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TraveLife APRIL / JULY, 2011
MAGAZINE
HOT
Why Scottsdale’s this summer
Summer 2011 in Canada • Learn to surf in Montreal • Take cooking classes in P.E.I. • Watch sunsets in Sarnia
Tips on how to make trips with infants easier
A look inside Burma reveals a beautiful land
Cruising the Baltic in affordabletravelife.ca luxury - 1
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PUBLISHER: Annie Tsu EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/ SENIOR WRITER: Marc Atchison Copa Airlines recently launched service into Toronto bound for Panama.
European tourist boards departing Canada, but more airlines are now flying into Toronto
C
anada is becoming the airport of nations — while some arrive, others leave. Those arriving: Lots of new airlines. Those leaving: European tourism boards. Middle East carriers are leading the airline charge to Canada with 5-star Qatar Airways joining its UAE cousins Emirates and Etihad securing landing rights in Canada. Qatar was granted its long-awaited landing rights in early February and the first flight to Canada will land in Montreal June 29. Etihad and Emirates set up shop here some time ago — Emirates uses one of its doubledecker Airbus A380 aircraft on this lucrative route. Emirates wants to expand its Canadian product and is in a heated argument with Ottawa over getting more landing rights in western Canada. The Arab airlines join some big-name Chinese airlines coming to Canada — China-based Hainan Airlines started service to Toronto last year and we’re told Air China, which already operates flights out of Vancouver, may soon be landing at Pearson as well. And just recently, Latin American carrier Copa Airlines announced it will be making regular runs — four times a week — between Toronto and Panama starting in June. Copa’s entry into the Canadian market is a first. The well-established Latin American carrier flies to 53 destinations and offers one of the youngest fleets in that part of the world – the airline will be using a 124-seat Boeing 737-700 Next Generation aircraft for the Toronto/Panama run. Visit www.copaair.com for more details. And an old airline friend, Air Jamaica, is back in Toronto. Air Jamaica, now a part of Caribbean Airlines, has resurfaced after riding out a financial storm and includes Toronto — where it always enjoyed strong support — in its list of destinations. Air Jamaica, which flies six days a week out of Pearson, is celebrating its Toronto
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On the Marc Marc Atchison
return with a $180 one-way economy ticket to Kingston. Go to www.airjamaica.com for more. However, Virgin America’s Toronto experiment seems to be over — the airline announced recently it will no longer fly into Toronto. Virgin Atlantic also failed in Toronto, proving Richard Branson’s marketing antics won’t sell here. And sadly, more of our friends at European tourist boards are shipping out — the latest tourism board defection is the Czech Republic, which closed its excellent downtown Toronto offices in late December. The Czech decision to pull out follows similar moves in recent years by Portugal, the Netherlands, Austria and Germany – the latter’s tourism interests have now been farmed out to a local PR firm. And more closures and downsizings may be on the way now that the European Travel Commission has decided not to renew its contract with their excellent Canadian representative. Rumours are that financially strapped Greece may sacrifice its Canadian office and one wonders how long bankrupt Ireland can hang on. On the up side, though, Switzerland, which ironically just moved into offices on University Ave., once occupied by the German National Tourism Board, is moving all its North American operations to Toronto — a wise move since operating costs in Canada are far less than New York, where all major European countries maintain expensive space. The main reason for the European tourism departures is because Euro-Zone countries are committing most of their budgets to opening new offices in fertile tourism territory like China and India. •
marc.atchison@travelife.ca
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Claudia Tsang DESIGN: Kevin Wong CONTRIBUTORS:
Casey Nolin, Cynthia Dial, Brian Brown, Laurel Rowbotham, Dr. Nicholas Pairaudeau, Dr. Rebecca Wong, Janice Lees, Cathy Stapells, Spencer Wynn, Karen Williams, Cindy Clements, Jackie Zhao, Lori Henry, Dr. Dennis Chu, Gale Beeby, Karen Asp, Minerva Meza-Perez, Jennifer Stewart, Anna Hobbs, Wendy Silveira.
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Go to travelife.ca for more feature stories, deals, photos and much, much more.
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Sarnia sunsets among the best
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Shanghai ‘hoods’ a culinary treat
Doha is the best city money can buy
Contents
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Our Cover
The future of travel in palm of your hand
Travelling with baby takes lots of planning Canadians hungry to learn on holidays Grand tour of Europe begins with grand plan Famed Bangkok hotel adds an O-Zone layer
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Marc Atchison captured our cover photo just before taking a balloon ride over Scottsdale — the hottest spot for summer travel Story, page 36
Writer allowed a rare look inside Burma Getting e-motional about travel photos Getting off the rails while touring Europe
Montreal is riding a wave of success
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Florida’s Biltmore a regal beauty
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Travel Technology
2D or not 2D?
Travellers are asking what advantage 2D Barcodes give them but industry experts agree they’ll make travel much easier By Marc Atchison Editor-in-Chief
T
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SHIRLEY ERHART ILLUSTRATION
he limo driver asks what terminal my flight is leaving from as we approach the airport? Unsure, I fumble through the documents provided by my tour company — the ones that have a black icon that looks like a computer chip printed in the top right hand corner. “Oh, I see you have one of those 2D Barcodes,” the driver, looking through his rearview mirror, notices. “Just scan your cell phone over the barcode and it will tell you everything about the status of your flight, including which terminal you’re leaving from.” On the advice of my tour agent, I had already downloaded the App — in this case ‘i-nigma 4’ — needed to activate the 2D Barcode technology, which turns Smartphones into a magic wand and makes travellers a whole lot wiser. One swipe of the 2D Barcode and poof! — all the up-to-theminute information about my flight to Hong Kong instantly appears; including what gate and terminal it’s leaving from; the on-time status of the flight; even a notification that my connecting flight to Beijing would be delayed leaving Hong Kong. Wow! Now everything travellers
you’ll see the 2D Barcode attached to most ads — but, Chor warns there is a code of ethics that should be applied when designing 2D Barcodes if the desired results are to be achieved. “First, designers must make the code discoverable with distinct markings (e.g. icons and text labels) that will give the user hints of what will happen when they scan,” says Chor. “This can have the effect of motivating and educating new users. “Our tests show responses can be increased between 300 per cent and 1,000 per cent when markings are properly Tour East Group’s President Annie Tsu was the first tour executive to add 2D Barcodes to company’s holiday itineraries. displayed. “Secondly, don’t embed too need to know about their trip is much data into the code. The How to get started with 2D Barcode technology in the palm of their hands. more data, the harder it is for Over the past few years, air To install 2D Barcode software just use your smartphone a less capable camera lens to travel has been made easier and visit www.sparq.me where you’ll be directed to the recognize the code. with innovations like e-tickets, best free scanning software available. “Thirdly, companies should virtual boarding passes and focus on the desired call-to-aconline check in. But the poSmartphones best suited for 2D Barcode use tion so that there are no surtential 2D Barcode technology prises for the user and reward • iPhone 4 or 3GS (both have a macro lens) offers Canadians will change them with something that is • Any Android OS Phone travelling forever, according to relevant, interesting and works • BlackBerry industry experts. well for all mobile phone “This 2D technology is the Advanced 2D Barcode features may cost more types,” says Chor. most exciting advancement in And you don’t have to be a Making a generic 2D Barcode is always free on most sites travel ever,” says Annie Tsu, computer geek to make your but to access advanced features you may have to buy a President of Tour East Group, own barcode. data plan, which range between $19 to $99 a month. whose Tour East Holidays diChor’s company offers a vision was quick to adopt and test QR Code (2D Barcode) include 2D Barcodes in travel Generator site at (http://www. usage skyrocketing over the one-dimensional barcodes do documents it provides clients. past year. — and vertically. As a result of sparqcode.com/static/maestro) “The potential of this tech“In 2009, there were 10 that construction, 2D barcodes where people can design their nology is endless. It provides own, and Tour East Holidays can store up to 7,089 charour clients with peace of mind million 2D Barcode impresoffers a sample 2D Barcode sions registered — in 2010 that acters; significantly greater knowing they can access any and directions on how to use it number zoomed to 500 million storage than is possible with changes to their itinerary, like when travelling on their webimpressions,” reveals Jesse the 20-character capacity of a flight delays or cancellations site: www.toureast.com Chor, whose Seattle-based one-dimensional barcode. or hotel revisions, by simply The 2D Barcode is becom“Besides critical travel waving their Smartphone over SPARQCode company has ing so popular and widely been an industry leader in the information, the 2D Barcode the 2D Barcode which we used that the all powerful development of 2D Barcode offers companies a chance to constantly update,” says an applications for use in the design special messages or gar- International Air Transport enthused Tsu. Association (IATA), the group travel industry. ner critical information from Most major airlines, includ“This may sound cliché, clients that can then be used to that governs the world’s airline ing Air Canada, have a mobile but the sky is the limit when it streamline or improve products industry, recently announced a platform in place and 2D Barglobal standard for 2D Barcode comes to the potential of 2D or in marketing campaigns,” codes are quickly becoming a use among its members. Barcode usage for travellers according to Chor. major feature of their wireless Like 3D movies, 2D techand travel providers,” says There’s no doubt more and strategy. more advertisers are relying nology is changing the way And while 2D Barcodes may Chor. The 2D Barcode is a graphi- on 2D Barcodes to get their be the new kid on the mobile people look at travel — and cal image that stores informamessages out – just look at technology block, they’re thanks to 2D Barcodes, the tion both horizontally — as any glossy magazine and becoming very popular – with future never looked better. •
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Lifestyles
Baby Steps Parents need to take
before taking holidays
BILL NG PHOTOS
Packing up for a baby vacation can be as challenging as getting ready for a military campaign because there’s lots of equipment to bring along.
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If you’re heading off on a beach holiday, make sure to bring along plenty of protection for baby so the sun can’t damage their delicate skin.
By taking the right precautions and packing the right things, your family can enjoy the beach — if you can get junior off his surf board.
Travelling with infants is challenging, so here’s some tips a new Mom would like to share with you before you hit the beach By Claudia Tsang Assistant Editor
M
AUI, HAWAII – Oh baby! This travelling with toddlers isn’t child’s play, is it? I mean, let’s not kid ourselves; packing up baby for long-distance travel is akin to preparing for a military campaign. Baby wipes? Check. Car seat? Check. Sunscreen and hat? Check. Baby? Check. The pre-boarding check list complete, it’s time to settle into our seats and fly off to holiday paradise – Hawaii. But as the plane lifts off and baby Brendan falls into a deep slumber, I’m left to wonder: Was the extra luggage really necessary? Did we really have to bring Brendan’s car seat along? Do they not sell baby formula in Maui? As I discovered, some answers to those questions were “yes” and others “no.” So, because it’s always nice to share travel tips with other parents, I thought I’d pass along some from my first long-haul experience with Brendan, like:
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When flying, try selecting a flight during baby’s scheduled nap time. The white noise of the airplane should help baby fall asleep and stay that way. Air travel is tricky with a toddler since they’ll want to touch/lick everything and explore the whole airplane. Brendan slept the entire red-eye flight from Honolulu to Vancouver (approximately six hours) and the two hour layover gave him just enough time to stretch his legs and explore before naptime again on our five hour flight home to Toronto.
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Try and pick destinations that are a short flight away and preferably in the same time zone. If you do choose to go further like Hawaii, think about staying an extra few days since it will take that much time for baby to adjust to the time change. We originally planned to stay in Hawaii for six nights, but finally decided to double the stay – the sacrifices we parents make for our kids. It took Brendan about three nights to adjust to the time change so we didn’t want to come home a few days after he got settled.
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Try to get a larger room or suite if possible. Because of baby, you’ll be spending more time in the room so the extra space will allow baby more space to roam. Renting a condo in Maui was so much more convenient than if we had stayed in a regular hotel room. We had our own kitchen, which made feeding time and cleaning utensils feel just like home versus trying to wash bottles and bowls in the cramped hotel bathroom. How do you sterilize a rubber nipple after it falls in the toilet?
• If you’re renting a car, rent a car seat, too. It saves
the hassle of lugging a 15 pound car seat around an airport. Most car rental companies offer infant, toddler, and booster seats for older children for as little as $11 per day; and most cap the rental charge at $80.
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It’s really important to remember to pack infant sunscreen and hats or buy them as soon as you get to your sunny destination. The best option is to keep babies under 1 year old out of the sun since their delicate skin is more prone to sunburn. You can still play on the beach, just make sure your little one is appropriately protected.
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A great alternative to packing is Walmart. A quick trip to the local Walmart upon arrival to pick up diapers, wipes, formula and baby food eliminates a lot of excess baggage. Just make sure you check ahead at www. walmart.com to make sure the local store sells the brands you need or prefer.
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Now that your toddler is eating solids, you may feel the need to pack a travel high chair. My Little Seat makes a sling style travel chair that is machine washable and fits in your diaper bag. Alternatively, your stroller in the most upright position will work just as well at feeding time.
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Don’t take a chance on medicines. Keep infant Tylenol or Advil handy in case your little one suddenly develops a temperature. And don’t forget Benedryl if your toddler has allergies. These products are not always available in other countries. Strangers LOVE to stroke babies’ hands and cheeks, so always have an abundant supply of baby wipes for all those friendly encounters.
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Road trips at the destination have to be redefined. Travelling the famed “Hana Highway” on our honeymoon was romantic and enlightening – with baby Brendan, however, the six hour journey was a challenge. The incredible scenic vistas that made us pull over and snap pictures with Brendan in our arms soon wore thin with him — constantly being taken in and out of the car seat made him cranky. The flat tire we encountered during the outing made his daddy Bill even crankier!
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Don’t stress if baby fusses or cries on the plane. Most passengers are understanding, since most have faced a similar situation. Whenever Brendan fussed, we would always get constant assurances from those sitting around us that we weren’t disturbing them. Brendan ended up making so many new friends — who knew a crying baby would be such an icebreaker? It would be a crying shame not to travel with a baby just because doing so takes a lot of careful planning and some discipline. In many ways, travelling with infants is great because they sleep so much and do not require a lot of entertaining. Just come prepared! •
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Private Journeys
Go where you want to go! Do what you want to do!
You tell our tour experts what roads you want to travel in China, Indochina, Asia the Middle East, India or anywhere else and they’ll make it happen, because Tour East wants to make your holiday a Private Affair
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www.toureast.com or call 1-877-578-8888 / 416-929-8017
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Middle East
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The sleek glass towers being built along Doha’s lovely Corniche are monuments to the kingdom’s new-found oil wealth, but reminders of its past —when Qatar’s capital was just a simple fishing village — are well preserved; locked behind the walls of the I.M. Pei-designed Islamic Museum, whose cubic shape was inspired by ancient Muslim architecture, and in the city’s old Waqif souk, a living museum where desert life is played out daily as it has been for centuries now.
Qatar’s JANICE LEES PHOTOS
An oasis of culture
The oil-rich kingdom is gushing with pride after winning the right to stage the 2022 World Cup but Janice Lees discovers the ‘other Dubai’ is also overflowing with many cultural riches
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‘Dubai is Disneyland — nothing is real; Doha has history and culture’ By Janice Lees
TraveLife Contributor
D
OHA, QATAR — I haven’t yet reached my hotel after just landing in this oil-rich emirate but already it appears I’ve managed to upset one of the locals by inadvertently blurting out: “Boy, does this place ever look like Dubai.” Mohammed, the man chauffeuring me to the Four Seasons Hotel Doha, is indignant. “I disagree,” protests the driver who says he’s originally from Jordan but works in Qatar because salaries paid here are so generous. “Doha is nothing like Dubai,” he claims. “Dubai is a Disneyland — nothing there is real. Qatar has much culture — much history.” Qatar has much money, I know that — thanks to its vast oil and gas deposits; the third largest gas reserves in the world. And it was with that money that, despite all odds and common sense, the Persian Gulf kingdom recently bought itself a major international sports event — the 2022 World Cup of soccer. Of course, the kingdom’s rulers had to first promise to spend $3 billion (U.S.) to build air-conditioned stadiums and workout fields to protect players and fans from the blistering 50C heat that blankets this desert country at the time of year when the global event is usually held. But not all the emirates new-found energy wealth is being spent on frivolous sporting events of the future. Some of that money is earmarked for preserving the country’s past. As we proceed along the Corniche leading from Doha’s airport to the forest of glass and steel office towers that make up the city’s modern skyline, Mohammed points to an imposing building sitting like a crown on an island in Doha Bay and identifies it as the city’s new Islamic Museum, which reportedly cost $800 million to build. “That is where you should begin your visit to Doha,” advises the driver. “You will see many great works of art and lots of historic items there. And after that, you must visit other historic places in Doha like the souk Waqif, and the Al Bida Park, and Doha Fort, and then …” Suddenly I wonder if I’ve budgeted
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Qatar’s rulers want Doha to become the financial capital of the Persian Gulf and are investing billions in infrastructure and gleaming glass office towers.
Qatar Airways coming to Canada
Qatar Airways, one of the world’s few 5-star airlines, will soon be landing in Montreal. The carrier, whose First and Business Class service are rated among the best in the sky, will offer flights to Doha and India out of Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport. Visit www.qatarairways.com/ca for information. Tour East Holidays offers a wide-range of Middle East tours, including Qatar. Go to www.toureast.com for more.
enough time to see all Qatar’s compact capital apparently has to offer a visitor. So, after checking into the fabulous Four Seasons Doha, I take Mohammed’s advice and walk back along the 7-kilometre-long Corniche to reach the Islamic Museum. Along the way I marvel at the many cruise and cargo ships and traditional dhows that dot the bay — the wooden dhows date back to when this city was a small fishing village and the Gulf waters were rich with pearls. On the opposite side of the Corniche stand gleaming office towers, most of which stand unoccupied. Qatar’s rulers are hoping Doha will become the financial hub of the Middle East and have ordered these office towers built in anticipation of that day. Soon I’m standing at the entrance of the impressive-looking Islamic Museum, whose designer, the famed Chinese/American architect I.M. Pei, drew inspiration for this creation from ancient Islamic architecture. Pei, who was 91 when he agreed to design the museum, was coaxed out of retirement to tackle this pet project of the ruling clan and travelled the Muslim world for six months to better understand the architectural style he was expected to employ in the museum’s design. The end result is nothing short of spectacular — one of Pei’s greatest works of architectural art. The museum’s exterior, wrapped in sandstone imported from France to better protect it from the harsh sun and sand, is a blend of modern and traditional styles. The museum’s cubic shapes interplay with the sun and shadows to create a stunning effect. The interior is decorated in grey Porphyry stone and delicate Brazilian lace wood. Marvellous! The museum’s displays are equally impressive — ancient manuscripts, textiles and ceramics, collected over the last 20 years, make up one of the most complete collections of Islamic artifacts anywhere. They were brought here from Spain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, India and Central Asia — purchased from collectors with oil money. The mammoth 45,000 square foot museum and 64 acre Garden of Eden island on which it sits, take a good part of the day to explore and fully appreciate
Doha’s lovely old souk Waqif underwent a major restoration and now serves as the city’s most popular tourist attraction where locals and visitors gather daily to pick up supplies or buy colourful garments and souvenirs. Qatar’s royal family also ordered all buildings and mosques adjacent to the 100-year-old souk brought back to their original glory. One of the best areas of the bustling souk is where the bird sellers gather. Birds’ feathers are painted to make them more attractive.
so allow at least half a day to see this new wonder of the Islamic world. With so much yet to see and do in Doha, I retreat to the Four Seasons to rest and enjoy its ambience and remarkable pool. Like most Islamic countries, nightlife here is confined to western hotel bars and restaurants. But while sipping a glass of wine at the Four Seasons lobby lounge, an American soldier on leave from Iraq tells me the Diplomatic Club at the Al-Multaga used to be a British fun zone when Qatar was under its protection and he highly recommends the “fish and chips and Guinness” served there. I elect to stay at the Four Seasons instead and enjoy a wonderful meal at the Brasserie on the Beach, which overlooks the pool area and the landscaped gardens leading to the beach, before retiring for the night. Up bright and early the next morning — the temperature is already nudging 35C and it’s only 8 a.m. — I hail a cab and head off to explore the souk Waqif, the city’s most revered heritage landmark. Qatar’s royal family used more of its oil riches to save the souk from the wrecker’s ball when they ordered a multi-million dollar revitalization project for the place where locals have been gathering for decades to buy everything from silks to soap. The souk Waqif — translated it means “the standing market” — was about to fall into total decay and lost to
the sands of time when the royals rode to the rescue. The country’s top architects were dispatched and modern buildings that had sprung up around the old souk were ordered demolished; metal sheeting on roofs were replaced with traditional materials like dangeal wood, bamboo and straw; and local strategies to insulate the buildings against the extreme heat were reintroduced. One of the souk’s most interesting areas is where the bird sellers gather. Birds are revered in Qatar and residents line up daily to buy large parrots or small budgies, some of whom have had their feathers painted light green or shocking pink. Spices, wool, colourful ladies’ garments, souvenirs and handicrafts are just some of the things that can be purchased at the souk, which also features a host of restaurants and shisha lounges. The souk has become Doha’s biggest tourist attraction — so it was money well spent restoring it to its original glory. Like the souk, oil dollars were used to restore and update Doha Fort, where now many of the country’s important art treasures are well guarded. The fort, which looks like a giant sand castle, was built in the 19th century during Turkish rule and served as a defensive position for decades before being transformed into a storehouse of history. Beaches abound in this Persian Gulf
state and some of the best are found on Palm Tree Island, a serene area of the city featuring a small theme park with rides, lots of flower-filled parks, shops and restaurants. Other famous tourist spots in Doha: • Al Bida Park: Located on the city’s waterfront promenade, the park houses various shops, restaurants and sports enclosures. It is also known to be the best picnic spot in Doha. • Ethnographic Museum: Also known as the Wind Tower House, this museum is a rare structure in the Gulf region — the huge tower has open arches that provide ventilation. The museum often holds exhibitions depicting the evolution of Doha and Qatar life in general. • Qatar National Museum: The former palace of Sheikh Abdullah Bin Qassim Al Thani is now home to the museum, which opened in 1901. It displays a number of national treasures, artifacts, furniture, jewelry and traditional dresses of Qatar. • Don’t miss: Doha’s entertainment city, its world-renowned zoo, Al-Rumaila Park and the Dahl El-Hamam Public Park. At the end of my whirlwind tour of Doha, I must confess Mohammed was right — Doha has much more to offer than Dubai. In fact, one comes away with the distinct impression that Doha is the best city money can buy. •
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Canada in Summer
Sarnia
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Sunsets Venezuelan Minerva Meza-Perez decides to explore her adopted country on vacation and finds one part of Canada reminds her of her South American homeland National Geographic ranks among Lake Huron’s sunsets, like this one, among the Top 10 in the world.
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By Minerva Meza-Perez TraveLife Contributor
S
ARNIA, ONT. — Every year I travel south to Venezuela to spend vacation time with family and friends and frolic in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea. But not this past summer. Instead, I decided to stay in Canada and explore my new adopted homeland — taking Ontario up on its travel motto “It’s yours to discover.” That’s how I discovered Sarnia. At first glance, Sarnia, which sits directly across from dingy-looking Port Huron, Mi., and is connected to the United States by the Bluewater Bridge, looks pretty much like any other border city. However, at the urging of friends who told me to take a closer look, I quickly realized Sarnia and the nearby beaches of Lake Huron are special places in summer. The sky-blue water of Lake Huron — Sarnia is situated on the north shore of the mighty Great Lake and at the headwaters of the gently-flowing St. Clair River — reminded me a lot of the Caribbean Sea. And Sarnia’s beautiful waterfront parks made me think of the botanical splendour one sees in Venezuela. Lake Huron is so big it looks more like an ocean than a lake. Its sandy beaches are like walking on hot sugar. Who needs Venezuela? The best known of Sarnia’s beaches are Canatara, Brights Cove and Ipperwash and each offers kilometres of sandy shoreline and lots of tranquil spots where you can curl up with a good book or just listen to the waves lap the shore. Just a few kilometres north of Sarnia lies Grand Bend, a tiny hamlet that dates back to the 1800s and which has been a summer getaway for Torontonians for decades. Grand Bend’s beaches are even more beautiful than the ones I discovered in Sarnia and during the day it was fun walking the town’s quaint streets and poking my head into tiny shops selling everything from suntan lotion to scoops of ice cream. The volleyball games that broke out on the beaches reminded me of what I grew up seeing in Venezuela and soon I was caught up in the action. And when the sun dipped into Lake Huron — a breathtaking sight that drew crowds to the shore each night — Grand Bend turned into a party town which
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Grand Bend beaches
INFORMATION • You can drive to Sarnia from Toronto – it’s a straight run along the 401 – or take Via Rail. • For more on Sarnia and its neighbouring beaches, go to www.sarnia.com • For details on Pinery Provincial Park, go to www.pinerypark.on.ca Sarnia’s Bluewater Bridge to the U.S.
wouldn’t look out of place in any South American resort area. And if you don’t believe me that Lake Huron’s sunsets are among the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, then maybe you’ll believe National Geographic, which rates the Great Lake’s sunsets among the Top 10 in the world. For the more adventurous who like sleeping in the great outdoors, nearby Pinery Provincial Park offers about 1,000 campsites as well as its own beautiful stretches of beach that feature spectacular windswept sand dunes — some more than 30 metres high. Pinery Provincial Park also features one of the most beautiful oak savannas woodland in North America. There’s also lots of hiking trails that make you truly appreciate the beauty of the park’s delicate ecosystem. What truly surprised me about Sarnia is that this is the place — in neighbouring Petrolia — where oil was first discovered in North America. That’s right, tiny Petrolia — not Texas or Alberta — touched off the North American oil boom when the black gold gushed to the surface here in the late 1850s. And the townsfolk have been gushing with pride ever since. There’s still oil rigs
scattered about Petrolia pumping oil to the surface and the town’s Oil Museum documents its connection to the precious product. Crossing the Bluewater Bridge and doing a little shopping in neighbouring Port Huron is all part of the experience of visiting Sarnia, I was told — I couldn’t wait to get back to Sarnia, though. Sarnia will never be confused with Las Vegas but its casino — the Prince Edward Charity Casino — adds a little excitement to its nightlife and the slot machines ring to the early hours of the morning. Located on the shores of the St. Clair River, the casino also offers great views of the Bluewater Bridge. Golf is king in Sarnia — Canadian golf icon Mike Weir was born just outside Sarnia in Brights Cove — and there’s lots of courses in the area on which to play. In fact, Sarnia has often been called “Myrtle Beach North.” I couldn’t wait to send my family the sunset pictures we took in Sarnia. They were impressed. Instead of going to Venezuela this summer, they want to come here. Good, because I want to go back to Sarnia, too! •
ADVENTURE
Everyone’s talking about Tour East Adventure
Pass the word ! Tour East and its partner Intrepid Travel have designed some pretty cool adventure trips to hot destinations in South America like Peru, Brazil, Argentina and our home on the Galapagos Islands
WWW.TOUREAST.COM
Canada in Summer
Appetit Bon
Canada!
Karen Williams finds the schools where Canadians can hone their cooking skills while on vacation travelife.ca - 20
By Karen Williams TraveLife Contributor
W
hile travelling abroad can lead to a world of culture and excitement, you don’t always need to go far from home to explore new cuisine. Whether you’re hoping to become the next Julia Child, or simply want to add some spice to your dinner menu, taking cooking classes at one of Canada’s excellent culinary schools will not only help you become a master in the kitchen, but also provide you with the opportunity to experience some of the most beautiful cities our nation has to offer. Here are some of Canada’s culinary schools you might consider attending:
TraveLife’s Top 10 Holiday Cooking Schools
1. Dar Liqama, Morocco: At the Dar Liqama cooking classes you can learn to prepare traditional fare such as lamb dishes, tagines and almond pastries.
2. Le Baou d’Infer, France: In the beautiful countryside of southern France, Le Baou d’Infer teaches confidence in the kitchen rather than precise technique. 3. Rustic Sicilian, Italy: Prepare and savour delicious Italian cuisine, just like Mama makes, using ingredients from the rustic 1,000 acre estate. 4. Four Seasons, Thailand: Signature dishes you could perfect here include Chiang Mai curry noodle soup with chicken and dry spiced curry with pork and pickled garlic. 5. Samp and Soufflé, South Africa: Guests here can even experience preparing and barbecuing an impala on a game reserve. 6. Ballymaloe Cookery School, Ireland: Courses at
Ireland’s oldest cooking school focus on food that can be obtained directly from the garden. 7. Thai Cooking School, Bangkok Oriental Hotel: The world’s No. 1-rated hotel offers a cooking class experience that’s hard to beat. 8. Kea Artisanal, Greece: The classroom here is surrounded by almond and olive trees and a beautiful vegetable garden where guests learn to prepare delicious Mediterranean cuisine with a focus on seafood, octopus and garlic. 9. Kerala Cooking Residency, India: This school is an Indian home surrounded by a bio-organic garden of spices. Guests can enjoy preparing traditional Indian dishes, including breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
10. Casa de Sierra Nevada, Mexico: Guests here can learn to prepare traditional Mexican meals and sensational margaritas from one of the best Latin America chefs.
Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute, Ottawa Majority one-day short courses.
$245 per person www.lcbottawa.com
One of the best kept secrets about our nation’s capital is that you can learn how to cook at one of the best culinary schools in the world without boarding a transatlantic flight. The Canadian campus of Le Cordon Bleu is located in the historic Munross Mansion, capturing tradition and excellence in both cuisine and ambiance. In less than one year, it’s possible to obtain Le Grand Diplôme Le Cordon Bleu, which is recognized worldwide by culinary professionals. For those looking to turn their ambitions into reality in a shorter time frame, Le Cordon Bleu offers a full schedule of one to four-day culinary classes. Some of the one-day courses include the Cordon Vert course for those looking to lighten up, and the International Flavours Italy course, which teaches you how to create traditional Italian dishes like gnocci and osso bucco. If you have a little chef on your hands, the institution also offers the Petit Cordon Bleu course, where you and your child will learn basic pastry techniques.
The Culinary Institute of Canada, Charlottetown Tuition and fees approximately $11,000 www.hollandcollege.com/culinary_institute_of_canada/
Located in the birthplace of Confederation on beautiful Prince
Thai Cooking School garden at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Bangkok.
Edward Island, The Culinary Institute of Canada has been training aspiring chefs since 1983 and is regarded as one of the premiere culinary schools in Canada. Courses in the Culinary Arts program range from regional cuisine to business communications, and all students are required to complete a mandatory term of paid internship in a work environment related to their field of study. Students have the opportunity to enjoy a wide array of restaurants and pubs, farmers markets and the Charlottetown Festival. And of course, no visit to P.E.I. is complete without a tour of Green Gables.
Stratford Chefs School, Stratford, Ont. Tuition fee per level, approximately $7,700 www.stratfordchef.com
While Stratford is known for showcasing some of the best Shakespeare outside of the U.K., the Stratford Chefs School gives aspiring foodies another reason for visiting the city. The institute has been around for more than 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the best culinary schools in Canada. This school’s teachings allow students to gain exposure to a wide variety of culinary traditions and techniques, and it’s the only culinary chef school in the country operated by working restaurant professionals. The Stratford Chefs School also boasts a 100 per cent graduate employment rate, thanks to their strong emphasis on entrepreneurship. •
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Canada in Summer
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Montreal’s
riding a wave of excitement
KAREN ASP PHOTOS
Adventure writer Karen Asp discovers that surfing in the St. Lawrence is a good alternative to travelling all the way to Hawaii
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‘They think I can go down the river standing on my head’ By Karen Asp
TraveLife Contributor
M
ONTREAL — From the famed bagels to the dozens of eclectic festivals, there are numerous reasons to visit Montreal. But here’s one that’s probably not on your radar: River surfing. Montreal, in fact, is one of the best places to learn this sport. Surprised? So was I, which is why I had to take the plunge. I should preface this by saying I’m no expert surfer. I had my first surfing experience at 18 when I was vacationing in Hawaii with my family. My sister and I had been sunning ourselves on Waikiki Beach when we decided a surfing lesson would be cool — and might even make us look cool, too. Instead, I provided great entertainment for other beachgoers, as I face planted in the water every time I tried to stand. My second experience, though, was even worse: During a recent cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, I took such a bad spill on a Flowrider surfing simulator that my shoulder ached for weeks. So I’m a little nervous about hopping back on a surfboard, but I’m intrigued about river surfing — and completely confused. Apparently, I’m not alone. “People often ask how I can stand on the board while I go down the river,” says Hugo Lavictoire, owner of Kayak Sans Frontieres which offers lessons in numerous water sports, including river surfing. “They think I actually go down the river standing up on my board.” That’s far from the truth. Unlike ocean surfing where you have to wait for the waves to come, waves in rivers are created by rocks. Because those rocks don’t move, the waves become a permanent fixture, which means you can stay on that wave and ride to your heart’s content, or
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Indiana’s Karen Asp, above, was expecting to get a taste of Old Europe when she visited Montreal — not Hawaii! But soon she was holding on for dear life while gliding down the St. Lawrence River on top of a surf board — an exhilarating experience supplied by a local Montreal firm, Kayak Sans Frontieres.
better yet, until your legs cry uncle. Once you’re done, you exit the wave, climb out of the water and go again — if you prefer. But is one easier than the other? I’m hoping Lavictoire’s going to tell me river surfing has the edge, given that I’ve failed miserably at ocean surfing. But he shakes his head and says no, they’re simply different. “Yet learning how to river surf will make you a better ocean surfer and vice versa,” he says. So on a sunny summer day, a few other river surfing newbies and I, who have booked this lesson through the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth’s Surf’s Up Montreal package, head to a part of the St. Lawrence River where two permanent waves make their home. This is one of the city’s hottest surfing spots — surfing exploded onto the scene in Montreal in 2006 — and during prime surfing hours, people come out in droves to surf these two waves. When the crowds swell, etiquette is key: If there’s a line, your hang time on the wave gets cut to two minutes. That may not sound like much, but as Lavictoire notes, “two minutes is a long ride if you compare it to the ocean where you’re happy with a 15-second ride.” Before we can hop in the water, though, we run through safety basics on land, including what certain hand signals mean (tapping our head with our fist means we’re okay, for instance) and how to attach the board’s leash to our ankles. We’re also dressed up in wet suits, booties and helmets — there are rocks in the river, after all — and then we make our way to the river’s edge. Truth be told, the most difficult part of river surfing at this location is getting to the river. A narrow dirt path leads to the St. Lawrence; its descent so sharp in places that I crouch to my butt and slide down.
Hugo Lavictoire, owner of Kayak Sans Frontieres, offers his students some guidelines and instructions about river surfing.
INFORMATION
• Kayak Sans Frontieres offers other water sport activities to those visiting Montreal. KSF is located at 7770 LaSalle Blvd., right next to the Lachine Rapides. • The closest Metro stop is De l’Eglise. • Telephone: 514-595-7873. Web: www.ksf.ca • Or check out www.tourisme-montreal.org Then for the next hour, we splash around in the water. Sure, we’re learning things like how to balance on the board; sit on the board; and sit and spin on the board, but it’s all fun, and dare I say, do-able. From there, we progress to harder skills like the Hawaiian roll, which Lavictoire compares to an Eskimo roll in whitewater kayaking. To demonstrate, he rolls off his board, spins underwater around the board and pops back on the board. Now it’s our turn to practice, and once Lavictoire’s satisfied that we’ve mastered this trick, our next task is learning how to read the eddies, otherwise known as “free taxis,” since they’ll take us back up the river. The currents, on the other hand, will take us
downstream. I have visions of missing the eddy and flowing all the way to Quebec City on my board. Eddy, I have no doubt, will become my new best friend. Once again, we practice catching a current, riding it for a short distance and then swimming with one arm at a time — “using two arms wastes energy,” Lavictoire says — until we reach the eddy, which ferries us to our starting point. Finally, our time to ride the wave has arrived, and I’m psyched. Lavictoire goes first and positions himself on the wave where he hangs out, standing on his board. He’s going to show us via hand signals how to enter the wave. A left point means paddle forward, pointing right means paddle
backward, a circle means turn around, and crossed arms means stop paddling. Our job sounds relatively simple: Catch the current, align our boards so we’re parallel with the wave and enter the wave backward. We’ll be going on our bellies, since standing takes months to master. We then have to paddle super hard to catch the wave and ride it. I do exactly as I’m directed, and when I feel the wave sucking me in, I paddle as hard as I can. Water sloshes all around me, and I have no idea where I am in the wave. All I know is that Lavictoire’s signs tell me to keep paddling, and I do for several nanoseconds until I lose it, and the wave spits me out. I’m exhilarated, even more so when I learn that I hung onto the wave the longest in my group. My ego gets a boost, and I rethink my attitude about surfing, especially later when I’m drinking some cold Canadian brews, yet another reason to visit Montreal. Who needs Waikiki Beach anyway? •
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Cruising the Baltic By Brian Brown and Laurel Rowbotham TraveLife Contributors
D
OVER, ENGLAND – We hadn’t set sail on our voyage of discovery aboard the Norwegian Sun but already we’d made an important discovery – we had paid much less for this cruise than the lovely couple in the next cabin. Sharon and Tony Howlett, our good friends and travelling companions from Woodstock, Ont., worked diligently to find us a “shoulder season” price of $949 per person to sail aboard this luxury Norwegian Cruise Line ship that included a well-appointed balcony stateroom and a boat-load of Baltic thrills. Our neighbours, charming people from Seattle, revealed they’d paid $3,300 – full price – for the 13-day, 12-night cruise that started in Dover, England in May of 2010. We didn’t have the heart to tell them what we’d paid. Good thing the trip was priceless! By travelling during what the tourist industry calls the “shoulder season” but what fellow travellers may refer to as the “off season”, couples can enjoy significant savings on top-of-the-line cruise ships like the Norwegian Sun, which took us to exotic ports and introduced us to treasures housed in grand palaces and churches. Copenhagen … St. Petersburg … Helsinki … Stockholm, the seats of European power for centuries, were some of the places where the Norwegian Sun docked and each port of call was more fascinating than the last. Our first stop: Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen. We hurried off the ship and rushed along a well-marked trail in search of the city’s most famous landmark, the Little Mermaid statue, which was erected in the harbour to honour the country’s literary giant, Hans Christian Andersen. Imagine, though, the shocked looks when we found the statue’s pedestal empty. It turned out the Little Mermaid was on her own trip – off to Shanghai as part of Denmark’s presentation at the 2010 World Expo. Not to worry – Copenhagen has many other thrills, like the central Nahavyn Canal featuring rows of tall multi-hued 18th century warehouses lining both sides. While the upper floors are reminders of the city’s seafaring past, the street Catherine’s Palace, right, a stunning “summer” estate in St. Petersburg is one of Russia’s most beautiful buildings. © Brian Brown and Laurel Rowbotham photos
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Grand Palaces; Grand Churches; Grand Times!
That’s what cruise passengers experience when they sail the Baltic in the ‘shoulder season’
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level now blossoms with shops and restaurants serving up local delicacies like shrimp sandwiches, pickled herring and lobster bisque. Yummy! During a walking tour after lunch, we looked in at Tivoli Gardens, the second oldest amusement park in Europe which opened in 1843 and which still is the most visited theme park in Scandinavia. Next stops: Warnemunde and Rostock in Germany. Warnemunde is the seaside resort area of the former East Germany and a place where now all Germans congregate for seaside holidays. Established in 1323, Warnemunde has been a fishing village since medieval times. Walking tours along the town’s river bank, quaint streets, lighthouse trail and white sand beach are features of any visit. Forty five minutes up river by ferry boat is Rostock, a beautifully restored city with many charming features and whimsical iron statuary. St Mary’s Church in downtown Rostock enthralls with its soaring architecture, medieval tapestries and the oldest astrological clock in Europe. When we travel we tend to avoid tourist fare by seeking out restaurants where the locals eat. Off a side street and down a narrow alley to a large open square ringed by pretty private homes with gardens and pots, we found Ritter Runkel Stuw, a lovely hidden pub which served the local Wiener Schnitzel and frites which we washed down with the town’s own ale — Rostocker. Next: Tallinn, Estonia. Everyone we talked to onboard agreed that Tallinn was a favourite port of call. Over time, it seems, many people wanted to live in this charming Estonian hamlet because during the last 1,000 years the town has been invaded and ruled by the Danes, Finns, Germans, Russians and countless numbers of tourists. The locals never put up
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© Brian Brown and Laurel Rowbotham photos
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The Grand Palace and Cascades of Peterhof, top photo, is often called the Russian Versailles, while the golden interior of Catherine’s Palace, above, and the golden dome of the Grand Palace, left, at Peterhof are reminders of the opulent treasures which remain in St. Petersburg. Below, the majestic ceiling in the Church On Spilled Blood, captivates visitors.
© much resistance, so the town was spared destruction by its invaders. As a result, medieval Old Tallinn remains intact. The rooftops, towers and streets look much as they did hundreds of years ago. Downtown, be certain to visit Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a spectacular onion domed Russian Orthodox Church built in 1900 at the top of Toompea Hill. Very important to all Estonians is singing, and the city’s expansive Song Festival Grounds and Park reflect that. Each year, the park welcomes choirs from around the world for a festival – the stage can hold 30,000 singers at once – and more than 300,000 spectators gobble up every ticket available. Of local interest: Skype was invented here. Now it was on to St. Petersburg, Russia – the jewel in the crown of this cruise. Named after Tsar Peter the Great’s favourite apostle, Peter, the regal city was capital of all of Russia from 1709 until 1918 when the capital shifted to Moscow. Sunny days are rare here, averaging 70 days annually. But who needs sun when so much glitters in St. Petersburg? Tsar Peter, inspired by his travels to Paris, built his city
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Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens, top photo, is the second oldest amusement park in Europe. St. Petersburg’s Church on Spilled Blood and its interior, above and left, truly amaze visitors. Helsinki’s Senate Square, below, is less imposing but offers its own charm.
© Brian Brown and Laurel Rowbotham photos
on the shores of the Neva River and filled it with crayoncoloured buildings – the Tsar felt the colour would offset the dullness of the ever-present grey sky – and amazing palaces, many of which line the route we take after meeting up with our delightful guide, Natalia, and her driver. Natalia, a full-time teacher; part-time tourist guide, filled our days with information and humour – when passing one gloomy-looking building in downtown St. Petersburg, she explained it was formerly occupied by the KGB, the dreaded secret police of the communist era. She teasingly told us the KGB acronym stood for “Kindness, Generosity and Beauty.” A short drive outside the city brought us to Catherine’s Palace, a stunning “summer” estate which Peter the Great presented to his wife Catherine as a gift in 1710. Visitors are required to wear cloth slippers over their shoes to preserve the palace’s intricately carved wooden mosaic floors. Finials, frames and cove mouldings are gilt covered. The famous Amber Room, stripped bare during World War II when the city was leveled by the Nazis, has been Continued on page 54
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Great Hotels of the World
Bangkok’s famed Mandarin Oriental Hotel celebrates 150th birthday by giving staff an
MARC ATCHISON PHOTOS
O-Zone Layer
A monk admires the splendour of the Oriental’s spa garden.
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Between shifts, the Oriental’s employees play games and relax in the O-Zone instead of tackling Bangkok’s traffic chaos.
By Marc Atchison Editor-in-Chief
B
ANGKOK — The only people happier than the pampered guests staying at the world renowned Mandarin Oriental Bangkok Hotel are the property’s employees. That’s because the world’s No. 1-rated hotel, which also features the globe’s top-rated spa facility, treats its staff as if they’re guests. And it’s all thanks to Jan Goessing, the Oriental’s forward-thinking general manager who created “a hotel within a hotel” known as the O-Zone, where staff gets to eat what regular-paying guests eat; get their own concierge; and even get to rest up in luxury rooms between shifts. A large portion of the hotel’s second floor was cleared out to make room for the stateof-the-art employee’s lounge, which comes complete with a relaxation and entertainment area, a lending library, hi-tech meeting venues, a restaurant branded Café 48 and its own retail area. Now we know why the Oriental’s 1,300 congenial staff are always smiling. Bangkok’s landmark prop-
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Oriental Hotel’s staff now have a place where they can ‘chill out’ without having to face traffic chaos
The Oriental’s lovely new lobby is simply stunning.
erty, simply known locally as the Oriental, celebrates its 135th anniversary in 2011 and the O-Zone — a benchmark initiative for the hotel industry — was a way of giving back to the employees who regard the hotel as their home. “There is not an employee who I have met that doesn’t love working at the Oriental and the main reason for that is because of the way we are treated — like family,” says Papon Wangchuayklang, a veteran floor butler at the hotel which has always been cutting edge when it comes to employee relations. And employees tend to stay at the Oriental a long time because of that. “We just had one employee retire after serving more than 60 years with the Oriental,” reports Camilla Russell, a well-informed member of the hotel’s public relations team headed up by the amiable Somsi (Susie) Hansirisawasdi. The O-Zone features an employee’s hall of fame where plaster hand molds of longserving employees are showcased in an art display known as “Hand on Frames.” There are 48 plaster hand prints in the display at the present time – representing 1,700
years of employment. The contemporary design of the O-Zone is a hit with younger employees, who love gathering in the Relax Zone to play Xbox games. “Many of our employees work split shifts so the O-Zone allows them to stay on property and relax in comfort without having to deal with the long drive through Bangkok’s notorious traffic to get home and then come right back again,” says Russell. The environmentallyfriendly O-Zone, a playful interpretation of three words — “Ozone”, standing for transparency, health and the environment; “O”, referring to the hotel’s historic name “Oriental”; and “Zone”, allowing for space and innovation in design – is split into His and Her Zones where employees are spoiled with high-end toiletry products like Dior (for women) and Davidoff (for men). Students of the hotel’s industry-leading apprenticeship program are integrated into the O-Zone as part of their hands-on training – they assist in Café 48, the staff concierge desk and the lending library — before becoming permanent members of the best hotel staff in the world. Industry insiders are not surprised the Oriental was the first property to introduce such an ingenious HR program like the O-Zone — the hotel, which started out as a humble riverside respite for some of the world’s greatest authors, has always led its competitors in the innovative category. In fact, the Oriental was the first hotel in Bangkok to offer airconditioned rooms and the first to offer a spa — a spa which has grown to become the best in the world. As part of its 135th birthday celebrations, the Oriental also commissioned a magnificent new floral design for its grand lobby entrance. The design, featuring temple bells sur-
Camilla Russell, left, one of the Oriental’s congenial PR people, shows off T-shirts O-Zone members proudly wear. The longestserving employees at the Oriental are honoured on the “Hand on Frames” wall, top photo, and all employees are treated to the same gourmet food served to guests.
rounded by cascading orchids, was inspired by the Thai rainforests and reinforces the Oriental’s claim of being an “urban oasis” in the heart of one of Asia’s busiest and biggest cities. Most of the hotel’s 393 rooms — already the best in the city — have been refreshed and updated as part of the 135th anniversary celebrations. The much-coveted Author’s Wing, the only remaining part
from the original 19th century property, has four of the most sought-after suites in Asia and are all named after the great authors who once stayed in them — Somerset Maugham, Noel Coward, James Michener and Joseph Conrad. Other literary giants to stay at the Oriental were Barbara Cartland, Graham Greene and John le Carre, just to name a few. The food at the Oriental is the best in Bangkok. The
menus offered at the hotel’s legendary restaurants Lord Jim’s, Le Normandie and the traditional Sala Rim Naam, were all carefully crafted by head chef Norbert Kostner, a 37-year veteran who has become as famous as the lovely property that sits on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. It’s often said the hardest part of staying at the Oriental is checking out – for guests and employees. •
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Dining out on
Shanghai Nights
China’s largest city is the nation’s culinary capital and local ‘foodie’ Jackie Zhao guides us to the top rooms where tourists and locals hang out TOP 10 NEIGHBOURHOOD RESTAURANTS YOU CAN ENJOY IN SHANGHAI 1. South Beauty; No. 881 Middle Yan An Road $$$ If you are a big fan of spicy Sichuan food, this restaurant should definitely top your must-go list. Located in a villa, South Beauty is a beauty — offering elegant and exquisite dining in its super sleek rooms and beautiful outdoor terrace. The top honour goes to their spicy spare ribs. Non-spicy food is also available but, hey, you have to spice up your life in Shanghai. Lettuce with specially made sauce is a good starter and their featured Dan Dan noodle is my favourite.
3. Casanova, No. 913 Ju Lu Road, $$$$ What impressed me the most about this Italian restaurant is its romantic atmosphere, high quality food and discreet but attentive service. Imagine yourself sitting at a table with friends in a historic French concession villa, sipping a glass of delectable wine, savouring authentic Italian pasta with contemporary creations and enjoying the professional and high standard service. How great is that? Italian food in Shanghai is the best east of Rome.
2. Gu Yi, No.87 Fumin Road $$$ If you’re looking for an authentically Hunan spicy culinary experience, Gu Yi is the right place to visit. Their chili-shrilled rib, open-faced fish and skewered shrimp will electrify your tongue with a juicy and unforgettable flavour. The restaurant’s signature dessert is sugar glazed banana ball, a Chinese classic.
4. Coconut Paradise, No. 38 Fu Min Road, $$$ Wanna indulge your taste buds in some well-flavoured Thai cuisine? Then make sure you check out Coconut Paradise. With both indoor and outdoor service offered, this room is always popular with expats and locals. Start your meal with the crispy, tasty spring roll and then move on to their specialty of shrimp pad Thai and red curry chicken.
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TOP 10 RESTAURANTS ALONG THE BUND 1. Jean Georges Restaurant, 4/F, Three on the Bund, $$$$$ This is absolutely one of the most upscale French restaurants in the world! What I love about Jean Georges is its ambiance, impeccable service, great view (of futuristic Pudong) and of course, exquisite food. If you want to trade the hustle and bustle of Shanghai for a moment of tranquility, then Jean Georges is the right place for you. The sea bass and smoked salmon are highly recommended. All dishes are over priced, of course, but hey, all upscale rooms on The Bund are expensive. 2. Whampoa Club, 5/F, 3 Zhongshandong Yi Road, $$$$$ If you are a Chinese gourmet junky, then you know Chinese dishes are famous for the combination of “colour, flavour and taste.” Whampoa Club exemplifies its contemporary and revolutionary Chinese cuisine with spectacular taste, style and presentation. As a first time visitor, you’ll be amazed by the grand entrance and the stunning Bund view. 3. Moonsha, 5/F, 3 Zhongshandong Yi Road, $$$$ This restaurant offers fantastic views across the Huangpu River and allows you to observe skilled chefs preparing dishes with superior seafood and the finest ingredients. Moonsha Teppanyaki offers a unique dining experience in its open sushi bar. Sashimi, salmon sushi, yakimono and traditional tempura are highly recommended. MARC ATCHISON PHOTOS
The glitzy restaurants along the world famous Bund, left, are where Shanghai’s business elite like to entertain clients and where tourists get great views of the city’s futuristic Pudong district. But small neighbourhood eateries like the one above in the Old French Quarter are much cheaper and far more entertaining.
$$$$$ - $35 per person
$$$$ - $30 pp
$$$ - $20 pp
5. Shintori, No. 803 Julu Road, $$$$$ Get set for a unique Japanese experience in Shanghai at Shintori. Never before have my taste buds been stimulated by so fresh and nicelypresented fish. You may also try their “Rock and Roll salad” and their noodles and rice dishes. A good place to go with a special client. 6. Jade Garden, 3/F, Hong Kong Plaza South Tower, 283 Huaihai Zhong Road, $$$ This local favourite is well-known for its excellent service and its crab meat steamed bun, sweet-sour spare rib and eggplant with fish sauce are better than my Mom’s — please don’t tell her. 7. Golden Bull, 3/F, Central Plaza, 381 Middle Huai Hai Rd., $$$ This Vietnamese specialty eatery makes great spring rolls, pork kebabs, shrimp balls that come on a stick with dipping sauce. Your main dish could be beef cooked with black pepper or green curry seafood/ chicken. Don’t miss their sweet and sour soup and signature coconut pudding. Yummy! 8. People’s 7, No.805 Julu Road, $$$$ Great food and great ambience in this local favourite which may look small but offers some big surprises once inside. 9. Simply Thai, No.159 Ma Dang Road, near Xing Ye Road, $$$ This is a very inviting eatery where you could taste and explore some authentic Thai food. Popular among expats. Top honours on the menu go to their papaya and glass noodle salad. 10. Din Tai Fung, 2/F, 11A South Block, 123 Xingye Lu, $$$$ This restaurant is famous for its Taiwanese Dim Sum. The steamed buns with meat and crab dumplings are the notable dishes here. The servers are well dressed and friendly. To be fair, they do charge a 15 per cent service charge, which is very rare in this town.
4. Lost Heaven, 17 Yan’an Dong Road, $$$$ The food and ambiance here are heavenly! Start with the vegetable pancake followed by main courses like Dai Tribe pork wrapped in lettuce; chicken cooked with hot pepper and green onion; and Miao Tribe hot and sour dish. The chicken for me is a must-order dish. With the right amount of chili, it gives the tongue a rich texture and a subtle hint of smokiness. 5. Tan Wai Lou, 5/F, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Road, $$$$ This is a high end Cantonese restaurant that strives to serve traditional Chinese cuisine with modern western styles. Its shark fin soup is delectable. Its asparagus is lovely. Its prawn dishes are great. 6. Dai’s Kitchen, 1/F, Sichuan Building, 110 E Yan An Rd., $$$$ This is a small, family-styled courtyard restaurant that is not so easy to find. However, if you are craving some authentic and tasty German food, this is the place to visit while in Shanghai. I was impressed by the humongous portions. The Dai’s salad is big enough to share — among 3-4 people. The roast pork with bread dumplings is amazing. 7. M1NT, 24/F, 318 Fu Zhou Road, $$$$ Great view … great ambiance … great vibes … and great networking. This place is everything a nightlife lover could ask for. The sleek kitchen serves Asian-styled cuisine. Apart from that, you could also have a fantastic view of The Bund area from the restaurant’s 24th floor location. 8. Salvatore Cuomo, 2967 West Lujiazui Road, $$$$ Perfect location with a fabulous Bund view — this Italian restaurant is famous for its flawless service and delectable food. I suggest the following dishes: buffalo mozzarella, pasta, the pizzas, chicken dishes, grilled lamb and the Australian ribeye. 9. The Binjiang One, Youlong Garden, Bin Jiang Ave., $$$$ The menu offers a wide selection of appetizers and mouth-watering main courses such as dark chocolate and BBQ braised lamb shank, green asparagus in a veal stock and squid ink pasta. Customers are most likely to be impressed by the room’s Snow Bar with its expensive range of flavoured vodka shots. 10. Mr. & Mrs. Bund, 6/F, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Road $$$$ This modern eatery offers 250 dishes and 32 wines on its menu. What’s notable in this French restaurant is their foie gras crumble – amazing! •
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Arizona
A cool summer option Scottsdale’s
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MARC ATCHISON PHOTOS
Marc Atchison heads to Arizona looking for good weather and finds a Wild West city where sun shines 333 days a year By Marc Atchison Editor-in-Chief
S
COTTSDALE, ARIZONA — It’s early May, 2010, and a good friend has invited me to “sundrenched” Dubai where we plan a series of golf outings. Two days after my arrival, we’ve yet to hit a ball — torrential rains, the kind locals say they’ve “never seen before,” put our golf tour on hold. Just my luck; I come to one of the sunniest spots on Earth and it rains. Fast forward to October, 2010: I head off to Newfoundland hoping to get a glimpse of icebergs but discover that an unexpected “warm front” has reduced the giant ice floes to the size of ice cubes. It soon dawns on me that climate change, not bad luck, is what’s playing havoc with my travel plans. So, as I look ahead to my 2011 summer holidays I wonder — is there a place on this planet where I can be assured that an unexpected “cold front” or “unseasonal rains” won’t interrupt my poolside play time? “We don’t say it’s hot here in summer until it passes 100 degrees (Fahrenheit — or 37C),” says Charlie, the Scottsdale man who is listening to my climate change travel laments during a March
Scottsdale’s modern good looks, top photo, and its Wild West history, guarded in the Old Town section of the city by sidewalk mannequins like the one above, make a visit there in summer fun. The lovely Sonoran Desert landscape that surrounds the city, left, offers lots of outdoor activities.
2011 visit I make to this place situated in what’s known as The Valley of the Sun. Sounds like Scottsdale, where Charlie says the sun shines 333 days a year, is the answer to my summer travel plans. “There’s no doubt our winters are colder now thanks to global warming but the summers here are still hot and our monsoon season lasts just a few days in August,” the Arizona native tells me. Charlie then says Scottsdale is where he spends his summer “stay-cation” because “it’s the only time of year we can afford to stay at the great resorts we have here.” A little fact checking later confirms Charlie’s claims — 5-star resorts like the amazing Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, the drop dead gorgeous Four Seasons Scottsdale, the elegant InterContinental Montelucia and the historic Valley Ho in Old Town Scottsdale all offer steep summer discounts, ranging between 50 and 70 per cent. Ditto for area golf courses like the TPC Scottsdale or the fabulous Troon North, who slash their peak season rates of $250 U.S. and more to around $100 in summer. But what about the blistering heat that blankets the Phoenix/Scottsdale area from early May to late October when temperatures normally surpass 45C? “You can still do a lot of outdoor ac-
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tivities like golf and hiking — — a six kilometre loop that you just have to pace yourself brings you up close to desert and start early or leave them to plants. later in the day when the heat “But don’t get too close to dissipates,” advises Charlie. plants like the Teddy Bear Cac“The hottest parts of the day tus (a.k.a. the Cholla Cactus),” can be spent by the pool or you my AOA guide Josh advises can go to an area water park as we start out on a fascinating or better still, chill out in a spa morning hike on what’s known — that’s what my family and as the Gateway Loop Trail. I do.” “The Teddy Bear Cactus was One thing for sure, there’s a the inspiration for Velcro and lot to do in Scottsdale, like: when it sticks to you it’s very Play Golf: difficult to get off. And it’s At last count there’s at least very painful,” says Josh about 100 golf courses listed in the a plant that exhibits lethal Scottsdale phone book with an thorns that attach themselves equal number in neighbouring to unsuspecting victims — this Phoenix and a few dozen more Teddy Bear hugs you! in surrounding communities. The trail snakes through Scottsdale courses range some jaw dropping mountain Well marked hiking and biking trails bring you up close to Scottsdale’s famed from “great” to “greatest” terrain accented by countdesert plant life. However, some of the lovely plants are actually lethal. with the TPC Stadium Course less Saguaro Cactus, the giant adjacent to the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess and the fabulous multi-armed plant that is the state symbol. Josh explains that it Monument course at Troon North next to the over-the-top Four takes 75 years before the Saguaro grows a single arm – most Seasons Scottsdale being my favourites. along this trail exhibit multiple arms, indicating just how ancient The final four holes on Monument are monumental — the best this part of Scottsdale is. four finishing holes in golf, it says here. And the playful par-3 In spring, the stark desert landscape is turned into a kalei16th at TPC Scottsdale is every bit as challenging and fun as the doscope of colours thanks to the blooming plants — a site that famed Island Hole at TPC Sawgrass in Florida. moves even a young guide like Josh. Just remember to start your summer golf outing early and finish Like golf, hiking and biking should be started early and ended before 10 a.m. That’s when the summer Scottsdale sun is at the well before noon. And don’t stray off the trail — rattle snakes and boiling point. Or don’t tee off until later in the day when the sun Teddy Bear Cactus are lurking in the bush. begins to set — don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to finish a Stay indoors: round if you tee off around 5 p.m. because the Scottsdale sun sits Frank Lloyd Wright made his summer home in Scottsdale and high in the sky until well past 9 p.m. on summer days. the “camp” he built in typical Frank Lloyd Wright grandeur is Take a hike: now part campus (where aspiring architects learn the legend’s Scottsdale offers some of the best hiking and biking trails in the techniques) and part museum (where over 100,000 visitors come United States. And they all cut through dramatic Sonoran Desert each year to tour what Wright christened Taliesin West (www. landscape that is punctuated by majestic mountain backdrops like franklloydwright.org). Wright started construction of the sprawlCamelback Mountain or the McDowell peaks. ing Taliesin West complex in the 1930s and the “camp” remains An excellent company called Arizona Outback Adventures one of his most famous designs — right up there with Pennsylva(www.aoa-adventures.com) offers exciting half-day hikes like the nia’s Falling Waters. The 90-minute tour of the property, where one I ventured out on through the McDowell Sonoran Preserve several of the now elderly apprentices who helped Wright design
Riding high above Scottsdale in a hot air balloon and viewing the desert wildlife play below is a thrill ride the whole family will enjoy.
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Four Seasons pool area.
Troon North golf course.
Our favourite Scottsdale hotels
Our favourite Scottsdale courses
• Fairmont Scottsdale Princess (www.fairmont.com/scottsdale): A property that keeps getting better with age; Willow Stream Spa here is the best in the chain; TPC golf courses next door are worth the stay on their own.
• TPC Stadium Course: If it’s good enough for the PGA Tour, then TPC Stadium is good enough for me. The 16th hole at TPC Stadium is what everyone talks about but the other 17 holes here are pretty impressive as well.
• InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa (www. montelucia.com): One of the best outdoor pools in the hotel world; Joya Spa is a real jewel; Owners accented property with lots of antiques brought from Spain.
• We-Ko-Pa Golf Club: An unusual name and an unusual course designed by Scott Miller. But We-Ko-Pa is one of my favourites in Scottsdale, even though it technically resides in Phoenix – close enough!
• The Rusty Spur Saloon: You can’t visit Arizona without eating at one of its restaurants with the swinging doors. The Rusty Spur is the oldest saloon in Old Town Scottsdale and it’s a favourite with spring training fans.
• Hotel Valley Ho (www.hotelvalleyho.com): Like step-
• Phoenician Golf Club: Part of the remarkable Phoenician Resort, this course offers up some challenging holes and some of the best scenery in golf – Camelback Mountain is never out of view on this remarkable course.
• Malee’s on Main: Hold on to your Stetsons because what I’m about to say will shock you – Scottsdale’s Malee’s on Main is one of the best Thai restaurants I’ve ever entered. The Tom Yung Goong soup is a real treat.
• The Golf Club at Eagle Mountain: This course is a natural beauty and its 18 holes blend in with the surrounding landscape.
• Crescent Moon: This is not your typical “hotel” restaurant. The Four Seasons room specializes in cuisine influenced by the regional flavours of the Sonoran Desert.
• Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North (www. fourseasons.com): Typical Four Seasons service and ambiance; great restaurants and spa; True North golf courses are true genius in their design.
ping back to the Rat Pack era of the late 1950s; All rooms have been upgraded so that modern-day actors feel right at home; Lobby bar is wonderful.
• The Boulders Resort (www.theboulders.com): Great
accommodation; great spa; and especially great golf!
• Troon North Monument: This is a Tom Weiskopf gem that offers the best four hole combination - 15 through 18 – in the golf world. Simply stunning! Monument’s sister course, Pinnacle, is every bit as good.
and build the well shaded “camp” still reside, is a great way to escape the summer sun. If that’s not music to your ears, then the air-conditioned surroundings offered at Scottsdale’s new Musical Instrument Museum (www.themim.org) certainly should be. The museum, where thousands of musical instruments from around the world are gathered, showcases the diversity of the world’s music and instruments. This is a great place for kids or the young at heart who get a chance to play some of the world-class instruments on display. Take a hot air balloon ride: If you’re a little nervous about coming face-to-face with a rattle snake, but still anxious to see Arizona’s diverse wildlife up close, then a hot air balloon ride is just for you. Several companies, like Scottsdale’s Hot Air Expeditions (www.hotairexpeditions.com), offer romantic sunrise and sunset balloon tours over the Sonoran Desert and its mountains — the rides cost $200 per person in peak season but again are reduced in summer. The balloon rides allow you to see wild black pigs known as Javalinas scramble through the rugged outback with their families in tow or watch a coyote chase down its prey from a vantage point that is simply stunning. A ride high in the cool summer sky is another great way to escape the heat. Each ride is followed by a traditional champagne meal — fantastic! Hang around the pool: The resorts in these parts are geared for warm weather — most offer mega pools that are divided into adult-only and family fun areas. The Fairmont Princess, Four Seasons and Boulders are among my favourites but the amazing pool at the InterContinental Montelucia Resort and Spa — itself one of the finest hotels in Scottsdale — ranks with the best on the planet. There’s actually seven waterparks in the Scottsdale area and
Our favourite Scottsdale restaurants
• FnB restaurant: This is listed as a neighbourhood “hangout” but it’s the right neighbourhood if you’re looking for great southwestern fare served in a chic setting. The restaurant serves only Arizona wines and the whole experience is memorable. • The Mission: Located in the Old Town next to the old Mission Church, this chandelier-filled eatery offers upscale, sophisticated Latin cuisine in a relaxed room.
Big Surf Waterpark is the biggest and best of the lot. However, others like Golfland Sunsplash, Oasis Waterpark and the Desert Oasis Aquatic Center won’t disappoint either. Enjoy a spa treatment: Every major hotel in the Scottsdale collection offers spa facilities — with some being better than others. Spas at the Four Seasons, the Fairmont Princess and the InterContinental Montelucia are all world class. The Princess’ Willow Stream Spa rain showers are not to be missed and the holistic experience of the Montelucia’s Joya spa is mind numbing — in a good way. Take a walk around town: The streets of Old Town of Scottsdale are filled with art shops, quaint wild west bars, lovely parks and exceptional dining spots. It’s a pleasure to walk the streets once the sun sets. A cool desert air breeze always blows into town as night casts its shadow over Scottsdale. Take a wine tour: Yes, Arizona has a wine region and thankfully it’s tucked into the cool red mountain ranges of Sedona, a two hour drive north of Scottsdale along the Carefree Highway, a stretch of asphalt made famous in the 1962 Gordon Lightfoot hit single of the same name. While not ready to rival California just yet, Arizona’s wine is young in age and spirit and its vineyards are located in one of the most beautiful areas of the United States — sitting in the shadow of the dramatic red mountains that have taken the shape of courthouses and steamboats. A day trip to the wine region in summer is sure to provide some relief from Scottsdale’s mid-day heat. In these days of global warming, good weather guarantees are no longer being offered by destinations. However, Scottsdale has lots to offer in the summer for a lot less — rain or shine! •
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Southeast Asia
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Burma Looking Inside
Still one of the most secretive countries in the world, this gentle nation opens its borders to tourists and writer Cynthia Dial is among those who discover the beauty that lies within CYNTHIA DIAL PHOTOS
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By Cynthia Dial TraveLife Staff
Y
ANGON, BURMA — This country’s past is colourful — its present and future somewhat discoloured. Burma has a royal history with a lengthy lineage of kings; a yesteryear roster of almost 20 national capitals (some determined by astrology); and more than a century of colonial rule under the Brits. Yet, Burma’s future is peppered with question marks. Governed by the world’s longest running military dictatorship (which calls the country Myanmar), change is frequent and arbitrary. The most recent capital, Nay Pyi Taw, is under construction and off limits to the public. The long-time socialist flag is newly replaced with a yellow, green and red one showcasing a single white star. Visitors are allowed, yet a visit is challenging. Its visa process is extensive and restrictive (translation: no journalists). Tourists are not allowed to drive. The county has no ATMs. The acceptance of credit cards is essentially nil. U.S. dollars are the preferred currency, but must be like new — no folds, no tears. Domestic flights are frequently cancelled, no notice. And, like most countries in this region, malaria is a concern. Yet, my desire to visit was resolute. My reasons: innumerable. A country of 50 million people, 550,000 monks, 300,000 nuns, four million pagodas, and yes, 550,000 soldiers, Burma’s intrigue
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Burma is a land of pagodas and perpetual smiles Getting to see inside isolated Burma and meeting its gentle people and touring its magnificent monuments, like the remarkable temples of Bagan, top photo, is something that is rare in a country ruled by an iron-fisted military regime. But visitors are welcomed and appreciated by locals who are only too happy to share their meagre rations with total strangers.
was unmistakable. Burma’s list of bordering countries — Bangladesh, India, China, Laos and Thailand — was exotically impressive. The sincere, photogenic smiles of its people were irresistible. And with the November 2010 release of Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, my travel fate was sealed. So, when my mind was made to wander the world’s opposite side, the next step was to determine how best to tackle this task. With clear goals — a quest to observe behindthe-scenes Burma; a desire to interact with its people; and a passion to see the country through a camera’s lens — my answer was a photo tour. Enter Global Travel Photography (Jacksonville Beach, Fla). Owner/operator Roger Nelson is a luxury-driven, detail-oriented photographer whose love for Burma is matched by his devotion to his craft. After six visits in one year, Nelson’s homework was complete and he and his affable, knowledgeable Burmabased guide, Win Kyaw Zan, shared their intimate insight of the country with my small group (tour sizes never exceed eight). Thus, my adventures on Burma’s classic circle — Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, Inle Lake — began. First stop, Yangon (Rangoon) and its highlights: Shwedagon Pagoda: Known as the Buddhist world’s most sacred religious site, the gold plastered dome (which rises 100 metres above its base and is surrounded by countless golden stupas) is eternally visible — by sunlight during daytime and spotlight after dusk. Best part: Our full moon visit enhanced the revered monument and the devote monks, nuns and locals, all paying homage to Buddha.
Traditions die hard in Burma. Young monks still get their heads shaved, tribal women get their necks stretched and females do most of the hard labour.
Oracle Natpwe (Spirit Dancing): One of the most intriguing and little-known aspects of Burmese culture is its special breed of spirits (or nats). Festivals encompass a music-blaring frenzy of males dressed as females dancing themselves into a trance in order to channel spirits for patrons. Best part: As the only invited outside-the-village guests, we had front-row seats. Next top, Mandalay where we saw:
Paleik: A stop at this monastery school for elementary age students yielded an instructional surprise — substituting for the teacher during an English lesson. Best part: They clamored to have their photos taken with me, always flashing the peace sign. Mingun: After walking a wooden plank to board a boat for the early morning, a 10-kilometre down river trip, our reward was capturing on camera young ruby-robed monks (monklets, we called
Fisherman using primitive craft ply the waters of gentle Inle Lake early each day looking for a catch to feed fellow villagers.
them) negotiating the wavy whitewashed terraces of the wedding-cake-like Hsinbyume Pagoda. Best part: Getting to know Pupu, a local 15-year-old girl who became my informal photo assistant and new-found friend. Ava (Inwa): Isolated by rivers and canals this ancient city, which was the longestserving capital of the Burmese kingdom, remains in the past. Best part: Arriving by ferry to explore Burma of days gone by from the back of a speedy, yet rickety horse-drawn cart. U-Bein’s Bridge: Spanning 1,300 yards over Taungthaman Lake, the 200-year-old teak bridge is the world’s longest and shines a spotlight on the area’s daily life as it passes – monks carrying alms bowls, locals riding bicycles, mothers toting children and nuns giggling amongst themselves. Best part: Taking daybreak and sunset photos of U-Bein’s (one of Burma’s most photographed sites) from a hired boat and the water’s perspective. Now it’s on to Bagan. This ancient city fills 26 square miles and features more than 2,000 pagodas (at one
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time 4,000). The roads are red dirt, common transportation is horse-and-buggy or bicycle alongside oxen carts and past sheepherders, and the best times to experience the serenity of the surroundings are dawn and dusk. Though a top tourist pick, don’t miss ballooning over this made-only-in-Burma setting. Best part: Being one of a handful to climb Minyeingon Pagoda before sunrise to watch Bagan awaken and Buleithe Pagoda for a sunset photo op some might think the exclusive right of a National Geographic camera team. A local led us by flashlight from our after-dark perch. Another highlight for us in Bagan: Novitiation at Myinkaba Monastery: Dressed in princely attire and carried on decorated oxen carts or horses shaded by gilded parasols, all accompanied to music, it’s a celebratory parade when Burmese boys temporarily enter the Buddhist order as novices. The elaborate procession is followed by monks performing the head-shaving ritual. Best part: Invitation from the elder monk to join the families for the robe ceremony. Final stop: Inle Lake. Said to be 17 kilometres long and 10 kilometres wide with continuing reeds and marshes that stretch these measurements, Inle Lake is much like Venice in that transportation is solely by boat — typically a motorized longboat. The lake teems with distinctive activity — fishermen rowing boats by a single leg wrapped around a wooden paddle, villagers tending floating gardens, stilt-house water communities, souvenir shops tended by long-necked women from the Paduang tribe and the Ngapechang monastery featuring jumping cats. Best part: Glimpsing Inle’s lake life from the narrow longboat skimming
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Monks gather in classrooms to learn, above, and a visitor is invited to teach a class of elementaryage students in remote Paleik. The photo-op with a stranger after class is a remarkable lesson in itself.
Things you should know before you go Visa: Yes, you need one and they are checked and re-checked before you are allowed entry.
Electricity: While electricity comes and goes due to rationing, most hotels have generators for an independant source and bedside flashlights.
Proper attire: Dress modestly, especially when visiting Buddhist sites (translation: no shorts, no sleeveless tops, no short skirts). Shoes (and in some cases socks) are prohibited, too. For formal attire, purchase a longyi (sarong-like garment for men and women).
Timing: Go between November and February, when it rains the least and is not so hot. Internet: To say internet service is spotty would be sugar-coating reality.
More Info: Learn more about Burma at www.myanmar.com; Global Travel Photography, go to www.globaltravelphoto.com. Getting there: Tour East Holidays offers some exciting tours of Burma. Go to www.toureast.com for details.
the water’s surface as locals run to windows and call from boats their genuine greeting, min gala ba (hello). What an amazing sight. Every day began at daybreak and ended after sunset (the best hours for photography). Mid-days (translation: bad light hours) were reserved for stops in handicraft stores, monastery visits and photo workshops (Roger offered four classes). Most hours were packed with photography. “All photography, all the time,” is how Jim Johnson, participant from Sarasota, Fla., defined the tour. My definition: Seeing the best of Burma as an exclusive, invited guest. Doors were opened that remained closed to fellow travellers, including the door to our guide Win’s home celebrating his daughter’s 1-month birthday. What a great gift Burma is! •
Travel Photography
Panning for
Golden moments This photograph taken by Casey Nolin of a chain-smoking Roman that appeared in a past issue of TraveLife prompted lots of letters from readers asking how to capture movement with a camera.
Creating movement will bring life to your still photographs
By Casey Nolin
TraveLife Contributor
T
he October, 2010 issue of TraveLife featured an article I wrote on Italy, accompanied by an image I took of a man on a motorcycle. That image has to be one of my favourites from the trip and I haven’t stopped hearing positive things about that image since I got home. It’s really made me think about the importance of creating movement, motion and adding life to you’re still images. And there is so much opportunity to emphasize movement in your photos that will result in more dynamic images. There are two ways to achieve the feeling of movement in images. The first is to slow down the shutter speed and stabilize your camera while the subject is moving. The second is to move with your subject — a technique called panning. To produce an image with the background in focus while the subject appears blurred, you first have to slow down the shutter speed. This allows the camera’s sensor to see the actual movement of
what you are shooting. The longer the shutter is open, the more time light has to travel across the sensor, thus creating motion lines, blur or light streaks. For example, let’s say you wanted to shoot a busy street. By using a fast shutter speed like 1/1000, your image would look like everyone — frozen in time. But by shooting with a longer shutter speed like five seconds, you’d see the people actually walking across your image. This technique is also really effective when shooting at night to depict car headlights cutting across the image. Panning is another great technique I try to use as much as I can. Panning is where the subject is in focus but the background blurred. You don’t need a tripod or a steady hand to do it, either. All you need is practice. The main idea behind panning is to pan your camera along the moving subject — like following a car with our camera, for example. And by panning in time with your subject, you can end up with amazing results. The resulting images will have the subject in relatively sharp focus with the background blurred. •
The best ways to create motion in still photography is by slowing down the shutter speed and stabilizing your camera while the subject is moving. Another way of creating movement is by moving with your subject, a technique called panning. The results, as seen in these photos taken by Casey Nolin, can be pretty dramatic.
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Florida’s Coral Gables
‘A city beautiful’
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The legendary Biltmore Hotel the cornerstone around which George Merrick built America’s loveliest city
By Marc Atchison Editor-in-Chief
C
ORAL GABLES, FLORIDA — The tour buses usually arrive early each day in front of the pretty pastel coloured church that sits at the top of tiny Al Jacobson Plaza off Anastasia St., in this, Florida’s loveliest community. As charming as the small Spanish-style church is, the camera-wielding tourists are not here to take snapshots of it to bring back home. The focus of their attention is the distinguished castle-like structure standing across the street —the one featuring the beautiful Giralda Tower; a replica of the original erected in Seville, Spain in 1248. For the past 85 years, the historic Biltmore Hotel’s copper-clad tower has acted as a beacon — drawing people from far off places to this part of southern Florida, which was claimed long ago by the rich and famous as their personal playground. “Oh, isn’t she beautiful,” exclaims the Korean tourist as she snaps photos of what’s genuinely referred to as the “Grand Dame” of Florida hotels. The Sunshine State is home to some of the most historic and beautiful hotel properties in the world — but few compare to the regal Biltmore, whose golden façade, marbled hallways, colonnaded lobby with hand-painted ceiling beams, fountain-filled courtyards and grand sweeping staircases would not look out of place in one of Europe’s great Mediterranean cities. Since opening in 1926, the hotel has been the cornerstone of this affluent community; the brainchild of one forward-
MARC ATCHISON PHOTOS
The striking golden facade of the world famous Biltmore Hotel, opposite page, and the posh fountain-filled streets, priceless mansions and grand canals that surround it help Coral Cable achieve the Mediterranean good looks that its founder George Merrick hoped to achieve.
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thinking man named George Merrick, who used his family’s citrus fortune, which blossomed during the boom times of the “Roaring Twenties”, to bankroll his scheme to grow a city out of a simple Florida orange grove that would exude Old World charm. Coral Gables, a place Merrick himself christened “A City Beautiful”, is the end result. Few places in America — or anywhere else for that matter — can match Coral Gables’ good looks. The richest areas of neighbouring Miami and Miami Beach pale by comparison. Merrick and his building partners carved handsome boulevards out of the surrounding tropical forests teeming with giant banyan trees (most still remain) and then lined those streets with distinguished candy-coloured homes, great estates, lovely gardens and the odd European-style fountain — just like he remembered seeing on his trips to Spain, the country which inspired his Coral Gables dream. Oh, he also gave the neighbourhood a school — the University of Miami. So proud was Merrick of Coral Gables, he invited European royalty — the disgraced Duke and Duchess of Windsor were regular visitors — and the kings and queens of stage, screen, business and politics to south Florida to see what he had created. And he housed them all at the Biltmore. The hallways of the legendary property – now a registered national landmark building – document those good times. Faded photos of icons like Babe Ruth, Johnny Weissmuller, Bing Crosby, Judy Garland and Franklin D. Roosevelt — the list is too long to name them all — line the walls and take guests down memory lane of a hotel that has been a part of America’s history for 85 years. The good times, of course, ended for the Biltmore in the late 1920s when the stock market crashed and the
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Coral Gables ‘Golden Mile’, top photo, offers visitors a Spanish look, as does the romantic terrace restaurants and grand lobby at the opulent Biltmore.
FACTS ABOUT THE BILTMORE
ACCOMMODATION: The Biltmore has 273 well-appointed rooms and suites, most offering stunning panoramic views of Coral Gables, the legendary pool and/or the golf course. DINING: The Palme d’Or is the hotel’s signature restaurant but the ambiance of the Fontana’s terrace made it our favourite. The Fontana’s Sunday brunch is excellent. FEATURES: We highly recommend the hotel’s culinary academy experience and a round on the Donald Ross-designed golf course. TO BOOK: Go to www.biltmorehotel.com or call 1-800-727-1926.
Great Depression sucked the life out of the American economy. Merrick lost his fortune and the Biltmore to creditors. The hotel languished after that — eventually being turned into a military hospital during World War II. At one point, the great hotel was almost lost to the wrecker’s ball but the city came to its rescue; invested millions to bring it back to its former glory; and now once again the Biltmore can take its rightful place among the great hotels of the world.
George Merrick would be proud of the renovated Biltmore — which onsite historian Ruth Jacobs says looks pretty much as it did when it originally opened; save for the top-of-the-line electronic conveniences and world-class spa that have been added to meet the needs of today’s modern traveller. But the European ambiance that Merrick so wanted Americans to experience still remains — featured now in the hotel’s two great restaurants,
the elegant Palme d’Or and the fabled Fontana, whose fountain courtyard offers the most romantic dining setting in Florida. So proud is the Biltmore of its culinary prowess that it shares its kitchen secrets with guests at courses offered in its culinary institute — one of the finest in America. The hotel’s famed statuelined 23,000 square foot swimming pool, the one that has hosted water shows, diving exhibitions, fashion shows and celebrity parties over the decades, is still the centre of attention. But so is the hotel’s championship golf course — one of Donald Ross’s greatest legacies, which features the master designer’s distinctive greens and which, over the years, has played host to a Who’s Who list of professional and amateur players. During the building of Coral Gables, Merrick was careful not to disturb the delicate eco-system that bordered the city and the Biltmore. His thoughtful planning helped preserve what has become known as Everglades National Park, a treasure chest of fauna, flora and distinct wildlife that has grown to become the third largest national park in America. Another great attraction offered in Coral Gables is the Fairchild Botanic Garden, located a short drive from the hotel’s entrance. The Fairchild, opened in 1938, is an 83-acre paradise where rare plants and trees flourish in a tropical setting. The Coral Gables Museum documents much of the city’s stylish history and the downtown shopping area, featuring high end shops and restaurants along a strip designated the “Miracle Mile” remains a great gathering spot. But venturing outside the Biltmore once you’ve checked in is never easy. The Biltmore, after all, is a museum itself — a place from the past which now has a bright future. •
ROM’s China
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European Train Travel
Going off the rails while touring Europe
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Trains are the only mode of travel visitors should consider using when touring Europe. A Eurail Pass makes the experience affordable and national and inner-city trains, like the one opposite page, deliver you right to historic icons like Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate and Checkpoint Charlie, above.
Whirlwind train journey helps young traveller see more history in less time By Lori Henry
TraveLife Contributor
B
UDAPEST — To my right sat an elderly man in a Speedo; eyes closed and head tilted contentedly back. To my left was a smiling woman of the same age; blissfully spilling out of her bathing suit. I slipped into the pool a bit timidly and into a deep-rooted part of the Hungarian people’s lifestyle: the thermal baths. Natural hot springs steam throughout the country but Budapest has more than almost anywhere else in the world. Széchenyi was the first thermal bath in Pest, the eastern side of the city, and is
LORI HENRY PHOTOS
now one of the largest spa complexes in Europe. My whirlwind train journey through central Europe started in Amsterdam, though, a convenient gateway for Canadians. After seeing the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House; taking a stroll through the Red Light District and hopping on a canal cruise, Amsterdam becomes a city best experienced without a plan. I based my two days around the Ambassade Hotel, made up of 10 canal-side houses from the 17th century. Here, I came upon a newly created area called “The 9 Streets.” Spread over, you guessed it, nine small side streets, are fascinating
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The world famous Szechenyi thermal baths in Budapest, above, and Prague’s glorious Old Town, below, are a few of the wonders that keep you on track in Europe.
How to get a Eurail Pass
Before heading off to Europe, buy a Eurail Select Pass, which costs $457 per person but allows five days of unlimited travel through three countries over a two-month period. Trains are the best way to travel in Europe for visitors. Go to www.raileurope.com/railtickets-passes/eurail-selectpass/discounts-and-pricing. html for information.
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independent boutiques and cafés. Take the De Witte Tanden Winkel store for instance. This location opened in 1979, selling only oral hygiene products. I pulled myself away from the funky shops and made it to Central Station in time to catch my train to Berlin. I watched from my comfortable cabin as fields of green farmland changed hands from Holland to Germany. Once in Berlin, it was impossible to compare it to postcard-ready Amsterdam; instead of canals around every corner there is gritty graffiti;
instead of those quintessential canal-side houses there are restored (or not) cement communistera buildings. But Berlin knows it doesn’t have to rely on good looks to be popular. Instead it charms visitors with its playground of creativity and buzz-worthy arts scene. I hopped on one of those tourist buses, Berlin City Tour, so I could hit most of the major sites in one day: Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Bebelplatz (of Nazi book burning fame), the Holocaust Memorial and the Topography of Terror, which is where a remainder of the
original Berlin Wall stands. Berlin is monumental in every way, with so much going on beneath the skin of the streets at all hours of the day and night. I’ve never left a city that I was so fascinated by, but leave I — onward to the Czech Republic, where the scenery out of the train window went from grey buildings to cliffs swarmed by trees. The beauty crept up on me as I glided deeper into the country, cumulating in Prague, a city that looks so unlike Berlin I wondered if I was on the same continent. With so many exquisite buildings, I’m sure they were built in a jumble so they could all be fit in. While Berlin was a bombing ground during World War II, Prague was left almost untouched. I spent two days wandering through the compact city with the help of the travel company IncoCzech, climbing to the top of all the tower lookouts and getting tangled in the web of one-block streets with long names; I took a dinner cruise to see the city at night and walked up the hill to the 70,000 m² Prague Castle. When my mind finally short-circuited from architectural overload, I was back on the train heading south to Vienna. From the compact streets of Prague, the expansive capital of Austria was like a gigantic breath. Wide boulevards lined with elegant opera houses and grand museums, most built between 1860 and 1910, were balanced with green space around every corner. From the trendy Hotel Das Tyrol beside Museum Quarter, I popped in and out of art galleries, museums and exhibition spaces. Probably the most Viennese of all were the historic coffee houses – stocked with heavenly sweets, where the collection of newspapers is far more important than the coffee itself. This is the kind of city you want to pack your bags and move to. Instead, I packed my bags and headed for Hungary. After a short train ride through the countryside, I made my first stop in Sopron. This small industrial city is a short drive from where the 1989 Pan-European Picnic took place, bringing the Iron Curtain down and letting East Germans cross over to the west. Then it was onto Budapest, where I steamed in the thermal baths of Széchenyi and watched Puccini’s Tosca at the glorious Hungarian State Opera. I now understand why people are so crazy about this underrated city. Also overlooked is neighbouring Romania. I decided to spend the night in Sighisoara at the Fronius Residence, tempted by the luxury rooms in a house that date back to 1609. I was not disappointed. Not only was the hotel outstanding but the town was gorgeously restored from medieval times, complete with Vlad Dracula’s house. As I sat on the train to Bucharest, a chaotic city with some neat (but spread out) corners, I wished I had taken the time to stop at some of the towns en route – Alba lulia, Sibiu, Brasov – all restored and without the frenetic pace of the capital. Bucharest is an interesting city, though, developing a coolness factor in the historic centre with trendy bars and chic hotels. I stayed in one, the Rembrandt Hotel, a stylish boutique accommodation that is Dutch-owned, bringing back memories of Amsterdam that seemed a lifetime ago. •
Romania’s Fronius Residence in Sighisoara is a wonderful place where North American tourists can kick off their well-worn shoes and relax for a few days and soak up some of the blood-curdling history this area of Europe has to offer.
INFORMATION • KLM flies daily from Canada to all of the capital cities mentioned. • The Netherlands Board of Tourism: www.holland.com • German National Tourist Board: www.germany-tourism.de • Czech Tourism: www.czechtourism.com • Austrian Tourist Office, www.austria.info • Hungarian National Tourist Office: www.gotohungary.com • Romanian Tourist Office: www.romaniatourism.com • Eurail Group: www.eurailgroup.com
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Continued from page 29 lovingly, gloriously recreated. St. Petersburg is one monument to excess after another – like the Grand Palace and Cascades of Peterhof. Often called the Russian Versailles, the palace was built by Tsar Peter between 1712 and 1775 as his own summer residence. The grounds cover 300 acres and feature 144 gilt covered fountains. Natalia then delivered us to The Church On Spilled Blood — a.k.a. The Cathedral of Our Saviour On Spilled Blood. There we found an astonishing orthodox church with colourful striped onion domes, built on the very spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. Within the majestic church is a shrine of jasper columns, rhodonite blocks, marvelous floor patterns in marble and fabulous mosaics alive with reflected colour. The central dome has a stained glass dove at its centre with a wingspan of two metres. Can it get much better than this? “Oh yes,” Natalia assures us as we meet up the following day and head off to the city’s famed Hermitage Museum. The Hermitage, regarded as one of the most fabulous museums in the world where over three million treasures are displayed and stored, is housed in the former Winter Palace of the Tsars – itself a great architectural masterpiece. Here we walked among the great artists of history and their works – Da Vincis, Rembrandts, Van Goghs, Renoirs, Cezzannes, Gauguins, Rubens, Van Dycks and Picassos decorated the walls of the elaborate galleries and mesmerized us for hours. Words cannot describe the brilliance one sees here. And one day is never enough to fully appreciate all the Hermitage offers. We must; we will return! St. Isaac’s Cathedral, one
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© Brian Brown and Laurel Rowbotham photos Copenhagen’s idyllic harbour, above, reminds visitors of the city’s close ties to the sea, while in Helsinki, the playful Finns entertain tourists with funky art, like the statue left, which honours the country’s great composer Jean Sibelius.
© of Europe’s largest churches which can hold up to 10,000 worshippers and where the exterior pillars are made of solid marble, was the final stop on our whirlwind tour of St. Petersburg and the place where we reluctantly bid farewell to the delightful Natalia. We’re off again – this time to Helsinki and Stockholm. Finland’s capital city was actually ordered built by Russia’s Peter the Great in 1709. It and Stockholm pale in comparison to the grandeur of St. Petersburg, but still offer many delights of their own. Our favourite memory of Helsinki was climbing the steps at Senate Square to reach the elegant Lutheran Cathedral at the top from which we were able to survey the city’s downtown. Later at Sibelius Park we
loved the funky monument to Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. A brief visit to the resort village of Porvoo, a wonderful artist community one hour outside Helsinki, revealed cobblestone streets lined with wooden houses from the 1500s. In Stockholm we learned the story of the Vasa, the 17th Century Swedish warship which sank on its maiden voyage – just 200 metres from where it set sail. It was brought back to the surface in 1961 and is now housed in its own museum where the 12,000 artifacts it was carrying that fateful day are now displayed. The Norwegian Sun safely docks in Dover 13 days after we set sail on our Grand Tour of the Baltic – a trip that now has us hooked on cruising; at any price! •
INFORMATION • To find out more about Norwegian Cruise Lines and its lineup of Baltic programs, please go to www2.ncl.com • Visitors to Russia must have an official travel Visa. • Natalia’s St. Petersburg Guide-Guru franchise offers guided tours of Russia – go to www. guide-guru.com for more information.
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