Destination Knowledge that impacts Revenue Generation
In this Issue... ·Habarana, Sri Lanka ·Guatapé, Colombia ·Culinary Bliss ·Havana, Cuba ·Mayan Riviera, Mexico
Volume One, Number Two Autumn, 2013
Eyes that Travel, See Greetings from Steve Gillick, the Publisher
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Talking About Travel Destinations Habarana Highlights…
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The Rock with the Best View in the World One Amazing Day in Guatapé
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Munching your Way to Happiness Attaining Culinary Bliss
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Picture Perfect Cuba Sunday in Havana, with Steve
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Picture This… Cancun and the Mayan Riviera
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Cover Photo: Following the cenote in Xcaret Park in the Mayan Riviera, you never know who you might bump into
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Eyes that Travel, See
Greetings and welcome to the Autumn, 2013 issue of Talking Travel, The Magazine. Years ago I was a tour operator. Part of my responsibility was to hire a contingent of fifty seasonal guides to work the seven week season of educational tours heading from Toronto to Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Washington, Boston and New York. As part of their training, we would take them to the company retreat in Creemore, Ontario and not only give them an introduction to the world of tour guiding, but also impart our own philosophy on the value of travel and the role of a tour guide in enhancing this value. One of the expressions we would discuss was the expression “Eyes that travel, See” and we would have the guides discuss the meaning of this. To some, the meaning was surface-simple: people who travel and keep their eyes and their minds open to new destinations, people, cultures, traditions, history, food, and the natural environment are able to appreciate, learn and understand. They become messengers of the importance of travel. But for others, there was a more subliminal meaning to the expression. And that was from an educational point of view, we were not looking for what we refer to as standard corporate tour guides—you know—the ones who sit at the front of the bus with their back to the participants, and read from a pre-prepared book. These people really have—or show—no relationship with the eager travellers in their care, or with the cherished destinations that they visit. We weren’t looking for the “on your left…. on your right…” type guides. We were looking for the “Let’s get off the bus— everyone look up at the roof..” or “everyone touch the stones of this building and tell me why they are so different than anything you are used to” or “Let’s
close our eyes and imagine what it was like to visit Quebec City or Boston in the 17th Century. According to our expression, we use the word ‘eyes’ figuratively to mean the senses, and in travel it is important to use all 8 senses to get the most out of the experience: There are 5 ‘standard’ senses: Seeing (or imagining), feeling, hearing, tasting and smelling. The 6 th sense is just that— “the 6th sense”. This is that tingling sensation you get when perhaps a situation is not as safe as you’d like it to be, or you’re unsure of a decision to do something. If you really don’t feel comfortable bungy jumping and your friends are pressuring you to do it, then your 6th sense may tell you to walk away. The 7th sense is very valuable to bring along when you travel—as a tour guide, a consumer, a travel agent or a supplier. That is, the Sense of Humour. It is also the strongest armour to fight against your expectations for North American services, hours, behaviour, food, customs and protocols—and those that exist in the country –in which you are a guest. It’s sad to see some tourists spending most of their time complaining or railing against the customs of the country to which they have travelled; while other tourists take it in stride and appreciate the difference between their routine and a different way of life at the destination. And the 8th sense is a sense of accomplishment, over-coming challenges, feeling assertive and good about yourself. It is the sense of ‘self fulfillment’. And certainly, this is what every travel strives to capture in a travel experience. This is the ‘value’ that makes travel so addictive.
Talking Travel: The Magazine is owned, written and published by Steve Gillick, Talking Travel. All Rights Reserved. Protected by International and Canadian Copyright Law. Talking Travel: The Magazine can be shared, forwarded, cut and pasted but not sold, resold or in any way monetized. Permission is required to use any images Talking Travel: The Magazine. Talking Travel 500 Duplex Avenue Suite 2210, Toronto, ON Canada M4R 1V6 Note: Steve Gillick and Talking Travel are not responsible for outcomes based on how the ideas presented in this Magazine are interpreted or used. Guest articles are solely the opinions of the guest writer and not Steve Gillick or Talking Travel.
The greeting committee as we enter Dambulla.
I first visited Sri Lanka in 2005. When I returned in 2011, I found that it was still a wonderful experience of smiling people, culture, history, tastes, smells, sights and discovery. While every one of my seven days in the country was packed with experiences and activities, the two days in Habarana were possibly the most impressive. Habarana lies in the centre of Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle where a number of fascinating attractions can be reached by car, usually within an hour, including Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Dambulla and Minneriya National Park. While we did not see Anuradhapura on this trip, we explored the other sites—each being an adventure unto itself. On the journey from Colombo to Habarana, we spent time at the Pinnawala elephant orphanage. For me it was a return visit but one of the highlights of any trip to Sri Lanka. Have you ever bottle fed an elephant? or walked up to a mother guarding her baby and had a spiritual one-on-one with nature? Have you ever wanted to play National Geographic nature photographer and snap away at elephants walking a few feet in front of you as they make their way to bathe in the river?
And there you are, watching the elephants cavorting and playing and showing obvious happiness as they socialize in their family groups or receive their daily rub-down from the mahouts. And as if this was not enough, a day later we hopped into jeeps in Minneriya National Wildlife Park to watch the elephant herds, see the mother and aunts standing over their sleeping two-week old babies, admire the soaring eagles and strutting peacocks and get a sense of adventure and involvement with nature that one does not always associate with a trip to Sri Lanka. Our base in Habarana was the Cinnamon Lodge. Each person enjoyed their own ½ bungalow on the large treed property, bordering a river with some eye-opening surprises: monkey troops patrolling the treetops, a variety of birds visiting the mangroves off shore, and the occasional mongoose poking around the dining hall in search of scraps. It was like living in a park—but with our own house! And we had the opportunity to check out the nearby and uniquely architecturally-designed Heritance Kandalama hotel with its distant views of Kandy and Sigiriya, as well as the Vil Uyana Villas, where you can actually walk to Sigiriya from your luxury private accommodation in about an hour.
The Golden Temple sits at the base of Dambulla. From here it’s a climb to the top to see hundred s of statues of Kings and the Buddha
Sigiriya is a UNESCO Heritage Site that features water gardens, frescoes, an ancient mirror wall and the huge carved paws of a lion which supposedly formed the base leading to a lion’s head carved in the rock. The ascent to the top of the rock was through the paws and then through the lion’s mouth. This is a walkers'/hikers' paradise, taking you up the 1000+ stairs that lead to the highest level, past the frescoes of Apsaras (celestial nymphs), descending down a winding staircase, and then climbing climb up, up, up. The story of Sigiriya has a few different versions, but each one involves murder, deception and sibling rivalry…the stuff that makes for great myths, legends and history! Dambulla, also a UNESCO Heritage Site is a bit of an uphill climb but the caves are worth the huffing and puffing. Five caves are filled with over 150 images of the Buddha as well as some kings of days gone by. Strolling through and reflecting on the peaceful gaze of the Buddha’s can be a soul-soothing exercise, especially if you can wait out the bus groups and try to be alone, in silence and contemplation. And there is more in Habarana. You can tour the spice gardens and learn about ayurvedic medicinal plants (and enjoy a massage while you’re at it). At the Primate Research camp you can learn about the indigenous monkeys as well as how to differentiate between the grey Hanuman Langur from the Toque Macaque. (Either way don’t get too close or you will lose your glasses or hat or camera) And again, Habarana is only one area of Sri Lanka. On our trip we spent time in Colombo, Kandy and Bentota Beach, each of which was a feast for curiosity and an opportunity for conversations with Sri Lankans to learn about their lifestyle and share experiences. In fact everywhere we went we heard the Sinhalese greeting of “Ayubowan”—that translates as ‘May you live longer and be healthy’. Time to add Sri Lanka to that long list of ‘must-sees”
Birding at Cinnamon Lodge Reclining Buddha at Polonnaruwa Elephants cavorting at Minneriya National
Park
Frescoes of Apsaras-Celestial Nymphs, Sigiriya
The Dambulla Caves
Monkey Patrol at Cinnamon Lodge
In order to ascend fabled Sigiriya, you have to pass through the two giant lion paws
..
One Amazing Day in Guatapé, Colombia
The town of Guatapé lies about 2 hours northeast of Medellin in the central area of Colombia. We took a subway to the Northern Bus Terminal and then a bus to Guatapé. As most people got off at La Piedra del Peñol (the Rock of Guatapé), we did too. A group of taxis greeted us with warnings that the walk up the steep hill to The Rock was too far and too tiring, but after the bus ride, we needed some fresh air, scenery to photograph and exercise. In fact the walk was about 30 minutes—so not too bad at all. And the closer you get the The Rock, the more amazing the scenery. We paid our admission of roughly $10.00 per person, read the health warnings about climbing the 650 stairs (and then there are another 100 stairs if you want to go to the very top observation area), and began our ascent…slowly.
L: The steep Stairs ascending The Rock Top R: The beautiful scenery from the top Bottom R: La Fogatagreat for lunch along the waterfront
The views are absolutely amazing on the way up—and then fully rewarding from the top platforms. Crystal blue lakes interspersed between mountains. It’s breathtaking, both literally and figuratively. No wonder they call it The Rock with the Best Views in the World! Afterward, we took a tuk-tuk (motorcycle taxi) to the town of Guatapé, about 15 minutes away. We had a delicious ‘bandeja paisa’ lunch at La Fogata; generous portions of fish, beans, potatoes, bread and salad—with Club Colombia beer, of course, and then set out to explore the colourful buildings in the town. Hundreds of photos later, we caught the local bus back to Medellin. What an amazing day!
La Piedra del Peñol, Guatapé, Colombia
The colourful streets of GuatapĂŠ
A tuk-tuk: Perfect for narrow town streets
Just off the main Cathedral Square
Seared Tuna is one of the specialty dishes at Restaurant Huaca Pucllanna, next to the historic pyramid in Miraflores, Peru
ATTAINING THE STATE OF CULINARY BLISS Popular dictionary definitions of ‘bliss’ include words such as happiness, joy and contentment. We know that travellers with specific interests (niches) enjoy a kind of personal bliss when they have an opportunity to engage in their passion, whether it’s bird watching, shopping, climbing a mountain or lazing on a white sand beach. Culinary Bliss has its own special connotation. ‘Culinary’ refers to food and drink. The presence in our daily lives of Food TV, cooking shows, celebrity chefs and restaurant reviews has enhanced the awareness of local and international cuisine, so much so that culinary tourism is now one of the largest niche markets. People are travelling specifically for the food experience and/or the drink experience. And in this context the world is an open book for the curious traveller, who is only limited by their own sense of throwing caution to the wind, experimentation, trying something new, and acquiring food ‘bragging rights’ (e.g. I ate ants in Colombia). Of course the other side of this relates to the traveller who wishes to try the local food in order to acquire a better understanding of the people and the culture and the ‘taste’ of the destination.
‘Bliss’ in culinary travel translates as the full utilization of the 8 senses. There are the 5 senses that we usually consider: sight, touch, smell, taste and hearing. The 6th sense is exactly that: the 6th sense-consisting of that tingling sensation; that little voice in the back of your head that advises you NOT to do something; that nagging doubt that what you are about to do may not be in your best interest (e.g. drinking your 5th cup of Tuak (a homebrewed alcoholic beverage) in the Iban Village in Borneo)
means that the food is so unbelievably good that each tine-full of food is so incredibly delicious that you have to lay down your fork after every bite and contemplate the flavors and allow your taste buds to rejoice. Of course the same holds true with PCTS (Perfect Chopstick Tip Syndrome). Culinary tourism can involve any destination in the entire world, and even if they don’t serve their own unique local speciality, they will certainly have their own version of someone else’s specialty. I think of our night in Kandy, Sri Lanka, where it appeared that every restaurant in the city was closed, except for an pizza chain restaurant near our hotel. We ordered the pizza but figured that we should at least add some local flavour—so we had Tandoori Pizza. It tasted like spicy cardboard but at least it was unique to the location.
A typical Iban Village in Borneo. Courtesy dictates that your glass of Tuak always be filled to the brim
And the 7th sense in attaining culinary ‘bliss’ is the sense of humour. Having fun with your freedom to do what you want, or doing the opposite of what your parents would advise you to do, or just doing something for the sake of doing it. For me, I think of the time that I was alone in a Beijing restaurant, where no one spoke English and I don’t speak Mandarin. In order to order the chicken and rice dish that I wanted, I resorted to imitating a chicken and then imitating the act of eating rice out of a bowl with chopsticks. The server got the message right away and broke into a laugh and a smile— and then so too did the entire restaurant. And finally the 8th sense refers to the sense of self, challenge, accomplishment, education and savvy. This is the sense of self-worth, selfvalue and confidence. In culinary circles this is the sense you feel when you discover that perfect meal. Sometimes we refer to this as the “Perfect Tine Syndrome” (PTS). The tines are the prongs of a fork. When you enjoy PTS, it
You can ride them, herd them, decorate then and even eat them. We ate our Yak Burgers by the Barkhor in Lhasa
Here are a few of my more memorable culinary experiences…
Blow-torched Marmot for lunch. It tasted like chicken.
Tibet: Sitting in Barkhor Square in Lhasa, Tibet we ordered Yak Burgers for lunch. The rich taste was similar to a regular hamburger but, as Yaks are the main work animal in Tibet, we felt that this was more meaningful and memorable than a regular western dish. Mongolia: I arranged to spend the bulk of one of my days with a Mongolian family in their Yurt (Ger). The day before, in Ulan Bator I had been offered, and tasted mare’s milk (horse) which is a popular refreshment. Emboldened by the experience the next day one the sons from the family went into the woods with a rifle. I heard a shot and he walked back a few minutes later with a marmot (a large rodent). This was going to be our lunch. I had read that marmots are tasty, but they are also susceptible to bubonic plague so the thought of eating one can get your 6th sense ringing and buzzing. Nevertheless, the ‘chef’ took the marmot, cooked it using a blow torch, then broke it into small pieces for everyone to taste. And, needless to say, it tasted like chicken—a bit greasy but not too bad. It was a matter of respecting the family that had ‘honoured’ me with a fresh marmot lunch. Xian: One of the tour participants and I tried some famous Xian dumplings and then decided to go the distance by trying the other city
specialty: mutton soup. We climbed the stairs to a restaurant, filled with locals, who paid very little attention to two tourists. We didn’t really have to say anything to the server, as the only dish offered in the restaurant was the soup. The waiter placed a basket of bread on the table along with two bowls and left…and we waited, and waited. After about fifteen minutes we started to eat the bread—which turned out to be a major faux pas. We received some "tsks" from the nearby patrons and one of them signaled for us to watch as he took a large piece of bread, broke it into tiny pieces, and put them in his bowl. Then the waiter picked up the bowl, poured the mutton broth in and returned the completed dish to the table. So we did the same, and the waiter came by almost immediately and returned with two large (actually huge) bowls of greasy mutton soup. My companion dove into the dish with gusto. I sampled from around the edges and while the soup was really good, I decided that a greasy lunch on an unbelievably hot day, with lots of activities still planned, would probably not be a good idea. I may have been right as my companion spent the rest of the day and night in his room; while I scampered up the pagodas, bought some souvenirs in the flea market and attended an evening cultural performance.
Deep-Fried Chicken, China
The freshest grilled seafood at Teba Mega CafĂŠ, Jimbaran Beach, Bali
Snake Fruit, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Pomegranate on a vendors cart, Istanbul, Turkey
Viennese Coffee, CafĂŠ Pruckel, Vienna, Austria
Fresh, hot pupusas with spicy curtido and tomato sauce at the Pupuseria, San Salvador, El Salvador
Fugu: Shimonoseki City, Chugoku, Japan. Fugu is the dreaded poisonous puffer fish—at least to North Americans. In Japan, especially in the west, it is a fairly common dish most popularly served deep-fried (you can munch it for lunch), steamed, boiled (as part of a dish called ‘nabe’) or as sashimi, eaten with a sprig
Tasting the delicate finished product, in Mendoza
As the Fugu Capital of the world, Shimonoseki even celebrates the honour with customized manhole covers by the seafood market
of green onion. My friend went to a market to buy a Fugu fish to send home to his family in Tokyo. Then he bought a small paper bag filled with deep-fried fugu and offered me some. It was quite nice. That evening we had fugu sashimi with our dinner, as well as the opportunity to chat with a fugu-certified chef— who actually showed us how to remove the poisonous organs. All in all it was a day of discovery, as well as an opportunity to dispel the myth that eating Fugu is a life-threatening experience. I’ve eaten it many times over the last 9 years.
The Shimonoseki Fish Market sells whale, Fugu along with an incredible variety of fish.
Mendoza: Argentina. If truth be told, the main reason for choosing to explore Argentina a few years ago was the opportunity to visit Mendoza and Salta—two of the prime regions for the production of Malbec wine—which is my absolute favourite. In Mendoza we toured three different wineries to see three different methods of grape selection, production and storage. And we sampled about 15 different varieties of Malbec, learning new techniques in wine tasting, meeting the owners of the wineries on occasion and getting a better understanding of the vintage, year and significance of the the ‘reserve’ label. Afterward, we checked out the local wine markets in every place we travelled and ended up returning to Canada with 20 bottles (as souvenirs). Wineries, distilleries and beer and sake breweries are always included on our travels, for the learning experience. (And now I know the answer to that pesky question: ‘Why does Guinness taste so fresh in Dublin but not-sofresh in Toronto?’)
While they did not have Guinness at this bar in Guatemala City, my friend Mitsuru was quite happy quaffing the Gallo Dark Stout.
Markets: No article on Culinary Tourism would be complete without some mention of the marketculture. This refers to the venues where local chefs purchase fresh food for the day. I have adjusted a travel schedule on more than one occasion to ensure that I am in town for the local market e.g. In Kochi, Japan it was the Sunday outdoor market; in Villa de Leyva, Colombia it was the Saturday market. Food markets allow for great opportunities to sample the local produce as well as for photographs and videos. Attaining a state of culinary bliss has become, for many travellers an integral part of the travel experience. Travellers today are looking for that ‘what else can we do� when they travel and are catering to their senses (literally) to make the travel experiences more holistic; more involved, more meaningful, and more memorable.
The Saturday market in Villa de Leyva, 3 hours north of Bogota, starts well before sunrise and by 7:30 am, the market’s in full swing.
SUNDAY IN HAVANA… WITH STEVE
Our third trip to Cuba was an opportunity to do exactly what we wanted to do, on our own time. As most of the charters fly directory to the resorts, we chose a Sunwing flight into Varadaro Airport and then we made our way to the Iberostar Parque Central in Havana. The 2 ½ hour bus trip was broken up with a short break at a highway rest stop in Jibacoa where you can enjoy one of the creamiest Pina Colada’s you will get anywhere in the country. It just sets you in the right holiday ‘let’s start to relax’ mood!
The Iberostar is in a great location, down the street from the Capitol Building, and literally around the corner from the Palacio de Bellas Artes and Obispo Street --which is the main pedestrian thoroughfare that runs from the El Floridita Bar (Ernest Hemingway’s famous Daquiri hangout) to the Plaza de Armas--the main square that is home to the Castillo de la Real Fuerza, El Templete (commemorating the founding of Havana in 1519) and the book fair.
Rest stop for a Pina Colada in Jibacoa on route from Varadero to Havana
The Malecon in Havana. Old decrepit buildings curve around the coast and seem to transform into modern structures.
Our first few days were spent wandering the back streets, taking photos, re-acquainting ourselves with the Brewery Restaurant in Plaza Vieja, where the outdoor seating, the live Cuban music, the crowds and the friendly waiters add up to a great experience in the Havana sunshine. But Sunday was the day we had set aside and actually made plans and, with a touch of serendipity here and there (it’s amazing what two finger puppets can get you), it turned out to be a very enjoyable day. We walked down Obispo Street, stopping at the bakery by the hotel Ambus Mundos (another Hemingway hangout) for some treats, and then headed to the Malecon for the 45 minute walk to Callejon de Hamel.
Entertaining the kids with finger puppets before the festival at Callejon de Hamel. The delighted mother gave us seats in the front row
The Malecon refers to the stretch of sidewalk/seawall/roadway along the coast of Havana. On this day the waters were rough and crashed against the wall as well as onto the sidewalk in various places—but allowed for a lot of dramatic photos. Many of the crumbling buildings we saw a few years ago along the Malecon have been torn down with some more modern apartments and hotels taking their place, but it is still a fairly quiet area, especially on a Sunday morning. We passed lots of fisherman standing by or sitting on the seawall as we walked in the direction of the Hotel Nacional off in the distance. But the plan was to take a left turn before the Nacional to find Callejon de Hamel. We had been there before, but had read that on Sunday’s there was music and rumba dancing.
The passion, intensity, humour and playfulness of the singing and dancing is electrifying
in English and Spanish (“...welcome to our frennemies from the U.S…ha ha ha “). Then the drummers started, the singers joined in, and for the next hour the rhythms, the dancing, the music, the interaction between the performers, the smiles, the intensity and the devotion to tradition, all took over to mesmerize and involve everyone in the celebration of the Santeria culture and religion.
The alley (callejon) is full of colours and artistic interpretations of the Afro-Caribbean religion, Santeria. Salvador Gonzalez Escalona, the Camaguey-born artist painted many of the colourful murals in the 1990s, but there are also street sculptures, bathtubs featuring scenes from Saint Exupery’s Le Petite Prince. Art galleries, refreshment stands and a very small centre stage area. The crowd started to gather by around 11:30 am and we tried to secure a good spot for taking photos. There were some children in the area so naturally we brought out the finger puppet toys to the delight of both the kids and their parents. One boy was so thrilled that we gave him second puppet and that led to an invitation to sit inside the chained off tourist area to have a front row seat for the festivities. At exactly 12:00 noon, the crowd was greeted
With photos galore and even a few new friends, we walked back to downtown Havana through side streets, past the 1950’s cars for which Havana is famous, past brightly coloured and sadly dilapidated buildings, and through parts of the city where tourists don’t normally stroll. But in Havana there are salutations from people everywhere, and safety was never a concern. We finished the day with a visit to the book stalls by Plaza D’Armas, a peak at the outdoor art market and craft market near Central Park, and then a snack of dark beer and tiny fried fish back in Plaza Vieja. We left Havana the next day to explore other areas of the island. Havana is such a unique city. For those seeking a combination of history, people, culture, music, exploration and photography, a few days in the city are a must on any Cuba itinerary.
CANCUN AND THE MAYAN RIVIERA: SPIRITS STILL DWELL…
Shamanic Ritual on the beach of Cancun to send away any evil spirits
Waiting for the sun’s rays to strike the Temple of Kukulkan, st Chichen itza on September 21 : the autumnal equinox
Selling Jaguar Heads to Tourists. The Jaguar helped protect Shamans from evil spirits. It was regarded as the lord of the underworld
Coatis, members of the raccoon family, scamper around the beach areas looking for treats
Loading up the yachts for the short trip back to Cancun from a visit to Isla Mujeres
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