Jetstar Australia Magazine — APR 2019

APR 2019

F R EE T O TA K E H O M E

MAGAZINE

S I M P LY W O N D E R F U L The life-changing magic of an off-grid family holiday

HONG KONG

MOOLOOLABA

CANGGU

BANGKOK

SYDNEY

HONOLULU

W H I T S U N D AY I S L A N D S

TOKYO

Uniden-JSDPS-Left 2019-03-13T11:58:25+11:00

Uniden-JSDPS-Right 2019-03-13T11:59:41+11:00

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APR 2019

CONTENTS

the traveller W HERE T O G O N E X T

the checklist ALL T HE T R AVEL IN T EL YO U NEED N O W

0 1 4 7 M Y T H S A B O U T...

Blue Mountains, NSW.

0 1 7 T R AV E L T R E N D S:

SECRET HIKES

We uncover hidden walking trails around Melbourne.

0 2 0 T W O S I D E S O F...

The Fijian islands.

022 THE CHALLENGE

Can you survive on Tokyo’s

040 OFF-GRID F A M ILY T R I P S Leave screens behind and reconnect with loved ones on your next holiday.

vending machine food alone?

We find out.

024 TECH

Plug into these powerful portable chargers when you’re on the road.

0 2 6 P O S T C A R D F R O M ...

Tai Hang, Hong Kong.

0 2 9 T R AV EL T R E N D S:

M U L T I- G E N T R A V E L

Why you should be travelling with the whole family (yes, everyone).

0 3 2 T R AV EL H AC K: S AV I N G

F O R A FA M ILY H O L I D AY Money advice for parents and kids from The Barefoot Investor.

0 3 4 T R AV EL H AC K:

LONG-HAUL FLIGHTS

Tricks to help you arrive at your destination feeling fresh.

037 CALENDAR

Easter, art, comedy and food – what not to miss this month.

050 MOOLOOLABA Where to have a whale of a time in this Queensland beach destination.

004

C O N T EN T S

056 BANGKOK veteran backpacker A returns to the bustling Thai city – this time with her kids.

the cut T H E BES T OF W H ERE T O E AT, D R IN K A N D PL AY

0 8 8 E A T + D R I N K : C A N G G U

Where to go for tasty eats with chilled-out local vibes.

0 9 6 A N AT O M Y OF A DIS H

How do they get the soup inside soup dumplings? We find out.

0 9 8 H A P P Y H O U R : HONOLULU

Get more bang for your buck while having a drink in paradise.

102 FOOD TRENDS Chocolate! The special treats to hunt down these Easter holidays.

1 0 4 M Y P L A C E: F R E M A N T L E 063

0 74

SYDNEY

KUALA LUMPUR

Discover the best of the harbour city solo, as a couple or with the tribe.

We uncover the old, new and out-there of the Malaysian city.

A local Indigenous business leader’s take on the port city.

106 EXPERIENCE Is working remotely all it’s cracked up to be? A digital nomad fills us in.

10 9 FASHION

Stylish accessories that will instantly update your look.

the insider JE T S TA R N E W S, M AP S A N D EN T ER TA IN MEN T

1 1 4 JE T S TA R N E W S 1 17 EN T ER TA IN M EN T 122 AIRPORT TO CITY 1 2 6 W H E R E W E FLY 128 GAMES + PUZZLES 1 3 2 W H E R E’S W A L LY ?

1 3 6 H I G H E R , BI G G E R , 076

F A S T E R , LO N G E R

OKINAWA A homestay on the Japanese island reveals the long-life secrets of its locals.

Cover photography by Annabelle Hickson.

E DITOR I A L .

CONTRIBUTORS.

EDITOR Jacqueline Lunn DEPUTY EDITOR Sudeshna Ghosh CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jon Gregory DESIGNER Lisa Emmanuel CHIEF SUBEDITOR Nancy Merlo SUBEDITOR Kaitlyn Palmer-Allen PHOTOGRAPHIC EDITOR Nicola Sevitt

EDITORIAL INQUIRIES EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Rachel Gray Suite 58, 26-32 Pirrama Road, Pyrmont, NSW 2009 P (02) 8114 8944 E jetstar.editorial@mediumrarecontent.com

CARO RYAN Content creator for over 18 years, Caro has a passion for the outdoors and this month writes about her favourite hiking spot: the Blue Mountains (page 14). “I’m delighted to help visitors see beyond the postcard images,” she says.

MANAGING EDITOR, JETSTAR Simon Tsang

A DVERT I S I N G .

NATIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGER

VIC & QLD ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Amanda Atkinson | (02) 8114 8920

Chris Joy | (03) 9292 3207

NSW SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER

GROUP SALES MANAGER

Andre Hammond-Parker | (02) 8114 7626

Belinda Morton | (03) 9292 1159

NSW ACCOUNT MANAGER

VIC ACCOUNT MANAGER

Stephanie Leon | (02) 8114 8936

Brittany Groth | (03) 9292 3280

NZ BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

QLD & NT ACCOUNT MANAGER

Stuart Tovey | +64 21 711 606

Kasia Brzezicka | 0447 383 072

ADVERTISING SALES COORDINATOR

VIC ADVERTISING COORDINATOR

Emily Whelan | (02) 8114 8908

Peggy Ford | (03) 9292 3222

MEDIUM R A R E C O N T E N T A G E N C Y .

MANAGING DIRECTOR Gerard Reynolds EXECUTIVE GENERAL MANAGER Sally Wright CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER Margaret Merten DIGITAL STRATEGY DIRECTOR Karla Courtney SOCIAL STRATEGY DIRECTOR Scott Drummond CREATIVE SERVICES EDITOR Georgia Booth CREATIVE SERVICES ART DIRECTOR Philippa Moffitt FINANCE MANAGER Alvin Largado

Jetstar magazine is published monthly and is complimentary to domestic and international passengers. Published for Jetstar Airways

by Medium Rare Content Agency (ABN 83 169 879 921), Suite 58/2632 Pirrama Road, Pyrmont, NSW 2009. ©2018. All rights reserved.

Printed by Ovato Print Pty Ltd. Paper fibre is from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources. No responsibility is accepted for unsolicited material. Articles express the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of Jetstar Airways or Medium Rare Content Agency. For a copy of Medium Rare Content Agency’s Privacy Policy, visit mediumrarecontent.com. ISSN 1443-2013.

We want you to know that at Jetstar our writers are not armchair travellers.

Any assistance we do accept from the travel industry to produce our stories does not compromise the integrity of the coverage.

For flight reservations jetstar.com For hotel bookings and holiday packages jetstar.com/hotels jetstar.com/holidays

SHERIDEN RHODES Newcastle-based freelance writer Sheriden says the best trips are those she takes with her 10-year-old daughter.

“If we put down devices and immerse ourselves in the destination, it brings us closer,” she says about her off-grid family travel story on page 40.

ALISON BONE Currently living in Bali, this freelance travel, lifestyle and food writer has been exploring the globe for more years than she cares to count. In this issue, Alison offers an insider’s guide to eating and drinking in Canggu (page 88).

Hanoi

Overnight Train

Halong Bay Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre Hue Hoi An

VIETNA M

Ho Chi Minh City Mekong Delta

Kota Kinabalu

Turtle Island

Kinabalu NP

Siem Reap Battambang

Sepilok Ara Dinawan Island Beringgis Beach

Kinabatangan River

M AL AYSIA (B O R N EO )

CAMBODIA

Sandakan Phnom Penh

CEO’S LE T T ER

Innovative training > Welcome on board and thank you for choosing to fly with us today.

As an airline, we are always looking out for – and taking advantage of – cutting-edge technology and innovation to provide a seamless travel experience for our customers.

Whether it be the introduction of our new Airbus A321neo LR next year, advanced route-planning systems to get you on your way faster, a more personalised website and mobile app or leading pilot simulator training, there are many ways our customers and our operations are benefitting from the latest technology.

Recently we took innovative learnings from the gaming industry to introduce virtual reality training for our engineers.

Working alongside gaming experts, we used laser detection technology to develop an exact 3D replica of our Airbus A320 and Boeing 787 aircraft as well as our maintenance base in Melbourne.

In an Australian-first, hundreds of Jetstar engineers will now be able to

“IN A N AU S T R AL I A N-FIRS T, H U N DRED S OF JE T S TAR EN GINEERS W ILL N O W BE ABLE T O U N DER TAK E V IR T UAL RE AL I T Y T R A ININ G.” undertake virtual reality training without the need to be in a hangar or have an actual aircraft present.

This gives them a consistent training experience and one they can go back to as many times as they want. It also frees up close to 600 hours of aircraft time a year, meaning we have more planes available to fly you to your favourite destinations.

Virtual reality training will never replace on-the-tools training. However, it will become an integral part of a blended mix of learning technologies and experiences.

Importantly, we are also using the new technology to inspire more students to consider a career in aviation by helping them to literally see the great work our engineers do to keep our fleet flying.

We look forward to seeing you on board again soon.

G ARE T H E VA N S CEO, JE T S TA R G R O U P

MAURICE BAKER, JE TSTAR’S ENGINEER TR AINING DEVELOPER, SH OWING O UR NEWEST VR TR AINING TO OL AT T HE AVALO N AIRSH OW IN MELB O URNE L AST M O N T H

009

010

JE T S TAR S O CI AL

LIKE. FOLLOW. CLICK. SHARE. Get social with us and join the conversation online.

< WINDOW SEAT > THIS STUNNING VIEW OF LAKE WAKATIPU, QUEENSTOWN, IS GIVING US SERIOUS WANDERLUST ENVY. @ZOEOLIVIA97

jetstar.com THE ONLINE HUB FOR ALL THE TRAVEL INSPO AND INTEL YOU NEED TO EXPLORE THE WORLD YOUR WAY.

< PLAYING KOI > THE CHEEKY FISH AT BALI DYNASTY RESORT ARE NEVER SHY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S FEEDING TIME. @MRS_PAULIE_

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< HOW'S THE SERENITY? >

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W IN A HOLIDAY IN L AUNCE S T ON A I R FA R E S , A C C O M M O D AT I O N A N D S P E N D I N G M O N E Y T O T H E VA L U E O F $ 5 0 0 0

A DV E N T UR E R ?

FA MILY ?

WHAT KIND OF TRAVELLER ARE YOU?

F OODIE ?

W E L L NE S S S E E K E R ?

Do our quiz to find out your travel style. You might be surprised.

Go to jetstar.com/discoverlaunceston to win the holiday of a lifetime.

Entries open to Australian residents 18 and over. Entries close Tuesday April 30 2019. Entrants must complete the quiz and tell us why you need a getaway in 100 words or less. For full T&Cs visit jetstar.com/discoverlaunceston

013—038

the checklist > ALL THE TRAVEL INTEL YOU NEED NOW

M ULT I-G EN T R AVEL PA G E

029 MEL B O U R NE

PA G E

017

> Freddo Frogs were created

by MacRobertson’s, a Fitzroybased confectionery company that sold to Cadbury in 1967.

TOK YO

PA G E

022

> A whopping 230 restaurants in Japan’s capital have one or more Michelin stars, the most for any city in the world.

H O N G KO N G

PA G E

026

> A 55-kilometre mega bridge connecting Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai in China, opened in October 2018.

7 M Y T H S AB O U T...

Blue Mountains

—Ancient rainforests, giant rock formations and bushland the size of a Caribbean nation – really?

Local Caro Ryan sorts fact from fiction in this popular destination west of Sydney—

MYTH #1 There’s only one mountain > The tabletop plateau of the Greater Blue Mountains Area rises from the Sydney plains to cover a space nearly the size of Jamaica (which actually has its own Blue Mountains).

Not defined by one specific peak, this region stretches over 10,300 square kilometres and is known for its rock formations and sandstone escarpments that let you gaze down into ancient canyons and gorges.

Unlike most mountain hikes, treks here often start at the top and descend into the rainforest.

MYTH #3 MYTH #2 You can “do” the Blue Mountains in a day > With 27 towns and villages, a daytrip will leave you wishing for more time. If you get an early start, you’ll be able to see rainforests and waterfalls in the morning, towering cliffs at lunch and farmlands in the afternoon – but there will always be more to explore so staying overnight is a good idea. Accommodation ranges from budget to luxe to the downright quirky Love Cabins (lovecabins.com.au).

It’s a little bit old-fashioned > If you visit during one of the many vintage events such as The Roaring 20s Festival, you might think the area is behind the times. But it’s shedding its old-school image with a modern food and arts scene. Eateries such as Fumo (fumorestaurant. com.au), galleries and the colourful Katoomba Street Art Walk (streetartmurals.com.au) are just some of the highlights. When shopping, look for the MTNS MADE logo, which marks pieces crafted by local artists.

T H E C H ECKL IS T

015

“G O OFF T HE BE ATEN TR ACK A N D YO U

MYTH #4

CA N EXPERIEN CE T HE BLUE M O U N TA INS

The region’s history started with the European explorers > Blaxland, Wentworth Falls and Lawson are named after the explorers who crossed this area in the 1800s but walking the Red Hands Cave track near Glenbrook connects you to the deeper past of the Darug people, who, along with the Gundungurra, have been living and exploring here for thousands of years.

An Aboriginal Blue Mountains Walkabout (bluemountains walkabout.com) tour is the perfect way to learn about Indigenous culture.

MYTH #5 There’s nothing to do during wet weather > While the misty phantom falls phenomenon – where mist creates a waterfall effect over the cliff tops – may hide the views, locals will tell you that venturing down into the valleys (including Fern Bower and Leura Forest) on a rainy day is the best time to wander the ancient Gondwana rainforest.

If staying dry is your preference, you can head west to Jenolan Caves (jenolancaves.org.au) to shelter underground and see some incredible limestone formations, join in the open mic sessions at the The Gardners Inn Hotel at Blackheath or roll a jaffa down the aisle of historic cinema Mount Vic Flicks (mountvicflicks.com.au).

L IKE A LO CAL.”

MYTH #6 The Three Sisters and Scenic World are all there is to see > Most people are familiar with the Three Sisters and Scenic World (scenicworld.com.au) but there’s much more to the region.

Take a guided canyoning trip down Empress Falls Canyon (bmac.com.au), find more than 6000 plant species at The Blue Mountains Botanic Garden (bluemountainsbotanicgarden. com.au), do a cooking class in a Wentworth Falls homestead (mtnsmade.com.au), pick your own fruit at Pine Crest Orchard (pinecrestorchard.com.au) or taste local wines at Dryridge Estate (dryridge.com.au).

MYTH #7 It’s packed with tourists > It is undoubtedly a big tourist draw but go off the beaten track and you can experience the Blue Mountains like a local.

Catch the sunset along Narrow Neck Peninsula or go camping around the ghost town ruins of Newnes to beat the crowds.

Wandering markets, checking out the latest exhibitions at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre and then eating gourmet pizzas at Station Bar (stationbar.com.au) are also local faves.

AND 3 TRUTHS The mountains look blue > From a distance, the mountains’ ridges appear to have a blue haze because of an optical phenomenon called Rayleigh Scattering, where light passes through dust particles and oil released by the 91 different species of eucalyptus trees in the area, scattering rays of blue light.

It’s a World Heritage site > The Greater Blue Mountains Area was World Heritage listed in 2000, partly due to its unique diversity of flora and habitats. Now, it shares this distinction with the Grand Canyon and Yosemite National Parks in the USA and Machu Picchu in Peru.

It’s a great place to see native wildlife > You don’t have to try too hard to spot one of the 186 species of native animals and birds living here, such as wallabies, wombats, kangaroos or goannas. You’re bound to find some at Euroka campground at Glenbrook or Dunphy’s campground in the Megalong Valley (nationalparks.nsw.gov.au).

Present your boarding pass at the ticket counter to receive a 20% discount off entry*

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T H E C H ECKL IS T

017

TR AVEL TREN D S

The next step 6 SECRET HIKES ARO U ND MELBO URNE

01.

Post-work work-out YARRA BEND PARK 500M/20MIN

Thousands of grey-headed flying foxes flock above the city en masse at sunset but little is known about where they actually call home.

Welcome to Bat HQ, about eight kilometres from the CBD at Yarra Bend Park, where keen walkers take to the Bat Colony Nature Trail to spot the creatures – also called fruit bats – hanging upside down on trees around the Bellbird Picnic Area. The fruit bats were relocated from Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens 16 years ago to stop them destroying the plants.

02.

A slice of history WARRANDYTE STATE PARK 3KM/1HR YARR A BEND PARK (@ M ODERNBUSH WALKER)

—There are kilometres of gorgeous walking tracks around Melbourne but some are so tucked away, even the locals don’t know they exist. Lace up your hiking boots and get set to tackle these trails next—

W O R D S_ R A C H EL G R AY

There’s gold in them thar hills and you might just find some on this nearly forgotten walk through Warrandyte State Park. Or maybe not – after all, it has been more than 160 years since pioneers first mined the area when Louis John Michael discovered gold there in 1851, sparking the great Victorian gold rush. Located about 30 kilometres north-east from Melbourne’s CBD, the Gold Heritage Walk loops back to its starting point at Whipstick Gully car park and takes you past disused huts and historic mining sites.

018

MEL B O U R NE

03.

Enchanting forests SHERBROOKE FOREST 2.4KM/45MIN

PLEN T Y G ORGE PARK (@L AUREN _ A M Y_ J)

Take an easy stroll through Sherbrooke Forest but don’t be surprised if you hear a chainsaw – it’s most likely to be the elusive lyrebird doing one of its best impersonations to attract a mate.

While not all native wildlife are so lyrically gifted, they are still as delightful to spot. You can often find a wombat or swamp wallaby rustling beneath mountain ash (eucalyptus regnans), the world’s tallest flowering plant, or cooling off in the cascading Sherbrooke Creek. You will also pass miniature waterfalls on this little-known 2.4-kilometre walk, returning to either the Sherbrooke or O’Donohue picnic grounds. All this can be found about an hour’s drive from Melbourne’s CBD.

05.

04.

Wildlife spotting WOODLANDS HISTORIC PARK 9KM/3HR

If you want to spot a kangaroo peeking out from behind Australia’s equally-iconic river red gum tree, then head to one of Melbourne’s best kept secrets – Woodlands Historic Park. The Moonee Ponds Creek Trail is a three-hour walk starting about 20 kilometres north of the city and will give you plenty of time to work up an appetite for Devonshire tea at the heritage-listed 176-year-old Woodlands Homestead. There, you can take a selfie with retired champion racehorses as they graze in the fields out front or pass the Back Paddock, where you might just glimpse an eastern barred bandicoot shuffling around the wildlife recovery site.

Thriving wetlands PLENTY GORGE PARK 6KM/1.5HR

“T HE PARK’S GRE AT SECRE T IS T HE BLUE L AKE, A F ORMER MINER AL Q UARRY T H AT N O W TEEMS W I T H BIRDL IFE.”

A LYREBIRD IN SHERBR O OKE FORES T

This park’s great secret is the Blue Lake, a former mineral quarry that now teems with birdlife such as cockatoos, rainbow lorikeets and ducks. The six-kilometre track, which snakes around the lake, starts at the Red Gum Picnic area, located about 30 kilometres north of Melbourne’s CBD. This is the place to go when you want to swap the stress of city life for peace and calm surrounded by the relaxing scent of eucalyptus trees, gliding swans and dragonflies.

06.

Family fun BRIMBANK LOOP WALK 3.5KM/1.5HR

At Brimbank Park, about a 30-minute drive north-west from the CBD, you can let the kids run free in the playground, before setting off to visit the abandoned Dodds Homestead along the park’s 3.5-kilometre Loop Walk. Pack a picnic so that when you’ve finished the walk you can put some sausages on the sizzle at one of the several outdoor barbecues and enjoy an alfresco lunch.

Over 3000 adrenalin pumping, soul-stirring and unforgettable moments are waiting for you.

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Coral reef The crystal clear waters surrounding the Fijian islands are home to 10,000 square kilometres of colourful coral reef systems, alive with pretty tropical fish and an incredible 42 per cent of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coral species.

T WO SIDES

T H E C H ECKL IS T

OF FIJI

021

Sri Siva Subramaniya Swami Temple, Nadi Fijiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s religious and cultural diversity is reflected in this wildly colourful and ornate Hindu temple, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. It features traditional Dravidian architecture rarely seen outside India.

8AM

Bottled water T HE C H ALLEN GE

Living out of vending machines in Tokyo

$1.50

Yes, I know – a boring choice for stop numero uno of my fun-filled mechanistic culinary adventure through Japan’s capital but hear me out. Your body needs water first thing in the morning.

WHERE? Pretty much every vending machine in Toyko.

8.1 2 A M

Suntory Boss coffee

$1.40

Now, onto the good stuff. Specifically, the silky smooth, artificially flavoured brown liquid brought to you by Boss.

Who is Boss? No-one really knows but what I can tell you is that his face is plastered over more than 20 varieties of canned coffee, all of which taste about the same. I go for Premium Boss and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

WHERE? Like water, you’re never too far from a Boss coffee in this city.

9.15A M

Super banana

$2.30

Inside the magnificent banana vending machine, you’ll find there are two price points: $1.90 for the standard banana and $2.30 for a “super” banana. I don’t know the difference but I go for the super banana. I think it’s slightly bigger but I’ll never know for sure. For those playing at home, the machine is kept at the optimum banana temperature of 13°C – and it shows.

That was a quality banana.

WHERE? Near Shibuya Station.

ILL U S T R AT IO N _ R O SIE A PP S

—Japan’s five million vending machines aren’t just full of lollies and soft drink – you can trade coins for batteries, eggs, fruit and even toilet paper. David Allegretti has 24 hours in Tokyo, a handful of loose change and a mission to seek them all out. The twist?

He won’t eat or drink anything unless it’s dispensed from a machine. Can he stomach it?—

T H E C H ECKL IS T

9.21 A M

2.0 4P M

Pokka Lifeplus Vitamin

$1.60

Japanese winters are unforgiving.

Or maybe I’m soft. Whatever the case, I feel a cold coming on so I’m stoked to stumble upon a machine offering what look to be vitamin C drinks. I down a nice lemon-flavoured immune booster and I’m on my way.

WHERE? Around the corner from the super banana vending machine.

9.4 9A M

Bourbon Slowbar $1.50 Funwari Chocolate Cake

$1.50

I don’t know what a Slowbar is but it tastes bloody amazing. Ditto for the white chocolate cake bar.

WHERE? Shibuya.

10.3 0A M

8.0 9P M

Corn soup

$1.75

Squishy, highly processed, salty and hardly a trace of real cheese to be found. These tasted exactly as I hoped they would.

WHERE? Harajuku.

3.22P M

Pepsi Refresh Shot

$1.60

My eyelids are getting heavy, so what better than a half-size Pepsi with twice the caffeine to wake me from my impending slumber? Don’t bother answering – I can’t hear you. Let me tell you this, though – a Refresh Shot isn’t as exciting as I hoped. It just tastes like regular Pepsi but with extra jitters.

WHERE? Shibuya Station.

Yona Yona Ale

$1.75

Light. Fluffy. Subtle. Well done.

WHERE? Near Ueno Station.

1 1.0 0A M $1.75

There are two types of people: those who like Pocari Sweat and those who haven’t tasted Pocari Sweat. If you fall into the latter, here’s a run-down.

It’s a sweet sports beverage, marketed as an “ion supply” drink that mimics the chemical composition of human sweat. Hydration never tasted so good.

WHERE? Everywhere. I wouldn’t trust a machine that didn’t dispense Pocari.

1 2.56P M

Bourbon Choco Brownie This was good – really good.

WHERE? Akihabara.

$1.40

$1.60

I was expecting this to taste foul but I was pleasantly surprised.

Thank you, Japan, for your delicious corn soup in a can. I could have downed five more of these.

WHERE? Tokyo Station surrounds.

8.1 4P M

Tomato soup

$1.60

Buoyed by the unforeseen deliciousness of the canned corn soup, I throw myself towards its neighbour. Big mistake. The contents of my can were less tomato soup and more lukewarm salty water.

I had two sips before trashing it.

WHERE? Tokyo Station surrounds.

9.07P M

5.0 0 P M

Blueberry crêpes

Pocari Sweat

Cheese sticks

023

Ice cream

$3.65

I stop in the old neighbourhood of Nippori with a pal of mine and decide to enjoy a nice, early evening beer the Japanese way – on the street. We perch on a bench near the vending machine and crack open a Yona Yona Ale, a pleasant little pale ale alternative to the big four beers – Suntory, Sapporo, Asahi and Kirin.

WHERE? Nippori.

5.29P M

Suiyoubi no Neko beer

$3.65

With peak-hour people-watching and the sun setting in this picturesque area, it would be rude not to stay for another drink. This time I go with the Belgian white ale Suiyoubi no Neko, which translates to “Wednesday cat”.

WHERE? Nippori.

$1.90

I’d heard rumours of a lettuce vending machine near Tokyo Station but after an hour of searching bore no frui- er… vegetables, I give up and go one better – ice cream. I find an ice cream vending machine. Amazing! The chocolate mint waffle ice cream sandwich I opt for? Not so amazing.

WHERE? Tokyo Station surrounds.

By this point, I’m feeling kind of sick.

I can’t imagine why. Anyway, the moral of the story is… um, Japan has vending machines – more than Australia. But maybe don’t eat exclusively from them or you’ll end up with a stomach-ache.

TEC H N OL O GY

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T H E C H ECKL IS T

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> Power up on contact with the Mophie Charge Stream Pad+ â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just lay your Qi-enabled smartphone flat on the secure rubber pad and it will power it wirelessly. The device even works through cases up to three-millimetres thick. The charger delivers up to 10 watts of power and is optimised for Apple or Samsung Fast Charge so your device will be back in action in no time. mophie.com

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> Carry hours of much-needed extra battery life for power-hungry laptops and tablets with a portable charger like the Cygnett ChargeUp Pro 27,000mAh USB-C Power Bank. It can restore power to up to three devices at the same time, including a full laptop charge, while fast-charging technology can promptly refill a smartphone or a tablet. The device itself can also be recharged in just five hours when using the USB-C wall charger. cygnett.com

A must-have for iPhone lovers, the Belkin BoostUP Charge Power Bank 10K with Lightning Connector will refuel your phone with a lightning cable, which can then be used to recharge the power bank. The 10,000mAh device is MFi-certified, ensuring it works with Apple products that use lightning cables. belkin.com/au

W O R D S _ R O S A LY N PA G E

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P O S TC ARD FR O M

Tai Hang HONG KONG

—This quiet little neighbourhood (yes, one still exists in Hong Kong) is quickly becoming an enclave of trendy bars and restaurants and design-driven boutiques.

Get in on the action before word gets out—

1 SECOND DRAFT You know it’s not your average pub when the drinks are curated by craft brewery Young Master Ales and the creative East-meets-West menu is designed by chef May Chow of Little Bao fame. There are over 12 craft brews on tap and the ma po burrata, an addictive combination of creamy cheese and mala chilli oil, is a must-try.

It’s popular, so get there early. fb.me/SecondDraftHK 2 LIN FA KUNG The lotus-inspired Lin Fa Kung temple was built in 1863 as a place to worship Kwun Yum, the goddess of mercy.

Today it’s an important venue for traditional celebrations, such as the annual Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance (taihangfiredragon.hk). Before the 67-metre dragon winds its way around town, it is blessed in the temple to protect followers from misfortune.

The next dance is on 12-14 September. ctc.org.hk 3 BING KEE Fuel up for a day of pavementpounding with a bowl of peppery pork noodle soup from this open air street stall. The menus aren’t in English but the staff are friendly so ordering is easy. Last orders are at 3pm.

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4 PLUMCOT This artisanal French bakery brings the heavenly taste of Paris to Tai Hang – think deliciously flaky croissants, utterly buttery brioche and zesty lemon madeleines.

Everything here is made in-house with the best ingredients – some sourced straight from France. Don’t miss their moreish pain au chocolat with pure origin Valrhona (that’s French) chocolate. Très bien! plumcot.co 5 B’IN DAY-TO-DAY Want to stand out from the crowd?

This lifestyle store is a step ahead of the pack, curating the coolest in home décor from around the world, as well as handpicking the best “how-didthey-think-of-that” wares from local designers. It might just be where you nab that perfect one-of-a-kind piece. binselect.com.hk 6 UNAR COFFEE COMPANY You might need a bit of luck trying to get a seat in this teeny tiny café but don’t let its size deter you. Just do as the locals do – place your order at the window (iced cucumber latte, anyone?), then fight for your space at the outdoor seating area and enjoy some of the best coffee in the city. fb.me/coffee.unar

If you’re looking for something to spice up your living space, this store is packed floor-to-ceiling with tools, trinkets and treasures.

Expect anything from retro furniture to industrial-chic homewares that will have your house Insta-ready without breaking the bank. fb.me/kanamonohardwarestore 8 LAI TAK TSUEN Architecture lovers should make time to admire this award-winning public housing estate – the only one in Hong Kong to have adopted a bi-cylindrical design with open atriums down the centre. Made up of 26-storey towers (all without elevators), the estate houses more than 10,000 people.

ILL U S T R AT IO N _ G ER G Ő GIL IC ZE

7 KANAMONO HARDWARE STORE

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Multi-gen travel —Think taking your kids and your parents on holidays is a recipe for disaster? Maybe not…

Travelling with the whole family is on the rise and there are some surprising benefits— increases in the number of grandparents travelling both domestically and internationally with their adult children and grandchildren.

But what’s driving our desire to share our vacation time with more or less everyone we’re related to? The reason is both simple and heartening, says Michael Londregan, managing director of Virtuoso Asia Pacific.

“Never before have our older generations been as fit, healthy and wealthy as they are today.”

Natalie James, general manager for On The Go Tours (onthegotours.com), adds that a return to family values lies at the core of the trend, but explains greater affordability of travel is also playing its part. “Families are now able to reach destinations that weren’t always accessible due to travel costs. With most of the travel arrangements sorted and activities and meals included, group tours make travelling as a family easier, more desirable and more affordable.”

Before you start eyeing up your folks with the same zeal you had when you were 16 and needed the keys to the family car, it’s worth considering what kind of holiday would suit

W O R D S_ DILV I N YA S A

> Picture a dreamy scene where you’re riding a horse along a secluded beach or sipping Champagne as you watch the sun set over a mountain. Out there, it’s just you, your partner, your kids and, oh yes, your parents.

For those of you still shuddering at the suggestion, it could be time to reconsider your position. Multi-generational travel – holidays where three or more generations of a family travel together – is gaining popularity. In 2018, 3G travel (get it, three-generation travel?) was declared one of the biggest trends in the Australian Virtuoso Luxe Report, which is put together by a network of travel experts.

Now, as we make our way boldly through 2019, tourism operators, including cruise lines, hotels and resorts, are reporting significant

M ULT I-G EN T R AVEL

H ALO N G BAY, VIE T N A M

your particular family dynamic. Cruises, for instance, are popular. Multi-room villas in tropical destinations (hello, Bali!) also rate highly with multi-gen groups but, interestingly, tour operators such as Intrepid Travel (intrepidtravel. com) and Trafalgar (trafalgar.com) now also offer a broad range of family tours specifically designed to cater for all generations.

“Tours across Asia are particularly popular for our multi-generational groups because it’s an easy haul for both the little ones and the elderly,” says Dyan McKie, family travel guru for Intrepid Travel. “It’s also one of the more affordable options if you opt for somewhere like Vietnam.”

Of course, while the benefits of a multi-gen holiday are endless (quality bonding time, babysitting on tap, the aforementioned reduced costs), care will need to be taken to reduce the risk of tension. Choose a destination and holiday style that will appeal to all and make sure you set aside plenty of space for yourselves – physically and emotionally.

And for all those occasions when you do find yourself riding a horse along a secluded beach – just you, your partner, your kids and your parents, remember, you’re simply making memories for your kids to cherish for a lifetime.

Isn’t that what holidays are all about?

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W H AT A T R I P! Looking for ideas for your first (or next) multi-gen holiday? > Check out Club Med (clubmed. com.au) across Asia – most of their all-inclusive resorts offer great kids clubs for all age groups. > Rent a multi-room villa in Bali, Fiji or around Australia. Great accommodation options can be found on Airbnb (airbnb.com) or try Major Domo (majordomo. co.nz) for holiday home rentals in New Zealand. > Enjoy a family tour through Japan, Vietnam, Thailand or Cambodia with Intrepid Travel or Peregrine (peregrineadventures.com).

TR AVEL H ACK

How to save for —The financial expert behind bestseller The Barefoot Investor, Scott Pape, shares his tips for putting money towards that special family getaway— What advice would you give to parents saving for their annual holiday? > In my first book, The Barefoot Investor, I advise adults to get a piece of paper and pen and divide their pay into “buckets”, labelling them “Blow”, “Mojo” and “Grow”. To help save for that holiday, I would recommend parents put aside about 10 per cent of their pay into a separate account and label it “Smile” as part of their Blow bucket, which is all about splurging.

You suggest parents should help their kids save by setting up three empty jam jars labelled “Splurge”, “Smile” and “Give”.

Can you explain the concept behind this? > Splurge is all about not having tight-fisted kids. You want to have kids who like spending money because nobody likes a tightwad. Smile is all about saving up to spend on bigger things that make them smile, which could be something like a holiday or at least spending money for a holiday. Give is so you have empathetic, caring, generous kids and not entitled brats.

Kids are visual and each of the three jam jars teaches a behaviour. Let the kids decide how much pocket money is put into each jar but each jar must get at least one coin.

“If you can save on your mortgage, bank fees and put money into ‘buckets’ and track it, saving for that holiday will be a breeze.”

How much pocket money should kids get? > The answer to that is as much as parents can afford. My view is that pocket money is just a tool for teaching financial education. One dollar per year of age [so $5 for a five-yearold], per week, is a good rule of thumb.

What about teens? > Teenagers from 15 years old and up should be getting a part-time job for a few hours a week.

That way, they’re earning their own money and not just riding the parental gravy train.

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a family holiday How can you get kids involved in organising a trip the whole family will enjoy? > Start planning the holiday about eight to 12 months in advance. Sit down at the family table and get the kids involved, say “this is what we can afford” or “this is what we can save for”. Talk about a destination Jetstar has a sale for and how you can get cheaper accommodation. It doesn’t need to cost much. You can spend most of the time at the beach or in the hotel’s pool.

This teaches kids about financial responsibility, so they can see the importance of having to save and that it is not just a free-for-all.

“Start planning about eight to 12 months in advance.

Sit down at the family table and get the kids involved.”

What do family holidays mean to you? > For us it is about creating memories for our children and spending tech-less time together.

My kids are five, three and one, and what I’ve realised – having just returned from Fiji with that summer glow – is that we all work pretty hard during the year so being with our kids without iPads or other distractions is the best part of the holiday. > The Barefoot Investor for Families (HarperCollins Publishers, $29.99).

W O R D S_ R A C H EL G R AY

What about using a credit card? > A lot of parents in that December-January period are at breaking point – they’ve spent money on Christmas, a holiday and then are hit with school bills in late January. The worst thing they could do is put money or pay for a holiday on a credit card and spend more than they can pay off. It is a recipe for the holiday from hell.

IL L U S T R AT I O N _ R Y O K A N E YA S U

How can people save on everyday expenses without it being such a painful experience? > If you can save on your mortgage, bank fees and put money into buckets and track it, then saving for that family holiday will be a breeze.

Those are the things that I prefer to save on rather than saying, “I am not going to have a coffee” or “I am going to wash my windows with potatoes and reuse bathwater” or any of that other stuff that I just don’t do.

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LUXE IT UP [SEVEN WAYS TO MAKE A LONG-HAUL FLIGHT FAB] —These tried-and-tested tips will have you arriving at your destination looking fresh and feeling like a superstar— # 1 CARRY A N A MENIT Y K IT.

> Tune into the in-flight entertainment or tune out the sound around you with a pair of noise-cancelling headphones.

The Sony WH-CH700N Wireless Headphones ($299.95, sony.com.au) help you create your own little universe by using artificial intelligence technology to analyse background sound and adjust to your environment, blocking out distractions as you travel.

# 3 BRIN G A G O O D B O OK.

WORDS_ SUDESHNA GHOSH

> Studies have shown that reading promotes relaxation, helping you to switch off and fall asleep.

Swap screen time – the blue light on electronic screens keeps you awake – for a good old-fashioned paperback, such as Islands by Peggy Frew ($29.99, allenandunwin.com).

# 4 CREATE YO UR O W N SN O OZE P O D. > Lack of sleep is associated with lowered immunity and other health issues, so get plenty of rest. Bring your own travel pillow on board and pop a few drops of lavender oil on it to doze off easily. Warm socks and a soft eye mask, like the plush Slip silk eye mask ($50, slip.com.au) also help.

S IL

MASK K EYE

# 5 SL IP IN TO SL IPPERS. > Carry a pair of disposable slippers (the sort you get in hotels and day spas) in your hand luggage – they’re handy for flight-swollen feet when you want to get up and walk around.

# 6 DRINK WATER TO S TAY H YDR ATED. > According to the Aerospace Medical Association, the amount of water you need to drink to combat dehydration during a flight is 240 millilitres for every hour you’re in the air, plus an extra 240 millilitres for every alcoholic drink you consume. It’s always best to limit alcohol and coffee when flying, as they are both diuretic substances.

#7 WEAR A FACE M ASK.

> It may not be the most stylish travel look but dermatologists recommend using a sheet mask on your face while flying, to lock in moisture and deliver much-needed nutrients to your skin. If it’s good enough for celebrities like Chrissy Teigen, it’s good enough for us!

Try the Skinvitals Quench Mask ($12, skinvitalsmasks.com) for an instant hydration boost.

ISLAN DS BY PEG GY FRE W

# 2 IN VES T IN HIG HQ UAL I T Y HEADPH O NES.

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SK IN VITALS Q UEN C H M ASK

> Pack a pouch with a travel-sized face moisturiser, hand cream, lip balm and facial spritz. Remember to use them frequently and generously during the flight – this will leave your skin feeling pampered, not parched.

T H E C H ECKL IS T

NSW. Eat and drink: Orange F.O.O.D Week 5-14 April Various venues, Orange orangefoodweek.com.au

C ALEN DAR

PUT IT IN THE DIARY Australian War Memorial/AWM2018.4.81.36, Maarten Holl Te Papa

—No matter where you are this April, there’s plenty to enjoy—

Festival: Sydney Royal Easter Show 12-23 April Sydney Showground at Sydney Olympic Park eastershow.com.au

QLD. Cinema: Gold Coast Film Festival 3-14 April Home of the Arts, Surfers Paradise gcfilmfestival.com

VIC. Comedy: Melbourne International Comedy Festival Until 21 April Various venues, Melbourne comedyfestival.com. au/2019

NEW ZEALAND. Exhibition: Terracotta Warriors – Guardians of Immortality Until 22 April Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington tepapa.govt.nz

SA. Food and wine: Barossa Vintage Festival 24-28 April Various venues, Barossa Valley barossavintagefestival. com.au

TAS. Art: International Mural Fest 21-27 April Mural Park, Sheffield muralfest.com.au

I T'S A D AT E

ACT. Special event: The Anzac Day Dawn Service 25 April Australian War Memorial, Canberra awm.gov.au

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2 April Children’s Book Day 7 April World Health Day 25 April World Penguin Day 30 April International Jazz Day

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039â&#x20AC;&#x201D;086

the traveller > WHERE TO GO NEXT

OK IN AWA PA G E

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> Songkran, the Thai New Year, is celebrated with a massive water fight and anyone can join. This year, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on 13-15 April.

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> If the 56 cables that stabilise Sydney Tower were laid end to end, the length would stretch from Sydney to Alice Springs.

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> DurianBB Park has an outlet in KL dedicated to serving up the stinky fruit. Durian tasting platter, anyone? Bring a peg.

FA MILY

Courtney Adamo, April Munro

OFF-G R ID H OL IDAYS

—Hat? Check. Sneakers? Check. Sense of adventure? Check.

What you don’t need on an off-grid family holiday is your smartphone.

Sheriden Rhodes finds the perfect places to unplug and reconnect—

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SA NDY CAPE RECREATIO N PARK

O L D - S C H O O L R O A D T R IP W HERE JURIEN BAY, WA W HY BEACH FO UR-W HEEL DRIVING, SN ORKELLING AND SEA LIO NS

> Remember when Dad would pile everyone in the station wagon for a trip up the coast? That nostalgic old-school holiday can still be found in Jurien Bay, a 2.5-hour drive north of Perth along the scenic Indian Ocean Drive. Watch as the kids sprint towards the beach, eager to catch their first glimpse of the ocean, moments after the car has pulled up at the Sandy Cape campsite (arrive early or go off-peak as you can’t pre-book this popular campground). Western Australia’s Coral Coast is a great place to swim, go four-wheel driving, enjoy campfire barbecues and devour cream buns fresh from the bakery. Families can fish off the jetty and even have encounters with Australian sea lions – the breeding ground for these rare and playful mammals lies just off the coast. australiascoralcoast.com; visitturquoisecoast.com.au A SEA L IO N IN JURIEN BAY

OFF-G R ID H OL IDAYS

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B A R E F O O T A D V E N T UR E S W HERE JEAN-MICHEL COUSTEAU RESORT, FIJI W HY AWARD-WINNING K IDS CLUB, C UC U MBER MARTINIS AND DIVING

JEA N-MIC HEL C O US TEAU RES ORT, FIJI

“K ID S WILL SPEN D T HEIR T IME BAREF O OT, DE VICE-FREE A N D LE ARNIN G AB O U T L IFE AB OVE A N D BELO W T HE WATER.”

R I C E F IE L D R E T R E AT W HERE SANAK RETREAT BALI, INDO NESIA W HY JU NGLE AND M O U N TAIN TREKS, WATERFALL PICNIC S AND STORY TELLING

Clare Fisher, Snezana Belevska-Bennell

ARO U ND T HE FIREPIT

> This boutique retreat, a 2.5-hour drive from Denpasar in a far-flung North Balinese village, offers the chance to immerse the whole family in the island’s bucolic life. Children can join guided treks to a pristine waterfall, learn about local culture, cycle through rice fields, make and fly Balinese kites or even take a cooking class in a local’s home.

The resort offers hand-built teak villas, a paddy-to-plate restaurant with rice field vistas across the main patchwork pool and an inspiring ethos aimed at giving back to the local community.

Fall asleep to the croaking of contented frogs as fireflies dance in the night sky. sanakbali.com

A RICE TERR ACE IN BAL I

> Kids will spend their time barefoot, device-free and learning about life above and below the water at this extraordinary eco-resort, founded by the son of legendary French diver Jacques Cousteau. Dusk-to-dawn nannies (for children under five) or buddies (for kids six to 12) are teamed up with young charges at the award-winning Bula Club, with its fun and educational program revolving around Fijian culture and the environment.

General manager Bartholomew Simpson says one of the many highlights is the resort’s program for teenagers, where “iPhones rarely make an appearance”.

Teens can build and sail a bilibili (bamboo raft) or trek through the jungle to swim at a waterfall. Meanwhile, younger kids can swim in their private pool with a water slide, play in the treehouse adventure playground and explore coral reefs with marine biologist Johnny Singh. The resort is at Savusavu, an hour’s flight from Nadi. fijiresort.com

OFF-G R ID H OL IDAYS

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H AT HEAD N ATIO N AL PARK (@T HEBLO NDEN O M ADS)

R E T R O B E A C H H O L ID AY S W HERE BIG 4 SU NSHINE RESORT SO U T H WEST ROCKS, NSW W HY CAMPING AND CAR AVANNING, DRIF T

K AYAK IN G IN S O U T H WES T R O CKS

> If you’re a child of the 70s or 80s, you’ll remember heading off barefoot (and typically sunblock free) after breakfast with Mum’s words “be back before dark” ringing in your ears. Allow your kids to experience the same free-range existence at this incredible holiday resort bordered by Hat Head National Park, frequented by kangaroos and a short distance from a string of crowd-free beaches. A three-hour drive north of Newcastle, this laid-back coastal pocket is where you can have a holiday that revolves around beach cricket, swimming, walks along sandy beach tracks and sunset barbecues – no tech required. Located in a gated site, complete with Shipwreck Island Water Park, a jumping pillow, playground and more, kids can safely roam the resort on bikes, scooters, skateboards or on foot – popping back to see Mum and Dad when hunger strikes. big4southwestrocks.com.au

BIG 4 S U NSHINE RES ORT

SN ORKELLING AND PADDLEBOARDING

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OFF-G R ID H OL IDAYS

L U X UR Y FA R M S TAY W HERE VALLEY VIEWS GL AMPING, NEW ZEAL AND W HY STARRY SK IES, H O ME-ST YLE MEALS AND EASY ACCESS TO T HE SPEC TAC UL AR ALPS 2 OCEAN CYCLE TR AIL

VALLEY VIE WS GL A MPIN G

> Patrick and Amber Tyrrell grew up on farms (Patrick in South Africa and Amber in New Zealand) and wanted to recreate an African safari tent experience with a Kiwi spin. At their 40-hectare holistic beef farm in the beautiful rolling hills of the Waitaki Valley, about two hours from Dunedin, guests can stay in one of six cosy geodesic dome tents. There’s no need for devices here, as the kids can roam the property, see belted Galloway cattle, go fly-fishing or take a horseriding lesson. Best of all, the little ones will love getting thoroughly muddy before soaking in a rustic alfresco bath in the forest – be sure to pack your gumboots. valleyviews.co.nz

WEE JASPER RESERVE

C R O W D - F R E E C A MP IN G W HERE WEE JASPER RESERVE, NSW W HY CAN OEING, FISHING, EXPLORING

Travel the route tramped by thousands seeking their fortune on the Kiandra goldfields and stop at this creek-side camping spot. Here, there’s no electricity, limited phone coverage and just the sound of bird calls to break the silence.

Fish, canoe, kayak or loll about on a li-lo at one of five camping reserves along the Goodradigbee River, four hours’ drive south-west of Sydney. Thought to be named after tiny green gemstones found by an early Scotsman, which he called “Wee Jaspers”, this natural wonderland offers fossil viewing and the chance to explore the wild limestone Careys Cave system or bushwalk along the Hume and Hovell Walking Track, spotting some 56 species of birds. With no bookings required, simply turn up, pay for your stay and find a spot to set up camp. Creature comforts include hot and cold showers, flushing toilets and drinking water. weejasperreserves.com.au

Paul Davey

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OFF-G R ID H OL IDAYS

W HITEH AVEN BEAC H O N W HITS U NDAY ISL A ND

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S UN S E T S A IL IN G W HERE W HITSU NDAY ISL ANDS, QLD W HY DESERTED BEACHES, SN ORKELLING AND SU N-K ISSED ADVEN T URE

> Throw off the bowlines and be the captain of your own destiny on a sailing adventure through the Whitsunday Islands. Bareboating is thus named because you do it “bare” – without a skipper or crew – taking the boat wherever you decide on the day (weather dependent, of course). The Whitsundays is Australia’s ultimate sailing playground and home to one of the world’s top 10 stretches of sand, Whitehaven Beach. Young children will love the novelty of sleeping on board, seeing local wildlife, building sandcastles on deserted beaches and swimming in turquoise waters. Teenagers get to experience quality, screen-free family time, along with jumping off the boat, snorkelling, playing board games and fishing for lunch. The whole family can even learn to sail. gobareboating.com

“C HIL DREN W ILL LOVE T HE N OVELT Y OF SLEEPIN G O N B OARD, SEEIN G LO CAL W IL DL IFE A N D B UIL DIN G SA N D CASTLES O N DESERTED BE AC HES.”

4 8 H O URS IN

Mooloolaba —For Sunshine Coast local Sophia Auld, ticking off this seaside suburb’s must-dos is topped off with the unforgettable experience of swimming with whales—

LO CAL SEAFO OD

P OIN T CART WRIG H T L IG H T H O USE

MER AK I T HREAD C O

ALEX A NDR A HEADL A ND (@5CEES _ PH OTO GR APH Y)

T H E T R AV ELLER

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THE ULTIMATE HIT LIST...

T HE W H ARF

Head to the wharf Celebrating the city’s coastal charms, The Wharf Mooloolaba (wharfmooloolaba.com.au) has been given a new lease of life following a multi-million dollar refurbishment.

The marina is now home to a hip collection of restaurants, cafés, bars and clothing stores. Stock up on cool fashion finds at Meraki Thread Co and eclectic homewares at Bedouin Traders, before taking in the sunset over a glass of wine or one of 52 beers on offer at The Dock. You can also grab a burger at Ninth Street, tuck into Italian at Il Vento or catch a gig at the Sunshine Coast’s newest live music venue, Boston Shaker Bar.

Feast on seafood

BED O UIN TR ADERS

Follow a morning at the beach with a picnic, complete with fresh seafood from the Mooloolaba Fish Market (mooloolahfish.com.au), the Sunshine Coast’s largest seafood retailer. The fish here comes straight from the working port, so you know it’s fresh.

Grab a beachside picnic table for a view over the long curve of white sand or enjoy your cooked seafood on the deck, watching the boats navigate the river against a stunning backdrop of waterfront homes. For a more gourmet experience, try Pier 33 (pier33.com.au) – the yacht club has been transformed into a casual dining restaurant with a sharing-style menu, featuring sustainably sourced seafood and local produce.

Take a walk If sea breezes float your boat, you’ll love the coastal walk. A 30-minute stroll north takes you to Alexandra Headland. Along the way, you’ll be treated to views north to Mudjimba Island and Mount Coolum as well as south to Point Cartwright with its lighthouse marking the Mooloolah River entrance. You could choose to track south and follow the treelined boardwalk behind the beach onto the spit and watch the boats heading in and out of the river. Or hire a bike (sunreef.com.au/hire) and pedal your way around to Cotton Tree on the Maroochy River.

Cruise in a vintage ferry Active types can hire a stand-up paddleboard from The Surfboard Warehouse (thesurfboardwarehouse. com.au) to explore at their leisure but a cruise is a great way to experience life on the water. Kids can try their hand at skippering the 1963 timber ferry MV Mudjimba, which runs three hour-long cruises departing daily from the wharf (mooloolabacanalcruise. com). Other options with Coastal Cruises (cruisemooloolaba.com.au) include a 90-minute lunch cruise or the more grown-up twilight cruise, with live music, cocktails and canapés.

Indulge in salt therapy For a cool, quiet contrast to all the beach activity, head to Salt Caves (saltcaves.com.au). Set two blocks back from the esplanade on Smith Street, this holistic healing centre offers salt therapy in a cave-style room with Himalayan salt heaped on the floor and covering the walls.

Inhaling the (micronized) salt as you relax on a chair is said to improve respiratory and skin conditions and strengthen immunity. An even nicer treat, however, is a warm organic oil massage in a salt room.

Meet marine animals A trip to Mooloolaba isn’t complete without visiting the iconic Sea Life Sunshine Coast Aquarium (underwaterworld.com.au). Kids can feel creatures like starfish in the tidal touch pool, go treasure-hunting with the Octonauts and help find Dory, while adults can marvel at the rays, reef fish and eight species of sharks swimming overhead along 80 metres of ocean tunnel. Activities such as seal encounters are also available.

And now for something different...

M O OL O OL A B A

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THE DEEP DIVE...

Swimming with whales I’ve waited to do this trip for about five years, so when the first sighting comes less than 500 metres offshore, my heart races with excitement. I’m one of the first to slide into the water from the rear duckboard of the catamaran but I have to contain myself – we must be gentle to avoid frightening them.

Yes, them. A pair of humpback whales. I swim hard after our guide, breathing fast through my snorkel. Then I see it – a huge, white-grey mass drifting in front of me.

It’s an adult female (an experienced eye that knows what to look for can tell males and females apart) and time seems to stop as the whale passes me. I can practically hear my heart pounding with the excitement and it’s almost impossible to resist the urge to edge closer – but I hang back out of respect for this wild creature.

Then, as suddenly as she appeared, she gives one swoosh of her enormous tail and swims away. I lift my head from the sea and squeal with delight, looking around for my daughter to ask if she experienced the magic, too.

Only 20 minutes earlier, I was donning my wetsuit and strapping a shark-repellent device to my ankle while the crew explained the rules for interacting with these majestic mammals – in their habitat, we are only visitors.

I’m on board a catamaran, part of a group of just 20 people who have come out on a sunny winter morning to the Mooloolaba wharf for their chance to swim alongside whales.

The cruises go for about four hours and whale sightings are common. The experiences are entirely on the whales’ terms, though, so there are no guarantees (but the operators will kindly allow you to rebook at a 50 per cent discount if you’re not lucky enough to see any).

Fortunately, for us, there are whales aplenty.

“T IME SEEMS TO STOP AS T HE W H ALE PASSES ME. I CA N PR AC T ICALLY HE AR M Y HE ART P O U N DIN G W I T H T HE EXCI TEMEN T.”

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M O OL O OL A B A

Every year between April and November, humpback whales migrate north from Antarctica to sub-tropical waters to mate and give birth, in a journey spanning up to 10,000 kilometres.

From July to October, these massive creatures – they can grow up to 16 metres long and weigh an average of 30 to 40 tonnes (roughly the size of a fully-loaded semi-trailer) – come close to shore at Mooloolaba, sometimes stopping to give birth and frolic with their young, making for spectacular displays of breaching, blowing, spy-hopping and tail-slapping.

Our skipper soon spots a solitary whale doing just that – tail-slapping – and everyone rushes to the bow for a better view. Unperturbed, the whale continues raising its tail fin high, before slapping it down hard, making a “boom” as it hits the water. A crew member speculates that this whale is close to birthing and may be flailing with labour pains. Our noisy group are silenced by the sight. I reflect on what it would be like to give birth alone, in a sea filled with predators that might devour my newborn in an instant.

On the opposite side of the boat, a second whale quietly blows as it hovers on the surface, surrounded by a pod of dolphins. In over 25 years of diving, I’ve never seen so many mammals in one place. I could watch them all day.

These cruises are conducted with extreme sensitivity towards the wellbeing of the giant animals and because the whale is thrashing in the water, we’re not allowed to swim here.

We leave in search of others but I don’t get to swim with any more whales. I do, however, get to eavesdrop on their conversations. The high-pitched screeching and clicking I hear are the whales singing, along with dolphins

chattering. The loud, haunting sounds make me wonder what the whales are communicating.

Male humpbacks only sing these complex and beautiful songs in warm waters where they breed. They include recognisable sequences of squeaks, grunts and other sounds.

As we warm up on the deck in the winter sun, I feel privileged to have witnessed these beautiful creatures in the wild. Looking out across the ocean and then over to my daughter, who is busy searching the blue for those enormous tails, I feel wonderfully small. Neither of us will forget this moment.

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T HE T R AVELLER

T HE C O N NEC T IO N

—Becoming a parent may have put Rosalyn Page’s bolder travel plans on hold but now the veteran backpacker is ready to holiday like she’s 21 again. This time though, she has two new travel buddies in tow—

C H AT U C H AK WEEKEND M ARKE T

T H E T R AV ELLER

Lisheng Chang

A

fter having children, I emerged cautious and wary back into the world of travel.

Exotic destinations like Myanmar, Vietnam and Morocco disappeared from my world, along with uninterrupted sleep and days spent travelling on crowded buses.

In their place, a villa in Bali with a bedtime babysitter or a cruise with an all-day kids club – as adventurous as I’d go in the early years.

But the funny thing about kids is that they don’t stay the same for long. Babies and booster seats are gone, and now, two boys, aged eight and 11, read books on the plane and lug their own daypacks. Now, we’re qualified to venture further afield and Bangkok beckons.

The pulsating Thai capital, home to more than eight million people, was my staging point for several South-East Asian backpacking adventures – first, as a solo traveller and later, with my partner. I’d always wanted to bring my kids to Bangkok to experience the temples and museums, the markets and malls, the river trips and the delicious food at every turn.

Before we even catch a glimpse of the city’s streets, the clinging heat and pungent urban aroma hit us. We leave the airport and wait for the familiar green and yellow taxis to whisk us on our way. We arrive near the hotel on Sukhumvit Road, a wide, busy street lined with hotels and shops in the commercial heart of the city. One night, long ago, I wanted to skip the traffic on the back of a bike taxi. And we did, roaring all the way down the wrong side of the road. “Mum, what are you smiling at?” my older son asks. “Just remembering the last time I was here,” I reply. “Oh,” he says, none the wiser.

Suddenly, he points. “Look at all that fruit!”

A man with a litt le blue cart chops pineapple into a row of neat jigsaw pieces and slides them into a plastic bag, adding a sprinkle of chilli. “Let’s get some of that,” he says, ready to dive into trying new things.

WAT ARU N TEMPLE

With fresh fruit and excitement in our bellies, my partner, a veteran backpacker since ’88, says the place to start in Bangkok is the Chao Phraya River. Soon, we’re in a colourful long-tail boat with a noisy eggbeater engine, zooming past the temples, hotels and shopping malls along the riverbank. The boys laugh excitedly as the spray hits the plastic sides while the boat bounces over the choppy water.

Our first stop is the statuesque Wat Arun temple (watarun.net), towering over the muddy blanket of the Chao Phraya River. The large central stupa stands out from the smaller versions at each corner, all styled with lines of coloured, decorative tiles. “Is this a church?” asks my youngest. “It’s a temple for Buddhists,” I reply. They’re keen to hear a simple explanation as we wander through the temple maze. “And these are the temple guardians,” I explain, while they stop for a photo, posed like the giant warriors that stand by the temple gate.

Loudspeakers play songs and prayers and the boys soak up the festival feel, surprised that worship here is so public and busy.

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“WE WE AVE O U R WAY T HR O U G H T HR O N G S OF PEOPLE A N D WA N DER PAS T S TREE T S TALL S SELL IN G

A quick ferry hop takes us to the Grand Palace (royalgrandpalace.th), a former royal residence on the eastern bank of the river.

We weave our way through throngs of people and wander past street stalls selling fresh coconuts. “Can we get one?” the boys ask, red faced and sweating. I nod and the seller expertly hacks the top off one and pops in a straw. The verdict? It beats a can of coke, so that’s saying something.

Living through many Sydney summers, the kids have been in training for humidity, so they’re handling it OK so far but the coconut water certainly helps. With fluids replenished, we file into the most holy and popular sites in the city. The Grand Palace is a complex of wing-tipped halls and residences with distinctive golden spires. Rows of saffron-clad seated Buddha statues line verandahs and Buddhist stories are painted on the walls.

In Wat Phra Kaew, the temple of the Emerald Buddha, the boys crane their necks to look at its petite 66-centimetre figure. “Is that it?

It’s so small,” they say. “Yes,” my partner replies.

“But it’s very sacred.”

Next door in What Pho (watpho.com), the 46-metre golden reclining Buddha is so large it fills the pavilion. “Is it real gold? Did you see its feet? Why is it asleep?” The questions come thick and fast. They have seen our Buddha statues souvenirs at home but the real thing is far more impressive.

It’s been a long day and we ferry the boys, drooping and tired, directly to the hotel pool for a reviving swim. Over our pad thai dinner, my youngest says he counted all the seated statues, while his brother says he wants to take another river trip. When they’re asleep, a whispered review of the day makes us realise we need more water-based activities, that we spend an inordinate amount of time looking for toilets and we get the best out of the kids

C H AO PHR AYA RIVER

FRES H C O C O N U T S.”

FRUIT AT C H AT U C H AK WEEKEND M ARKE T

with one sightseeing event in the morning followed by something fun like a ferry trip.

We also quickly confirm we were right to wait until they were well into primary school for this trip and can handle the heat, transport changes and busy streets.

On the weekend, we take the Skytrain (like the old Sydney monorail) to Mo Chit Station, which gets a few giggles from the boys. From there, it’s an easy walk to Chatuchak Weekend Market (chatuchakmarket.org), which covers 141,000 square-metres and has a staggering 15,000 booths, selling anything and everything – in multiples. Want a mango wood bowl?

How about 10? Or half-a-dozen “designer” handbags? Inside, there are piles of T-shirts, sarongs and souvenirs as far as the eye can see. It’s a riot of colours, sounds and smells, too, and a spicy, garlic aroma leads us to rows and rows of food stalls. Everyone gets to pick

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S TREET FO OD

B A N G KO K

W H ER E T O E AT

T HE GR A ND PAL ACE

> Street stalls sell cheap, tasty noodles, satay sticks, sausages and fish balls.

Shopping centre food courts can be found in MBK Center (mbk-center.co.th), Siam Center (siamcenter.co.th) and Siam Paragon (siamparagon.co.th). There are fast food options in Sukhumvit, Siam and Silom. Banglamphu, in the old part of town near the river, has lots of Western and Thai restaurant and cafés.

something for us to share. Fish balls, noodles, dumplings, chicken satay sticks followed by bags of fresh mango and watermelon. The kids spot an enormous twirled fried potato chip on a stick and instantly want to tackle that, too.

We come across some toy tuk-tuks and I surprise the boys with my old bargaining skills.

“100 Baht?” I ask the store holder. It’s roughly $4.40 but I tell her it’s too much. Calculator in hand, she responds. “90. Good price for you.”

It’s ping-pong bargaining. “No, too much,” I say.

“60.” Now it’s her shot. “You pay more. 80.” We settle on the price and I thank her. “Khob khun ka.” By day’s end, the boys are wearing bandanas and carrying their toy tuk-tuks. The markets are the hit of the trip so far. Exotic food, souvenirs and even weird animals, just what two boys could hope for in a shopping expedition.

It hasn’t taken long to adapt to the tropics and now nothing happens in the morning until we’ve had banana pancakes, coffee and fresh juice by the pool. The boys, like most kids, have a fascination for extremes.

Today, it’s heights, so we make our way to the 84th floor of Baiyoke Tower II (baiyokesky. baiyokehotel.com), which reaches an impressive 300 metres skyward. Soon, we’re four faces peering through the cage of the revolving open-air viewing platform. We see an uneven cityscape of buildings and towers that mirror the city’s boom and bust economics. “Look at all the road loops,” my youngest says. “It looks like my Hot Wheels track.” He’s got a point.

B A N G KO K

T HE VIE W FR O M T HE BAIYOKE TO WER II

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Back on ground level, dinner awaits.

The night is spent grazing on tasty morsels from vendors that fill the maze of streets in Chinatown. Rows of lucky golden cats wave from stalls stuffed with red and yellow Chinese lanterns. It’s hot and crowded, and we sit at outdoor tables and enjoy ordering small plates of barbecued prawns, rich, soft dumplings swimming in soy sauce and chicken skewers washed down with bottles of freshly squeezed juice. “Mango sticky rice” is the chorus reply when I ask about dessert. According to them, it beats chocolate and sour Warheads lollies – now that really is saying something.

“Tuk-tuk,” says the driver as he slows past us. It’s our last night and the boys want to take a ride in one of these three-wheeled boom boxes. Lack of safety provisions aside, it’s a convenient way to get around, and after some not-so-canny negotiating, we’re soon crouched in an open cage, motoring our way down the road to the sound of Thai pop music.

Bangkok seems busier this trip and it’s certainly more tiring with two junior travellers.

But watching my children experience a different world, cultural and culinary, and giving them a few of their first real travel memories is the payoff. When I ask the boys for their verdict, it’s emphatic: “We’re coming back on our gap year.”

JE T S TA R H A S G RE AT L O W FA RES T O B A N G KO K.

W H E R E T O S TAY > Plenty of hotels have family suites or connected rooms, plus pools for downtime. The Sukhumvit area is accessible from the Skytrain.

Banglamphu will put you near the river. Silom is in the business district and in Siam you can shop till you drop near your hotel.

MORE IDEAS? > If temples and towers aren’t enough, there are plenty more kid-friendly places to keep pintsized travellers entertained...

Indoor games and activities can be found at Kidzania (kidzania. co.th), Funarium (funarium.co.th) and Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World (sealifebangkok.com). Children or parents with an interest in nature and history might also want to visit Museum Siam or Lumpini Park.

JE T S TA R.C O M

USIONIST ND ILL GRA E TH

AT LIVE ORLD MW A E DR

Open Tue, Thu, Fri sat & Sun -

KIDS GO FREE PROMO CODE Visit Queen Victoria Market for fresh and specialty produce, hand-made and unique products, clothing and souvenirs, great coffee and food, and a buzzing Market atmosphere.

Be sure to take the Ultimate Foodie Tour, a two-hour guided walking tour where you’ll indulge in some of the best food the Market has to offer. Make a day of it and bring the kids FREE this April!

Melbourne´s Marketplace CORNER OF ELIZABETH & VICTORIA STREETS, MELBOURNE

FLYJETSTAR

T H E T R AV ELLER

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02. THE FAMILY

01. THE SOLO TRAVELLER

Sydney

03. THE COUPLE

1 DES T IN AT IO N 3 WAYS

—With great food, beaches and family-friendly fun, there’s something for everyone in this magnificent metropolis. Three locals play tour guide: all you have to do is choose the itinerary that’s right for you— WORDS_TRACEY WITHERS

01.

The Solo Traveller

AQ UA DINING

NAME JEN NI DAW ES O C C U PAT IO N S T R AT E GIS T

CHEAP TIX .

At 9am sharp on Thursdays, Sydney Theatre Company releases $20 tickets for every show running the next week. Go! sydneytheatre.com.au

Escape plan > You don’t have to go far to find big sky,

STAND-UP PADDLEB OARDING OVERLO OKING SYDNEY CBD

harbour. In almost any cove along the shoreline, you’ll see everyone from keen solo SUP-ers to parents sharing boards with kids and dogs gliding together with their owners. I love pushing out from Tingira Memorial Park, a tiny nook of Rose Bay in the eastern harbour to the right of the sailing club. There’s no better way to explore the water in the morning, when the harbour is usually smoothest and there’s little wind. Hit Rose Bay Aquatic Hire for rental boards and quick lessons. rosebayacquatichire.com

People watch > Come to Suzie Q Coffee and Records, in the hipster enclave of Surry Hills, for the batch filter made with Dukes beans and stay for a cracking playlist. Watch the flow of creative types and coffee groupies drop in to flip the vinyls at this café-meets-record shop or settle into a window seat with a book – it’s licensed and open until wine o’clock (3.30pm). suzieqcoffee.com.au

Destination NSW

What’s SUP > Stand-up paddleboarding is as Sydney as the

lush green space and eucalyptus-scented air to fill your lungs. Got an hour to spare? Wander from the CBD, through The Royal Botanic Garden to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair – convicts carved out the sandstone rock by the harbour for the governor’s wife in 1810. You can see why she clocked time here: it’s still a shady, hushed peephole through which to count the sails on the water. rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au

SY D NE Y

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One’s company > Eating alone is a treat in this food-obsessed city, where waiters and sommeliers get a kick out of giving you a personal experience of the menu. At the end of a day poking around The Rocks, you can perch at the alfresco counter at Tayim to feast on a modern Middle Eastern spread. Or book a terrace table at Aqua Dining in Milson’s Point, where the food tastes of Australia – think sea-salty oysters – and you’ll have exceptional views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge for company. tayim.com.au; aquadining.com.au

TOP SHOT. Capture that perfect shot of Sydney at sunset on the harbourside path from Kirribilli to Luna Park, on the north side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. When the golden reflection on the water meets the bridge, it’s stunning.

SH OPPING AT T HE IN TERSECTIO N

T HE ROYAL B OTANIC GARDEN

Shop it > The pretty ‘hood of Paddington is an epicentre for Australian fashion and indie art spaces – but only shop with serious coin. Start at The Intersection – a hub of boutiques where Glenmore Road splits off from Oxford Street – for luxurious knits from Viktoria and Woods and Ginger and Smart dresses. Swing by Maunsell Wickes, a nine-room gallery set in three converted 1840s terrace houses, then stroll up Glenmore to the coffee shops at Five Ways (an intersection of five streets). End up at chocolatier Just William and designer consignment store Di Nuovo on William Street. visitpaddington.com

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SY D NE Y

02.

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The Family

SYDNEY AQ UARIU M

NAME L AU R A R U S T O N O C C U PAT IO N F O U N D ER OF PA REN T IN G W EB SI T E O U T A N D A B O U T B A BY

Easy access > The Parkroyal Darling Harbour is an elevated situation (think robes and room service) with great family features, such as interconnecting rooms and deals for children under 12. The breakfast buffet is wholesome fuel and you’re smack-bang in the Darling Harbour precinct. Tick off the Australian National Maritime Museum (sea.museum), Sea Life Sydney Aquarium (sydneyaquarium.com.au) and Wild Life Sydney Zoo (wildlifesydney.com.au). Being able to walk back to the hotel for naps without blowing the whole day? Priceless.

The hotel concierge can also arrange trusted babysitting services. panpacific.com TARO NGA ZO O

How to zoo > Taronga Zoo has unbelievable city views. Take the ferry over from Circular Quay and after entering at the ticket gate, track left to the sky safari cable car to begin your route at the top. Go early to catch the animals in action and plan around free shows (tip: the gorillas are often fed after the 11am seal show ends). It’s a good idea to bring your own food. taronga.com.au/sydney-zoo

EXPLORE MORE , SPEND LESS .

Get the Sydney Pass to see some of Sydney’s biggest attractions at up to a 45 per cent discount on standard gate rates. thesydneypass.com

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SY D NE Y

Breezy eats > For family-speed dining without being shoved into the kiddie corner, try Manly Wharf Hotel. The nautical-inspired pub on the Manly ferry wharf dishes out fresh seafood and kid-sized pizzas (plus, they don’t mind sandy straight-from-thebeach feet). The Boat House Balmoral Beach, overlooking the netted swimming area, is another great alfresco option – you can’t beat their coffee and the sausage sandwiches – while city-side bistro Stacks in the Darling Quarter fronts onto an epic outdoor play area. manlywharfhotel.com.au; theboathousebb.com.au; nicksgroup.com.au

TOT TI’S

STILL NOT BEDTIME?

Snorkel surprise

Night-time Bridge Climb (bridgeclimb.com) tours of the Sydney Harbour Bridge start at 6.30pm for children over eight and Luna Park (lunaparksydney.com) keeps the fun times rolling until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

M USEU M OF C O N TEMP OR ARY ART

> The city’s eastern beaches have different personalities to suit all age groups. Bronte’s sparkling Bogey Hole rock pool is perfect for learner swimmers, while snorkelling at Clovelly Bay will thrill older kids – the coast between Bronte and Coogee to the south is an aquatic reserve, teeming with fish and sea stars (you can rent gear at Pro Dive in Coogee).

Finish with a meal at cool but casual Italian eatery Totti’s, in nearby Bondi. prodive.com.au; merivale.com/venues/tottis

CLOVELLY BAY

Junior culture > The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (mca.com.au) and Art Gallery of NSW (artgallery.nsw. gov.au) run regular workshops for kids but my son’s hands-down favourite is the Australian Museum.

There’s an interactive Search and Discovery Centre, where kids can feel artefacts, play with microscopes and touch insect and spider specimens – probably the only time I’d recommend that. australianmuseum.net.au

Exclusive discount for Jetstar customers* *Claim your discount at jennenshoes.com.au/jetstar

SY D NE Y

03.

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The Couple

Trophy walk > People will tell you about the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk and they’re right – it’s beautiful. But it gets crowded.

We prefer to lose ourselves on the Federation Cliff Walk, a seven-kilometre trek north from Bondi Beach around huge sandstone cliffs, dramatic ocean lookouts and the Macquarie Lighthouse – Australia’s oldest light station – to Watsons Bay, which sits between the ocean and the harbour. Finish off with a beer or cider at the picturesque Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel. watsonsbayhotel.com.au

FEDER ATIO N CL IFF WALK (@ASTRID_ _OL IVIA)

NAME C ALV IN N G A N D K A REN N G O C C U PAT IO N SY D N E Y-B A SED T R AV EL BL O G G ERS

H UBERT RESTAUR AN T

COCKTAIL O’CLOCK .

Stop by glam new bar Maybe Sammy (maybesammy.com) – located in the Rocks – to sip on their innovative $10 mini martinis. The graze-worthy food menu is no afterthought either – there’s everything from oysters to salmon tacos on offer.

Dinner à deux > Go beneath the skyscrapers of the CBD to basement French restaurant Hubert, where scarlet curtains and candlelight ramp up the romance. The suave service and dazzling food – think marbled local beef with Burgundy butter and sweet onion gratin with kimchi – ensure an unforgettable meal. For a more relaxed vibe, Saint George offers a European wine bar-style experience with inventive food. restauranthubert.com; saintgeorgedining.com.au

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Secret beach > If you’re up for an adventure,

RESOLU TE BEACH

Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, just 35 kilometres north of the city, lets you disappear into real Aussie bush. Our favourite bushwalk is the Resolute Track to the secluded, emerald swim spot at Resolute Beach. Keep an eye out for incredible Indigenous cave paintings and engravings along the way (wildwalks.com has detailed route maps). It’s not a hard walk but you do need to pack food and water.

IT’S A DATE .

Surprise someone. Pop Up Picnic will set up picture-perfect hampers in any spot you choose within seven kilometres of the city centre. popuppicnic.com.au

The high life > Nowhere does sundowners like Sydney.

At Zephyr, the sexy rooftop bar at the Hyatt Regency, bartender alchemists mix up inventions like a shareable rum, apricot and pineapple-charged Fire and Ice cocktail served in a flaming volcano bowl – perfect as the sun slips behind the Darling Harbour skyline. For a laidback local tinnie, hit the roof terrace at The East Village in Darlinghurst – it feels like a tropical backyard with a view of Sydney Tower and the city. zephyrbarsydney.com; eastvillagesydney.com.au

Spa gazing > For indulging in serious us-time, On the Park Rejuvenation Day Spa at the Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park is next level. The Thalgo skin and body treatments are heaven and the couples’ treatment suite has stunning views across Hyde Park to Saint Mary’s Cathedral. Non-hotel guests can purchase a day pass, which includes access to all facilities. ontheparkrejuvenation.com.au

O N T HE PARK REJU VENATIO N DAY SPA

ZEPHYR BAR

T HE 360 O N...

Kuala Lumpur —Towering skyscrapers and hip rooftop bars reflect the city’s modern edge but Helen Martin discovers old-world charm and rich cultural heritage still lie at the heart of the Malaysian capital— C ULT U RE

Colourful pilgrimage

> Located about 11 kilometres north of the city, the Batu Caves contain a Hindu temple and shrine guarded by a 42-metre tall statue of Lord Murugan, the Hindu god of war. On the full moon in January or February, more than one million people flock to the caves for Thaipusam, a colourful Hindu festival marking Lord Murugan’s birthday. Some pilgrims perform ritual acts of penance and it’s not uncommon to see devotees lanced with hooks and skewers.

A R C H I T EC T U RE

> Soaring an incredible 452 metres into the sky, the Petronas Twin Towers are among the tallest buildings in the world. But did you know the iconic 58.4-metre long skybridge connecting the two towers isn’t firmly attached? The bridge is designed to slide in and out of the buildings when it’s windy. What’s more, Tower 2 was 25 millimetres off vertical during construction, so the top 16 floors were slanted the other way to fix it.

CA MER O N HIG HL A NDS

Grand designs

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MORE TO KNOW

BAT U CAVES

HAUNTED HOUSE > Historic estate Carcosa Seri Negara served as a major set for 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians.

It was also the site of Malaysia’s first electricity and telephone wire and a white-clad lady is said to haunt the hallways.

FOOD

Melting pot

> With Chinese, Middle Eastern and Indian influences, Malaysian cuisine is a spicy, fragrant (and unusual) delight. Street-food stalls are a terrific place to sample the weird and wonderful. Sure, there are fried chicken feet and black preserved eggs called century eggs but how does frog porridge sound? If that doesn’t grab you, there’s still bull penis soup, cow lung and duck tongues to try.

TEA TIME > The prettiest place for high tea is the Orchid Conservatory at Hotel Majestic (majestickl. com). Indulge in cakes, scones, sandwiches and tea brewed to perfection inside an atrium full of phalaenopsis orchids.

L A N D S C A PE

Mountain highs

> Nearby highlights may lure you away from the city’s bustle – two hours’ drive north there’s Fraser’s Hill, a charming British colonial getaway, the former Portuguese, Dutch and British outpost of Malacca is two hours’ drive south, and the tea plantations and misty mountains of Cameron Highlands, three hours’ drive north. Or you could always stay put and toast the sunset high above the capital at Vertigo, a rooftop bar on level 59 of Banyan Tree (banyantree.com) hotel.

RAISE THE ROOF > The 109-year-old Kuala Lumpur railway station wasn’t intended for Malaysia’s warm weather. The architect’s design was drawn up for a trade fair in Moscow, Russia, so the roof has been built to withstand a heavy dump of snow.

C ULT U RE

ISL ANDS OF

LIFE

T H E T R AV ELLER

—Okinawa is famous for its sheer number of centenarians but Kamei Cheong finds that the Japanese prefecture’s greatest gift to the world just might be something more precious than longevity: the secrets to a fulfilling and purposeful life—

AB OVE RIG H T: TR ADITIO N AL OK IN AWA N EISA DA N CERS

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here are telltale signs all around that I’m in Okinawa – the sound of soft waves outside my window, a Japanese game show frenetically playing on the TV and the aroma of the quintessential Okinawan dish goya champuru (stir-fried bitter melon, tofu, eggs and pork belly) in the air.

But instead of checking out the sights that the island is famous for – postcard-worthy coastlines and the Churaumi Aquarium (churaumi.okinawa/ en), to name a few – my travel companions and I are hanging out in a stranger’s living room in the village of Ogimi, known globally for having the highest concentration of people over 100 years old.

We’ve signed up for a homestay experience in Ogimi (kanko.vill.ogimi.okinawa.jp/homestay) and our hosts for the next two days are Morio and Etsuko Taira. It’s not the picture-perfect house you’d see on Airbnb’s homepage – it’s cluttered and busy, the way homes get when three generations have lived there.

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O K IN A W A

ISHIGAK I WATERSP ORTS

J U S T L I K E F A M I LY

“O GIMI H O MESTAYS H AVE BEEN OPENED UP TO OVERSE AS TO URISTS SEEK IN G A N AU T HEN T IC TR AVEL EXPERIEN CE.”

OK IN AWA N P OT TERY

Seventy-four-year-old Etsuko is busy in the kitchen whipping up a feast for dinner but every now and then, she stops to pass me snacks of sata andagi – Okinawan-style doughnuts that she’s dyed with the juices of the dragonfruit her husband Morio grows in his garden – and ume plums she pickles in jars at the foot of the staircase.

Eighty-three-year-old Morio stops me from stuffing my face with yet another sata andagi and hands me a bowl of mozuku seaweed in ponzu to try instead. He points to the sea outside his house and flexes his muscles and I immediately understand that this locally harvested delicacy is supposed to make me strong. Morio and Etsuko don’t speak much English but we’re all clearly well versed in the universal language of food.

This animated orientation into Okinawan snacks and their home continues until it’s time for dinner. By then, I’m so doted on, I’m calling them Ojichan and Obachan (Japanese for “grandpa” and “grandma”, respectively) – a move that surprises me because it seems like a completely natural thing to do. I had heard Okinawans were friendly but I wasn’t expecting to be converted so soon.

Traditionally, Ogimi homestays catered to Japanese students but now they have been opened up to overseas tourists seeking an authentic and intimate travel experience (my room for the night is pristine but basic, complete with a tatami mat – and I sleep very peacefully). While you don’t “pick” your homestay, the Ogimi Marugoto Tourism Association (ogimi-tourism.com) will try to match you with a family that speaks some English. They can also organise activities such as mountain trekking, canoeing, pottery and classes to learn soba noodle-making or traditional Okinawan folk dancing.

No matter what you choose to do, when you’re in your Okinawan home, be prepared for a game of joyful, often hilarious, charades that quickly turns strangers into friends. It’s through this considered gesturing and completely unconsidered giggling on my first night that I learn from my newly adopted grandparents that ichariba chode is at work – a key Okinawan guiding principle that means “once we meet, we become brothers and sisters”. It is ichariba chode that differentiates the hospitality you receive in Okinawa from mainland Japan.

While interactions in the latter tend to be steeped in elaborate social etiquette and courtesy, Okinawans are more laid-back and warm. You’re not a guest. You’re family.

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O K IN A W A

KEEPING UP WITH THE OKINAWANS

BA N A N A TREE FIBRES USED TO M AKE BASH OFU CLOT H

BASH OFU CLOT H

When an incoming typhoon thwarts our plans of sea kayaking, Ojichan insists we jump into his car for an impromptu village tour. He shows us the place he met Obachan over 50 years ago and then the Ishiyama Observatory, with its unobstructed views of northern Okinawa, the East China Sea and Pacific Ocean. We even stop to sample Ojichan’s version of “candy” from his childhood – leaves freshly plucked from cinnamon trees.

But in the same way home isn’t just a physical place, Ogimi isn’t just a beautiful village. More than the sights, it’s the people who call Ogimi home that leave the deepest impression.

Seventy-year-old Emiko continues to work daily in the kitchen of her family-run restaurant Emi no Mise, and on the farm that provides its vegetables, simply because she “enjoys feeding people”. And boy, does she do a great job at that. The Longevity Meal I opt for comes with 15 components such as bonito-braised bamboo shoots and sweet potato leaves marinated in miso. They’re supposed to be traditional Okinawan recipes that promote a long life. I can’t speak for their efficacy but if that’s how I eat when I’m 100 years old, I’ll be a very happy centenarian.

Then there’s Toshiko Taira, who is deservedly recognised as a Japanese Living National Treasure. She returned to Ogimi from mainland Japan after World War II and single-handedly organised local war widows to revive the ancient craft of making bashofu – a cloth woven from banana tree fibres.

Making bashofu is notoriously laborious and can take anywhere from three to six months.

To this day, 98-year-old Toshiko continues to work at Bashofu Kaikan, a centre where apprentices can learn to weave and visitors can observe the intricate process.

Oh, and if that isn’t enough to put your young bones to shame, boundless energy isn’t just isolated to Ogimi. Okinawa is also the birthplace of the world’s only centenarian pop group, KBG84, which has a sellout tour of Japan under its belt. The name comes from the average age of the 33-strong member group and is a play on teenybopper J-pop girl group AKB48 (because grannies know how to throw shade too).

A LO N GEVIT Y MEAL AT EMI N O MISE

THE FUNCTIONAL WEDDING RING THAT FITS YOUR ACTIVE LIFESTYLE. AT QALO, OUR GOAL IS TO INSPIRE A MOVEMENT BY COMMITTING TO FAMILY AND ADVENTURE THROUGH FUNCTIONAL PRODUCTS AND MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES. ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S OUR HOPE THAT THE PASSION AND DEDICATION THAT GOES INTO EACH OF OUR HIGH-QUALITY SILICONE WEDDING RINGS IS SHARED BY THE COUPLES THAT WEAR THEM.

O K IN A W A

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS Okinawans really don’t believe in retirement at any age, and that has to do with the concept of yuima-ru, or the interconnected circle of human life. The idea is intuitive: because we are all connected, our actions – even the most mundane ones – have an impact on other people and, therefore, we should act in the spirit of cooperation and compassion. It’s this realisation that we have purpose outside of ourselves that drives ikigai – your reason to wake up in the morning, your reason for doing more, your reason for being. Ikigai is not about pursuing a happy life; it’s about actively creating a meaningful and passionate one.

For Ojichan, ikigai comes in many forms – being chairman of the Association of the Elderly, chess on Tuesdays and Fridays, fishing, tending to his farm and, of course, playing host to visitors who sign up for the Ogimi homestay experience. “The day you stop doing things is the day you feel old,” he says.

Inspired to learn new things, I find myself wondering what my ikigai is. As if he senses my existential crisis, his eyes crinkle into a smile. “Nankurunaisa,” he says. “Everything will be alright.”

KER A M A SH OTO N ATIO N AL PARK IN OK IN AWA PREFEC T URE

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Okinawa’s Best Islands

We all know Hawaii but now it’s time to add Okinawa, Japan, to your list of sunny, surf-soaked tropical island getaways. In 2017, the Okinawa prefecture – a collection of more than 150 islands – eclipsed Hawaii in terms of tourist numbers for the first time. What will visitors find on this archipelago in the middle of the East China Sea? A Japan they are not expecting; one that swaps Tokyo’s bustling Shibuya Crossing, Harajuku neighbourhood and fast trains for sandy beaches, clear blue skies and pristine coral reefs. Here are five Okinawan islands you shouldn’t miss.

M I YA K O > One of the largest among Okinawa’s islands, Miyako is surrounded by bright coral reefs in clear blue waters. Be sure to catch a picture-perfect sunset here.

ISHIGAKI > This island is known for its pretty beaches, pineapple plantations and secluded coves but is also where you’ll find Mount Omoto – Okinawa’s highest peak at 526 metres.

IRIOMOTE > Adventure through mangrove forests and dense jungle dotted with picturesque waterfalls on this island where the rare and exotic Iriomote wildcat roams.

TOK ASHIKI > Part of the Kerama Shoto National Park, the aquamarine waters around Tokashiki are home to about 250 different coral species, making it the perfect spot for snorkelling.

NAGANNU > At just 1.7 kilometres long, you can walk the length of this tiny almostdeserted coral island, then snorkel its crystal waters before staying the night in one of the island’s cabins.

S U P E R F O O D S* *(noun) a food with such a high concentration of nutrients, especially vitamins and minerals, that only a small amount has to be consumed in order to gain the health benefits thought to be associated with it.

> The southern prefecture of Okinawa in Japan is thought to have more centenarians among its population of 1.4 million people than anywhere else in the world. With very low rates of cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease – the leading cause of death globally – even elderly Okinawans over the age of 75 are known to spend up to 12 heart-pumping hours a day gardening, walking, farming and climbing trees to pick fruit.

A largely plant-based diet rich in seaweed, multi-coloured vegetables, tofu, fish and only a small amount of meat, along with daily exercise and a healthy social life they call “moai”, are among the spritely locals’ secrets to longevity. With such a wholesome and happy lifestyle, it’s no wonder Okinawa’s oldest living local Kame Ganeko has just reached her 114th birthday!

These are the superfoods that help keep Okinawa’s oldest residents in such good shape...

A N OK IN AWA N LO CAL CARRYIN G G OYAS

OF OKINAWA

O K IN A W A

SHIKUWASA This local citrus is a hepatoprotective food, which means it protects and boosts liver function. Okinawans have shikuwasa in all forms – freshly squeezed over grilled meats, mixed with soy sauce to form a dipping sauce for noodles and even in cocktails.

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HAPPY GOYA DAY BITTER MELON IS SO POPULAR IN OKINAWA, THE LOCALS HAVE A SPECIAL DAY DEDICATED TO IT – GOYA DAY IS ON MAY 8TH.

MOZUKU SE AWEED The mozuku seaweed harvested from Okinawan waters is generally thicker than seaweed grown in other parts of Japan. Its slimy surface is rich in fucoidan, which is said to have an antibacterial function and improve immunity.

UMIBUDOU Also known as sea grapes, this type of seaweed is a great source of vitamins A and C and heart-loving omega-3 fatty acids. You’ll see umibudou served on its own with vinegar or in salads. The tiny clusters of grapes pop when you bite them, releasing briny flavours of the sea.

Neil Smith

G OYA

PURPLE SWEE T P O TAT O Sweet potatoes of all varieties are high in vitamin A and C but it’s the purple flesh in Okinawan sweet potatoes that contain exceptionally higher antioxidant levels. It’s commonly used in desserts such as mochi.

G OYA SHIM A TOFU

Also known as “bitter melon”, goya is the star ingredient in Okinawa’s iconic goya champuru stir-fried dish. It’s said to help lower blood sugar levels in the body, as well as aid digestion. Plus, it’s low in calories and high in vitamins B and C, not to mention minerals such as iron, zinc, potassium and magnesium – now that’s pretty super.

SHIMA TOFU On mainland Japan, tofu is made by boiling soybean milk and then squeezing the water out. Shima tofu does the reverse – the water is squeezed out first. As a result, it’s firmer, heavier and contains 33 per cent more protein.

You’ll find it in stir-fries and soups.

JE T S TA R FL IES RE G UL A RLY B E T W EE N SI N G AP O RE A N D O K I N AWA.

JE T S TA R.C O M

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the cut > THE BEST OF WHERE TO EAT, DRINK AND PL AY

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> The endangered Hawaiian monk seal is known locally as ilio holo i ka uaua, which means “dog that runs in rough water”.

PERT H

PA G E

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> Built in 1870, the medievalstyle Perth Town Hall is the only one in Australia to have been constructed by convicts.

BAL I

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> Traditionally, babies in Bali must not touch the ground until they are at least 105 days old (about 3.5 months).

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T HE C U T

E AT + DRINK

CANGGU —Forget fine dining, the palm-fringed lanes of Canggu are home to bohemian beach clubs and laid-back hangouts hidden in coconut groves. Alison Bone has the insider tips for the best spots to eat in Bali’s hippest foodie destination—

PELOTO N S UPERSH OP

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> PELOTON SUPERSHOP. This buzzing vegan eatery and artisan cycling store is more hipster than hippy and serves up healthy comfort food like you‘ve never seen before. Dig into cinnamon pancakes topped with strawberry, banana and coconut nectar or a pimped-up “tricken” schnitzel burger (it really does taste like chicken) and divine dairy-free shakes. pelotonsupershop.com

> CAFE VIDA. Gluten-free granola, coconut kefir, paleo pastries, smoothies decorated with mandalas – you get the drift?

Organic, sustainable and utterly enchanting, Cafe Vida also offers up a tasty tuna salad and roasted organic chicken. If you need a pickme-up – and the aphrodisiac essence booster shot isn’t doing it for you – grab a single origin Ethiopian coffee from the boutique espresso bar. cafe-vida-bali.business.site

healthy cafés > RUMAH MAKAN.

> THE SHADY SHACK.

T HE SH ADY SH ACK

Nestled in a grove overlooking rice fields, this is the vegetarian café of your dreams. From smoothie bowls packed with exotic fruits to crispy organic salads and hearty burgers, everything looks good, tastes good and is good for you. Don’t leave without trying something from the raw dessert counter. the-shady-shack.business.site

VEGGIE DELIGHTS Discover the flavours of Asia, vegetarian-style, at Green Ginger Noodle House. Go for the laksa and follow with a slice of coffee, cardamom and ginger cake. elephantbali.com/green-ginger

Inspiring yoga classes and a true garden-to-plate experience await within this atmospheric arts village, where many of the ingredients for your meal will be plucked direct from the flourishing organic gardens.

Fresh fruit is squeezed into healthy elixirs, salads are tossed with pomelo and bongkot flowers and calamari is doused with a green papaya, mint and peanut dressing. For a truly unique experience, book into one of the resort’s restored antique wooden houses. desaseni.com

> SAMADI KITCHEN LAB. Craving good, honest, wholesome vegetarian food served in a tranquil garden setting well away from the hustle and bustle? The globallyinspired menu at this café means you can get your Indian fix with a mysore dosa (Indian pancake) or go for something lighter like fresh Vietnamese rice paper rolls. You can also join a traditional Ashtanga yoga class, get your chakras balanced or browse for souvenirs in the artisan market on Sundays. samadibali.com

top brunch

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> THE AVOCADO FACTORY. Themed cafés can be more gimmick than substance but when it comes to avocado, how could you go wrong? Have it smashed on toast (obviously) or blended with chocolate for a sensational mousse. Add in a range of avocado-less juices, rice field views and a sunny terrace and you’re guaranteed a memorable brunch. theavocadofactory.com

Got the kids in tow? No worries. Fun arts and crafts activities and a cool playhouse in the garden mean you can kick back and enjoy the tropical vibe and vista in peace. Skillet eggs, fluffy buttermilk pancakes and excellent house-blend coffee all hit the spot. Top pick: poached eggs with smashed peas, mint, lemon and feta. milkandmadu.com

spots

> JI TERRACE BY THE SEA.

> THE SLOW. Pre-noon designer cocktails? Live vinyl DJ selections? Slick brunch menu that hits all the right notes, from fruity chia bowls to soft shell crab tacos? Yes! Sunday’s “Sound Bites” has it all. Ultra hip and highly conceptual, The Slow is adorned with photographic artworks and offers an ingredient-focused food experience. A gallery and sexy boutique lodgings are also attached. theslow.id

NEW IN TOWN While this venue is enchanting in the evenings, the baked goods, tonic bar and salad combos make brunch at Parachute a winner. parachutebali.com

Treat yourself to a Japanese fusion, all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch. Think roast pumpkin with kale and honeyed ponzu dressing, udon and prawn tempura and made-to-order maki rolls. It’s hard to beat the bird’s-eye view over Old Man’s surf break, not to mention the wonderful ambience of the antique-filled terrace. Opt for the free-flow wine and cocktails package and it’ll be sunset before you know it. jirestaurantbali.com

> BOTTEGA ITALIANA. Do brunch Italian-style with a latte and freshly baked bombolone at a sidewalk table on trendy Jalan Pantai Batu Bolong. Homemade pasta, panini and cheese platters are equally worthy and well washed down with a bottle of vino. If you can’t get a table here, no problema – a new branch has just opened in Berawa. bottegaitalianabali.com

B OT TEGA ITAL IA N A

T HE SLO W

> MILK AND MADU.

CANGGU

M OR ABITO ART VILL A C O M O BEAC H CLUB

> FINNS BEACH CLUB. As a hedonistic, sun lover’s paradise, this mega beach club on Berawa Beach pumps all day and peaks at sundown. Sip cocktails at the swim up pool bar and refuel on gourmet burgers and wraps. Prefer a more chilled vibe? Come in the evening for pizza, happy hour cocktails from 7-9pm and night surfing under the spotlights. The super stylish VIP section reopens in this month. finnsbeachclub.com

> COMO BEACH CLUB. This new addition to Canggu’s club scene is beach shack chic with luxury wellness thrown in. Lunch on towering salads, then linger by the pool to soak up the sun, sublime views and cocktails delivered direct to your daybed. Sunsets come with laid-back acoustics and DJ sets. comohotels.com/en/umacanggu

> MORABITO ART VILLA. Strictly speaking, Morabito is a villa estate and boutique wedding venue, but its beachfront restaurant/bar warrants inclusion as this is a seriously atmospheric sunset spot. Gorgeous gardens and a stunning collection of art are on show here. Come for mojitos and French Mediterranean cuisine – including a reasonably priced eight-course degustation menu. morabitoartvilla.com

fun beach clubs

> LA BRISA. Sprawled across a coconut grove and built from reclaimed fishing boats, La Brisa is wonderfully whimsical and adorned with buoys, driftwood, fishing nets and shells.

Reminiscent of a pirate’s lair, it’s the place to go for a fun evening of beer-drinking and tapas or beat the crowds and visit for breakfast.

Ricotta rum pancakes, anyone? labrisabali.com T HE L AW N

> THE LAWN. A hit with the hipster party crowd, the beachside pool is the place to mingle – and show off your new bikini. Beach club fare comes with a modern Asian twist – think prawn tacos, cumin chicken nachos and ginger crème brûlée. Usher in nigthfall with a fruity cocktail and stick around on Fridays for two-for-one happy hour (7-9pm). thelawncanggu.com

NEXT UP The Ibiza experience is coming to Canggu with Cafe Del Mar Bali Pool Club slated to open in mid 2019, offering a beachside performance space and whopping 1000-square metre infinity pool. cafedelmarbali.id

Martin Morrell

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Turn their ‘some day’ into a holiday.

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CANGGU

T U G U BAL I RES TAUR A N T

best

> TUGU BALI RESTAURANT.

GIVE

> ULEKAN.

ULEK A N

Keen to get acquainted with the flavours of the Spice Islands? Choose as many tasting dishes as you can handle with a lunchtime rijsttafel (the Indonesian equivalent of a banquet).

Dinner is all about the share plates – with fragrant dishes such as charred barramundi basted in sweet chilli, kaffir lime and lemongrass. ulekanbali.com

CHEAP AND CHEERFUL Popular for sunset Bintang beers, the quirky shacks that line Berawa Beach also serve up simple local dishes like nasi goreng and satay.

> ECHO BEACH CLUB. Sunset fish barbecues are a great Bali tradition and with a snapper fillet for less than $8 (including salad bar), this is a good feed. Don’t expect any frills, just choose your fresh fish, lobster or prawns from the display and it will be grilled on the spot. Come early to secure a table overlooking the waves. echobeachclub.com

JE T S TA R H A S G RE AT L O W FA RES T O B AL I FR O M A R O U N D A U S T R AL I A.

> GIVE. From the creators of much-loved Kynd in Seminyak comes Give – a pretty, pastel-hued café serving 100 per cent plant-based Indonesian food packed with flavour and good intentions. Try the corn fritter stacks, tofu and tempe satay sticks and brown rice nasi goreng. Super tasty and high on the feel-good factor, Give is a non-profit – you even get to pick which charity your money goes to. givecafe.org

> MILU BY NOOK. This café personifies the tropical, rustic boho vibe that we love about Canggu. If it isn’t woven or recycled, it has no place here. The menu is global but it’s best to stick with the Indonesian food, particularly the nasi campur (rice accompanied by several small dishes). If it’s a hot day, the smoothie bowls really hit the spot.

Did we mention the rice field views? milu-bali.business.site JE T S TA R.C O M

Sheila Man, Helena Rae

local dining

Channelling the grace and grandeur of bygone eras, the wonderfully romantic Hotel Tugu Bali offers Canggu’s most cultured dining experience. Feast on classic Javanese and Chinese peranakan dishes by candlelight, surrounded by evocative Indonesian antiques and historic artwork. This is also your chance to try Balinese specialties including bebek betutu (whole roasted duck marinated in spices) and pesan bepasih (fish steamed in banana leaves). tuguhotels.com

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T HE C U T

“GREAT DUMPLINGS SHOULD BE JUICY, WITH FLAVOURFUL FILLINGS AND A LIGHT, THIN DOUGH.” CHINESE-AMERICAN CELEBRITY CHEF KEN HOM

> SAY I T AGA IN Pronounced shau-long-bau, the name of this popular Chinese dish means “little basket bun”, dubbed so after the bamboo baskets in which they are steamed. Late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain had another name for them: “pillows of happiness”.

> W H AT IS I T? Xiao long bao, or soup dumplings, are delicate pleated parcels filled with pork meat and broth. Don’t be mistaken for thinking they float in soup – the rich, savoury liquid is encased inside the dumpling.

> H O W I T’S M A DE Traditionally, xiao long bao is filled with a pork mixture made with pork mince and aspic (a savoury jelly made from meat stock) or gelatinised broth. The filling is wrapped in a thin yet firm wheat flour wrapper and then steamed, which melts the aspic into an umami-rich liquid.

X I AO L ONG B AO

SH A NGH A I

> E AT T HEM RIG H T To devour these dainty packages like a local, gently pick up your dumpling with chopsticks, place it on your spoon, nibble it open and slurp out the delicious broth.

Then you’re free to eat the rest of the dumpling. Tip: dip it in a little black vinegar with ginger first.

> T HE LEGEN D

W O R D S_ R A C H EL G R AY

A N AT O M Y OF A DIS H

—They’re the most famous of Shanghai’s steamed dumplings – and the most mysterious.

How exactly do chefs get the soup inside each delicate xiao long bao? We unwrap the secret of these delectable packages—

The origin of these tasty morsels dates back to the 1870s, when it’s said Shanghai chef Huang Mingxian added aspic to his pork mince before sealing and steaming his dumplings.

> C AU T IO N: H O T! Resist the urge to pop a whole soup dumpling into your mouth – you run the risk of burning yourself when the hot liquid spurts out.

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H APPY H O U RS

HONOLULU â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Gummy Bear Martini, anyone? Happy hour in Hawaii delivers delicious snacks as well as free-flowing drinks. Kait Hanson lets us in on the places to enjoy sundowners with a tropical twist so you can end your day the island wayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;

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> MOKU KITCHEN.

M OK U K ITC HEN

> MAI TAI BAR. End a day of retail therapy at the world’s largest open-air shopping centre, Ala Moana, with a $7 Lava Flow cocktail from Mai Tai Bar on the centre’s fourth level. Specials are served from 4-7pm daily and include a handful of $8 specialty drinks, $4 beer pints and $7 house wines, as well as cheap eats such as $8 popcorn shrimp and $11 fish tacos. It’s worth staying a while for the live music and to catch the late-night happy hour (8-11pm), when specialty mango and lychee Mai Tais are only $7 and pitchers of local favourite Kona Longboard Lager are just $12.50. maitaibar.com

Cruise past the colourful murals that have transformed the walls and alleyways of art-focused neighbourhood Kakaako before grabbing a seat outside farm-to-table restaurant Moku Kitchen. Settle in from 3-5.30pm to enjoy half-price small plates, including $6 garlic truffle oil fries served with house-made aioli and ketchup or choose from one of four hand-tossed pizzas for $10 – our pick is the Hamakua wild mushroom pizza. For a very reasonable $9, sip away on their famous Monkeypod Mai Tai, made with local rum and topped with a tart honey and yellow passionfruit foam. mokukitchen.com

HERRIN GB O NE

Steve Czerniak

> DORAKU. At the intersection of traditional sushi and inventive fusion dishes sits Doraku, a chic restaurant with two locations (Waikiki or Kakaako). It’s easy to snag a full dinner, complete with drinks, for under $25 here – just turn up from 4-6pm. Order a deluxe spicy tuna roll for $8 to start, followed by $8 chicken lettuce wraps and $7 sake. Feeling the urge to splurge? Go for the regular-priced east meets west roll, filled with poached shrimp and topped with seared rib eye and a secret sauce that leaves your tastebuds tingling. dorakusushi.com

> HERRINGBONE. Happy hour is a little different at this top-shelf, open-air watering hole on the third level of International Market Place.

Dubbed “Oyster Hour” for the Two Buck Shuck special ($2.80 gets you oysters on the half shell), nibbles as well as drinks are discounted from 4-6pm daily. Think bubbles and wine for $8, pints for $7 and delicious cocktails for $10. Pair your drink of choice with a spread of food, including buffalo octopus served with black-eyed peas and ranch dressing or margherita flatbread. Now sit back, relax and enjoy the fresh salt air that blows in from the Pacific one block over. herringboneeats.com

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TOP OF WAIK IK I

> RUMFIRE. > TOP OF WAIKIKI. Secreted away, high above bustling Kalakaua Avenue, is a happy hour with awe-inspiring panoramic views.

Top of Waikiki is the only rotating dining room on the island and with drinks deals from 5-9.30pm daily, it’s the best spot to enjoy the sunset while sipping through a menu of $12.50 cocktails. Start with the Gummy Bear Martini – a mix of vodka, lychee and peach liqueurs, that’s guaranteed to get you buzzing. Then, dig into fried calamari for $11 and deep-fried goat’s cheese rangoons for $14, just two options on the extensive menu. Tip: Ask the wait staff to snap your photo as the dining room rotates past the iconic Waikiki Beach and the Royal Hawaiian hotel. topofwaikiki.com

> BEVY. Located in the industrial setting of Salt in Kakaako, Bevy is a cocktail bar with a 1920s vintage prohibition vibe. Stop by Monday through Saturday from 4-7pm for $8 classic cocktails or the cocktail of the day – a curated tipple made using locally sourced ingredients – and $2.80 off small plates, including potato puffs and brussels sprouts. Arriving with friends? Snag the $41 punch bowl special, a fruity mix served with a ladle for four to six people. bevyhawaii.com

This beachside lounge is the perfect spot for unobstructed views of Diamond Head crater, plus it has a great selection of daily deals to keep you well-fed while you take it all in.

From 3-5.30pm, munch on $14 kalua pork nachos – an island favorite, where the pork has been cooked all day in an underground oven – and sip on a fruity Scorched Strawberry cocktail infused with chilli water for $9. Ocean breezes are sure to cool you down on hot days but hopping into the ocean, a stone’s throw away, will also do the trick. rumfirewaikiki.com

BEV Y

Need to pack more carry-on baggage?

You can now purchase extra carry-on to bring your total weight allowance up to 10kgs* Find out more at jetstar.com * Purchase an extra +3kg on top of the 7kg carry-on allowance for a total 10kg weight limit. Size restrictions apply.

Limited availability per flight. Not available for bookings to, from or within Vietnam.

T HE C U T

Everybody loves the Cadbury Creme Egg but we’ve found a new favourite – the Golden Wattle Egg, a drinkable take on the special treat from Sydney’s T Totaler. Leading up to Easter, the tea bar will be serving chocolate eggshells filled with smooth, chilled wattleseed tea custard, topped off with a golden caramel “yolk”. Sip away and enjoy, then devour your chocolate cup. But get in quick – it’ll disappear after the Easter long weekend. ttotalertea.com

DRINK UP

HOP TO IT

W HAT'S [TREN DIN G]

FOR EASTER? —Calling all chocoholics. It’s time for the annual chocolate binge, when too much of the sweet stuff is never enough.

Here are the most delightful treats worth hunting down these holidays—

GAME ON

It’s the official Easter mascot but this Belgian milk chocolate bunny from Burch and Purchese Sweet Studio in Melbourne is almost too cute to eat. The bunny’s fuzzy exterior is created using a milk chocolate spray and he’s got everything going for him: taste, design, texture and a great, big white-chocolate carrot.

We can’t argue with chocolate on chocolate – this little fella can hop to the top of our wish list. burchandpurchese.com

Forget the Easter egg hunt in the backyard, there’s a new game to play. Auckland ice cream kitchen Giapo has created an Easter-inspired version of Tu Kohatu, the traditional Maori stone stacking game. To join the fun, you’ll need their set of seven chocolate-coated, ice cream-filled, stone-shaped eggs and permission to play with your food. Balance one on top of the other as high as you can before they’re gobbled up. Go! giapo.com

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T HE C U T

Fremantle, Perth M Y PL ACE

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Award-winning Indigenous entrepreneur and TEDx speaker Ingrid Cumming shares the special connection she has with her home city, famous for its maritime history, white-sand beaches and relaxed atmosphereâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; W O R D S_ R A C H EL G R AY

ocated 20 kilometres from the heart of Perth, Fremantle – or Freo, as the locals call it – is Perth’s hippy cousin, with vibrant markets and trendy cafés. But the city also has strong Indigenous roots. Local Whadjuk Noongar woman Ingrid Cumming grew up in Fremantle, where she now runs a consultancy called Kart Koort Wiern (fb.me/wanjuyorga) that is focused on cultural awareness and reconciliation. Here, Ingrid gives us a glimpse into her life in the sparkling coastal town.

Your background plays a part in how you view the city. What was it like growing up in Fremantle? > I was raised with a dual perspective of this place. Mum has English-Russian ancestry and Dad is from Whadjuk Noongar country. In my early years, Mum and Dad would take me to the beach to go surfing, fishing and snorkelling at a nearby shipwreck [Omeo, which lies 25 metres from the shore at Coogee Beach Reserve].

We’d eat fish and chips on the beach or they’d give me a few dollars to spend at the Fremantle Markets (fremantlemarkets.com.au).

Why is the city special to you? > Because my totem [spirit animal] is the dwert [dingo], which comes from the creation story about the Dingo Dreaming linked to Fremantle.

Jorge de Araujo, Frances Andrijich

IN GRID C U M MIN G

FREM A N TLE M ARKE TS

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Can you tell us the story? > The Whadjuk Noongar people believe a yondock [crocodile] was threatening Walyallup [Fremantle].

The wargyl [rainbow serpent] spotted the yondock and the two battled until the wargyl had taken off the yondock’s tail. The yondock couldn’t swim without it. The wargyl told the dwert to watch the yondock so it wouldn’t come in and to protect the people.

What a battle... > If you stand at the Round House prison and look at Meeandip [Garden Island], you can see the silhouette of a crocodile. You can see the dingo watching Meeandip at the flour mill nearby [a dingo is painted on the side of the Great Southern Flour Mill].

How should visitors spend a day in Fremantle? > Go to the Fremantle Markets for all the fresh produce. Then have a good feed at the Old Shanghai (oldshanghai.com.au) food court.

For a refreshing drink, Sail and Anchor (sailandanchor.com.au) sells some of the best brews. It’s all about food, beaches and soaking up the chilled-out atmosphere.

Ingrid is involved in the annual Indigenous Business Month event (indigenousbusinessmonth.com.au).

L A ID-B ACK HANGOUTS Ingrid shares her top spots to relax and unwind in Freo. > H U S H SPECI ALT Y C OFFEE Head to this hip and friendly coffee house, where the talented baristas make Belgian mochas “to die for”. hushcoffee.com.au > K ID O G O A R T H O U SE See hundreds of diverse Indigenous Australian groups through a display of art, stories and culture in this prestigious gallery. kidogo.com.au > N E W P O R T H O T EL This 60s surf culturethemed tiki bar sells lush cocktails and some of the finest rums around.

Come for a drink or two, stay for the live bands. thenewport.com

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T HE C U T

EXPERIEN CE

Out of office —Thirty per cent of Aussies already work freelance but, as more of us ditch the daily grind to work remotely while we travel, that number is set to grow. Digital nomad Jenny Hewett reports from a poolside in Bali—

ress for the job you want, they said. So here I am, barefaced and sopping wet, clad only in a Baywatch-red one-piece swimsuit, squinting to read the emails on my MacBook. The sun is beating down, it's barely 9am and the villa pool is already beckoning. Kites are quivering in the sky overhead and roosters are reverberating next door. This moment has all the hallmarks of a Bali holiday. But it's not.

Three years ago, after travelling to recover from near-burnout from work, I moved to Canggu to live life on my own terms. Some call me a digital nomad but given my work as a freelance travel journalist, I could well be a pro pool player. Step into my office.

Surrounded by coconut palms, rice paddies and amazing beaches, it's not hard to see why I’ve swapped button-up shirts for bikinis and sunsets.

My situation is not unique. I'm part of a growing community of remote workers who have given up their traditional desk jobs to pursue an untethered life, which can be more freeing and fulfilling.

Over the past five years, this new-wave work ethic has begun to thrive. According to a report by research giant Morgan Stanley, about half of the US working population could be freelance by 2027.

Similar numbers in Australia also reflect this shift.

D

D O JO C O-W ORK IN G SPACE

THE CUT

H UB U D, UB U D

Those who have made the switch tend to have careers that lend themselves to working remotely – think digital marketers, wellness entrepreneurs or online counsellors. Their careers now slot into their lifestyle, rather than the other way around.

With decent Wi-Fi, affordable living, co-working clubs such as Hubud (hubud.org) and Dojo (dojobali. org), nuanced cafés such as The Slow (theslow.id) and ability to captivate creatives and dreamers, Bali is a no-brainer as a base for freelancers. According to online travel resource Gap Year Escape (gapyear escape.com), it was the number one destination in the world for digital nomads in 2018. Thailand's Chiang Mai and Bangkok also made the top 10.

Whether I'm sprawled out by an infinity pool or jetting across to Nusa Lembongan, my job is always at my fingertips. Like most of my peers here, I rarely work past 3pm and travel whenever I want.

Of course, the hard part is that the immediacy of online work can make it hard to ever truly take a break. Not having a regular income can also be stressful and room-hopping every few months has become the bane of my existence. I won’t lie – there have been times I’ve wanted to give up. The life of a digital nomad isn’t just swanning around from one Insta-perfect pool to another (although there is a lot of that). Like most things, this lifestyle takes persistence and hard work, but the rewards are rich.

Not only do I find it empowering to make my own rules, I also feel lucky to be surrounded by such beauty – Bali is an inspiring place to live and work in. Since I've been a digital nomad, my whole perspective has shifted. Living out of a suitcase most of the time, I desire fewer material things and like many of my peers, I value experiences over possessions and status. And although I’m from Sydney, travel has always been a constant in my life, so being a global resident feels natural to me.

As late French philosopher Albert Camus said, “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”

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D O JO BAL I, CA N G G U

HOW TO SUCCEED AS A DIG I TAL NOMAD > Join a co-working space. Being part of a business hub can help build routine, facilitate friendships and business opportunities and they are great places to share ideas and build skills. > Stick to a routine.

Routine is the backbone of what makes this lifestyle work. Start the day early to give yourself time to do the things that inspire you later in the day – whether it’s getting a massage, making art or enjoying sundowners with friends. > Find your community.

It can be hard to find motivation as a remote worker. Plan work dates with friends or chat with a stranger in a café. These seemingly meaningless social connections and daily interactions are key to your wellbeing and will help keep you motivated.

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—Give your outfit an instant upgrade with easy-to-pack pieces that complete your look and dial up your style game game— 6

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1. The Silver Collective ‘Logan’ necklace, $99, thesilvercollective.com 2. Local Supply ‘City’ sunglasses, $79.95, localsupply.com 3. Cotton On ‘Lost Transit’ backpack, $29.99, cottonon.com 4. Rigon Headwear ‘Short-Brimmed’ fedora, $69.95, rigonheadwear.com.au 5. Maison de Sabre ‘Black Caviar’ iPhone 7/8 Plus case, $79.99, maisondesabre.com 6. Buckle ‘Nautical’ bow tie, $34, theiconic.com.au 7. Nixon ‘Time Teller’ watch, $179.99, nixon.com 8. The North Face ‘Juniper’ crushable cap, $40, thenorthface.com.au 9. Havaianas ‘Slides’ in white/black, $50, havaianasaustralia.com.au 10. Buckle ‘Cufflink199’ in brushed gold, $49, theiconic.com.au 11. Tarocash ‘Dante’ reversible prong belt, $49.99, tarocash.com.au 12. The North Face ‘Norden’ beanie, $35, thenorthface.com.au 13. Aldo ‘Godia’ sneakers, $90, theiconic. com.au 14. Fossil ‘Leroy Money Clip’ bifold, $69, fossil.com

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the insider > JETSTAR NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT AND MAPS

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> Keep up to date with Jetstar news and our StarKids charity.

Plus, go behind the scenes with our staff profiles.

EN T ERTA IN MEN T

PA G E

> Let us entertain you with a huge selection of movies, TV shows, podcasts, music videos and much more.

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A IRP O RT TO CI T Y

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> Heading from the airport to the city centre? Use our guide to find out the best way to get there by bus, train or taxi.

Jetstar news

STAFF Q+A.

SMICH TA WI T H HER SCH O OL DIRECTOR CHAN SABATA AND L IBR ARIAN VAN SOPANNY

NAME BRETT FOXLEY-CONOLLY POSITION HEAD OF TRAINING AND CHECKING, JETSTAR CREW TRAINING ORGANISATION

FORGING FU T URES WITH EDUCATION StarKids is helping to develop the leaders of tomorrow through childhood literacy in Cambodia. By Tracy Keogh.

> “When I grow up, I want to become a teacher,” says 10-year-old

Smichta. “I love reading and I think a good teacher must have read a lot of books. I want to become one and teach kids. That is my dream.”

Smichta attends a local primary school in Takeo province, located in south-west Cambodia near the border with Vietnam.

In an area where domestic, sexual and labour exploitation as well as malnourishment are widespread among children, education is the only route through which a brighter future can be possible.

However, poverty keeps children from the classroom and a lack of quality education contributes to high rates of repetition and dropout, notably, at the primary school level. It doesn’t help that more than half of all Cambodian children experience some form of violence before they reach the age of 18.

Thanks to the support of StarKids, World Vision is actively working to improve the quality of education in Cambodia by equipping primary school libraries with reading materials and training literacy coaches and tutors. At Smichta’s school, children can be found immersed in books at the school library, using desks, shelves, stools and tablets supplied by World Vision. A learning club and student council has also been set up to provide inspirational, safe spaces where older children can mentor their peers and younger students learn the Khmer alphabet through games, recitation and story books.

Ten-year-old Puthika loves reading books and helping other students with Khmer. “That is why I am part of the student council; to help my fellow students,” says Puthika. “When I grow up, I want to become a doctor and help my community and village.”

By fuelling this sort of ambition, these children are being given an opportunity to reimagine their future.

What does your role involve and what experience does it require? > As head of training and checking I am responsible for training and assessment of all pilots and cabin crew within the airline. To do this job, I needed to be a check pilot [aircraft pilot who assesses the competence of commercial pilots] with Jetstar, have a thorough knowledge of Civil Aviation Regulations and be approved by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

Why is training important in the airline industry? > Training allows us to identify and meet the high standards that our crew must achieve. This ensures that all our crew members operate to the same policy and procedures, making for a safe and efficient experience for our passengers.

How long have you worked at Jetstar and what makes it so enjoyable? > I have worked at Jetstar for over 10 years. Before that, I was at Jetstar Asia for two years and Qantas for four years. Jetstar provides a dynamic working environment and the chance to fly to some great destinations.

What advice would you give to anyone aspiring to join Jetstar? > I would encourage them to take on the challenge – you’ll be rewarded by getting to work with great teams and having access to opportunities across the Jetstar business.

STARKIDS’ EMILY (LEF T) WI T H HELENA

T HE IN SIDER

RAISING THE BAR One Sydney schoolgirl is helping make a difference to the lives of vulnerable children around the world by collecting money for StarKids. Here, Rachel Gray speaks to Helena Ristevski about her fundraising efforts.

NEW MENU CHANGES The Jetstar on-board menu keeps getting better and tastier. As part of an update, a new selection of drinks such as James Squire cider and craft beer, Kirin beer and Hahn SuperDry beer are available. On the food front, the range now includes vegan and gluten-free Harvest Box BBQ Crunch corn and roasted almonds and Thinkfood’s Munch flax, sesame and sunflower snacks.

There are also discounted prices on merchandise such as universal adaptors and Banjo the Bunyip toys on board.

> Before the Christmas school

holidays, 12-year-old Helena Ristevski knew exactly what she would do over the break – raise money for StarKids.

So the Sydney student spent her time organising raffles, recycling cans and walking dogs for cash, collecting $368 for the Jetstar initiative.

Helena hopes the money she raised will encourage other children to be proactive and help impoverished communities around the world.

"I want to motivate children to do what I'm doing," Helena says, as she

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hands over her hard-earned cash to StarKids representative Emily Steinbach at Sydney Airport.

"I really wanted to raise money for children because I believe every child should have a chance in life.

And I would like to help children in poverty, children who are sick, disadvantaged and need a hand.”

Helena’s mother, Elizabeth Tiricovska-Ristevski, who’s been a Jetstar crew member for 19 years, is blown away by her daughter’s fundraising efforts. “A lot of kids these days are in their own little bubble,” Elizabeth says. “But for her to do something for the community and to raise money for charity, well, I am very proud of her.”

Helena will also represent NSW in the unconventional Diamonds Beauty Pageant in Brisbane in April, where contestants are judged on their ability to raise awareness and money for their chosen charities.

Working in partnership with World Vision since 2007, StarKids has raised more than $10.5 million to help people in need and fund important community-based projects, such as child protection in Thailand, health programs in Vietnam and educational development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Australia.

Jetstar customers can help change lives and make the world a brighter place by simply donating their spare change to StarKids during a flight or donating a few dollars online by visiting starkids.jetstar.com.

T HE IN SIDER

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In-flight Entertainment —Take off into a world of entertainment – we’ve rounded up today’s most talked-about movies and TV shows, plenty of kids’ favourites, plus hit music and podcasts to keep you occupied throughout your flight— MORE THAN 60 MOVIES AND 500 TV EPISODES AVAILABLE

ONLY $10 BLOCKBUSTER MOVIES TV COMEDY AND DRAMA KIDS’ FAVOURITES HIT MUSIC PODCASTS

> NEW RELEASE MOVIES.

©2019 WBEI

©2018 STORYTELLER DISTRIBUTION CO., LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Creed II

Green Book

Sport | M Newly titled heavyweight champion Adonis Creed faces off against Viktor Drago.

Comedy, Drama | M An Italian-American bouncer is hired as the driver of a famous African-American jazz pianist.

©2018 Paramount Pictures

Bumblebee Action | M It’s 1987 and Bumblebee is on the run and discovered by a teen craving independence. ©2019 WBEI Publishing Rights© J.K.R. TM WBEI

©2019 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. MARVEL and all related character names: © & ™ 2019 MARVEL

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

Spider-Man™: Into the Spider-Verse

Fantasy | M Grindelwald has escaped and is gathering more followers.

Animation | PG Enter a universe where more than one wears the mask.

RATINGS

©2019 Disney

Mary Poppins Returns Family | G Mary Poppins is back to help the next generation of the Banks family.

Robin Hood Action | M Robin of Loxley mounts a revolt against the corrupt English crown to restore justice.

G General.

PG Parental guidance recommended.

M Recommended for mature audiences.

MA15+ Not suitable for people under 15.

Under 15s must be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.

PRE-PURCHASE IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT WHEN YOU BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS AND SAVE!

©2019 WBEI

> FAMILY MOVIES.

©2019 Disney

Ralph Breaks the Internet Animation | PG Ralph and Vanellope’s friendship is tested when they head to the world wide web.

> MUSIC MOVIES. ©2014 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.

Rio 2 Animation | G Blu, Jewel and their three kids are hurtled from Rio de Janeiro to the wild Amazon.

©2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, WIMPY KID and the Greg Heffley image are trademarks of Wimpy Kid, Inc.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul

The Bodyguard

A Star Is Born

Drama | M A singer falls in love with the ex-secret service agent who’s hired to protect her.

Romance | M A seasoned musician helps a struggling young singer navigate her rising fame.

Walk the Line

Selena

Drama | M Chronicles the life, love and struggles of country music legend Johnny Cash.

Drama | M Charting the life, career and tragic death of pop singing sensation Selena.

Rock of Ages

Once

Musical | M Small town girl Sherrie and city boy Drew meet while pursuing their big dreams.

Romance | M A piano player discovers she shares a remarkable rapport with a guitarist. ©2009 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.

Family | PG A family road trip to attend Meemaw’s 90th birthday party goes hilariously off course.

©2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.

Alvin and the Chipmunks, the Chipettes and Characters TM & © 2015 Bagdasarian Productions, LLC. All rights reserved.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip

Crazy Heart

Family | PG Alvin, Simon and Theodore travel across the country to stop Dave from making a mistake.

Drama | M A veteran country music singer reassesses his disordered life when he finds romance with a beautiful journalist.

EN T ER TA IN MEN T

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> ROAD TRIPS.

©2007 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.

©2019 WBEI

The Darjeeling Limited

The Bucket List

Adventure | M Three estranged brothers share a train ride across India in an effort to bond with each other.

Adventure | M Terminally ill Edward and Carter hit the road to tick off the things they have always wanted to do.

©2006 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.

©2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

All rights reserved.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Little Miss Sunshine

Due Date

Drama | M A family do everything they can to get their seven-year-old to the finals of a beauty pageant.

Comedy | MA15+ Father-to-be Peter is forced to hitch a ride with actor Ethan to make it to his child’s birth.

©2014 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved. MARVEL TM & © 2014 MARVEL & Subs.

Comedy | PG Walter escapes ordinary life and embarks on an incredible journey across the globe.

©2019 WBEI

> FOREIGN FILMS.

> FAVOURITE MOVIES. X-Men: First Class

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Action | M As the first class discover, come to terms with and harness their powers, alliances are formed.

Action | M The X-Men send Wolverine into the past to change history and stop a catastrophic event.

X-Men: Apocalypse

Creed

Action | M Apocalypse, the powerful first mutant, returns and seeks to create a new world order.

Sport | M Former heavyweight champion Rocky Balboa trains Adonis, son of the late Apollo Creed.

Men on the Dragon Comedy Four men with mid-life crises join their company’s dragon boating team to prevent future layoffs.

Shoplifters Crime | M A family of crooks find a little girl outside in the cold and take her in.

> TELEVISION.

©2018 Universal Television LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

The Good Place (Seasons 1-3)

The Little Drummer Girl

Comedy | M Self-absorbed Eleanor Shellstrop enters the afterlife but thanks to some kind of error, she is sent to the Good Place instead of the Bad Place. Determined to remain there, Eleanor makes an effort to become a better person.

Drama | MA15+ Charlie is a young, fiery but unfulfilled British actress whose resolve is tested after she forms a relationship with an Israeli intelligence officer who recruits her as a double agent to infiltrate a Palestinian assassin’s terrorist cell.

©2018-2019 American Broadcasting Companies. All rights reserved.

Modern Family (Season 10) Comedy | PG Gloria is suspicious of her son’s girlfriend, Phil finds an exciting new career, Cam adopts a chicken and Haley has some big news.

©Disney

©2019 WBEI

The First (Season 1) Drama | MA15+ A sci-fi drama set in the near future about a crew of astronauts undertaking the greatest pioneering feat to become the first humans on Mars.

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

Pandas

Kids | G Unicorn Twilight Sparkle meets five new ponies and learns about the most powerful magic of all – the magic of friendship.

Documentary | PG At China’s Chengdu Panda Base, scientists are taking the captive breeding program to the next level and preparing captiveborn cubs for the wild.

Waco

Rip Current Heroes

Drama | MA15+ The true story of the 1993 FBI raid on a religious community near Waco, Texas, which led to a 51day standoff and ended with many fatalities.

Documentary This world-first featurelength documentary on rip currents explains how to spot dangerous rips and shares stories of rescue, survival and tragedy.

TM & © Marvel Entertainment, LLC and subs.

Disney’s Mickey Mouse (Season 2)

Guardians of the Galaxy

Kids | G Mickey finds himself in silly situations all around the world and experiences new adventures with pals Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck.

Animation | PG The team find a mystical treasure map leading to the Cosmic Seed, a powerful weapon that is capable of creating a new universe.

EN T ER TA IN MEN T

121

> MUSIC VIDEOS.

> ALBUMS.

The Bangles

Delta Mumford & Sons

Amo Bring Me The Horizon

The fourth album from the award-winning British band represents a place “where order meets chaos and shelter meets wilderness”.

If you’re not entirely sure what that means, pop in your headphones, hit play and give it a listen.

This is another addition to the UK rock band’s impressive back catalogue of albums. As they have done across each album, Bring Me The Horizon continues to evolve their sound and win legions of fans along the way.

Hymn Sarah Brightman

Heard It in a Past Life Maggie Rogers

This angelic offering has a certain spirituality to it.

“A lot of people don’t feel centred, know who or where they are or what is going to happen,” Sarah says.

“I went to a place where I feel centred and this is what I ended up with.”

On her first full-length album, Maggie reflects on radical changes to her life. From studying to performing, touring and the struggles that come with it. Some say she’s the new Indie-Pop queen, but we’ll let you be the judge.

> PODCASTS & RADIO.

Kate, Tim and Marty

Moonman in the Morning Fifi, Fev and Byron We Fact Up Will and Woody No Filter 2DayFM Breakfast with Grant, Ed and Ash! Birth, Baby and Beyond with Midwife Cath Superwomen We Ain’t with Janine Allis

New Hits Various The freshest new clips from today’s biggest artists, featuring 5SOS, Meg Mac, Middle Kids, Maggie Rogers, Sam Smith and Normani, Mark Ronson, Miley Cyrus and plenty more.

00s + 10s Various Millennium hits for you to enjoy, including Usher, Christina Aguilera, Empire Of The Sun, Peking Duk and Alunageorge, Rogue Traders, Calvin Harris, Will.i.am, Shakira and Wyclef Jean.

90s Various Press rewind and head back to the 90s with a classic line-up including tracks from Natalie Imbruglia, Kris Kross, Jamiroquai, Londonbeat, Toni Braxton, Soul Asylum and Rozalla’s “Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good)”.

80s Various Featuring awesome clips from The Hooters, The Bangles, Paul Young, Taylor Dayne, Men At Work, Berlin, Warrant and The Romantics.

Kyle and Jackie O Carrie and Tommy Gold FM Jase and PJ ChangeMakers The Osher Günsberg Podcast The Big Questions with Adam Spencer The Next Billion Seconds with Mark Pesce

The Slow Home Podcast The Disruptive Entrepreneur The Property Couch Game On AUS Chrissie, Sam and Browny Kate, Tim and Marty Aussies In Hollywood Feed Play Love Kennedy Molloy Hitched

SYDNEY. >

TAXI ABOUT $45

>

>

AIRPORT TO CIT Y Touching down in a new city?

Here's how to get to the centre of the action your way.

>

TIP...

The Experience WA smartphone app gives you access to the latest information on local tourist attractions, restaurants, accommodation, transport options and more.

> TIP...

Trains and buses from the airport start around 5am daily and end at midnight.

TAXI ABOUT $30

>

>

>

> BUS $5.80 While it does not head into the CBD, Route 400 operates between Bondi Junction in the city’s east and Burwood in the west.

You can catch the bus from outside the T1 International and T3 Domestic terminals.

>

TAXI ABOUT $40

BUS $4.80 Bus Route 380, which takes its name from the Airbus A380 aircraft, departs T1 and T2 and is a limited stops service, terminating at Elizabeth Quay Bus Station in the city centre.

For those travelling from T3 and T4, Route 40 operates daily between the airport and Elizabeth Quay Bus Station.

TRAIN $18.70 Catching a train into the city is easy and takes about 10 minutes. Grab the T8 Airport and South Line towards City Circle, which stops at Central Station.

ADELAIDE.

PERTH.

“I LOVE TO TRAVEL BUT HATE TO ARRIVE.” ALBERT EINSTEIN (LATE NOBEL-PRIZE WINNING PHYSICIST)

MELBOURNE. (TULLAMARINE)

BUS $10.40 (DAYTRIP) The JetBus and doubledecker JetExpress airport to city services depart the terminal from Sir Richard Williams Avenue and stop at Currie Street in the city centre. From there, it is just a short walk to Adelaide Oval, Rundle Mall and the city’s main train station on North Terrace.

> TIP...

If you are staying in the city of churches for the weekend, purchase a $25 Metrocard Visitor Pass.

The ticket gives tourists unlimited travel on buses, trains and trams across three consecutive days.

TAXI ABOUT $65

>

BUS $19.50 The Skybus Melbourne City Express departs the airport every 10 minutes and stops at the busy inner city Southern Cross Station. From there, you can catch another bus, train, tram or slip into a cab at the taxi stand located directly outside on Spencer Street.

> TIP...

Explore the CBD onboard the free City Circle tourist tram between 10am and 9pm from Thursday to Saturday and between 10am and 6pm from Sunday to Wednesday.

MELBOURNE. (AVALON)

> TAXI ABOUT $130 TO MELBOURNE, $50 TO GEELONG >

BUS $22 TO MELBOURNE, $18 TO GEELONG The SkyBus Avalon City Express takes about an hour to travel from Avalon Airport to Southern Cross Station in Melbourne CBD. If you are heading to Geelong, the SkyBus Avalon Geelong Express takes about 40 minutes to reach the port town.

> TIP...

Download the handy Avalon Airport smartphone app for information about transport, car hire, parking and flight schedules.

T HE IN SIDER

BRISBANE.

GOLD COAST.

HOBART.

>

>

>

TAXI ABOUT $45

> TRAIN $18.50 The Airtrain is a quick and easy option for travelling from the airport into the city. Trains depart every 15 minutes during peak hour and every 30 minutes during off-peak periods.

The Airtrain takes just 20 minutes to get to Central Station in the city centre.

The service starts at 5am on weekdays and 6am on weekends and the last train departs at 10pm. >

TIP...

Download the BNE app to help you find transport options, maps, where to dine and shop, parking information and more.

TAXI ABOUT $60

> BUS $21 The SkyBus Gold Coast Airport Shuttle operates seven days a week and is a dedicated service for visitors travelling from the airport to the Gold Coast’s most popular tourist spots. The shuttle departs from outside the airport terminal and stops at Burleigh Heads, Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise and Southport.

TAXI ABOUT $30

> BUS $6 The Airport Connect bus departs from Cairns Airport every 30 minutes from 4.30am until the last flight of the day. The bus takes passengers on a 10-minute trip to a bus depot at Sheridan Street in the city, where they can continue their journey on a Translink public bus.

Alternatively, you can book a shuttle into the city for $6 one-way with Backpacker Shuttle Cairns. > TIP...

It is not a joke – crocs are about! Look out for the red and yellow signs around town and stay croc aware.

“TRAVEL TO ME MEANS FREEDOM, ESCAPE, THE EXTINGUISHING OF IGNORANCE AND PREJUDICE AND THE EXCHANGE NOT ONLY OF CULTURES AND LANGUAGE BUT IDEAS.” PADMA LAKSHMI (ACTRESS AND COOKBOOK AUTHOR)

TAXI ABOUT $50

>

BUS $19.50 The SkyBus Hobart Express service operates daily and departs regularly from the airport. The bus takes about 30 minutes to travel to the city centre, stopping at Brooke street Pier before terminating at 19 Macquarie Street, which is located behind the Grand Chancellor Hotel.

> TIP...

Download the Hobart Cabs 131 008 smartphone app to order and track your taxi from the airport.

For everything to see, eat, sleep, shop and play in Hobart, get The Guides

by Lonely Planet app.

> TIP...

Gold Coast Cabs offer special flat rate fares from the airport to accommodation located in Surfers Paradise ($65) or Broadbeach ($55).

CAIRNS. >

“THERE'S A LOT OF TIME WHEN YOU'RE TRAVELLING — TIME TO THINK.” LENNY KRAVITZ (SINGER AND MUSICIAN)

123

BALLINA.

DARWIN.

> TAXI ABOUT $100 TO BYRON BAY

>

>

BUS $7.20 The Route 640 bus from Ballina Airport takes close to an hour to make the 37-kilometre journey to the popular beachside town of Byron Bay.

> TIP...

If you prefer to have your transport organised and booked in advance, check out the Ballina Byron Gateway Airport website for information about shuttle bus services.

For those who want to explore and find their own way, all major car rental companies are represented at the airport.

TAXI ABOUT $30

>

BUS PRICE ON BOOKING The Darwin City Airport Shuttle Service is available seven days a week to take you from the airport to your accommodation in the city. The shuttle departs every 20 minutes during peak period and services all major flights to the airport. Online bookings must be made 24 hours in advance.

> TIP...

If you are staying at the Mercure Darwin Airport Resort or Novotel Darwin Airport Hotel, a free shuttle bus service is available for transfer from the terminal to your accommodation.

BALI. >

TOKYO. (NARITA AIRPORT)

TAXI ABOUT $7 TO KUTA

>

>

BUS $2 There are a range of bus options to choose from but a popular choice is the bright green Kura-Kura tourist bus, which stops at most major locations across the island. The closest departure point to the airport is outside the Aston Kuta Hotel, which is a brisk 16-minute walk from the terminal.

TAXI ABOUT $250

>

>

“TRAVEL IS NEVER A MATTER OF MONEY BUT OF COURAGE.” PAULO COELHO, (BESTSELLING AUTHOR)

TRAIN $37 The Narita Express or N’EX departs every 25 to 40 minutes and takes under an hour to reach Tokyo Station. Buy your ticket at JR EAST Travel Service Centers, which are located inside each of the three airport terminals.

> BUS $11 The Keisei group’s Tokyo Shuttle takes 90 minutes to reach the city centre near Tokyo Station.

> TIP...

Knowing how to say a few phrases in the local lingo can go a long way in Bali.

To ask a local to help you call for a taxi, try saying, “Bisa tolong untuk telepon dan order taksi?”

OSAKA. (KANSAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT)

> TIP...

Grab the free shuttle to travel between the airport’s three terminals.

TAXI ABOUT $250

> TRAIN $28 Ride the Kansai Airport Express Haruka to Tennoji Station. There you can easily catch another train to Osaka or stay on the same train and head directly to Kyoto, which takes about 75 minutes. >

BUS $19 Travel in luxury aboard the Kansai International Airport Limousine Bus, which will take you directly to Osaka or Kyoto (for $31).

>

TIP...

Taxis are expensive. Travel by train or bus instead.

HO CHI MINH CITY.

SINGAPORE.

FIJI.

>

>

> TAXI ABOUT $10 TO NADI

TAXI ABOUT $10

> BUS $1 The Route 109 bus departs the airport every 15 to 20 minutes between 5.30am and 1am. The bus travels to the city centre (District 1), terminating at 23/9 Park via Pham Ngu Lao backpacker district and the Ben Thanh bus station.

Travel time depends on traffic, but the yellow bus generally takes about 30 minutes to reach the city. > TIP...

Show the name of your hotel to the bus conductor so the driver can tell you where to get off. It is also handy to have a map available on your phone.

TAXI ABOUT $35

> TRAIN $2 The Changi Airport MRT Station (CG2) is located under Terminal 2. Take the train to Tanah Merah station and change to the East West Line heading towards City Hall. > BUS $9 The City Shuttle bus departs every 15 minutes during peak periods and every 30 minutes during off-peak. The trip to the city takes 25 minutes and stops at most major hotels. > TIP...

Save your roaming budget and connect to the free Wi-Fi at Changi Airport.

“I LIKE TRAVELLING AND ORGANISING TRIPS TO NEW PLACES WITH MY FAMILY.” SOFIA VERGARA (ACTRESS)

>

BUS $11 Airport Shuttle Fiji operate a 24-hour shuttle service from Nadi International Airport to most major hotels and resorts in Nadi.

Bookings must be made at least one day prior to arriving at the airport.

> TIP...

It is an offence for taxi drivers to take passengers without having their meter running. If your driver is not using a meter, note the taxi registration number and report it to the police.

The driver may have their license suspended and receive a fine.

2

A IRP O R T T O CI T Y

AUCKLAND. > >

TAXI ABOUT $60

BUS $16 The SkyBus departs the airport every 10 minutes and takes approximately 55 minutes to arrive in the centre of Auckland.

Alternatively, Super Shuttle can take you straight to your accommodation for $23 for the first passenger and $9 for every extra passenger travelling in the same group.

QUEENSTOWN. >

TAXI ABOUT $25

>

BUS $5 The Orbus departs the airport every 15 minutes and takes approximately 25 minutes to reach the town centre. For $13, you can opt to share an 11-seater Super Shuttle for a convenient, tailored door-to-door journey from Queenstown Airport to your accommodation.

> TIP...

TIP...

If your accommodation The Auckland Transport is anywhere in the centre mobile app makes it easy of Queenstown, you can to move around the city. simply rely on foot power Download the app to help to get around – most you plan and track AT things in the adventure 20396845AA 2019-02-05T16:10:25+11:00 Metro buses, trains and capital are within easy ferry services in real time. walking distance. >

HONG KONG. >

TAXI ABOUT $50

>

TRAIN $20 The Airport Express departs every 10 minutes and takes around 24 minutes to reach Hong Kong Station in the bustling business district.

>

BUS $6 The Cityflyer route A21 is ideal for travellers heading into the city and perfect for those who want a preview of Hong Kong from the bus window.

Buses depart every 15-20 minutes from the airport.

>

TIP...

Download the MTR Next Train app to keep track of real-time train schedules.

125

HAWAII. (DANIEL K INOUYE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT)

>

TAXI ABOUT $61 TO WAIKIKI

>

BUS $4 Routes 19 and 20 depart from the second-level roadway at Honolulu Airport and stop off at downtown Honolulu, Ala Moana Shopping Centre and the hotel-dense Waikiki precinct.

>

TIP...

Taxi drivers are referred to as “ambassadors of aloha”.

They are proud of their island and love pointing out landmarks and places of interest. Ask questions – you never know what local secrets you might learn.

TIMESHARE MAINTENANCE BILLS LOOMING?

WE ARE AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND’S FIRST AND LARGEST INDEPENDENT TIMESHARE EXIT CONSULTANCY BUSINESS. WE ARE NOT A RESALE COMPANY.

Contact us now and arrange a FREE no obligation assessment and YOU TOO could be Timeshare Free Australia: 1800 772 227 New Zealand: 0800 477 222 www.exittimesharenow.com

WHERE WE FLY Here’s how to get around our network – have fun planning your next trip.

INTERNATIONAL.

Shanghai (Pudong) Guiyang

Dong Hoi

Phuket Penang Medan

Nagoya (Chubu)

Okinawa

Shantou/Jieyang Hong Kong Haikou Sanya

Hanoi

Da Nang Siem Reap Bangkok Phnom Penh

Yangon

Osaka (Kansai)

Taipei

Guangzhou Chiang Mai

Tokyo (Narita)

Xuzhou

Zhengzhou

Hawaii (Honolulu)

Clark

Manila

Ho Chi Minh City Kuala Lumpur

Singapore Jakarta Surabaya

Bali (Denpasar) Darwin Fiji (Nadi)

Cairns

Cook Islands (Rarotonga)

Brisbane

Gold Coast

Perth

Sydney Adelaide

Operated by Jetstar Airways Operated by Jetstar Asia Operated by Jetstar Pacific Operated by Jetstar Japan

Auckland

Melbourne (Tullamarine)

Wellington Christchurch Queenstown

T HE IN SIDER

DOMESTIC VIETNAM.

127

DOMESTIC JAPAN.

Hanoi Hai Phong

Sapporo

Thanh Hoa Vinh Dong Hoi Hue

Nagoya (Chubu)

Da Nang Chu Lai

Matsuyama Osaka Fukuoka Takamatsu Nagasaki Oita Kochi Kumamoto Miyazaki Kagoshima

Quy Nhon

Pleiku

Tuy Hoa Buon Ma Thuot Nha Trang Da Lat

Okinawa

Ho Chi Minh City

Phu Quoc

Tokyo (Narita) (Kansai)

Miyako (Shimojishima)

Operated by Jetstar Pacific

Operated by Jetstar Japan

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND.

Auckland New Plymouth

Darwin

Nelson Cairns Townsville Hamilton Island Whitsunday Coast Mackay

Queenstown

Sunshine Coast

Ayers Rock (Uluru)

Brisbane

Operated by Jetstar Airways Operated by Eastern Australia Airlines for Jetstar Airways

Gold Coast Newcastle

Sydney

Adelaide

Melbourne (Tullamarine)

Auckland

Melbourne (Avalon) Wellington

Launceston Hobart

Operated by Jetstar Airways

Christchurch Queenstown

Palmerston North Wellington

Christchurch Dunedin

Ballina Byron Perth

Napier

PUZZLES 1

2

3

7

4

5

6

CROSSWORD

14

Across 7 Part of eye (6) 8 She won seven Grand Slam titles between 1971 and 1980, ... Goolagong (6) 9 Labor Party politician from South Australia, Penny ... (4) 10 366 days (4,4) 11 Surname of picture A (9) 13 Bubbling bath (3) 16 Peculiar (3) 17 Surname of acting brothers Luke, Chris and Liam (9) 19 Paralympic Games gold medallist, Kurt ... (8) 22 Radial or cross-ply (4) 23 Harlequins and Pierrots (6) 24 Opening in a wall (6)

8

9

10

11

12

13 15

17

16 18 19

20

21

22

24

23

© Lovatts Puzzles

PICTURE A

PICTURE B

QUIZ 1 In which New Zealand city will you find the suburbs of Birkdale, Epsom and Kelston?

2 In 2000, Deborah Kennedy delivered the line “Not happy, Jan!” in an Australian TV commercial for what?

3 “Chandelier” and “Elastic Heart” are songs by which Australian singer-songwriter (pictured far right)?

Down 1 Sprang back (8) 2 Using a spade (7) 3 Versatile and untiring singer-songwriter, ... Kelly (4) 4 Boating carnivals (8) 5 Stage name of Australian musician Wally De Backer (5) 6 First name of former Olympic cyclist in picture B, ... Meares (4) 12 Oblivious (8) 14 Australian poet, Banjo ... (8) 15 Good luck (7) 18 Surname of picture C (5) 20 Congers or morays (4) 21 Boredom symptom (4)

PICTURE C

4 What is the collective noun for a group of ferrets?

5 What city in regional NSW is the oldest inland settlement in Australia?

6 The US state of Hawaii is made up of more than 100 islands but how many of those are inhabited?

7 Automotive manufacturers Toyota, Honda and Nissan are headquartered in which east Asian country?

CROSSWORD AND PUZZLES COMPILED BY LOVATTS

8 What part of the ear canal produces the “popping” sensation in your ears when flying?

9 In what year did “Advance Australia Fair” replace “God Save the Queen” as Australia’s national anthem?

10 What species of animal found in the Amazon Basin is a tucuxi?

11 If you’re about 2500 kilometres north of New Zealand and 1200 kilometres east of Vanuatu, where are you?

T HE IN SIDER

129

SUDOKU

3 7 4

6

8 8

3

1

5

8

7

2

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9

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EASY

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WHEEL WORDS

E T

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12 Who played lead character, Mick Dundee, in the 1986 Australian film Crocodile Dundee?

13 Measuring from the bottom to the tip of the spire, how many metres tall is The Sydney Tower?

14 What is the national language of Singapore?

15 The unusual cat breed known as the sphynx is unique for its lack of what?

16 What is the densest naturally occurring element in the world?

Create words of 4 letters or more using the given letters once only, but always including the middle letter. Do not use proper names or plurals ending with S. See if you can find the 9-letter word using up all letters.

16 good

26 very good

36+ excellent

17 Which award-winning actress was born in Hawaii, grew up in Australia and married a New Zealand-born country singer?

18 At more than 4000 kilometres long, the Mekong River flows through which six countries in South-East Asia?

19 Which world famous energy drink, now available in 171 countries, originated in Thailand?

20 What is the national gemstone of Australia?

SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 134

Find the solutions on page 134.

M E

E

P

P

P

E

A C

J

C

I

R O

L

A

S

Y

A

X

P

U

E W U

K

L

I

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I

P

F

P

E

P

E O

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R

C A

R

P

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U N

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N A O R

U U

S

N

E

L

N A

P

P

H C

R

E

P

E

E

E

B

P

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A W N

A

T

B

N O

I

X

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G N A

C A

I

O O X

I

R

A

H

L

F M R

R

T

O

P

R

P

V H

V

Y

E

I

L

I

H U P

P

S

E

N Q

P O E C C

R

I

K

E

P

P W

U H M O

P

P O D U

P

L

Y

E S

L Q B G

I

L

K

P Q R

U

G U

L

U

P

U P

There are two monkeys on a tree and one jumps off. Why does the other monkey jump, too?

PAPER PE ACE PE AC H PE ARL PEC A N PER C H PE TAL P H O NE PILOT PI XEL PI X IE PL ACE PL A NK PLU CK

PLU MP P O WER PR AW N PR ICE PR IME PR O BE PR O OF PR O U D PR U NE P UPIL P U REE PURGE PYLO N

6 9

Monkey see monkey do.

3

Broommates!

Because they make too much racquet.

What did Sir Lancelot wear to bed?

A knight gown!

What do you call a wizard from outer space that can fly?

SO URCE: RIDDLES.C O M

5 3

4

7

4

Why werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the tennis players allowed in the restaurant?

A flying sorcerer!

For holding up a pair of pants.

Why did outlaws sleep on the ground after robbing a bank?

There are 27 words starting with P hidden in the grid. Search up, down, forwards, backwards and diagonally for the words.

Can you find them all?

4

What do you call two witches who live together?

Why did the belt go to jail?

E

8

8 2

6

7

9

3

5

6

5

9 6

8 7

5

1

1

9

3

7

2

8

4

2

9 5

They wanted to lie low.

P U ZZLES

Can you spot the EIGHT DIFFERENCES between these two images? Circle whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s changed on the image below.

1 SPORT Test your knowledge with these super fun, totally awesome trivia questions.

1 What is the name of the flat rubber disc used in a game of ice hockey?

2 How many holes are there in a tenpin bowling ball?

3 What are the colours of the five Olympic rings?

2 MOVIES 1 Wreck-It Ralph is the bad guy in which video game?

2 What is the name of the bird who canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fly in the movie Rio? 3 In The Lego Movie, Lord Business finds a superweapon. What is it called?

3 TRUE OR FALSE 1 Sharks are mammals?

2 Fahrenheit is a measure of temperature?

3 Venus is the closest planet to the sun?

4 Herbivores eat meat?

5 The study of plants is known as botany?

131

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More things to find...

„

An exclamation mark

A mirror

A dragon getting

A walking stick

A bucket

a manicure

P U ZZLES

133

A question mark

Two swords

A star at the end

A man with empty pockets

Someone pointing

A dragon with a curly tail

of a dragon tail

A knot in a dragon tail

134

P U ZZLES

SOLUTIONS CROSSWORD

R E C O I L E D

R W B O

F E E C L S

G R P D E V O T I N A U G G T L E A P Y N G T E I A N C H E T T G A F E D H E M S W O C R D T A R N L E Y U O A E O W N S W I N S N E E

A N N E N E A R S P A R T E Y R S D O N

A H E W

P

R

I

E

M E

P

P

P

E

L

A

P

V H

J

C

I

R O

V

Y

Y

A

X

P

U

E

K

L

I

J

I

P

F

P

E

P

E O

J

X C

R

C A

R

S

P

R

U N

E

N A O R

U U

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© Lovatts Puzzles

WHEEL WORDS Enol, Erne, Even, Leno, Lent, Lone, Lune, Note, Oven, Rent, Rune, Runt, Teen, Tern, Tone, Torn, Tune, Turn, Unto, Vent, Enrol, Enter, Enure, Event, Lento, Leone, Loner, Nerve, Never, Noter, Novel, Tenor, Toner, Treen, Tuner, Venue, Elevon, Eluent, Neuter, Relent, Retune, Runlet, Tenure, Tureen, Unreel, Unrove, Venter, Venule, Toluene, Venture.

9-letter word: VOLUNTEER

QUIZ 1 Auckland 2 The Yellow Pages 3 Sia Furler 4 A business 5 Bathurst 6 Seven 7 Japan 8 Eustachian tube 9 1984 10 Dolphin 11 Fiji

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Paul Hogan 309 metres Malay Fur Osmium

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9

Nicole Kidman China, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia 1 The missing plant in the bottom-left corner.

and Vietnam

19 Red Bull 20 Opal

2 The colour of the water.

3 The missing butterfly.

4 The extra wings on Pedro (the red-chested bird).

5 The missing tail on Nigel (the cockatoo).

6 The colour of Tiago’s eye (bottom-right blue bird).

SUDOKU 7

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EASY

HARD

7 The missing foot on the monkey.

8 The colour of the inside of the map.

Sport

Movies

True or False

1 Puck

1 Fix-It

1 False – they are fish

2 Three

Felix Jr.

2 True

3 Red, yellow,

2 Blu

3 False – Mercury

green, blue

3 Kragle

is the closest

and black

4 False – they eat plants 5 True

Perfect for Mother’s Day MY MOTHER had recently visited Japan where she used an electronic Bidet that washed her clean with the push of a button.

I remembered seeing an advertisement in a magazine by The Bidet Shop and thought this would be a great opportunity to buy my mum the perfect Mother’s Day gift.

I called The Bidet Shop and spoke to one of their professional sales staff. The sales person was extremely helpful and explained that the Bidet has a heated seat, a soft close lid, and when you are done you just press the wash button on the remote. A warm gentle stream of water cleans and washes you followed by a warm air dry. It makes you feel so wonderful and clean.

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ES PR ICO M FR

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AUTHENTIC JAPANESE DINING Visit Kenzan Japanese restaurant for some of the freshest sushi and sashimi dishes in Melbourne, along with daily changing à la carte dishes and surprising specials.

The restaurant has been in its current CBD location for 36 years, and is the most awarded Japanese restaurant in Melbourne.

Be welcomed by friendly staff for an authentic Japanese dining experience.

Address: Collins Place, 45 Collins Street, Melbourne Tel: +61 (03) 9654 8933 Web: kenzan.com.au

136

T HE IN SIDER

H I G H E R. B I G G E R. F A S T E R. L O N G E R.

NEW ZEALAND

BLUE LAKE

CHRISTCHURCH

> Deep within the Nelson Lakes National Park on New Zealand’s South Island lies Blue Lake, a small reservoir with a big claim – it has the clearest fresh water in the world. In 2011, scientific tests were done on its crystal waters, which are spring-fed from neighbouring glacial Lake Constance. The results showed the lake has horizontal visibility up to 80 metres, which is close to the clarity of distilled water (water clarity is usually measured vertically but because the lake is only seven metres deep, observations were made horizontally).

Blue Lake is only accessible by foot on a multi-day hike through the national park, which is about a 4.5-hour drive from Christchurch.

It can also be seen from above on a helicopter flight (helicoptersnelson. co.nz). Those who visit are cautioned not to enter the water – it’s a sacred site for the local Ngati Apa ki te Ra To people (a Maori tribe).

Known as Rotomairewhenua (“the lake of peaceful lands”), the tribe traditionally used the lake to cleanse the bones of the dead.

The ceremony released their spirits into the water so they could journey to Hawaiki, the land of their ancestors and final resting place.

KL AUS T HYMANN OF PRO JECT PRESSURE (T HE DEPART MEN T OF C O NSERVATIO N, NIWA, TO URISM NEW ZEAL AND)

W O R D S _ K A I T LY N PA L M E R-A L L E N

E ACH ISSUE WE FO C US O N A PL ACE P U NCHIN G AB OVE I TS WEIG H T

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