DISCOVER, EXPLORE & EXPERIENCE THE WORLD
ASIA SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011
A Beijing state of mind
China’s quietly evolving capital city PLUS
l Hanoi’s Hidden Eats l Fall in Love with Barcelona l The Perfect Trip: Morocco
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Dreamlike and Fold 2 dramatic at the same time, Cappadocia in central Turkey is WHY GO? a world of its own WHY GO?
t 2011 MINI GUIDE Sep/Oc
GUIdE Aug/Sep a, 2011 oci pad CapmINI
key , TurDelhi
India
See ES 1 BEST FOR LANDSCAP is a Göreme Open-Air Museumwith dotted World Heritage site churches, medieval painted cave from less than a mile uphill The buildings Göreme village. BESTsoft FORvolcanic HISTORY 1 from are carvedThe vast Red Fort is a sandstone decorated with stone and carcass its former is churches of Göreme Open-Air Açikself butThe frescoesof(Göreme Byzantine still the best place to imagine the are covered in frescoes US$10). Museum Hava Müzesi; 8am-5pm;
rock The valleys and eroded . Look closely this alluring landscape chimneys markHOW cut into the rock, TO GO churches and homes in a and you’ll see Air can take (jetairways.com), Indiarich (airindia.in), Jet Airways and frescoes. You with often decorated balloon, and sunsetfly direct from Singapore a hot-air(singaporeair.com) from Airlines Cappadocian dawn hotel. Singapore to Delhi’scave Indira Gandhi International Airport of your boutique from the terrace
16 kilometres southwest of the city. From Kuala Lumpur, fly Air Asia X (airasia. com) or Malaysia Airlines (malaysiaairlines.com).
Above: a ride Left: fairy chimneys. direct with is a must in a hot-air balloon
Eat & drink
LEFT Greek Tomb. OldHumayun’s The restaurant of theRIGHT Hand-carved of the best Indian elephant House 6 hotel is one
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Eat & drink
MINI GUIDES TO KEEP
SGD 7.50 RM 15 NT 270 RP 75.000 THB 195 MICA (P) 112/04/2011, PPS 1747/01/2012(028336)
l Miri l Delhi l Cappadocia l Edinburgh l Marseille l San Francisco along the dotted lines
the dotted lines
mercury rising to 45°C in summer and dropping to 5°C in winter. The best time to visit is February to March,
TO DO? WHAT IS THERE and post-monsoon known as fairy to the end November. formsmid-September
cuisine in places to try Ottoman by village the region. Prepared barbunya women, dishes include sauce), (lima beans in tomato carrot salad and fantastic In ChandniUS$57) Chowkismarket you’ll baklava. The hotel (from stay (00 place to terrace is a great place find foodstall-lined Paratha Wali Dimrit’s also an excellent sunset se. famous back and watch the 6 , Delhi’s most to sit food Galioldgreekhou 90 384 353 5141; ¸a; or white Mustafapas street. Potato, almond Caddesi, com; S¸ahin ). radish-stuffed parathas (flatWith its hillside terraces, Dimrit mains US$4–US$13 Mughal city’s splendour. It dates name, and spend a uninspired come fresh off the Despite itsbreads) 9 is a top spot to eat 2 century, a time of from the 17th RE 4 7 is one of salads, BEST FOR VIEWS BEST FOR ATMOSPHE hotplate and are served with Local Restaurant sunset. The menu features as over eunuchs, ceremonial elephants a terrace valleys of Sog˘lani are such There’s A dawn balloon ride twin best. specials The tangy pickles (Chandni Chowk; and Göreme’s fish, grills and fairy and an interior clad in precious they didn’t valleys purée stone-walled deep-worn magnificent, even if Mon-Sat; parathas US$0.70). and an elegant, lamb kebab with eggplant magical (Lahore Gate; 9am-6pm is a truly Wars despite is attentive Yunak chimneysstones Service 8585; feature in Star room. 341 dining 384 Try stuffed parathas from stalls on A hole-in-the-wall joint in Khan Visit the Red Fort, begun in 1638 90 s.com (00 Tue-Sun; US$5.70). Try ezairballoon 40, dishes are guides’ claims. The Caddesi experience. FikretWali mischievous Paratha Gali, Chandni Chowk 7 Teyfik by emperor Shah Jahan and the scrumptious Market, Khan Chacha’s Mahallesi, in Ürgüp, is easily $14). (00 90 384 271 and sultanballoons.com northernmost valley reasonably priced kebabs and rolls are so popular Ürgüp; mains US$6.50–US about two BESTalloons.com FOR VIEWS 2 at or kapadokyab Caddesi 38, Göreme; circuited on foot in 2629; Müzethat you’ll probably have to Style meets substance mornings, Swagath 9 serves brilliant many (mostlargest in the India’s mosque, Jamahours, taking BEST FOR STROLLING 4 mains US$7.30). in Göreme 10 . Pick one of the many A’laturca queue. Try roti-wrapped mutton Mangalorian and Chettinad 8 , named after from US$250). was built in the 17th rock-cut churches. From Raisina Hill, the ceremonial Apr-Nov;Masjid, such as the garden Cool Ziggy’s seating seekhsong, or paneer tikka, which are areas,cuisine, notably has stylish seafood dishes. and try century by emperor Shah Jahan Rajpath (Kings Way) leads through the David Bowie 3 its beanbag seating, 5 well worthterraces the waitand (Flat 50,with Middle Favourites at the smart, six-floor ADVENTUR kebab, BEST FOR and HISTORY can hold 25,000 worshippers. architect EdwinE Lutyens’ plaza to on multi-level BEST FOR décor the succulent Erciyes craggy of the largest of Lane, Khan Market; 12–11pm is one can opt for garlic restaurant are dal-e-Swagat andits routes cross thearch Kaymakli Climb the southern of India aGate. jazz soundtrack. You served on fried potatoes ¸sehriminaret Trekking the sandstone with yeralti 37 set ’s dotted Mon-Sun; snacks US$0.80). ranges 2882; (lentil curry) and coconut chicken Cappadocia (women mustopen be accompanied with water features and limestoneLined a cocktail or the 12-course Yunak to the yoghurt (00 90 384 271 Dag˘lar d cities) Over the7107; last six decades, in theitAla (undergroun curry (00 Caddesi, 91 11 2433 7538; waterfallslawns .tr; Müze by a man) than for superb city views takesto in the President’s menu (00 90 384 341 alaturca.com 13 8 has become more best get 16). Moti an Fikret Caddesi Park. It’s public. Built Teyfik Mahal swagath.in; 14 Defence Colony; US$6.50–US$ (non-Muslims 8.30am–12.30pmNational and House (larger than Versailles), the Mahallesi, Göreme; mains .50). ago as a refuge for US$73 per day) renowned for Mughlai centuries mains US$8–US$10 lunch and dinner; US$4–US$20). 2pm–4.30pm; US$1.60).a guide (around North and South Secretariat 24, andÜrgüp;institution from Persian June and ristians minaret
See
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India’s capital is in places a city of medieval mayhem – crowded, polluted and intense. But it’s also the
maiden aunt of late-British colonial rule and showcase old eruption Born from the millenniaof a modernthe republic. Like a subcontinental Rome, it g˘i volcano, of the Erciyes Da is brimsrewith ruins andiamonuments. of Cappadoc troglodyte architectu terrain of rock columns, unique – a bizarre WHEN s,TO GOancient where pyramids and mushroom Delhihomes. is a city of extreme temperatures, with the empires made their
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