hanisko, president of the Adventure Travel Trade Association. “That could mean tours that address social disconnection in the face of digital connection, personal well-being, global economic inequality, and— certainly—climate change.” In other words, the future of travel is not just a vacation. What hasn’t changed is the essence of travel: discoveries, adventures, surprises. Here are trends and tours we love for the year ahead.

The ultimate pilgrimage for spice devotees is Zicasso’s “The Sriracha Tour: A Culinary Journey to Thailand and Vietnam.” Visit the coveted sauce’s namesake, Si Racha, Thailand, and get your hands on a replicable recipe in a blending workshop before diving into a zesty tasting. You’ll have opportunities to cleanse your palate between microbreweries and a Michelin-starred restaurant over 15 days

TRENDSPOTTING

in Chiang Mai, Hanoi, and Bangkok. (zicasso.com)

FAMILY FEASTS

When the one thing missing from travelling is a home-cooked meal, Traveling Spoon steps in with nonnas and abuelas worldwide. In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, you’ll meet home chefs Daniel and Tigist. The couple will guide you through a food market before taking you back to their kitchen for a two-hour class preparing Ethiopian injera bread and shiro

to get to know their city on a deeper level. With the rise of freelancing and the gig economy, we’re seeing an increase in locals taking our urban tours because they are no longer tied to a desk from nine to five.”

HELLO, CHALLAH

(stew). Dessert is a caffeine addict’s delight: coffee served with traditional ceremony. (travelingspoon.com)

CITY TOURS GET BOLD This year’s hottest city tours are sharp, lively, and bubbling with newwave activism. They allow travellers to soak up the essential culture in a few hours—as long as internet-era attention spans will last. “We call our day tours ‘sampler platters’ because we only have two hours to entertain and educate our guests in a museum home to hundreds of thousands of fascinating items,” says Museum Hack’s Tasia Duske. And these are not just for out-of-towners. “We’re noticing that locals are joining our tours in order

Raised in the Satmar Hasidic tradition, tour guide Frieda Vizel introduces her microcosm of NYC’s many immigrant neighbourhoods in a short culture tour of Jewish Williamsburg, in Brooklyn. You’ll meet friends and family while taste-testing pastrami and rugelach over deli counters. Having left Hasidic life behind, Frieda offers a respectful and bilateral interpretation of the tech-light community and its dress codes and gender norms. (friedavizel.com)

THE FUTURE IS FEMALE

Museum Hack takes only two hours to smash the patriarchy in its “Badass Bitches” tour of the National Gallery of Art, in Washington, D.C. The goal: illuminate the 9 per cent of womengenerated art on display in the East Building. “Action items” include writing postcards to museum officials. (museumhack.com)

EDGY ATHENS

Only the most intrepid will go beyond the crowded Acropolis to the rough and real Athens in GuruWalk’s pay-asyou-please day tour.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

Armed with a guide’s local knowledge of the city’s darkest alleys (he’s six three and built like a security guard), prepare to dive into conversations about marginalisation and legal prostitution. Guide’s tip: Keep your pockets empty. (guruwalk.com)

WELLNESS TRAVEL OFFERS MORE THAN MASSAGES It’s no longer just about exercising and eating well. Or even mint tea and meditating. “We’re realising that body, mind, and heart are inextricably interconnected,” says Michael Bennett of Explorer X, “and travel programmes are increasingly exploring those connections.”

SOUNDS OF SILENCE

Beeping, honking, notifications, ads, “Alexa!”—time to put it all on mute. For 12 days, acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton takes eight people into the Amazon Basin of Ecuador for recharging within one of the world’s last remaining places

free of urban sound pollution. “Amazon Awakenings” guests can therefore focus on natural rhythms normally imperceptible to human ears. Once the group discovers its sanctuary of silence, a float trip down the Zabalo River weaves the thrumming of insect wings and the crackling of tree branches into a private orchestra. (explorer-x.com)

JOINT EFFORT

Bring on the munchies— My420 Tours pairs a smoke session with edibles in its “Sushi and Joint Rolling” experience. Among the new wave of cannabis tours in Denver (where pot is legal), this class explores the art of crafting the perfect joint with help from a local sushi chef. Rice and herbs included. (my420tours.com)

OUT OF OFFICE

Techies and other professionals trade MacBooks for mountain bikes in this eight-day bonding excursion with Mastermind Adventures. Its most recent tour to Bhutan included outings to monasteries,

tea ceremonies, and luxurious spa treatments. When not fuelling participants’ “inner adventures,” serial entrepreneur Mike Brcic had them engaged in Himalayan ascents and vigorous cycling. Making connections with your newfound “tribe” beats another company scrum. Brcic rarely goes to the same place twice, so book a spot quickly for 2020 tours to destinations like the Amazon and Greenland. Go ahead— Silicon Valley will still be there when you get back. (mastermind-adventures. com)

HOT WHEELS WON’T NEED GAS Travellers—increasingly uncomfortable with how their activities are contributing to climate change—are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint, whether by using public transportation, bikes, or a revolutionary new roadster.

WHEELS IN YOUR BACKPACK

Would travellers take planet-friendly local public transport more frequently if it were convenient and easy to navigate? That’s the concept behind Oku Japan’s five- to sevenday “Noto Peninsula SelfGuided Cycling” along the Japan Sea, which employs folding bikes (the top-line Brompton), modern public transportation, and easyto-follow itineraries and topographic maps. The trip begins with Kyoto’s teahouses and urban markets, then quickly leads to coastal villages such as Wajima, where you can stock up on lacquerware. It all makes for easy riding, but helpers are still on call. (okujapan.com)

PEDAL PUSHER

Not just any vehicle will do for zipping around the

TRENDSPOTTING

vineyards and villages of Chile. On special outings of its Colchagua Wine Valley tour, South Expeditions unveils the stylish Southmobile, reminiscent of a 1930s Formula One car that runs on clean solar and electric power. According to South Expeditions founder and inventor Juan Rodríguez, “I wanted to find a way for people to travel from one winery to another in a clean-energy vehicle and still be able to feel close and connected to the surroundings.” (southexpeditions.com)

BIKING REVAMPED

Couple one of history’s greatest battle marches with state-of-the-art cycling tech and you have Bike Odyssey’s month-long, nearly 2,575-kilometre “Hannibal: Barcelona to Rome” tour, following the footsteps of the fearsome Carthaginian general. You’ll go over the Pyrenees and Alps, minus the famous war elephants. These days founder Sam Wood is chasing down GPS-equipped devices for every handlebar (the “Karoo” with downloadable routes) and planning for cleanenergy support vans. E-bikes are available, as are shorter 10- or 13-day legs. (bikeodyssey.cc)

TOUGH ISSUES DON’T GET IGNORED Rising seas. Loss of wildlife habitat. The

politics of division. The extinction of languages. Poverty. These and other complex issues will require out-of-thebox solutions. “When you take people out of the office and into the field, you shake them out of their comfort zone, open minds and hearts. Amazing things can happen,” says National Geographic Emerging Explorer and expert guide Aziz Abu Sarah.

LEAVE NO TRACE Natural Habitat Adventures leads the charge in the zero-waste race. The company reuses, recycles, composts, or upcycles as much as it can in the

seven-day “Yellowstone: Adventure Under the Big Sky” luxury camping experience inspired by the African bush. Participants will visit Montana’s hot springs and grassy overlooks while on the lookout for wolves, bison, and grizzlies. It’s not about keeping the status quo, but “improving

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

the environments and communities we visit as part of travel,” says Court Whelan, director of sustainability and conservation travel. (nathab.com)

ARCTIC BLAST

One of the most rarely visited landscapes in the world is the Floe Edge, the so-called Line of Life where the Arctic Ocean meets icy terrain. Over nine days of Arctic Bay Adventures’ “Life on the Floe Edge,” Inuit guides welcome guests to the boundaries of Canada’s Baffin Island via snowmobiles and toasty tents. Here on the front lines of a rapidly changing climate, you’ll

see what’s at stake and explore solutions with the first stewards of the land. During the short window in June when the sun lingers for 24 hours, guests witness normally shy wildlife passing through for an exceptional gathering, among them walruses, beluga whales, and polar bears. Local meals

such as char prove crucial for warming up. (arcticbayadventures. com)

THE HOLY LAND IN WHOLE

The Greatest Story Ever Told is even better with fresh perspectives from typically unheard-of quarters. Nat Geo’s 11day pilgrimage through “The Holy Land: Past, Present, and Future” looks at everything from archaeology in Jerusalem and environmental activism on the Jordan River to the thorniest issues of politics and religion. The goal is to seek out diverging narratives. Says guide Aziz Abu Sarah, “By having two guides, our travellers get to experience the Holy Land in a holistic way instead of the singular story. We have our groups have a meal with a rabbi and then visit a Palestinian family and have a meal with them. Instead of exploring

one kind of music, we invite one of the few Palestinian-Israeli music bands to play Arabic and Hebrew songs.” (natgeoexpeditions.in)

STEM INCUBATORS

You’ll wish you were back in high school with this 10-day Nat Geo Student Expeditions trip. The “Technology and Innovation Workshop in Silicon Valley” is the definitive revenge of the nerds. High schoolers will tinker and design with the newest gadgets at their disposal, and meet Googletrained engineers. Past workshops have included deconstructing an underwater drone or OpenROV, diving into immersive VR, and prototyping rainforest anti-poaching tech. Students wrap up with a capstone invention— and have the opportunity to receive Nat Geo funding to launch it. (ngstudentexpeditions. com.) 

ECO TRAVEL

WOODEN HOUSES IN FOREST HEARTLANDS REASONABLY PRICED, COLONIAL-ERA STAYS WITH JAW-DROPPING MOUNTAIN VIEWS PEPPER HIMACHAL PRADESH BY PALOMA DUTTA

hether it is star gazing through the skylight over your bed in the town of Sholtu or the heartbreakingly picturesque location of the hundred-year-old property in Sangla, the 300-odd colonial-era forest rest houses of Himachal Pradesh are a celebration of the idyllic. The old-world charm of staying in quaint cottages amid wooded mountains is often accentuated by the rest houses’ British-era, late 19th-century architecture—sloping slate-tiled roofs, expansive verandas, wood-panelled walls, stone chimneys and fireplaces. The caretakers of the rest houses, especially in the remoter locations, cook simple pahadi fare for the guests. All this for anything between `500-1,000 for a couple. 28

The remote location perhaps makes the forest rest house just outside Kugti village, the last settlement before the Kugti Pass, a particularly endearing site. Wooden houses propped on stilts, roofs tiled with slate—the place shows how basic creature comforts marry an exquisite setting. The 13-kilometre trek from the Hadsar road head—a narrow mountain trail most of the way—is interrupted by waterfalls from glacial melt tripping over the path before disappearing into the Budhil river. Along the way you will meet the nomadic gaddi tribes with their goats. The Sholtu Forest Rest

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

House (FRH), on the other hand, was built in 1925 on the bank of the Satluj river inside a clump of forest in the Rampur district, a couple of hours ahead of Shimla. It is an ideal pit stop on the way to Kinnaur Valley from Delhi. The skylight on the sloping wooden roof over the bed looks out to pine trees during the day and stars at night. The 110-year-old FRH located just outside Sangla village adjacent to the Tibetan border is a destination in itself, a poetically pretty, wooden cottage situated under the shadows of the mighty Kinnaur Kailash range, a stone’s throw away

PALOMA DUTTA (COTTAGE), SOMENDRA SINGH/DINODIA PHOTO/DINODIA PHOTO LIBRARY (GOAT)

Meet friendly mountain goats (inset) along the trek to Forest Rest House, Kalatop.

from the Baspa river. A distance of just 12 kilometres from the charming but busy Dalhousie leads one through wooded avenues to the FRH situated inside the Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary. This exquisitely located nearly hundredyear-old hilltop FRH has many trekking trails and opens up panoramic views of the Pir Panjal range. When on a trek to the high altitude Kareri Lake, the forest rest house overlooking the edge-of-the-world Kareri village is a caravanserai for tired bones. A rejuvenating three-kilometre trek from Barsheni (the last motorable stretch of road), just past Pulga village in Parvati Valley (a quieter alternative to neighbouring Kasol) takes travellers to the enchanting Pulga FRH at the edge of what locals call the ‘fairy forest.’ ESSENTIALS Originally allowing only forest and government officials to stay in the FRHs, the Himachal Pradesh tourism department has over the years opened up these rest houses to the general public at a nominal tariff. Many of the properties can be booked online at himachalecotourism.org and the average cost is `500. For the rest, a phone call to the district DFO’s office, followed by a transfer of some documents over email is enough to secure a roof in the wilderness. The exhaustive list of FRHs can be found on hpforest. nic.in.

Kugti village (top left), the last settlement before the Kugti Pass, and Sangla village (top right), with the mighty Kinnaur Kailash range in the backdrop, are destinations in themselves; Pulga FRH (bottom) in Parvati Valley sits at the edge of what locals call the ‘fairy forest.’

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

PALOMA DUTTA (CHILDREN), UTSAV KAPADIA/DINODIA PHOTO/DINODIA PHOTO LIBRARY (MOUNTAIN), PALOMA DUTTA (COTTAGE)

ECO TRAVEL

WEEKENDER

MAPPING OUT MONTENEGRO BEAUTIFUL ADRIATIC BEACHES AND DRAMATIC MOUNTAINS RANGE FREE IN THIS TINY BALKAN COUNTRY BY JO FLETCHER-CROSS Monaco,’ offering plenty of boutiques, restaurants and bars to satisfy the wealthy clientele. But Montenegro is far more than just another Med hotspot for the super rich; its Adriatic beaches are remarkably beautiful, its mountains the very definition of dramatic, while the Mediterranean climate is as welcoming and its towns are packed with historic sights. It’s a place where hot afternoons disappear in friendly bars, and restaurants excel themselves with menus of fresh, local seafood and familiar,

Italian-influenced dishes. The opening next year of One & Only Portonovi (oneandonlyresorts.com)—the high-end hotel group’s first European property—in the Bay of Kotor, in the country’s south west, will doubtless bring more attention to Montenegro. But go also to enjoy the country’s natural pleasures: boating on reed-lined freshwater lakes; buying homemade honey in local markets; and marvelling at Kotor’s collection of UNESCO World Heritage Site-listed churches.

Lovćen National Park holds the black mountain Montenegro is named after.

BEN PIPE/AWL IMAGES

hile still not exactly mainstream, Montenegro certainly isn’t under the radar—the tiny Balkan country is popular with yacht owners and moneyed Russians seeking sunshine. Between the mountains and pretty coastline are eminently walkable walled towns and fortresses, along with upmarket hotels, and places to moor all those yachts. The high-end marina Porto Montenegro, in Tivat, for example, opened in 2016, touted as the ‘new

TOP 5

Active adventures CLIMB BOBOTOV KUK The highest peak in Durmitor National Park, at 8,284ft, BobotovKuk is a challenging hike — but not ridiculously so. Parts of the climb involve scrambling up loose stones, and then using ropes to balance on rocky ledges. RAFTING ON THE TARA RIVER Snaking through the world’s second-longest canyon, the Tara River offers both calm stretches and thrilling rapids to enjoy. The water is clear and drinkable, with plenty of (cold) swimming spots.

DAY ONE BUDVA & SVETI STEFAN MORNING Founded in the fifth century BC, Budva is the oldest city on the Montenegrin coast, shaped by Roman, Venetian and Byzantine invaders. Its best known for its medieval city wall. The walk along the boardwalk to Stari Grad (Old Town)— passing bobbing boats and stalls selling the catch of the day—is the perfect way to start the day. Stari Grad’s cobbled alleys are dotted with beautiful squares and chruches. Enter the Citadel, which dates from the 19th-century Austrian occupation, and climb to the highest point for sea views at Citadela restaurant (citadelabudva.me). Don’t miss the library, lined with red leather armchairs and books on the region, international leaders and historic conflicts.

AFTERNOON From Stari Grad, take a 15-minute stroll along the coastal path to Mogren Beach (actually two beaches, connected by a small tunnel). The further beach is a little quieter and the golden sand, gently sloping into the Adriatic, just that bit 34

nicer. Sun loungers are pricey but not compulsory—you can just sit on the sand. A bit further along the coast, at a cliff known as Shark’s Rock, brave souls leap 40 feet into the sea below. Grab something for lunch at the snack bars here, or back at the Old Town; Stari Grad Restaurant, which sits between the city walls and the beach, serves excellent seafood and local wine. (konobastarigrad.me)

EVENING Located on an islet a few miles from Budva, Sveti Stefan is a jumble of honeycoloured medieval stone villas connected to the mainland by a causeway. Part of the Aman Sveti Stefan hotel, it can only be accessed by guests, although tables on the terrace can be booked by nonresidents. Exceptional Montenegrin wine is served alongside dishes made with local produce, such as burrata cheese and prawns. Time dinner as the light fades over the mountains and the sea, and the lights of Budva twinkle away across the bay.

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SKIING IN KOLASIN With more than 80% of the country covered in mountains, it’s no surprise that in winter, Montenegro has plenty to offer snowsports enthusiasts. Ski resort Kolašin 1450, on Bjelasica Mountain, has 24 kilometres of slopes at altitudes of between 4,760 feet and 16,470 feet. (kolasin1450.com) ZIP-LINE ACROSS TARA CANYON This canyon is said to have the longest zip-line in Europe at 3,445 feet. Riders zoom over the ravine at up to 120 kmph. There are two other zip-lines at the nearby Đurđevića Tara Bridge, the shortest of which, Red Rock, offers the most spectacular views. TANDEM PARAGLIDING FROM BRAJICI This is a popular spot for tandem paragliding. Launching from the mountain village of Brajići, 2,590 feet above sea level, offers vistas of Budva and its fortress, beautiful Becici Beach, the red roofs of Sveti Stefan, and far out across the turquoise waters of the Adriatic Sea.

AIS60/ISTOCK EDITORIAL/GETTY IMAGES

The Old Town of Budva is truly trapped in the past.

BUDVA’S BEST

Beaches

Lake Skadar National Park holds the largest lake in southern Europe.

DAY TWO VIRPAZAR & LAKE SKADAR MORNING Lake Skadar is an enormous freshwater lake straddling the border of Montenegro and Albania. There’s a train station about a mile from the main town, Virpazar (taxis can be arranged), with the line running from the coastal town of Bar to Podgorica, the capital. Trains are rather rickety and not especially reliable, but they’re very cheap. Virpazar has a few small hotels and there are a fair amount of private rooms to rent. Take a wander around the little town to see the impressive monument commemorating the communist uprising against the Italian fascists in July 1941. There’s a weekly market, which gave the village its name (Virpazar means ‘lively market’) every Friday, selling vegetables, wine, honey and other local produce.

AFTERNOON The best way to see Lake Skadar is by taking a boat trip. Several companies offer cruises of varying durations in traditional Montenegrin wooden lake boats. Kingfisher (skadarlakeboatcruise. com) offers a two-hour trip that heads out towards the distant mountains of Albania, sailing past a fortress built to protect against the Turks 300 years ago. Swallows skim over the water as the boat edges 36

through a small channel, brushing against reeds. Once out on the open water, it’s possible to spot over 281 bird species, including the dinosaur-like Dalmatian pelican. The boat stops in a quiet spot, surrounded by karst outcrops sprouting pine trees, offering the possibility of a chilly swim for brave souls willing to take the plunge.

EVENING There aren’t a huge number of places to eat in tiny Virpizar, and the menus are all broadly similar. Restaurant Silistria is probably the most fun. Set in a replica of the wooden boat given to King Nikola by the Turks in the 19th century, it’s permanently moored just off the main square. It serves grilled meat and lake fish, including carp and the endemic bleak. After an evening on the boat, stop off for a drink at one of the bars on the square. The village has several small hotels, as well as private apartments such as Draga’s Rooms (dragas-rooms.virpazar. hotels-me.net). Located a few minutes’ walk from the main street, it offers cheap accommodation, a lake-view terrace and a warm welcome from Draga herself. Take earplugs: the frogs around the lake strike up a chorus at night.

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FOR EXCLUSIVITY: Aman Resort guests have exclusive access to a beach on the island, as well as the cedar and pine-clad King’s Beach, in front of Villa Milocer (the former summer residence of Queen Maria of Yugoslavia) and nearby Queen’s Beach. (aman.com)

FOR A PARTY ATMOSPHERE: Hire a taxi boat from Budva out to Ploce beach. This pebbly spot with rocky outcrops has little pools set into sunbathing terraces. It’s a family-friendly spot that transforms at night with foam parties and discos.

SERGII BATECHENKOV/ ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES (LAKE), NAEBLYS/ ISTOCK EDITORIAL/GETTY IMAGES (BEACH), ALEKSANDAR DOBRAS ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES (ROCKY BEACH)

FOR ISLAND ESCAPES: Sveti Nikola—dubbed ‘Hawaii’ by locals—is a large, tree-covered island a short boat ride from Budva. The rocky beaches can be crowded, so hire a kayak and head to a quiet cove on the far side of the island, where deers and birds are abundant.

THE TARA RIVER CANYON Located in the north-west, this is the second-longest canyon in the world, after the Grand Canyon. At 984feet deep, it’s one of the best rafting spots on the planet, with lots of cascades and rapids.

DAY THREE KOTOR

LUIS DAFOS/MOMENT UNRELEASED/GETTY IMAGES (TOWN), SIMON DUX/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES (CANYON)

MORNING Wake up in the morning to the bells ringing from one of Kotor’s many churches. The Old Town was painstakingly restored to its former glory after suffering severe damage in an earthquake in 1979. It’s a particularly peaceful place to be early in the day, before the crowds arrive. In the gentle morning sun it’s quiet and easygoing, with little cafes tucked into courtyards to discover for breakfast. Kotor has been ruled by Romans, Venetians and Austrians, and they’ve all left their mark. Wandering the labyrinthine streets is rewarding, with plenty of squares lined with elegant buildings. Seek out the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon, a medieval Catholic structure built in A.D. 1166 on the foundations of a ninth-century church, although parts of it have been rebuilt several times since.

AFTERNOON The best views are to be found at the top of Kotor’s city walls: those views need to be earned, though. The battlements zigzag their way up the mountain, which rise up above the Bay of Kotor—there are 1,350 steps up to the fortress at the very top. Work on the walls was started by the Venetians in 1420 but wasn’t completed until 400 years later. Bring water: there’s

nowhere to buy it up there, and the climb can be very hot. After descending, it’s time for a cold beer—Old Town Pub is a friendly place to stop. A little less energy is required for a visit to Kotor Cats Museum. This whimsical little venue celebrates the town’s favourite animal with two rooms full of cat-related artefacts, from magazine covers to photos of old-school movie stars with their feline friends.

EVENING Kotor doesn’t have a wild nightlife, but there are plenty of great bars to enjoy. Bokun Wine Bar is a cool spot, offering an interesting selection of local wines as well as plates of cheese and charcuterie, with live music at weekends. Caffe Bandiera has both live music and a lively atmosphere, as well as good, cheap beer. Eat at Restaurant Pržun (przun.me), located in an attractive cobbled square. It has good local seafood and friendly staff. It’s tempting to spend the whole evening here as it’s a bit quieter than the buzzy streets surrounding it, but if something livelier is required head to Maximus (facebook.com/maximuskotor). This cavernous nightclub—the biggest in Montenegro—attracts big-name DJs and offers a variety of different spaces.

ESSENTIALS Flights from major Indian cities to Dubrovnik (in neighbouring Croatia) usually include at least one or more layovers in Middle-Eastern and European gateway cities. From Dubrovnik, it takes two hours to drive to Kotor; three to Budva. Allow time for border crossings. Rooms at Aman Sveti Stefan start at €608/`48,059 (aman. com). More info: visitmontenegro.com

Kotor, the Old Town (left), is a warren of influence from Montenegro's many invaders; Tara River Canyon (right) is a part of Durmitor National Park.

JANUARY 2020 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

AROUND THE WORLD

2020'S EARLY TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS FESTIVALS, ART DOS AND SPORTS EVENTS WORTH TRAVELLING FOR BY HUMAIRA ANSARI

BO SANG UMBRELLA FESTIVAL Bo Sang village, near Chiang Mai, Thailand

You’ve appreciated them, perhaps even bought a few in Thailand, those dainty, bright bamboo-framed umbrellas. To see where they’re brought to life, book for Bo Sang, a tiny crafts village near Chiang Mai, while the Bo Sang Umbrella Festival is on. Thai women with chong kraben wrapped around their waists, hyacinths in their hair, sit on street corners painting flowers and dragons. Inside the factory, artistes dexterously clothe bamboo struts with mulberry paper. The main pedestrian street becomes a lively bazaar, selling Thai street food, parasols and a gazillion umbrellas, to top your cocktail or prop up a Thai selfie.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

BERTRAND LINET/MOMENT UNRELEASED/GETTY IMAGES

January 17-19

“TOLKIEN, JOURNEY TO MIDDLE-EARTH” BnF, Paris, France

RULANTICA Europa Park, Rust, Germany

Go now! (Opened in November)

On till February 16 Fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Paris has a present for you—“Tolkein, Journey to Middle-Earth,” an ode to J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium. On display at the BnF are loaned manuscripts and original drawings, comprising sketches, work notes, maps, and even watercolours drawn by his son. These whopping 300 pieces are impressive in that they show how vividly the Oxford professor and author had his entire mythical world, MiddleEarth, mapped out in his head, visually too. Geographies, language, characters, and regions—from the velvety, green inlands of the Shire to the cascading waterfalls of Rivendell—this exhibition is an insight into both Tolkien’s imagination and his imaginary world. (www.bnf.fr)

Was Trolls shot here? It’s not an entirely absurd consideration, given the make of this newly opened Nordic-themed water park, which, at 32,600 square metres, most reviews will tell you, is the size of five football fields. Take that in. Now, picture a water park on a mythical islet, one where Scandinavian folklore comes alive with elves, trolls and mermaids, some roaming the surface in costumes, others projected on 3D screens. With 17 water slides, many eating options, a swim-up bar and stalactite-filled caves, Rulantica in some ways does feel like Trolls… a cute family entertainer. (europapark.de, tickets for €38.5/`3,000 per person.)

JANUARY 2020 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

AROUND THE WORLD

“THE MIRROR SEES BEST IN THE DARK” Emami Art, Kolkata, West Bengal

On till March 10

ABU SIMBEL SUN FESTIVAL Abu Simbel, Aswan, Egypt

ICC WOMEN’S T20 WORLD CUP Across Australia

February 22 (& October 22)

February 21-March 8

When it came to engineering a civilisation, Egyptians were geniuses. Witness their talent at the Abu Simbel Temple, part of the UNESCO group of Nubian monuments (1264 B.C.). Tourists congregate well before sunrise and as day breaks, Egyptian ingenuity strikes: Transcending the entrance and some hieroglyph-enriched vestibules, sunrays reach the temple’s innermost sanctum, illuminating the statue of Ramses II, the pharaoh who commissioned the colossal structure. Of the four in the sanctum, the only figurine that remains unlit is that of Ptah, the god of darkness.

Break the jinx on those long-pending Australia travel plans with the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup… a good excuse, or a sporting event worth travelling for, we say. With the Indian team in great form, all set to play Australia in the opener in Sydney on Feb 21—and hopefully qualify for the finals in Melbourne on March 8—flying Down Under at this time of the year seems like a (travel) innings worth investing in. Besides, why not show some love to our women in blue, too? (Check the matches schedule at icccricket.com.)

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

PHOTO COURTESY: EMAMI ART (ART), JEFF_HU/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES (TEMPLE)

Mirrors, says Bose Krishnamachari, are receivers, not merely reflectors. His solo mirrors his perspective. One installation features Aranmula kannadi (metal mirrors). Framed, jutting out of a wall, circles carved in their tinted centres, you can appreciate them from both ends, like a coin. Elsewhere, on hand-painted golden wallpaper, evocative of a sanctum sanctorum, words hang heavy in frames. Narcissism. Nationalism. Technology. In contrast to this glitz, a braille exhibit symbolises the language of minimalism. This minimalism juxtaposed against maximalism is the show’s crux. (www.emamiart.com)

The Address 42

A POSTCARD PARADISE IN MALDIVES

PHOTO COURTESY: FAIRMONT MALDIVES

Island life with a dash of holiday adventure at an idyllic resort

48 SONGS OF THE SEA IN MAURITIUS

REVIEW: FAIRMONT SIRRU FEN FUSHI

POSTCARD

PARADISE PEACEFUL ISLAND LIFE SPIKED WITH A DASH OF HOLIDAY ADVENTURE MAKE UP YOUR STAY AT THIS MODERN MALDIVIAN RESORT BY JULIAN MANNING

The only Maldivian coral regeneration project in the form of an underwater art installation is at Sirru Fen Fushi.

PHOTO COURTESY: FAIRMONT MALDIVES

MALDIVES

REVIEW: FAIRMONT SIRRU FEN FUSHI

spilling over with tropical flowers. It isn’t just the water spew my guts out on the well-coiffed head of the Kiwi woman that shines brilliantly, it seems all the colours on the isle in front of me. The plane bobs like a butterfly being bullied by flicker better and brighter than any other ones I have seen the wind, and then, as if the pilot magically flipped a switch, before—like I got conked on the head by a coconut and all of we pass out of turbulent, washed out skies, into a world of a sudden gained a new palette. We enter my beachside villa, gentle breezy blues. and I am overcome with the sudden urge to plant my flag, There’s nothing quite like a bird’s-eye view of the Maldives, here and now, and claim this slice of paradise for myself; especially of an atoll with such stark beauty as Fairmont’s perhaps it is the personal pool under the shade of a coconut Sirru Fen Fushi. With lagoons tinted with shades of turquoise tree, or maybe the hammock swaying next to the ocean view and teal so pure they almost make you a little sad: odds are, no that draws me in so. Nonetheless, I come to my senses, and other natural colour you’ll see can sparkle with such inviting do what many a traveller has done before me on this idyllic iridescence. We skim across the water like a well thrown isle—I pour myself a flute of some very good champagne, and skipping stone and dock the seaplane. With the help of the pilots, clad cool in the Ray Bans, shorts, and flip flops that dip my feet in the ocean. make up their laid-back uniform, I set my feet on the All villas come sun-baked jetty. ISLAND LIFE with a pool. Facing While watching shows like The Crown, I have often After a welcome drink and a few friendly page: Relax at the handshakes from the hotel staff, I’m whisked away by spa (top) and dine wondered how the people these characters are based ‘my butler’ (I could get very used to saying those two on sushi (bottom) on could get used to such a life of luxury, and at Sirru words) through a tunnel of parakeet-green foliage Fen Fushi I found the answer—quite easily. at Kata. 44

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

PHOTO COURTESY: FAIRMONT MALDIVES

he engine of the seaplane is so loud that thankfully my fellow passengers can’t hear my ceaseless groaning, pleading to a god I only speak to when it’s convenient. My mantra is muttered on repeat: Lord, don’t let me

PHOTO COURTESY: FAIRMONT MALDIVES

The bedrock of getting used to such indulgent comfort begins and ends where one lays their head to rest. The 120 villas available at the property don’t try and impose themselves on the island, but rather meld into the natural landscape. Tucked in the mangroves, looking out upon the silvery shore, the beach villas are balm-like coves. This sense of privacy and harmony that characterise the sandy, white bungalows is found in all the villas, from one bedroom to three and five bedroom options. Guests seeking to make the most out of all that the island has to offer often split their time between a beach villa and a tented jungle villa. The latter does not line the beach, but instead lies wrapped in the dense jungle at the centre of the islet. Imagine walking into your own personal tropical forest, your entire fixed tent structure surrounded by a canopy of lucent, almost harlequin green verdure. Pour yourself a bath in an oversized tub as you enjoy the soft breeze rustling through the vegetation. The highest tier accommodations are the water villas that stretch out over the Indian Ocean, offering sun-kissed vistas of the lagoon. These villas range from one to three bedrooms. At the centre of the two rows of water villas lies a section of natural coral reef that the Fairmont has been determinedly bringing back to life, a project to which guests can lend their support. All these villas, made of natural materials and indigenous decorations, come

with private pools and modern conveniences.

STUFF YOURSELF SLIM Sirru Fen Fushi is one of those magical places where you can constantly eat, but actually end up losing weight. Of course, all the comfort food one might want on a vacation—fries, burgers, and pizzas—is available, however, it is the resort’s seafood selection that is so vast and well-curated that it is impossible to ignore. Sitting on the overwater deck of Kata, the ocean wind blowing right through the streamlined eatery, I enjoy a fine bottle of pinot grigio and a generously stacked sushi platter. The speciality, blackened cod, is delightful, a thick fillet of fish full of flavour with a balanced, den miso glaze. Full to the brim, I walk to the restaurant’s jetty, and join a group of people watching rays and baby sharks skim above the coral. At Azure, a faux fish market with upscale decor, I encounter a truly memorable starter: thick, buttery scallops with dollops of purple, Okinawan sweet potatoes. This dish pairs exceptionally well with a glass of Prosecco. The evening air at this fine dine setting is steeped in romance, dotted with the silhouettes of swooning honeymooners. And if you need a cocktail, Onu Onu is exactly what a resort bar needs to be. Placed next to the longest pool in the Maldives, a 200-metre long infinity pool that stretches JANUARY 2020 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

Azonic flow the width of the island, the conical bamboo structure meeting the resident manta ray lovingly named Bob runs through looks out over the beach. With plenty of entertaining by Fairmont’s guests. the beach activities interspersed throughout the week, the bar Of course, there are plenty of other overwater or villa. does not disappoint. Raha Market, the third and on-land activities to help guests expand their horizon. ultimate eatery, is ground central for nourishing Couples can sail off on a romantic getaway to a meals throughout the day with an assortment of continental deserted island for a private picnic. It is also possible to hire and international offerings. the resort’s private yacht and cruise the high seas for dolphins or swing by a local community for a cultural visit. And those EXPANDING HORIZONS who want to make sure their stay is filled with plenty of physical activity can opt for Thai boxing, tennis, and football At Sirru Fen Fushi you never feel ‘stuck in a resort.’ Far from matches. Though perhaps the most suitable activity at Sirru it, actually. I have an absolute gala of time deep sea fishing Fen Fushi is a day of wholesome pampering at the lauded on a Maldivian dhoni, a wooden sailing vessel that resembles a traditional Arab dhow. With some guidance from the Willow Stream Spa. experts at Fairmont’s Deep Sea team, I manage to catch a two-foot emperor fish in under five minutes. I also spend a THE TAKEAWAY morning snorkelling around the Coralarium, an intricate Fairmont goes beyond luxury with a side of pristine beaches. structure that rises out of the ocean roughly 300 feet from At the property guests can learn about ways to help protect the the shoreline. According to the property, it is the Maldives’ striking splendor that surrounds them, and get to see all the first and only coral regeneration project in the form of an creatures that rely on it. If you visit the Maldives, chances are underwater art installation. your memories there will sparkle like the sapphire water that caresses the isle of Sirru Fen Fushi. The brainchild of acclaimed British environmentalist and eco-artist, Jason de Caires Taylor, this mostly submerged maritime museum, of sorts, contains abstract sculptures that ESSENTIALS represent the natural formation of coral colonies. This work of art is designed to raise awareness about threatened reefs while Non-stop flights to Malé fly from Mumbai and Kochi. Water also working to rehabilitate one. The one-of-a-kind structure taxis and seaplanes are available at Velana International also educates guests about the local marine life—from manta Airport for transfer to island resorts (www.fairmont-maldives. rays and turtles to bottlenose dolphins and over 250 species of com; beach villa doubles from `77,000; guests can opt to add tropical fish—through snorkelling tours and excursions with a seaplane transfer to their package). the resident marine biologist. No trip is complete without

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

PHOTO COURTESY: FAIRMONT MALDIVES

REVIEW: FAIRMONT SIRRU FEN FUSHI

J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 0 • ` 1 5 0 • VO L . 8 I S S U E 7 • N AT G E O T R AV E L L E R . I N

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LAKELAND

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YUNNAN

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REVIEW: CLUB MED LA PLANTATION D'ALBION

Symphonies of the Indian Ocean keep one company at Club Med La Plantation d'Albion, a luxurious Mauritian retreat.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

MAURITIUS

fleet of catamarans sail in the Tiffany blue Indian Ocean. Clad in bikinis, tourists lounge on sun decks after a dip in the coral-peppered waters. A flock of Mauritius fody dance around the Belle Mare Plage beach, their olive feathers melting into the greens of swaying beach palms. It’s sunny, yet there is a light nip in the air as a June winter begins to cloak this region south of the equator. In sync with the sandy splendour, the setting at the on-the-beach Club Med La Plantation d’Albion, a 52-acre luxury property on the west coast of Mauritius, is idyllic. A three-day stay

here is enough to grab a slice of the all-frills-island life, packed with seaside spright, multicultural cuisine and swinging parties. It takes a seven-hour flight from Mumbai to cross over the Indian Ocean and arrive at the island nation, roughly the size of Tokyo and located nearly 2,000 kilometres off the south eastern coast of Africa. Sugarcane plantations with volcanic mountains in the backdrop festoon both sides of the road, weaving together some primeval views for the 55-kilometre ride between the airport and the stay. It is only upon arriving at the destination,

SOUTH OF THE EQUATOR,

SONGS OF THE SEA Haute cuisine, roaring parties, and a slice of the Indian Ocean are your housemates at Club Med La Plantation d’Albion

PHOTO COURTESY: CLUB MED LA PLANTATION D’ALBION

By POOJA NAIK

JANUARY 2020 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

a hint of salt crackle, while lamb haleem—a gravy based preparation of the meat laden with wheat, barley and lentil—comforts the stomach. Napolitaine, two shortbread biscuits sandwiched together with jam is a simple local dessert. With an à la carte setting overlooking waves crashing on the rocks, La Phare gets it right. Savour a plate of scallops served with Madagascar vanilla cream or sample some sea urchins, the pulpy orange insides of which taste like an edible version of the sea. Save the best for the last with mango crème brûlée, the aftertaste of which will linger in your mind long after it has been washed off your palate.

that one registers that characteristic coastal town vibe. Perfectly manicured gardens with tropical flowers flourish between rows of three-storey buildings, and ritzy chalet-style villas with pastel green roofs face the sea. Its fuchsia rooms are spacious with a quiet nook in the balcony that overlook banana tree plantations. The sound of the waves lapping against the shore keeps one company, audible even from a distance.

A GOOD SPORT Given its sprawling area, it takes 45 minutes and a few attempts to memorise the way around Club Med La Plantation d’Albion. And with no dearth of activities on site, there are plenty of reasons not to wander away from the resort. A lesson in the 5000-year-old Chinese martial art of tai chi is equally muscle-straining and invigorating, but it takes a leap off the launching pad at the Flying Trapeze School to step out 50

of one’s comfort zone and overcome vertigo. Those looking for some classic down time can make their way to the golf club or unwind at the adults-only Zen pool with infinite views of oceanside sunsets. Missing some maritime action? A PADI-certified scuba diving course at The Cathedral, a part of the seabed sitting at 60-65 feet off Flicen-Flac island, reveals jaw-dropping underwater arches and caves housing technicolour reef fish and lobsters.

FLAVOUR FERRIS Sauces from China, spices from India, cheese from Europe and vanilla from Africa—Mauritian cuisine draws flavours from the mix of people who inhabit the country. And meals at The Distillerie, the property’s buffet-style restaurant where gambolling cats keep diners company, is reflective of the same. The succulent veal and tuna surprises the mouth with

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

LET THE BEAT DROP As the sun melts into the horizon and stars speckle the sky, nights at the property come alive with parties that shine in their eclectic, often eccentric, indulgences. From the traditional Sega dance and flamboyant Beyoncé tributes to gravity-defying water acrobatics and flash mobs, there is something to look forward to each night of the week. One could argue that the rest of the island demands to be explored, but that could wait another day. Club Med overflows with holiday abundance, compelling you to stay—snug, spoilt and seaswaddled.

ESSENTIALS Direct flights between Mauritius and major Indian cities such as Mumbai and Delhi are available with Air Mauritius. Doubles from $1,100/`78,400 for two nights; www.clubmed.asia/d/IndianOcean/Mauritius

PHOTO COURTESY: CLUB MED LA PLANTATION D’ALBION

Rooms (left) at the 52-acre property are colourful and spacious, giving way to scenic views of the sea or banana plantations; Mauritian cuisine is a riot of flavours. The grilled lobster (right) is an absolute treat to the palate.

The destination 60

UTAH’S ROCK STARS

MARK BOSTER/LOS ANGELES TIMES/GETTY IMAGES

Millennia-old formations and the comfort of an old friendship colour a hike in Arches National Park

52 KHIVA: THE LAND OF BABUR’S DAUGHTERS 68 LIVING THE SLOW LIFE IN YUNNAN, CHINA 

76 HOW TO SUMMER IN FINLAND

THE DESTINATION

Islam Khodja Minaret is the tallest such structure in Khiva; A statue of Persian Scholar, Al Khwarizmi (facing page), sits next to the walls of the Old City.

UZBEKISTAN

The Land of Babur’s Daughters Heaps of history, heavy hats and heavenly vistas—life in the Uzbek city is an

VW PICS/UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP/GETTY IMAGES FACING PAGE: ANDREA PISTOLESI/PHOTOLIBRARY/GETTY IMAGES

exciting example of the wonder that is Central Asia

JANUARY 2020 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

THE DESTINATION

On the Uzbek-Turkmenistan border, not far from the banks of Amu Darya river that Alexander the Great knew as Oxus, sits Khiva. Sandwiched in between two mammoth Central Asian deserts, the Kyzlkum (red sands) and Karakum 54

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

(black sands), Khiva was a bazaar city that traded in everything from camels, coffee, concubines and carpets. For over 2,000 years Khiva was a capitalist’s dream, which everyone from the Persians, Greeks, Zoroastrians, Turks, Arabs, Mongols and the Russians wanted a piece of. It was central to the old Silk Route trade. As a result it was razed and rebuilt several times and much of the city that we see today is no more than 300 years old. And yet the spirit of the city is timeless. Our first stop was the Amin Khan Madrasah, Khiva’s premiere religious school that once housed 260 boarders and the chancery of the Supreme Court. Its creator, Amin Khan, had a penchant for all things bright and beautiful, and in the mid-19th century he conceived this madrasah as one of the foremost imposing buildings in the city with a facade wrapped in azure, indigo and cobalt blue tiles. But the Khan didn’t stop there. He commissioned the adjoining Kuk Minar, almost entirely shrouded in a sea of sapphire tiles, to be the highest built brick minaret in the world, which when finished would have dwarfed the Qutub Minar in Delhi. Yet the Kuk Minar was never finished. The Khan was killed and all building work ground to a halt. Yet at a truncated 29 metres, Kuk or Katla (short) Minar is the highlight of any Khiva trip. If you are staying the night, you could take up rooms at the Khan’s madrasah. The boarders have long left and it is now a very fine hotel. “If you stare any harder, those tiles will cast a spell. Come along quick, we mustn’t keep the Khan waiting,” Timur smiled, and we walked down the steps of the madrasah, into the clamour of the surging bazaar. Despite the prevailing belief, Khiva is no museum city. Here even a makebelieve ‘Khan’ will pose for a picture with you in exchange for 5,000 Uzbek Som. Every street corner, every square, was heaving with suzanis, carpets and carved, wooden Quran stands. Shopping here is not just a mere holiday pastime—it is Khiva’s very soul. The city was founded

Lagman is a classic example of Central Asian cooking. Facing page: An Uzbek family (top) enjoy a local market; The ramparts of the citadel (bottom) are a central part of Khiva's landscape.

RATOV MAXIM/SHUTTERSTOCK

It was a little after nine in the morning, but you wouldn’t know that looking around you. The square was buzzing with hawkers, travellers, pilgrims, traders, all bartering for bargain tickets, haggling over carpets, prayer mats and skullcaps. A bunch of guards sat under the canopy of a gate operating a ticketed entrance, the likes of which you see at London tube stations. Outside the sun beat down on the cobbled square with temperatures soaring to late afternoon highs. I found myself a small clearing, pulled my friend a little closer and posed for our husbands standing a few feet away. But posing for cameras outside Ata Darwarza, the very imposing west gate of Itchan Kala—Khiva’s ancient citadel— is no easy task. Between the camera and us marched a steady stream of matronly women in bright, ikat jackets and matching headscarves. After a few minutes, when we had almost given up, we realised we were surrounded. A group of women brightfaced and mostly middle-aged had cleared the trampling crowds and poured into our frame. A little startled, we smiled for the cameras. One of them slipped her arm into my friend’s and with an emphatic gesture said, “Hindustan, Hindustan!” When my friend nodded yes, she kissed her and kept repeating a sentence where we could only pick out a few words. Timur, our guide, intervened. “She is calling you Babur’s daughter. They are from Ferghana and she says you have the most beautiful eyes.” We’d been roaming across Uzbekistan for the past eight days and so far we had many a pleasant encounter. In Samarkand we met a wizened, old gentleman on crutches at a mulberry silk factory who came tripping to our seats singing, “Mud mud ke na dekh, mud mud ke.” In Bukhara we were coaxed by a young teenager into buying her ceramics with impromptu moves from “I’m a disco dancer,” to the collective glee of clapping tourists. But nowhere had we been called ‘Babur’s daughters,’ a reference to the middle-aged warrior king who, having lost his own kingdom of Ferghana and that of his ancestor’s, Samarkand, three times, turned south towards Delhi in 1526 and never looked back. We left our Ferghana ‘cousins’ outside Ata Darwarza and stepped into what seemed like a film set from The Arabian Nights. Despite the streets almost choking with tourists, Khiva has a very authentic Central Asian feel. Unlike Samarkand that towers around you at Himalayan proportions and drowns you in a tsunami of turquoise tiles, Itchan Kala is almost uniformly monochrome—a brick and mud oasis with high ramparts skirting around a mishmash of madrasahs, mausoleums, mosques and minarets. Inside there is only a hint of glazed majolica-tiled facades that glint like gemstones singling out some of its finest architectural marvels.

GRANT ROONEY/ AGEFOTOSTOCK/DINODIA PHOTO LIBRARY (PEOPLE), LUCAS VALLECILLOS/AGEFOTOSTOCK/DINODIA PHOTO LIBRARY (FORT)

UZBEKISTAN

JANUARY 2020 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

THE DESTINATION

KHIVA IS A RAMBLERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PARADISE. YOU CAN EASILY LOSE A COUPLE OF DAYS IN THIS WARREN, SIPPING TEA AND BAZAARHOPPING

UZBEKISTAN

GRANT ROONEY/AGEFOTOSTOCK/DINODIA PHOTO LIBRARY

The interiors of the Kunya Ark Fortress represent stunning craftsmanship.

THE DESTINATION

You can easily lose a couple of days in this warren, sipping tea through languid afternoons, squatting at stalls selling ikat pottery and Uzbek dolls on visits to the bazaar. Sweets, nuts, fruits both dried and fresh—apricots, pomegranates, watermelons, oranges—are cheap and plentiful: nobody buys without sampling first. And lunchtimes are unhurried. We stopped at a caravanserai and were taken to a chowpai, a raised platform strewn with cushions where you sit around a table in the middle and stretch your legs underneath. The water is salty in Khiva, so locals stick to tea and vodka, both of which you drink from the same blueglazed ceramic cups. “In Uzbekistan, vodka is not alcohol, it’s white tea. It flows like the Amu Darya,” said Timur, while he passed around a large platter of assorted salads (dill, purple basil, cilantro, baby radish, tomatoes), yoghurt with cumin and chilli, and warm bread straight out of a tandoor, that you tear and share. It was communal supper at its finest. The main course was even more diverse. My friend ordered a lamb lagman and I stuck to my old favourite, samsa (a samosa-like savoury snack). Lagman is an Uighur speciality—thick lo mein-like noodles in a Central Asian soup. It’s all the best bits of the Silk Route in a bowl—trade, travel, migration and food without borders. Reluctantly, after an hour-and-a-half we rolled out of our chowpais and headed to Juma Masjid. Plain and unassuming from the outside, its flat roof is supported by a forest of 213 carved wooden pillars, some dating back to the 10th century. Underneath each pillar rests a marble base stuffed with camel wool. “That’s ancient earthquake protection. Khiva hasn’t just fallen to men. You can’t be too careful here.” By late afternoon the crowds had thinned and we walked towards a bulbous turquoise dome, past bathhouses and lounging camels. Unlike Bukhara and Samarkand, Itchan Kala has just one majolica-tiled domed mausoleum that towers over the mushrooming city dedicated to Pahlavan Makhmud. Pahlavan, born in 1247, was a poet philosopher who not only wrote ghazals, but was also a champion wrestler whose fame travelled from Iran to India. Legend goes that Pahlavan went to Delhi and defeated the ‘king’ who granted him one wish as a reward. Pahlavan, with his wit, turned this one wish into the freedom and return of hundreds of his countrymen previously captured in India. In Khiva, Pahlavan is not just a national hero, but also a patron saint: successive generations of Khiva Khans have all erected mausoleums over his grave, each far outshining its 58

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

predecessor. As a result, the interior is a veritable feast of painted blue plaster ceilings and water-stained, filigreed marble chandeliers. Outside, it was almost evening and the sun had disappeared behind a curtain of grey clouds. “It’s going to rain tonight. If we make it quick, we might just beat the crowds to the ramparts,” said Timur, as he slipped on his shoes and took to the streets. We followed. Unless you have a map and a very good sense of direction, a local guide is priceless in Khiva. The stories they weave rival A Thousand and One Nights. The stairs up the ramparts are narrow, dark and of irregular height. At places they often disappear to a toehold. But if you persevere, you will be richly rewarded. As we surfaced into the open terrace, I realised what everyone from Alexander to Marco Polo and Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta saw in Khiva. The skyline of madrasahs, mausoleums, mosques and minarets may not have been the same, but its soul had remained unchanged. Up until the very modern 1920s —when the Russians finally took over from the ruling puppet Khiva Khanate—the city of Khiva was divided in two parts, Itchan and Ditchan Kala. Itchan Kala was the heart and everyone who lived within its walls was related to the king. Its four gates strictly regulated traffic and trade to its centre. Today these gates are never locked, even at night. The rains had arrived earlier than predicted and we walked back to our hotel past the bulwark-clinging tombs that dot the outer wall of Itchan Kala. The story goes that every resident who left the city could only return to it alive. If they failed, they were denied entry to the city. Forever. In the shimmering rain, I stopped and stared at the graves clinging on to the ramparts for their ‘dear lives.’ It was eerily quiet. Perhaps they were hatching a plan. After night fell and the city slept they would quietly climb the walls and make their way to the necropolis. Perhaps next morning, if we had counted, there would be a couple less.

Uzbek ceramics, dolls (facing page, top left) and chugirma (facing page, top right) are popular souvenirs; The columns at Juma Mosque (facing page, bottom) are a testament to Uzbek woodwork.

PAN_DA/SHUTTERSTOCK

on trade and thrived for two millennia because of it. We brushed past a row of stalls selling tall, bushy woolly hats and Timur pointed out: “Those are chugirma, handmade sheep-skinned hats for Khiva men to show off status. It also keeps their heads warm in winters and in shade in summers. It’s a symbol of pride that you keep in the family and you wouldn’t lend it, even to a friend.” I tried one and my head disappeared inside it.

RAGA JOSE FUSTE/PRISMA/DINODIA PHOTO LIBRARY (DOLLS), LEISA TYLER/LIGHTROCKET/GETTY IMAGES (PEOPLE), GONZALO AZUMENDI AGEFOTOSTOCK/DINODIA PHOTO LIBRARY (MOSQUE)

UZBEKISTAN

GETTING THERE Direct flights to Uzbekistan fly nonstop from Delhi to Tashkent on Uzbekistan Airways. From Tashkent visitors can travel by train directly to Khiva or fly to Urgench and take a private car to Khiva, which is approximately a 45-min drive.

VISA Indian citizens can enter Uzbekistan with an eVisa for a total of 30 days. The eVisa for Uzbekistan is valid for 90 days after issue. It typically takes three to seven days to process the eVisa, and costs $20/`1,450 onwards. Visa on arrival is also applicable for Indias, but only if the visitor first checks in with Uzbekistanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in India. Also, it is only valid for entry at Tashkent International Airport, thus eVisa is considered the simplest option.

JANUARY 2020 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

THE DESTINATION

The Delicate Arch is Utah’s biggest draw. The 46-foottall sandstone monolith features on a stamp and on the state’s licence plates.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

U.S.A.

Utah's Rock Stars

MILLENNIA-OLD FORMATIONS AND THE COMFORT OF AN OLD FRIENDSHIP COLOUR A HIKE IN ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

. . .

DOUG MEEK/SHUTTERSTOCK

BY Charukesi Ramadurai

JANUARY 2020 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

THE DESTINATION

t was a short, easy hike to the viewpoint. But my friend Sunitha and I had been walking on and off for hours, and even the mild spring sunshine felt sharp on

our heads. As we trudged along the red rocks of Utahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Arches National Park, putting one foot in front of another was beginning to feel like a mammoth task.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

ANTHONY HEFLIN/SHUTTERSTOCK

U.S.A.

The Windows section in the Arches is also its most dramatic. It features the North (in picture) and South Windows, which resemble a pair of spectacles when seen from a distance.

JANUARY 2020 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

THE DESTINATION

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

In addition to sandstone forms like the Skyline Arch (bottom), the park is also home to petroglyphs (top left) carved by American Indians between A.D. 1650 and 1850, and critters like the western fence lizard (top right).

fins: the residual walls of sedimentary rock that remained after erosion. The thin spires of sedimentary or volcanic rock were goblins or—bless their heart—fairy chimneys. Sand Dune Arch was small but not unimpressive, basking in the sunlight falling moodily through slots in the surrounding fins. Every nook around me was burnished to a soft golden pink. We walked back to our car for a five-minute drive. An easy shrubby trail led us to Skyline Arch, scooped out of a high wall. Arches are constantly shape-shifting in this 65-millionold landscape; while much of the process is slow, some changes can be instantaneous and rather striking. In 1940 for instance, a large boulder fell out of Skyline Arch and almost doubled the size of its opening. We drove on to the Devil’s Garden trailhead, and started our hike towards Landscape Arch—a more taxing, 2.6-kilometre loop over uneven ground and gradual incline. Towering fins rose all around us, and the sweet smell of Utah juniper lingered in the air. I walked carefully to avoid the thick, prickly pear cacti dotting the ground, once startling a couple of grey raccoons out of my path. It was totally worth the effort—with an opening stretching over 306 feet, Landscape Arch is one of the largest such formations in the world. After a lunch of nuts, and chips and dip (with juicy peaches for dessert) in a picnic area, we headed to the lookout point for the Fiery Furnace, a stunning maze of sandstone canyons. Its narrow ledges and drop-offs make it a challenging terrain to navigate. Hiking here is permitted only with a ranger. On our return to the gate, we pulled up at the Windows section—a 5.2-square-kilometre area filled with jaw-droppers,

ALLISON HERREID/SHUTTERSTOCK

But the minute I set eyes on that exquisite stone arch I’d come to see, I felt heady, instantly recharged. I squinted at Delicate Arch far ahead—a ruddy, 46-foot freestanding monolith that seemed to have sprouted in the middle of tableland—and understood why it is the most distinctive landmark of the region; why it features on a postal stamp and on Utah’s licence plates. Standing there, I thought of a lovely book called Rainbows Around Us by Dixie Dawn Miller Goode, which introduces children to colours. This is what it says about red: “If I could tell you about Red I would sing to you of fire Sweet like cherries Burning like cinnamon Smelling like a rose in the sun” That’s what red is like in Arches National Park, right in the heart of America’s wild southwest. Bursting like a fiery flame from the rocks, sometimes gleaming a muted russet, sulking and simmering resentfully if the sun hides even for a moment. *** After years of talking about it Sunitha and I had finally decided to take a hiking holiday in Utah, starting with Arches in the southeastern corner, close to the Colorado River. It is one of the state’s ‘Mighty Five’ national parks. My school friend is a geologist and an avid hiker, and it was she who suggested we skip the crowds at Utah’s more famous parks like Zion and Bryce. We sought geological magic amid Arches’ 76,519 acres of bare, red earth. For this land is where the master sculptor herself has created the world’s largest concentration of sandstone arches—2,000—with just wind and water for tools. The base for all adventures in the area is a charming town called Moab, a two-hour drive from Colorado’s Grand Junction airport. The roads were empty and vegetation sparse; only the rare prickly shrub or flowering plant soldiered on in the desert. In the distance, peaks of the La Sal range clung on to the last vestiges of snow even that late into spring. As we drove, I thought of a book I’d recently read on Arches: Desert Solitaire. In 1968 Edward Abbey, who had worked as a ranger at Arches National Park and was perhaps its most vocal champion, published this passionate, profound treatise on its landscape. I played his lines in my head: “You can’t see anything from a car; you’ve got to get out of the contraption and walk, better yet crawl, on hands and knees, over the sandstone and through the thornbush and cactus. When traces of blood begin to mark your trail, you’ll see something, maybe.” If Abbey had had his way, there would be no cars allowed, no throngs of tourists at Arches. I can imagine his despair if he knew that 1.5 million visitors now troop in here every year. Heeding his words, Sunitha and I decided that as we drove the 39-kilometre loop starting from the Visitor Center, we would get off the vehicle and hike along a few of the walking trails branching towards the arches and viewpoints. We started with a half-kilometre loop on fairly flat ground, towards Sand Dune Arch. It was during these short hikes that I got my Geology 101 lessons from Sunitha: how the striking red colour around us came from iron oxide deposits for instance. She also decoded the puzzles of the land for me, naming each of the strange, ethereal rock formations that had been simply clubbed together as “red rocks” in my head. Mesas: the freestanding flat-topped hillocks with steep sides;

ALEX AVERY/SHUTTERSTOCK (LIZARD), DARREN J. BRADLEY/SHUTTERSTOCK (ARCHES)

U.S.A.

JANUARY 2020 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

THE DESTINATION

including the North and South Windows that look like a pair of spectacles when seen from a distance. Turret Arch and my personal favourite, Double Arch, where two majestic arches are conjoined at a pillar. That day it occurred to me that Arches makes the phrase “rock solid” sound risible. For when water plays with rock, it turns hard and unyielding earth into a pliant mould of wet clay. It is not surprising that even after two decades of work in geology, Sunitha finds these landscapes incredible—gigantic

resolutely out of sight. Yet Abbey’s fears about how overcrowding might alter this fragile ecosystem forever were well-founded. Research has shown that rocks react not only to human activity but also to the frequencies of strong winds, subterranean earthquakes, even distance ocean waves. As one report I read in Science magazine claimed, “The Earth is constantly humming.” The only humming I could hear though was that of my own heart.

rocks balanced delicately on a narrow monolith, as if a strong gust of wind would topple them over. Everything in Arches was new to me, each corner wonderful, taking my breath away. It is impossible to arrive at an exact number of arches here since new ones keep getting formed, while old ones collapse or change form over time. This desert land may seem static, even dead, but it is constantly evolving, and nurturing a variety of life forms within its inhospitable embrace. On our hikes, we came across vividly coloured lizards and curious beavers, though larger mammals like mule deer, fox and bobcat stayed 66

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

At the end of the day, I lay down on a flat rock under the Double Arch, staring at the colours and patterns overhead. The buzz of human voices around me slowly faded away as I drifted into a meditative trance. Back home, much later, I reread Desert Solitaire, and understood exactly what Abbey meant when he wrote, “Standing there, gaping at this monstrous and inhumane spectacle of rock and cloud and sky and space, I feel a ridiculous greed and possessiveness come over me. I want to know it all, possess it all, embrace the entire scene intimately, deeply, totally.”

ARTHUR CAUTY/SHUTTERSTOCK

Though hiking is the best way to discover Arches, stargazing remains a popular activity for its visitors; The town of Moab (facing page) lies eight kilometres away from the park and is an ideal base for exploring it.

U.S.A.

ILHAMCHEWADVENTURES/SHUTTERSTOCK

ESSENTIALS

GETTING THERE & AROUND: Flights between Delhi and Mumbai and Colorado’s Grand Junction airport—the closest entry point to Arches—require at least two layovers in an European gateway city such as London, and American ones like Phoenix or Dallas. Moab, the closest town to Arches

National Park, lies 182 km/ 2 hr southwest of the airport, and is an 8 km/10 min drive south of the park. WHEN TO GO: Arches experiences extreme temperatures. The best time to visit it is during spring (AprMay) and fall (mid Sept-Oct)

when the average daytime highs are 15-27°C and lows fluctuate between -1 and 10°C. While hiking is the most popular activity in the Arches, it is also ideal for biking, camping, stargazing, and landscape photography. Entrance fee to the park for a private vehicle is $30/`2,150

and one individual without a car is $15/`1,080. WHERE TO STAY: The La Quinta Inn in Moab is a good option with complimentary breakfast and comfortable rooms (www.wyndhamhotels. com/laquinta; doubles from $75/`5,340).

JANUARY 2020 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

THE DESTINATION

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

CHINA

PHILIPPE MICHEL/AGEFOTOSTOCK/DINODIA PHOTO LIBRARY (MEN), PUWADOL JATURAWUTTHICHAI/SHUTTERSTOCK (ILLUSTRATION)

Every evening, Kunmingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cui Hu Park (also called Green Lake Park) comes alive with young couples and seasoned chess players nursing cups of tea.

Living the Slow Life in Yunnan JANUARY 2020 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

THE DESTINATION

A writer seeks the

China he had read about in history

books, and finds

it in the towns

of a southwestern

province

By Vikas Plakkot

ad I flown into one of China’s big cities—Beijing or Shanghai—dashing from one metropolis to the next in high-speed trains, walking among stiletto-like skyscrapers, I’d have returned with memories of a high-tech nation that moves at

dizzying speed. Instead, what I really wanted was to dig deeper, to find a China I’d grown up learning about through photographs of ancient scroll paintings, history book lessons on the Ming and Qing dynasties, and a healthy dose of Kung Fu Panda. I decided to visit the province of Yunnan in southwestern China, to towns of Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Shaxi—where mountains and lakes continue to shape life, and where stories go back hundreds of years. ‘Layers’ is one word I’d always associate with China. Deep, perfect cheesecake-rich layers— and where would the fun be if I didn’t get to the bottom of them all?

KUNMING

As I approached the immigration counter at Kunming Changshui International Airport in Yunnan’s capital, a machine crooned “Daaya haath machine pe lagaayein (Place your right hand on the machine).” The surprise on my face was not lost on the officer. Outside near the exit gates, Cruzr robots whizzed past, handing out information pamphlets to tourists. The local guide on the airport bus to the city centre effortlessly switched between Mandarin and English. Not too long ago, Kunming, nicknamed the ‘city of the eternal spring’ for its temperate climate, was the place visitors came to escape the thrall of China’s bigger cities. But everywhere I looked, the city played right into China’s newfangled avatar. Roads have dedicated cycling lanes, the bus transit system operates like clockwork, and Walmart stores pop up on streets—every sign of a 21st-century city glad to leave behind the trappings of its past. I wondered where I could find traces of the place founded over 2,000 years ago. It was an evening at Cui Hu Park (also called Green Lake Park) that gave me a small albeit reassuring peek of what I could expect if I looked in the right places. Following the tunes of traditional Chinese music, I walked into the park’s eighthcentury Buddhist pavilion. Couples, oblivious to visitors, locked hands and walked along the lakes linked by Chinese bridges. In winter, this park shelters the black-headed seagulls that migrate from Siberia. An oasis among skyscrapers, I thought to myself.

The prospect of visiting Dali, which lies about 320 kilometres northwest of Kunming, brought with it the tingly-toe excitement of opening a birthday present. From a window seat on the Dali-bound high-speed rail from Kunming, I watched the cityscape pave way for rice farms and misty mountains. There is an unmistakeable slowness to Shaxi. You can feel it in the way the Hei Hui River flows under centuries-old bridges (left), and in the unending mah-jong games locals play in the street (facing page, top left); Lijiang’s old town retains the legacy of its old Naxi houses (facing page, top right) and a spectacular maze of bridges that run over its canals (facing page, bottom).

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

ORAPIN JOYPHUEM/MOMENT/GETTY IMAGES

DALI

IÃ&#x2018;AKI CAPEROCHIPI/ AGEFOTOSTOCK/DINODIA PHOTO LIBRARY (PEOPLE), IBUENA VISTA IMAGES/ PHOTODISC/GETTY IMAGES (WOMAN), FABIO NODARI/AGEFOTOSTOCK/DINODIA PHOTO LIBRARY (TOWN)

CHINA

JANUARY 2020 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

THE DESTINATION

At Erhai Lake in Dali, some fisherman from the Bai community still fish the traditional way: by having their trained cormorants catch the prey. Facing page: Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never a dull moment in the Green Lake Park (bottom) in Kunming, with street musicians on hand to entertain passers-by (top) and ample spots to people-watch.

CHINA

DAVE STAMBOULIS / ALAMY/INDIAPICTURE (MUSICIANS), FABIO NODARI/ALAMY/INDIAPICTURE (PARK) FACING PAGE: ROD PORTEOUS/ROBERTHARDING/GETTY IMAGES

Temples with classic Chinese curved roofs and farmers ambling about in their straw hats flickered past at a speed of 200 kmph. Arriving at the city, I began exploring its old town on foot, where churches share space with Chinese temples, and decades-old eateries stand alongside younger cafés. Until a decade ago, Dali was the hippie capital of China, flooded with 19-year-old backpackers on their gap year. Now, a different demographic throngs the city—I jostled with hordes of local tourists glued to their phones. Around me, vendors sold mangosteen and dragonfruit from the nearby mountains and restaurant owners crooned at passers-by in Mandarin. To move away from the old town, I decided to recce Dali on a rented bicycle. I rode 15 kilometres away, towards Erhai Lake, which translates to “earshaped sea,” after its form. Slowly people disappeared from view, as if someone had waved a magic wand, and only the occasional farmer rose his head, pausing between chores to look at me riding by. Against Erhai’s emerald waters, the Cangshan mountains shed their cloudcloaks, rising over 11,480 feet. At the edge of the lake I secured a spot to witness a 1,000-year-old tradition of fishermen fishing with the help of their cormorants. Only a handful of men from the Bai

community use this technique today.

LIJIANG

The train snaked through the countryside and lush valley, chugging along to Lijiang, an old town 190 kilometres north of Dali. Unlike my previous train journey, I was in a cramped compartment surrounded by locals, exchanging awkward glances from time to time. Lijiang sits on a plain below the spectacular Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The cold breeze it sent my way needed a windcheater, which I donned immediately during the long walk through the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I passed the arched gateways which held tile-roofed, timberframed homes of the local Naxi people, cobblestone bridges, and large market squares. A web of canals criss-crosses the old town’s lanes, a remnant of the times when they brought the city its drinking water from nearby pools and wells (some, like the White Horse Dragon Pool, are still in use). The water system is so emblematic of Lijiang’s history that the entrance to the old town is marked by a reconstructed water wheel. It all seemed like a setting right out of an ancient Chinese scroll. But one can’t miss the heaving mass of tourists—Lijiang has been struggling with overtourism for a while. I brushed past tourists packed like sardines on a street, almost missing the sign that pointed to one of the many bridges—claiming it was built in A.D. 700. I sat down for a brief minute, to absorb the history that lay beneath my feet. Later that evening, I went uphill to the new town, where most Naxi people now reside. I walked past rows of shops selling the famous local “crossing-the-bridge” noodles: handmade rice noodles in a broth with turkey, chicken, bean curd, chives and sprouts—all served separately and mixed just before the meal. The dish gets its name from a legend about a scholar who studied in a nearby island; and whose irregular eating habits made his wife cross a bridge every day to deliver his meal of noodles. To keep the contents hot, she would carry them separately and assemble only when she met him. An elderly woman beckoned me into her shop. Her granddaughter played translator, and the conversation swirled around food and background. When I requested for a special from the menu, the grandmother snapped her fingers as though she knew exactly what I needed. A steaming bowl of beef noodles soon arrived. I wolfed it down, but the spices JANUARY 2020 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

THE DESTINATION

SHAXI

“Have the Yunnanese not discovered this town yet?” I asked a fellow traveller as we walked through the quiet streets of Shaxi, 100 kilometres southwest of Lijiang. Spread across 16 villages with a total population of about 23,000, Shaxi belongs to an era where the calendars seemed to have stopped turning the pages after the 1700s. An open stream ran along the sides of its streets, flanked on either side by ageing mud-brick houses. The main market square, called Sideng, was recently added to the list of 100 endangered world monuments by the World Monuments Fund (WMF). Shaxi is one of the last remaining relics of the ancient Tea Horse Road, a caravan trail akin to the Silk Road through which tea was traded between southwest China and Tibet, and South Asia. It wasn’t hard to picture the village abuzz with horse-pulled carriages, stuck as it is in a time warp. Only the presence of the third-wave coffee shops that had sprung up at the square jolted me back to reality. That evening, I went for a run alongside Heihui river, across a stunning stone bridge, past an endless array of farms. Over the next few days, I walked through sunflower fields, discovered 400-year old forgotten temples and hiked the nearby hills. I drank an unhealthy amount of Yunnanese coffee by the square and devoured the slow-cooked food of Yunnan with locals I had befriended over my time there. By the end, I had become a friendly neighbourhood face. Perhaps I'd found my China from childhood textbooks—old and intimate—after all. 74

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Essentials Getting There & Around There are direct flights between Delhi and Kunming, the gateway to the province of Yunnan. Flights from cities such as Mumbai and Chennai require at least one layover in gateway cities like Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Yunnan’s provinces are well connected by rail, and tickets can be booked at ctrip.com. VISA Indian travellers require a tourist visa for China, that can be applied through the China Visa Application Service Centre in Mumbai, Delhi, or Kolkata (www.visaforchina.org). A tourist visa costs `5,552 including service charge, and an additional `2,478 for 1-day express service. TIPS  To access regular internet services like Whatsapp, Google, and other commonly used apps, download and get a paid VPN service like ExpressVPN before travelling to China.  Offline Google Translate is your best friend when it comes to communicating with the locals when in the country.

VIKAS PLAKKOT

lingered on my palate long after.

MAISANT LUDOVIC/HEMIS.FR/GETTYIMAGES

CHINA

A stunning bas relief at the entrance of Lijiang’s old town welcomes visitors to the historic area of pools and timber homes. Facing page: It is possible to find a nook of happiness anywhere in Lijiang, be it amid its cheery cobblestone alleys or at one of its ‘crossing-thebridge’ noodle shops.

HOW TO SUMMER IN FINLAND

Summer sunsets by Lake Saimaa stun with their mirror imagery, and are savoured best with a lakeside saunaand-swim session (facing page).

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FINLAND

AMID STARTLING NATURAL BEAUTY, YOU FISH, FORAGE, SWIM AND SAUNA. AND DO IT ALL LIKE A TRUE-BLUE FINN

DEEPTI ASTHANA (WOMAN) FACING PAGE: PHOTO COURTESY: ASKO KUITTINEN/VISIT FINLAND (LAKE)

BY LUBNA AMIR

THE DESTINATION

I look down from my airplane window to see Finland swathed in myriad shades of green. It seemed like I was destined to see the country in one shade: when I last visited in winter, the land sparkled white. This summer, I was back, and couldn’t wait to see what the happiest country had in store. I was headed to Finland’s under-explored Lakeland. Home to Lake Saimaa, the country’s largest lake, Lakeland also cradles Imatra and Lappeenranta, two cities just kilometres away from the Russian border that my group of Indian writers was to visit. On my two-hour drive from Helsinki to Imatra, I sit with my face glued to the window—craning my neck to see the dramatic clouds, but it is really the land that holds my attention. As we drive on the national highway, I gaze out at velvety pine forests, their emerald standing out amid the fluorescent green of fresh grass splashed with the pink, purple, yellow, white of wildflowers. Wildflowers abound, and I itch to stop the bus for a closer look. Over the next few days, I learn the names of these flowers, and with it, how to ‘summer’ like a Finn.

Food? Berry Good

The Maiden of Imatra (top) is homage to all those who took their lives by jumping in the rapids; Foxy artworks (bottom) are a fun discovery in Lappeenranta. Facing page: Summer calls for fishing in the Vuoksi river (top) and cruising the Saimaa Canal (bottom).

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LUBNA AMIR

Scandinavian summer calls for lighter eating: less red meat and root vegetables, more fish, fresh greens and summer potatoes. Oh, and berries—strawberries, raspberries, lingonberries, blueberries, all kinds of berries. Finland follows Everyman’s Rights—anyone can go foraging and fishing on public land. This includes the 13,000-plus islands scattered around Lake Saimaa. Any Finn worth their salt will spend at least part of their summer sailing, foraging, fishing, and generally returning to their roots. Rent a boat—the waters of Lake Saimaa teem with fish, and no prior permits are needed for rod fishing. Build a wood-fire or carry your barbecue along so you can cook your fish on site. Maybe forage for mushrooms and herbs on the side. Newbies, fret not. Start with Vuoksi Fishing Park in Imatra. At this family-run establishment, nestled by the Vuoksi river, owner Toni Kainulainen will gladly show you the ropes as you fish from the resident salmon pool. Or you can book a guided fishing trip with him, the river is full of bounty, including rainbow trout, pike, perch, whitefish and vendace. This is also a good spot to get permits if you’re interested in angling or heading out solo. There’s a smokehouse and restaurant on the premises, so you can catch your fish and eat it too—without having to do the hard work (check vuoksenkalastuspuisto.fi for rental and permit details). In the city, look for Rimpsu-Reetta, for Karelian pies by

PHOTO COURTESY: VUOKSI FISHING PARK (MAN), ESA HILTULA/AGEFOTOSTOCK/DINODIA PHOTO LIBRARY (CRUISE)

FINLAND

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PHOTO COURTESY: GOSAIMAA/VISIT FINLAND

THE DESTINATION

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FINLAND

Reetta Tuuha. A take on the traditional pies from this very region (South Karelia), Reetta elevates the rye flour-and-rice pies with a host of delightful toppings: reindeer, lamb, beet root, tomato-and-mozzarella and even blueberry and Quark (a personal favourite). These mini pies look delightful and taste even better; there are vegan options too (timings are regularly updated on rimpsu.fi). If you want a taste of the original, head to Cafe Elma, started by accountant-turnedbaker Lotta Kärhä five years ago. Painted in pastel colours and decorated with kitchen memorabilia, this is a good spot for pie and coffee. Tip: buy some of the rye sourdough for breakfast (Weekly lunch specials and custom cake details on lounaskahvilaelma.fi). To row out to any of the uninhabited islands in Lake Saimaa for a camping-foraging experience, you can collect the topography map from the Tourist Office. It will help you navigate better around the rocky parts of the lake. If you don’t want to do it alone, try an outfitter like TaigaSaimaa. Owner Toni took us to Muukonsaari island, a 15-minute boat ride away The island transported me back to prehistoric times—heavy foliage, thickly-forested land, stray pinecones, leaves and twigs that crack-snapped under my shoes. Here a dandelion, there purple foxgloves. Somewhere, a frog croaked. In the light of the dappled sun, Toni spotted chaga mushrooms, which he promptly plucked to infuse in our tea. What tea, you ask? We walked to a clearing where Toni set up his wood-fired stove, took out the utensils he’d carried and made us pancakes and tea, which we lapped up with a side of Queen jam (blueberry+raspberry) and fresh berries. To perfect this very-Finn experience, we ate and drank from traditional birch wood bowls and cups. Settled on top of a mossy boulder, awash in this picnic spirit, I asked Toni about possible wildlife, to which he said he spotted moose once. There are also foxes and rabbits. On another part of the island sits TaigaSaimaa’s wooden cottages and a sauna, which they rent out to groups. No running water, and electricity comes from solar panels. I was sold (taigasaimaa.fi; mushroom- and berry-picking on Muukonsaari island from €75/`6,000 per person, reach out to them for group camping rates).

Purple foxgloves (bottom) beckon on Saimaa’s shores; Imatra is home to both ancient wonders like the rapids (facing page) and modern treats like Karelian pies with exotic toppings (top) by Reetta Tuuha.

PHOTO COURTESY: REETTA TUUHA (PIES), LUBNA AMIR (FLOWERS)

But First, Sauna

It’s impossible to live the Finnish life without one absolute essential: sauna. A common Finnish saying is that there are more saunas than people in the country, and the Finns are always looking to add some impromptu excitement to a ‘normal’ sauna. Last winter, I had done the exhilarating sauna-jump on an ice pool-sauna-repeat loop. Summer, I learnt, is equally fun. This time, I got to swim in the lake instead—a summery delight for Finnish hearts, a chilly shock to my Indian bones. It was not yet time for the midnight sun when I visited in early June, but it was summer enough for sunsets to take place at almost 11 p.m.—their stunning mirror imagery on lakes holding me captive. We also went to Hossukan Helmi sauna, a wooden cabin by Lake Saimaa in Imatra. It comes equipped with a meeting room, woodfired sauna, hot tub, and floating suits for those who can’t swim. I spotted other cabins too, respectful distances away. The sound of people laughing carried through. Inside the cabin, we changed into bathing suits, and started with the JANUARY 2020 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

THE DESTINATION

Lappeenranta’s early 19th-century Old Town Hall (facing page, top) is made entirely out of wood; Go sailing in Lake Saimaa’s plentiful waters (facing page, bottom), forage for berries in its many islands (bottom), or simply soak it in (top).

sauna. And lake. And sauna. And lake. And eventually, hot tub. When I check the time again, it is almost 10 p.m. and the sky has started to turn purple, reflecting in the waters of the placid lake. All I can do is breathe in and out, blissful. Grateful (The sauna is open to public on Thursdays €10/`800 per person; facebook.com/hossukanhelmi). Another way, of course, is to make the most of hotel saunas. Ours, at Holiday Club Saimaa, was a sauna water park, complete with dancing fountains, slides and flashing lights, aptly called Cirque De Saimaa (Circus of Saimaa). Amongst the many offerings, there was a wood sauna, a salt sauna, a heated pool, and a special kids’ sauna too. Be warned though: it is hot and steamy in this area, and if you, like me, wear glasses (which have to be kept in lockers before heading out), keep a friend with good eyesight handy… or walk into the wrong changing rooms, multiple times (holidayclubresorts.com; doubles from €108/`8,500; Cirque De Saimaa entry €22/`1,735).

Smooth Sailing

City of Many Summers

Since summers are short-lived, Finns make the most of it. There are summer fairs and theatres, extravagant midsummer day celebrations, and in Imatra, a rapids show. 82

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LUBNA AMIR

Lake Saimaa is a glacial lake, and it formed the Vuoksi river in the wake of a natural phenomenon over 5,700 years ago. The fourth-largest lake in Europe, it is home to 30 species of fish, including endangered ones like white-spotted Arctic char and dark-spotted landlocked salmon. From Lappeenranta, there are regular cruises to explore the lake— some which take you all the way to Russian city of Vyborg, just a few hours away. Fun fact: if you travel to-and-from via a cruise ship to Russia from Finland, you can stay there visafree for 72 hours. Next time, I promised myself. For now, we were aboard M/S Camilla, enjoying a two-hour lunch cruise on the Saimaa Canal. The canal connects Lake Saimaa to the Gulf of Finland, and while its construction started in the 19th century, almost half of the canal was ceded to Russia after the 1939 war. Curiously, Lake Saimaa is at a higher elevation than the Gulf (a little over 76 metres), and if not for a “lock” mechanism in place in the canal, the lake would have been empty. Confused? I was too, until we reached Mälkiä lock, the first of eight. I was standing at the stern when we entered the lock and the gate was shut. A few minutes later, I realised the ship was going lower. After almost 10 minutes, the front gate was opened, and the water level was now 13 metres lower. There are seven more such locks along the regular route, before one reaches the Gulf of Finland. Our cruise ship however, was slated to cross only one. While we dined on a refreshing beetroot and goat cheese salad, baked fish and new potatoes, and ice cream with Queen jam, we also learnt about the Saimaa ringed seal, a critically endangered species indigenous to these waters. They’re so Finnish, they keep a respectful distance between each other while sun-basking on rocks. Sadly, we didn’t spot any, but the cruise more than made up for it (karelialines.fi; cruise ticket €22/`1,735; 3-course meal from €41/`3,500).

ESTEA/SHUTTERSTOCK (BUILDING), PHOTO COURTESY: TAIGASAIMAA (DRONE PHOTO)

FINLAND

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The Saimaa ringed seal (top) is critically endangered, and there are only 300 of the species left; Summer or winter, rain or shine, in Finland, sauna (bottom) is a must.

When the waters of Saimaa spilled over to what is now Kruununpuisto Nature Reserve, it altered the landscape entirely. Over the years, the waters scoured through the rocks to a narrow ravine, forming the Imatra rapids. The land of the reserve was officially protected from 1842, making it Finland’s oldest nature reserve, sheltering swathes of unique vegetation and millennia-old rock formations. It is said that the roaring of the Imatra rapids attracted crowds from far and wide, and those who visited followed human impulse— carved into the rocks are their names. The oldest carvings date back to 1700s, and there’s even one by Brazil’s emperor Dom Pedro II, circa 1876. We walked past these carvings, hearing history echo amid the gorgeous landforms. While the rapids have now been harnessed for a hydro-electric power plant, the dam is opened in the summer, when people from across the country flock to watch the show (check imatrainfo. fi for rapid shows and timings, there are special ones slated for winter as well). Right next to the rapids, widely considered the birthplace of tourism in Finland, stands what the Finns have voted as the most beautiful building in the country for two years running. An art nouveau building, the white-and-grey Scandic Imatran Valtionhotelli looks more like a castle with its turreted towers and fanciful arches. On the roof, there’s a stony black cat poised to jump, the doorway has foxes carved into the red stone. Quite the photo op, I noted (scandichotels.com; doubles from €135/`10,500 for standard rooms in a different complex, €185/`14,500 for rooms in the main building). In Lappeenranta, a 17th-century border town by Lake Saimaa, the Fortress of Lappeenranta tells the tale. The fortress juts out on a cliff face overlooking the Lappeenranta harbour, and it houses Finland’s oldest Orthodox church, and ancient cannons and guardhouses, all built under Swedish and Russian rule. As we walked past houses coated in happy reds and yellows, I noticed how the planters on window sills tend to spill over with boldly coloured pansies and geraniums. There are still over 70 families who live here, I learned. There are art museums and cavalry museums, and some delightful craft shops. I entered one, and spot rows upon rows of painted postcards with artworks of Finnish foxes. I bought 12. A little ahead there are a pair of cannons, and behind, a summer meadow filled with yellow dandelions. I could not resist—I walked to the meadow, sat down at its blooming, sun-filled heart, and smelled the flowers around me. The grass beneath my feet felt soft… sweet, almost. Both good descriptors for Finland in summer. Feeling twice as lucky as last time, I raised my invisible, overflowing cup—to the happiest country in the world.

ESSENTIALS Finnair offers direct flights from Delhi to Helsinki. From here, both Lappeenranta and Imatra are a 2-hr train or bus ride away (visitlappeenranta.fi; imatrainfo.fi). Indian travellers need a Schengen visa. While summers are shortlived, and much-loved, winter also holds plentiful delights.

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SEPPO ULMANEN/500PX/500PX PLUS/GETTY IMAGES (SEAL), PHOTO COURTESY: VISIT FINLAND (PEOPLE)

THE DESTINATION

The Memoir 86

AN INSTAGRAMMER’S DETOX DILEMMA

ALEXANDER SPATARI/MOMENT/GETTY IMAGES

Kodaikanal is pretty—pretty Instagrammable. But what if one chooses not to share?

90 BELGRADE: IN THE LAND OF NOVAK DJOKOVIC 96 IN CONVERSATION WITH VARUN GROVER 

THE MEMOIR

While some dismiss the urge to share photographs of a satisfying vacation as narcissism, it could be linked to the urban need for ceaseless productivity.

PICTURE IMPERFECT By RICHA KAUL PADTE

TAMIL NADU

What happens when an Instagram enthusiast decides to not post about her vacation?

DAVID TROOD/DIGITALVISION/GETTY IMAGES

ast year I travelled to my hometown—a lush southern hill station where I no longer have a home. I guess that’s the point of this story. For my summer holiday I stayed at a family friends’ home, which also happens to be one of the first two houses constructed in Kodaikanal back in 1845. Like many structures built by church missions fleeing the heat of Tamil Nadu’s plains, this house, too, felt like a parallel world: a space preserved by care, attention, and the unacknowledged work of small living. From its antique furniture to its spacious porch to the generations of cats that roam its shola-forested boundary, being here felt like a precious gift.

So of course, the first thing I did (after petting the cats) was take a picture. The second thing I did was stop. This might be my hometown, but it wasn’t my home. It belonged to a family who had spent nearly a century caring for it. Would I, with my “home for two weeks” Instagram caption, somehow undermine this? I couldn’t take the chance. But I would also be lying if I said I didn’t really want to. So I spent the trip struggling against an impulse that feels like second nature now: populating my social media feed. At the same time, I began to question what this relentless urge to share holiday pictures online does—not only to a place, but to the very concept of a vacation itself. *** My first holidays that I can recall involved going down this same mountain rather than up it. Growing up, we had two vacations—summer and 88

winter—and in these bounded periods of time, my family and I would wind our way down the ghat road, shedding sweaters as we went. Some of these holidays were spent visiting relatives, others travelling the country by train, and others still by simply staying at home. Irrespective of where we went, or if we went anywhere at all, time during holidays unfolded luxuriously, ours to do as we pleased with—including nothing at all. Which is precisely where the word vacation comes from: its Latin root vacare means to “be unoccupied”. Similarly, the etymology of holiday is “holy day”: the day in Genesis when the creator had a nice rest. Whichever way you slice it, vacations are periods when you are freed from expectations on your time. And I think that’s the reason most people travel too: we need a break. From everything. So much has been written about the

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JANUARY 2020

gig economy, the pressures of inbox zero, and how hustling feels like the only way to survive. I think it runs deeper still. Many of us exist in an intense headspace of productivity, where the imperative to be usefully occupied is woven into our belief system. It often feels like I have an ethical obligation to simply “be productive”, irrespective of what I’m producing. Finished my work? Great, time to plant succulents. Succulents still alive? Fantastic, I’ll crochet presents for friends. Meeting friends? Super, I’ll clean the house before they arrive. Productivity is something we’re always striving towards, a mantra for our age, and in light of what feels like endless hustling—whether for a job or domestic bliss—the possibility of a break feels incredibly valuable. Whether you’re the sort who’d prefer to trek up a mountain rather than contemplate it, or dive into the ocean rather than drink by it, pleasurable travel is a chance to escape our productive lives Or, at least, it was. The poet Nayyirah Waheed once asked: “Would you still want to travel to that country if you couldn’t take a camera?” With the advent of the internet, I honestly no longer know. *** Photography has been interwoven with vacations for well over a century, with Kodak actively encouraging early photographers to find clients during the holidays. In 1893 their motto was “Kodak knows no dark days”, which sounds a lot like 2020 Instagram to me. Physical photographs, however, were largely contained within their contexts, meant only for a select few. My own family has innumerable stacks of yellow Kodak albums stashed away, rarely

MARTIN-DM/E+/GETTY IMAGES FACING PAGE: PADDY PHOTOGRAPHY/MOMENT OPEN/GETTY IMAGES (TOWN), CHRISONTOUR84/SHUTTERSTOCK (TEA GARDEN)

Online, I share and share and share. I need to post a picture. I have to provide an opinion

Although the author refrained from sharing photographs of her intimate homestay, she ended up capturing the verdant landscape of Kodaikanal (top and bottom). Facing page: The impulse to clickand-share on the go peaked with the advent of social media.

looked at, but preserved nonetheless. Later, digital photos from my school trips were similarly stored on private computers: we were making memories, not content. This started to shift with Facebook. I joined Zuckerberg’s platform when it was just finding its feet, and very early into my university days, it started to feel like a party hadn’t happened if we didn’t post about it later. When smartphones came onto the scene, there was no “later”. These ubiquitous devices wove the connection between individual, experience and digital presence into a seamless, unbroken thread. It felt, and often still feels, wonderful. There is an agency in sharing ourselves with the world, in being heard and seen as we want to be, and I will never stop believing this. But it also seems like I will never stop at all.

Online, I share and share and share. I need to post a picture. I have to provide an opinion. And I don’t believe this compulsion can be explained simply as narcissism or addiction. Instead, I think it has to do with productivity. Jenny Odell writes, “In a world where our value is determined by our productivity, many of us find our every last minute captured, optimised, or appropriated as a financial resource by the technologies we use daily.” And here, what we are producing are not crocheted scarves or perfectly organised inboxes; instead, we post about scarves and inboxes in order to fashion, or rather, produce, our selves. ***

I’ve started to see every place I visit through the lens of an Instagram grid, whether or not I’m actually taking a picture. My recent trip to Kodaikanal was no different. Sure, I didn’t share a picture of the actual house. What I did share: its garden, cats, trees, food, window seat (I couldn’t resist). And this is just the house I’m talking about: the rest of the hill-station was up for endless grabs. I posted more pictures from that trip than I have the whole year, and damn, did I feel useful. I also felt a bit sick. See, the reason I took this trip was because I’ve had a really bad year: grief, illness, anxiety, work woes, to name just a few. I wanted to switch off the parts of my brain that felt constantly on, to step outside the feeling that I always had to fix, manage or control my life. In some ways, it worked. In others, it didn’t. Through an endless process of cropping, filtering and sharing, I’d essentially swapped out one mode of production for another; I was still beholden to the very mindset I set out to escape. So now what? The truth is I don’t know. I suspect the answer involves dismantling capitalism more than it involves a digital detox; social media is only one arm of a deeply entrenched system that loses money whenever we take time off. But maybe the enormity of the task doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. If for no other reason but this: not Instagramming our holidays might be just the vacation we need.

THE MEMOIR

How a fortuitous meeting with Novak Djokovic's mother and a sprint through Belgrade's tennis hotspots melted a Roger Federer diehard's reserve BY BHAVYA DORE

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KOJI WATANABE/ GETTY IMAGES SPORT/GETTY IMAGES (NOVAK DJOKOVIC) FACING PAGE: BHAVYA DORE (MURAL)

ADVENTURES IN THE LAND OF DJOKER

SERBIA

A mural of Djokovic featuring his first coach, Jelena Gencic, and his grandfather. Facing page: Of the thousand-plus matches he has played, Djokovic has won 890, including 16 Grand Slams.

THE MEMOIR

When I told a friend I was going to Serbia, the first thing he texted me was: WHY? “Why are you going to the land of our common enemy?” For a minute I was perplexed, forgetting this was a Nadal fan talking to a Federer fan, about a shared tennis nemesis. “Djoko!” he exclaimed. Novak Djokovic, the winner of 16 grand slams, had inflicted trauma on us both recently. My friend was reeling from the Australian Open decimation of Nadal, I was still suffering PTSD from Federer’s blown match points at Wimbledon. And despite those deep, psychic wounds, here I was, not only in the land of our purported common enemy, but voluntarily paying good money to eat at his parents’ restaurant in New Belgrade. A sprawling establishment with a small outdoor pool, a special room stacked with his trophies and a long menu, Novak, as the restaurant was called, took up the corner of a building in the planned city across the Danube river. As a tennis nut, I respected Djokovic—his shapeshifting, weightless body, his canine tracking instincts, his determination in the face of hostile crowds—but you would not catch me watching Djokovic highlights set to Beethoven’s Ninth. And yet, Belgrade was essentially a city disguised as a Djokovic highlights reel. As a tennis fanatic it only behoved me to spend a week tracing his footsteps in the Serbian capital. The first stop was the Danube-facing Teniski Centar Novak, a 14-court complex that Djokovic owned and practiced at, and which was open to the public to use. Groundsmen sprayed the deep orange courts wet, and a gimlet-eyed receptionist manned the counter. Photos of Djokovic clasping each of his grand slam trophies hung from the walls. “Nothing from Wimbledon 2019?” I asked, referring to his most recent, and (most traumainducing) victory. “Not yet,” she replied. I left the reception and went courtside, where Zoran Markovic, a short, bespectacled businessman was waiting to leave. “Tennis is way more popular now than when I was 92

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Murals of Djokovic (top) are a popular feature across Belgrade, as are tennis courts, which can even be found tucked inside the Belgrade Fortress (bottom). Facing page: The sun sets on The Victor, an iconic Serbian monument dating back to the Balkan Wars.

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young,” he said, when I started chatting with him. “A lot because of Novak, and a few others.” He was done with his game for the day, but gathered himself to have a go at me, when in jest I mentioned I didn’t usually root for Novak. His eyes widened, “You are joking, right?” he asked. When I diplomatically declined to respond, he took me and my friend out to coffee, driving us across the river to a bankside restaurant. On the off-chance, I asked him if he knew Dusan Grujic, president of the well-known Teniski Klub Partizan where Djokovic had played as a boy. He slid his phone across the table with Grujic’s number. I knew Serbia was small, but four-degrees-of-separation-from-Djokovic small? A few days later my friend and I took bus number 7 towards Teniski Klub Partizan. Grujic’s number hadn’t worked, but I had an address, and immense faith in my shoe leather reporting chops. We strode ahead like heat-seeking missiles searching for greatness’ ground zero, down tree-lined avenues, slightly uphill, past the football stadium, and straight into the club. The symphonic sounds of fluffy yellow balls striking mud and gut grew louder and more urgent as we approached. Inside two teenage girls were locked in energetic rallies. Miroslava Radivojevic, the mother of one of them, Lola, an upcoming young star, sat by us in front of walls lined with posters of a young Djokovic, an agile Djokovic, a rambunctious Djokovic. “He is something special, a complete person,” said Miroslava. “Now everyone thinks of Serbia and boom, boom, they think we are a country of sport.” Of course, the family had met Djokovic. In a city of 1,166,800 people it seemed that 1,166,799 had at some time or other met him. An architect I later spoke to over dinner sputtered into her wine when I asked if she too had fulfilled this mandatory citizenship requirement. “Yes, I’ve seen him a few times,” she said, chuckling. “He’s really a lovely guy.” The architect, the businessman, the waiter, the tour guide, each one was a personal character witness to Djokovic’s—I mean Novak’s—

humility, brilliance, politeness, kindness, and overall menschness. Each had a story of a meeting, a handshake, or a selfie. Leaving the club, we headed out towards the bus stop opposite the communist museum, to take a bus to Banjica, his grandfather’s neighbourhood where he had spent some months of each year as a boy. Armed with just a few screenshots of large murals now painted outside the former home, we sped straight into the heart of socialist suburbia, the buildings turning bleaker, chunkier, greyer. We got off at the last stop, and entered the first planned complex in front of us. But it took several tries, several minutes and several queries before we snaked our way through pillars and courtyards to the right spot. Old men sat around slabs of concrete with chessboard markings and small children shot hoops on the nearby basketball court. Novak was painted on one wall, smiling, flanked by his first coach, Jelena Gencic, and his grandfather, the complex’s former resident. On another, he had been portrayed alone, mid-stroke, against the national flag. Yugoslavia no longer remained, but suburbia looked unchanged, and among these brutalist behemoths, Djokovic had honed his brutal killer instincts. This wasn’t standardissue, sightseeing, but more like unwrapping the national character in more unexpected but equally satisfying ways. A final task remained: visiting one of his family’s multicuisine restaurants, where urban legend had it that they often came to oversee things themselves. And that is how I happened to be on the ground floor of the building with a massive picture of Novak running down the front, a life-sized sculpture of him welcoming diners at the entrance. Some Chinese tourists milled around the counter buying memorabilia. Inspirational paintings and posters decorated the interiors. After tearing into a vegetarian quesadilla and swilling some excellent local wine, I caught sight of his parents entering. While the food was perfectly fine, the chat with Dijana Djokovic was the spicier takeaway, as she agreed to JANUARY 2020 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

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THE MEMOIR

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SERBIA

YUGOSLAVIA NO LONGER REMAINED, AND AMONG THESE BRUTALIST BEHEMOTHS, DJOKOVIC HAD HONED HIS BRUTAL KILLER INSTINCTS Tennis facilities, new and old, sprawl across the city. Facing page: The Danube River (top) bisects Belgrade; In the warmer months outdoor dining (bottom) takes over the city.

be interviewed and spoke with a disarming candour. Life in communist Yugoslavia was tough, running a pizza shop in the mountains was tough, putting together funds to raise a tennis champion was tough. Her straight blonde hair falling to her shoulders, her hands moving as she talked, Dijana was engaging, articulate, and answered everything thrown at her. But one question baffled her: why wasn’t her champion son as popular as Federer and Nadal? She shrugged in maternal resignation. Before we parted, she told me he was in town, but couldn’t be sure if he would be at practice. I didn’t happen to achieve one of those fabled sightings. But, one evening, strolling in the pedestrian-only Knez Mihailova street and shopping zone, one face stood out from across a traffic signal. I followed the short, grizzled man in the pink t-shirt and assailed him with a crude question: haven’t I see you on TV before? He said maybe. “Do you work with Novak?” I asked. “Yes,” he replied, “I’m his physio.” Ulises Badio declined to be interviewed (even after I swore I wasn’t doing opposition research), but offered a selfie instead, as consolation. After that, I crossed the road, down the path that led to Belgrade Fortress, passing stalls with a constellation of national heroes, Novak t-shirts, Putin mugs, Tesla keyrings and Serbian flags. Seized by a moment of madness, I messaged my friend: “Love Serbia. About to throw it all away and commit to becoming a Djoko fangirl forever.” Honestly, I would never be a Novak fanatic, but Belgrade, refracted through a tennis lens, peppered with insights into his life, and full of denizens who loved him, had worn off the edge of my agnosticism. The sun was sinking into the horizon, a scrum of visitors crowded the dirt paths. Between the museum, the bridges and the fierce historical walls, by one entrance stood an astonishing sight—a tennis court; burnt sienna, freshly watered, a clay canvas awaiting ball marks and shoeprints. If a country loved tennis enough to put a court in a fort—even if we disagreed on the specifics—how could I not love it?

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BELGRADE THROUGH DJOKOVIC Teniski Centar Novak Opened in 2009, the 14-court complex is open to the public to rent. It also has a cafe, shop and trophy room. Novak Cafe and Restaurant A large multi-cuisine restaurant in New Belgrade, the socialist planned city. Banjica An older neighbourhood, with two murals painted outside his former residence. Teniski Klub Partizan A club and coaching centre beside the football stadium where Djokovic and former world number one Ana Ivanovic trained as youngsters. Djokovic memorabilia can be bought at the restaurant and the centre, but unofficially on the streets, most notably on the path that leads to the Belgrade Fortress.

JANUARY 2020 | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA

THE MEMOIR

SACRED LANES, SINFUL TREATS

Writer Varun Grover unleashes his travelling soul in this chatty exchange about his love for Benaras, Egyptian baklava and the Calcutta of his childhood

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PHOTO COURTESY: DEEPAK KATTAR

Varun Grover is first and foremost a traveller, who makes time to explore a city even when travelling for shows on a tight schedule.

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THE MEMOIR

arun Grover dons many hats—satirist, writer, lyricist, comedian—but through all of it, one thing is assured, his mastery of language. His stories have enthralled in Masaan and Sacred Games, lyrics have resonated in Dum Laga Ke Haisha and Gangs of Wasseypur, and his comedy? It’s a hot knife slicing through butter. “You can’t be a writer if you don’t observe,” Grover recounts in a telephonic interview. Whether it be his insightful comments as a part of the satirical collective Aisi Taisi Democracy or a poignant scene of two lovers sharing pizza at Assi Ghat in Masaan’s Benaras (a city Grover considers home), his writing reflects a searing intellect. In a conversation that extended well beyond the half an hour I had asked for, I learnt that Grover seeks out good food with a passion that warmed my foodie soul, and is always happy to swap travel tips, as can be seen in these edited excerpts. How does travelling affect your writing?

Writing is all about observing and living through different experiences. If I observe well and stay open, stories are born in my mind. Ultimately, being a writer is about having a world view and understanding how people tackle both the political and the social. Which place has always captivated your imagination?

Benaras. I lived there and studied at IIT-BHU for four years. The city’s culture and chaos has stayed with me. Everytime I go back, I discover something new about Benaras—a different place or a new ritual that has been followed for hundreds of years. Three years ago, on my last visit in October, I discovered a centuries-old travelling Ram Leela. It is staged in different parts of the city. For instance, the university gates of BHU are a stand-in for Lanka in this version. The city has many, many layers and the foremost one for me is food. It is also the first thing I explore in any place I visit.

Internationally, Egypt fascinated me. The history in India often dates back 500 or 700 years, in America it might be 200 years, but in Egypt it goes as far back as 4,000 years. Sometimes our guide would say stuff like, “This is really new, it is only 800 years old.” We saw tombs, caves and the Valley of the Kings in Luxor. Egyptians are also interesting storytellers. The country was traditionally a popular stop on several ancient trade routes from Europe and Asia, so everybody seems to be still selling something, even if they are tall tales. Everyone is a kissago or daastango in Egypt, from the tongawaala and the taxiwaala to the shopkeeper. What Egyptian food did you relish?

I’ve had baklava in Turkey and Dubai, but the best and freshest is in Egypt. There is a shop in Cairo, close to Tahrir Square, called Abdel Rahim Koueider. You enter the shop and are transported 500 years into the past. They make 70 types of baklava, with quirky names such as “bulbul’s nest.” In Luxor, I also dined on fish that was freshly caught from the Nile and that was delicious. Going back to Benaras, do you think there is an element of fetishisation while writing about that city?

Benaras has always been viewed through the eyes of the white man. You need time to break through the clichés that we have been fed through this gaze. The city is not just about the sun rising on the ghats or a boat ride in the Ganga. It is about small stuff like the old haveli of Bhartendu Harishchandra, the father of Hindi literature, who wrote the first Hindi play. No tourist goes here, even though the haveli has been restored and is in good condition. In the old part of town, there’s another collector of old LP records from the 1930s and 1940s including rare recordings of Begum Akhtar and those from the Benaras classical music gharana. The city has preserved these things. You have to walk around to discover it. And you must also stay at least five days. When I went there six years ago with my wife Raj Kumari, and she was going for the first time, she had only two days. I tried to show her the most non-touristy side of Benaras, but she didn’t like it. She felt it was too dirty; she was hoping for a greater city. We went again three years ago for seven days. Then she also fell in love with the city. We used to live in Dehradun, and my aunt lived in Calcutta. I went to the city for the first time in 1989, when I was nine. We had a 30-hour train journey, which was really epic and we stopped at so many new places. I had never been out of north India. To see the wide, open rice fields of Bengal was something else. I tasted fresh coconut water for the first time in my life. Calcutta seemed like such a huge city. I still feel Bombay is not as big as Calcutta was in my imagination at that time. It remains one of my top three food cities in India. We used to also take frequent trips around Dehradun. Sahastradhara, which had sulphur water springs, was a wonderful place where we often took many of our visiting family members. When you’re on tour, do you make time to explore a place?

I always try to either go a day early, or wait an extra day, or as many days as I can manage. I find a local—either a friend, 98

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What are your memories of travelling as a child?

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One of Grover's fondest childhood memories is his trip to Calcuttaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; the first big city for a nine-yearold boy from Dehradun. It still is one of his favourite cities in India.

Family getaways for Grover also meant frequent trips to the hot spring town of Sahastradhara, now an overcrowded spot. Facing page: Egypt's perfectly roasted pistachio baklava with quirky names like bulbul's nest (in photo) have a hold on Grover's heart and stomach.

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The Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt, an elaborate burial site for Egyptian pharaohs like King Tutankhamun, captivated Grover for its well-preserved, millennia-old history.

It was while travelling for his stand-up comedy show that Grover landed up in Singaporeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and fell in love with it for the sheer number of street food options. Singapore, he says, does innovative things with food.

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or someone who has come to see the show—and go out with them. No trip is complete without walking through a city. Is there a city that you discovered while touring?

I didn’t know much about Singapore and its food culture. I didn’t expect the whole city to be one giant khau galli. That was an amazing discovery. You’ve said in one interviewthat you found Spain the least racist, and France the most intimidating place.

India operates on so much chaos that order can be intimidating. France is too orderly... there are different ways to greet people in the morning and evening. If you don’t get it right, people take offense or judge you. I’m sure it’s a part of their culture and they find some meaning and joy in it, but Indians are not so formal. I don’t know whether it is racist or my own inferiority complex in a very white country but people judging you for a lack of manners is not a nice experience. When I crossed over from France to Italy, on the other hand, I was delighted to see folks not obeying traffic signals. Do you go to a special place to write?

I live in Kandivali in Bombay, which is fairly peaceful. Sometimes I go to this place in Uttaranchal called Sonapani. It is a homely resort near Mukteshwar that I love. I also like going to Goa because I love the sea and seafood. Usually, I find a spot in south Goa, away from the bustle. In Sacred Games , there’s a strong sense of place. Was that a conscious writing decision?

PHOTO COURTESY: VARUN GROVER (SEAL) FACING PAGE: LEONID ANDRONOV/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES (MONUMENT), T.DALLAS/SHUTTERSTOCK (FOOD)

Our writers, both in season 1 and 2, wanted to keep it very

authentic. We found that there was an anda bhurji stall near Kyani Bakery that was popular. Bombay has these strange things—five or six anda bhurji places which have a cult following. These spots lend the city its character. What are some of your favourite travel books?

One is a Hindi book, Volga Se Ganga, by Rahul Sankrityayan. He’s one of the best travel writers India has had. It’s fiction but rooted in travel, history and anthropology. This book has inspired me to see the world. Another fictional favourite is this novel called Netherland by Joseph O’Neill. It is set in New York, and is about a bunch of Asians and a Trinidadian who play cricket in New York. Recently I was in New York, and I spotted a group of people actually playing cricket and I felt my journey had come full circle. The other book I recommend is Kashi ka Assi by Kashi Nath Singh, a character sketch of Benaras. I was living in Benaras when I read it and the book has unlocked so many secrets about the city for me. If you had to give people one essential travel tip, what would that be?

Avoid touristy places and you’ll never be at a loss. Even if you say that you went to Paris and didn’t see the Eiffel Tower, that’s fine. Whatever you did instead will definitely be better. As a songwriter, do you associate popular places with songs?

Let’s see... To Benaras, I would dedicate “Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas,” for Lucknow “Ye Kya Jagah Hai Doston” from Umrao Jaan and for Bombay, this song called “Zeher Hai Ke Pyaar Hai Tera Chumma,” from Sabse Bada Khiladi.

In comparison to France, Grover found America to be more welcoming— and less judgemental— towards non-white tourists. His recent trip took him from New York's boroughs to Utah and Missouri, and even sealspotting in San Diego.

PARIS

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How would you design your perfect city?

LUCKNOW

BENARAS

It would have music and street art from Paris, savoury food from Lucknow, sweets from Benaras and Calcutta, food from Spain, drinks from Italy, the natural beauty of Sydney and the architecture of London or even South Mumbai. I would add to this, the cosmopolitanism from New York, history and culture from Egypt and Lucknow, and music and poetry from Old Delhi.

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VARUN GROVER’S TASTY BENARAS TRAIL

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Dine on a breakfast of kachori, sabzi, jalebi at Chachi Ki Dukaan, opposite Ravidas Gate, Lanka (Chachi died at the age of 100 a few years ago, but her sons are still running the shop). Try the apple pie at Vatika Pizzeria in Assi Ghat. It’s a weird suggestion but you will be pleasantly surprised. One of the best lanes for sweets is Thatheri Bazaar ahead of Chowk area (close to Godouliya). The bazaar has old sweet shops and sells theatre props too. Ramnagar Ki Lassi is superfamous and a must-visit. Ask

anybody and they will direct you to the place; it’s along the road from Ramnagar Fort main gate towards the Ganga. The rabri and lassi at Khandu Sardar, a small shop at the end of Thatheri Bazaar, next to Gopal Mandir, is divine (Khandu Sardar, Nangu Sardar and Lussan Sardar were the pioneers of milk-based sweets in Benaras). Raja Ram Lassi is the best lassi in the old city. The shop opens for only four to five hours a day as they run out of curd quickly. Pathakji Ki Thandai, also in

Thatheri Bazaar, has the best thandai. Ask for the special of the day, which is generally some seasonal fruit-based thandai. Bhang is free. Taste the murabba at Shreenath Murabba in Thatheri Bazaar. They even have murabba prepared with bamboo shoots. You must try gulab jamun at this unnamed corner shop right opposite BSNL main gate, Lazarus Road, Varanasi Cantt Railway Station. The place serves hot gulab jamuns with fresh thick cream and an optional spicy masala on top.

Have malpua at Shree Krishna Sweets in Maldahiya and kachoris in Loha Mandi. For kheer kadam and rasgullas, go to Sudhir Sweets in Bengali Tola. A typical Benaras snack is a dish made with toasted bread, coated with butter and spicy masala on top, which you can have at Panditji Ka Slice, near the turning off Lolark Kund. For that quintessentially Benarasi litti, visit Loha Singh Ka Litti-Chokha in Maldahiya. He adds cashew to the litti, though littis are scrumptious even without those add-ons. 

Having studied in BHU for four years, Benaras is home to Varun Grover, and his recommendations are ones that won't be found in regular guidebooks.

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TRAVEL QUIZ Y O U R

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THIS NEWLY OPENED STADIUM, WITH A CAPACITY OF 68,000, HAS BEEN BUILT TO HOST THE TOKYO 2020 OLYMPICS.

CALCIFICATION TURNS DEAD ANIMALS INTO STATUES ON THIS AFRICAN LAKE. WHAT IS ITS ORIGINAL NAME AND WHERE IS IT LOCATED?

NAME THIS VILLAGE CALLED THE ‘WHISTLING VILLAGE OF INDIA’ AS ITS PEOPLE INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER THROUGH TUNES AND WHISTLES.

IN SPRING THIS ENTIRE EUROPEAN PARK IS SUBMERGED, MAKING IT A POPULAR DIVING SPOT FOR THE SEASON.

THIS EUROPEAN COUNTRY CELEBRATES TWO DIFFERENT NEW YEARS: ONE ON JANUARY 1 AND THE OTHER ON JANUARY 14.

THIS GERMAN FOREST OFTEN SERVES AS THE BACKDROP IN THE BROTHERS GRIMM FAIRY TALES. WHAT IS IT CALLED IN REAL LIFE?

ANSWERS 1. NATIONAL STADIUM 2. LAKE NATRON, TANZANIA 3. KONGTHONG, MEGHALAYA 4. GREEN LAKE IN TRAGÖSS, AUSTRIA 5. RUSSIA 6. BLACK FOREST

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