ts
“The mule slipped on the narrow mountain road. Heart in mouth, I watched my camera plunge...”
`100
Know before you go! September-October 2015
TOP TRAVEL BLOGGERS Meet them inside • Paul Johnson • Duncan Rhodes • Charukesi Ramadurai + 8 big travel & food experts the world follows
Cameron Highlands: A tea-scented love story
READY, SET, SNOW! • Bled, Slovenia • Yukon, Canada • Lake Baikal, Russia • Chopta, India Winter wonderlands for your wishlist
The Narrowest House in America: in words & doodles
PLUS: Paan Ice Cream • Pakizah Burger • Fruit Sandwich: Delhi’s Secret food Trail
contents September-October 2015
11 Lust List Picture-postcard perfect places to dream about
34
32 The Narrowest House in America A charming little secret 34 The World’s Best Luxury Blog Meet the man who runs it 38 How to Really See a City Top blogger Duncan Rhodes shows you the way 42 Britain by Train Take a ride along the UK’s lush countryside
46
46 Hidden Malaysia Fragrant with tea and vibrant with art 58 Ode to My City A love letter to Dibrugarh 62 The Woman With Itchy Feet She’s footloose, and so much fun 80 Tamarind Tales Four South Indian food bloggers share their thaalis
84
84 Delhi Delights Street eats you probably didn’t know about 86 Black Book Handpicked gems to inspire the explorer in you
September-October 2015 Travel Secrets 5
L
FIRSTWORDS
isten up, aspiring bloggers. Pay attention, wordsmiths and world-travel dreamers. You are going to meet some seriously successful travel people between these pages. Writers, photographers, bloggers who trot the globe for a living. We present to you Dr. Paul Johnson, whose Luxury Travel Blog gets more than 200,000 hits a month. Meet Duncan Rhodes of the Urban Travel Blog with his band of talented writers and devoted followers. Say Hi to India’s comely Charukesi Ramadurai, the go-getter girl with Itchy Feet. We coaxed them to tell us how they rose to the top. Go ahead, take a leaf out of their bestselling books, or rather, blogs!
Lights, Camera...
Interaction!
I love to hear fresh voices and new ideas. So imagine my joy when Juliet Philip, gifted doodler and author of The Runaway Daughter, popped into our mailbox and inquired if she could take us to the narrowest house in America. And our London Correspondent Shozeb Haider sent across his brilliant piece from the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. Four food bloggers from South India cheerfully shared snapshots of their curry-scented thaalis. And in-house, our energetic (and ever-hungry!) team of interns, sussed out secrets of Delhi’s street eats. Feel the adrenaline charging through your veins? Take a good gaze at the winter wonderlands we have laid out for you. There’s still ample time: ride into Christmas on a dogsled in Bled. Or usher in 2016 amid the gleaming glaciers of Lake Baikal. If nothing else, ditch the been-there hill stations and get your snowflake fix at Uttarakhand’s pristine beauty, Chopta. Safe travels, and happy times!
Shubhra Krishan, Publisher & Editor
September-October 2015 Travel Secrets 9
#TrendingNow Apps, gadgets and ideas to know and try Fly Sci–Fi
GPS-enabled Beer Bottle
Mercedes-Benz along with Germany’s Lufthansa Technik have developed new jet cabins with a futuristic sci-fi look. Designed for short and medium-haul aircraft, the Sci-Fi Mercedes-Benz x Lufthansa Jet Cabins will be installed on private jets for the ultimate sleek travel experience. With zero separation between the floor, ceiling and walls, this cabin gives off a spacious and tubelike appeal. The highly refined furniture pieces feature hardwood flooring, a sofa, a two-person bed, four individual seats, and a U-shaped bench with a large table in the middle, exuding elegance and comfort. Travelling the Tom Cruise way doesn’t seem like Mission Impossible anymore, does it? www.trendhunter.com
One moment you’re just walking through Amsterdam and enjoying the weather. The next, you find a Heineken bottle that wants to take you on a tour around a beer museum. Launched this year in May as a part of their Bottle with a Mission marketing campaign, the world-famous beer company randomly placed custom-created bottles with an integrated GPS system, throughout the city. Anyone picking up one of the bottles around Amsterdam will feel the bottle vibrate and see the cap light up as it activates. The inbuilt compass and rotating cap then guides the tourist through the city to the Heineken Experience museum. www.heinekenexperience.com
Ocean Street View by Google Thanks to Google, you can now explore life under the sea from the comfort of your couch. The Ocean Street View application provides 360-degree panoramic views of the ocean floor. Google’s Street View cameras have captured plenty of underwater creatures along with stunning backdrops–you can click around to view sea turtles, humpback whales, great white sharks and the giant sunfish. You can move around underwater in some locations following the arrows to swim along. With these vibrant and stunning photographs, you don’t have to be a scuba diver—or even a swimmer—to explore and experience six of the ocean’s most incredible living coral reefs. www.google.com 20 Travel Secrets September-October 2015
Underwater Oxygen Bar Located at Carnival’s Puerta Maya port in Cozumel, Mexico, the Clear Lounge is not your everyday bar. Built over the ground in the form of a tank, the bar is completely submerged in 13,000 gallons of water. The guests are required to put on special diving helmets loaded with oxygen. You can choose an aromatherapy scent based on your mood and preference, drink oxygen-infused smoothies or enjoy a game of underwater Jenga. www.clearloungecozumel.com
The Narrowest House In America Award-winning author Juliet Philip takes you there
T
he blue house at Old Town Alexandria abounds with secrets. At seven feet wide, thirty-six feet tall and sandwiched between one red and another white house, the house is the narrowest house in America and although cutesy, John Hollensbury built the house out of spite. As legend has it, Hollensbury’s backstreet attracted horse-drawn wagons and other passers-by. To keep the loiterers away, Hollensbury enclosed the space and constructed a play house for his daughters Julia and Harriett. It was Hollensbury’s way of saying, “Get off my property.” One humid afternoon, after completing a project at my first corporate job, I wanted to go see the house.The blue house was the first place I had wanted to visit after graduating and landing my first job in America. The blue house did not seem like a place locals visited multiple times, or a place to brag about in retrospect, or to post on Facebook and roll up a small fortune of “Likes.” The little blue house seemed a to-do but not an iconic hyped about must-see on travel bustle channels. Old Town Alexandria is about ten miles away from where I worked. I had two options of commute: a bus to the metro station, and from the station another bus to my destination or I could drive. I chose to drive. At Old Town Alexandria, I could do a twohour free street parking or pay a $5 fee per hour for another spot. I saw an empty parking space on Pendleton Street and took it. I walked to the end of Pendleton St and before I made a left on N Washington St, as if somebody took a wet sponge and squeezed it right above my head. It had started, out of nowhere, to pour. I felt a pang of regret for not checking the weather earlier. I saw a sheltered bus stop, ran toward it and sat on a bench. The weather app on my phone with fifty percent certainty said it would stop raining in half hour, so I waited.While I did, I watched my smart phone die. Beside me, an elderly
32 Travel Secrets September-October 2015
Dr. Paul Johnson
A CUT ABOVE THE BEST With over 25 years of experience in the travel industry, Dr. Paul Johnson is your go-to guy for charming hotels, gourmet restaurants and unique adventures. His website–A Luxury Travel Blog attracts more than 200,000 visitors a month, and has been named by the Daily Telegraph as one of the world’s best travel blogs.
What gave your blog the edge? I started out early, which gave me a big advantage in terms of early adoption, and I’ve worked hard at it and continue to do so. That’s all there is to it, really; there’s no secret formula.
Dr. Paul Johnson
"Luxury-travel blogging is a saturated market but if you're keen to work hard to make it, know not only about luxury travel but also how to market your content”
What monetisation strategy would you recommend to fellow bloggers? The one that works best for me is engaging with large brands. I’ve worked with a number of airlines, hotel groups and tourist boards, as well as brands outside of the travel industry such as major credit card companies and car manufacturers but with an emphasis on travel. Three of your most exhilarating experiences? Gosh, that’s a hard one. I was fortunate enough to go on a private jet recently. The Russian Banya (naked sauna) that you mention was also memorable, though I’m not sure if I’d call it exhilarating. Driving all the way across Nepal whilst working with Land Rover also turned out to be an amazing experience. Point us to a travel blogger whose work you admire. We’d love to be inspired, too! I’m not sure if you’d refer to him as a travel blogger–rather a photographer, but he travels a lot with his photography: Trey Ratcliff from Stuck in Customs (www. stuckincustoms.com). Some of his work
34 Travel Secrets September-October 2015
is amazing and he has very effectively marketed himself too. Luxury-travel blogging sounds glamorous and lucrative. Is it? It can be, but there are many people trying to do it with little success. I’d suggest that it’s a saturated market but if you’re keen to work hard to make it, know not only about luxury travel but also a thing or two about how to market your content. If you’re prepared to be in it for the long term, then you can make it work. The hard part is that there are so many blogs out there already and many have been around for some years. That is an advantage they have over someone starting out now. They already have established traffic and a good social media presence. These are all things that take time and/or money to develop. Pick a favourite post from your blog, and tell us why you love it Just a bit of fun but earlier this year I did an April Fool’s post on Glouchsurfing (Glamourous Couchsurfing)–a concept where you get to stay in the homes of the rich and famous for free. I talked about how a billionaire heiress, Avril Le Fou (French for April Fool) opened the doors of her palatial abode on the outskirts of Paris for me so that I could see what glouchsurfing was all about and sample it for myself.
“GETTING DRUNK IN A BAR IS A BETTER WAY TO EXPERIENCE A CITY THAN SIGHTSEEING” Founder-Editor of the Urban Travel Blog, Duncan Rhodes is a repository of knowledge on Eastern and Central Europe. He is also the Editor and City Manager of Barcelona Life travel guide and pens regular features for Conde Nast, CNN and The Guardian
Duncan Rhodes
"I fear travelling could become a lot more boring in the next 20 or 30 years."
We quote from your blog: “It was a trip that started in Prague in 2002 and ended in Sydney a year later that ignited his passion for foreign climes and their promise of adventure.” A year-long trip? What took you on it? The trip in question was a typical gap year with two friends from University. We all worked in London for three years after graduating and then set off together. The trip was unique because we didn’t end up buying the usual round-the-world plane ticket. Instead, we travelled over land and sea from Prague to Bangkok, saw the FIFA World Cup, 2002 in South Korea before finally taking a plane to Australia. There wasn’t one particular “aha” moment during the journey but it did give me the perspective that anything is possible and I needn’t follow a typical career path. That was important to me because my parents are quite conservative and I am quite risk-averse, so I needed something big to happen to me if I was going to break out of a London working lifestyle that didn’t suit me at all. What makes UTB one of the most followed travel blogs? Yes, you have a strong team of writers, but which promotion tools worked best for you? Every blogger uses a different formula to promote their blogs, but I’m a bit old school in my approach. I mostly rely on Search Engine Optimisation techniques to increase traffic on my website. It gives
38 Travel Secrets September-October 2015
our posts the best chance possible of turning up in Google search results and once people find the site, I try to turn them into loyal readers by inviting them to subscribe. How should a visitor “experience” a city rather than just see it? I don’t like to be too snobby here, but a typical tourist seems to pass over a city in a very superficial way. They ride the tourist bus, see the major sites, dine at the top rated restaurants on Tripadvisor (which is full of tourists, of course) but barely interact with the locals. They see the city, but don’t actually experience it. They don’t know what it’s like to ride the Metro, or order a coffee in some neighbourhood bar where the staff don’t speak English, and don’t attend any local art exhibitions, concerts, parties. Even getting drunk in a bar is a better way to experience a city than sightseeing, because this way you talk to people, interact with them, ask them for local tips and advice and know more about what it’s like to live there. I guess at UTB, and particularly through our In The Zone district guide, we want to highlight some cool places, experiences and districts which are maybe not mind-blowing like La Sagrada Familia or The Vatican, but are a part of the genuine daily life of the city. UTB recommends: If you’re tired of Paris’s famous but overcrowded avenues, head for Le Marais.Considered the hippest district in Paris, Le Marais is
HIDDEN
MALAYSIA Our London Correspondent Shozeb Haider likes to go where the crowds don’t. True to form, his Malaysia tour tosses up terrific non-touristy gems
W
The Cameron Highlands: Small cottages, narrow alleyways, rose gardens, cascading waterfalls and walking trails
hite sandy beaches, clear turquoise blue water, dense tropical forests, orangutans and Petronas Towers. These tourist traps awaiting every visitor to Malaysia were struck off the list as soon as I decided I would be travelling on a four-day trip. After extensive deliberations, I picked two places–Cameron Highlands, the highest hill region on peninsular Malaysia and Georgetown, which arguably is the heart of composite Malaysian culture. An early morning three-hour bus ride from Kuala Lumpur brought me to Tanah Rata. At 1400 m, it is the largest amongst eight interconnected towns, spread over 35 kilometers, along the arterial highway 59. The nearby towns of Brinchang, Ringlet, Bertam valley, Kea farm, Tringkap, Kuala Terla and Kampung Raja collectively form the Cameron Highlands. Named after the British surveyor, Sir William Cameron, this is a wonderful escape from the warm humid tropical heat of the lowlands, where the temperatures almost never exceed 24 degree C. The surrounding buildings exude old British charm. Small cottages, narrow alleyways, rose gardens, cascading waterfalls and walking trails through the temperate forests add to a nostalgic allure. One could easily mistake it for an English hamlet. Some Tudor-styled landmarks that have withstood the test of time include the Ye Olde Smokehouse Inn, All Souls Church, Foster’s Lake House and the most infamous of the lot – the Moonlight Bungalow. It is from here, one misty spring evening in 1967, that Jim Thompson, a Thai silk magnate, went for an evening walk and never
46 Travel Secrets September-October 2015
returned. His disappearance is one of the unsolved mysteries that attract a lot of travellers to this part of Malaysia. The fertile mountain slopes and the cool climate make it ideal for strawberry growing. However, it is the endless lush green tea gardens that this region is famous for. Cameron Highlands is to Malaysia what Nuwara Eliya is to Sri Lanka. No trip is complete without visiting a tea estate.A narrow winding road off the main highway near Brinchang leads to the Sungai Palas Tea Garden. A sprawling estate owned by Boh Tea Plantation is the largest in Southeast Asia. Perfectly manicured rows of tea plants on undulating hills make for a compulsive viewing. The tea leaves are handplucked, fermented and processed onsite at the nearby factory. A guided tour offers interesting insights into tea cultivation, and is provided free to visitors. A must-for-all is a trip to the factory cafeteria for tea sampling. Freshly baked scones, locally procured strawberry jam from nearby farms and Malaysian tea, with spectacular vistas overlooking the estate: absolute bliss for tea lovers. With three hours to go before sunset, the taxi driver, who I hired for the day, suggested I visit the nearby Mossy Forest. Beyond the tea estates, as the narrow single carriage road climbs steeply up the mountain towards the peak of Gunung Brinchang, mist began to descend and persistent fog enveloped us.The tea plantations gave way to the ancient cloud forests, shrouded in perpetual mist and moisture, constantly wind- swept by moist laden low-level clouds, making it an excellent ecosystem for ferns, lichens, moss and orchids. I got dropped off at the entrance of the forest, about two kilometres before the peak. A wooden planked board walkway leads upto 400m into the forest,
TASTENOTES
On My Plate: A classic Sindhi Meal is what you see in this picture. Sindhis, who faced the most heartwrenching phase during the 1947 partition, have their roots in one of the oldest civilisations, Mohenjo-daro. Back then, the community was blessed with the surroundings of fertile plains, mighty Indus river, abundant millet crops, plenty of sea food (Hilsa/Ilish in particular) and seasonal vegetables. Lotus stem was one of the most favoured ingredients.
Name: Alka
Deepak
Keswani Bio: Alka Keswani is a food blogger and Sindhi food consultant, managing her award-winning blog since 2008. Dedicated to her mother, the blog is about Sindhi food habits, rituals, lost customs and traditions, memories and of course, the recipes. A microbiology graduate whose life revolves around her family and food, she contributes articles to leading magazines and newspapers. Her recipes have also appeared in the popular book, We the Sindhis. Alka Keswani lives in Mumbai. Blog: www.sindhirasoi.com Cuisine: Sindhi Signature Dishes: Saibhaji, Sindhi kadhi, Dal pakwan, Koki, Singhar mithai etc.
Sindhi cuisine is inspired by fertile plains, the mighty Indus, abundant millet, plenty of sea food and seasonal vegetables
On My Plate: Sai Bhaji (Green subzi ) is a signature Sindhi dish full of nutrients: Leafy greens such as spinach, fenugreek leaves, khatta and sua (dill), and fresh green coriander leaves, vitamin-rich vegetables including brinjal, okra, colocasia, potato, onion; and proteins in the form of Bengal Gram (Chana dal) and split green moong dal, along with tomatoes, chillies and dry spices such as turmeric and coriander powder. The chopped vegetables are sautéed and rest of the ingredients are added and cooked till mushy with an optional tempering of garlic. This Sai Bhaji is served with Bhugha Chaanwaran or rice cooked with caramelised onions and spiced up with red chilli powder and garam masala powder. At times vegetables like peas, potatoes and Apple gourds are added for the bite. Sai Bhaji and Bhugha Chaanwaran are often accompanied by shallowfried aubergine or with sinful Arbi Tuk (boiled, peeled colocasia, deep fried till golden brown), crisp from outside and soft from inside. Two indispensable accompaniments of a typical Sindhi meal are pickle and papad.
Note: In the above picture, you see an exotic Sindhi pickle, rarely made nowadays (and seldom found in shops). This pickle is known as Kadhukash (means grated)/ Khatti Bheendi/ Ghathri (Bundle) or Potli Pickle. It is made by mixing grated raw mangoes, fennel, black peppercorns, fenugreek seeds, asafetida, onion seeds, red chilli powder, turmeric, mustard oil and cloves of garlic. The ingredients are mixed and small portions of it are tied up in individual ‘potli,’ a kind of French bouquet garni made by using a piece of cheesecloth or muslin cloth. Each potli is then either tied with a string to seal its ‘mouth’ or is simply knotted. These are then preserved in an oil-water-vinegar solution for around 10-15 days (depending upon the season/temperature).
September-October 2015 Travel Secrets 83
Delhi: Street Eats
Armed with a camera and an appetite, TS Interns Gurneet Chawla, Khushboo Tiwari & Nachiket Tak stepped out in search of Delhi’s offbeat street eats. Look at the mouthwatering treats they found!
Pakeezah Burger, Jangpura Get the real taste of Afghani Cuisine in this restaurant near Kashmiri Park, Jungpura. From the chefs to the waiters all are natives of Afghanistan and serve the large population of tourists and migrants in Lajpat Nagar. Their specialty, Pakeezah Burger,in fact doesn’t look like a burger. It is a super big wrap with chicken, french fries, eggs and other appealing ingredients. Their unique recipes include Zhal, a frozen sweet delight and spicy Bamya. The restaurant gives you a Middle Eastern vibe. Meal for two: around Rs. 500. 84 Travel Secrets September-October 2015