Wanderlust, Issue 224 (Dec 2022/Jan 2023) Sampler

Cartagena, Colombia

Photographers: Hemis/Alamy

Cartagena is a city of bold images and complicated histories, as new book Cartagena Grace by Lauren Santo Domingo and Johanna Ortiz shows. The city’s UNESCO-listed Old Town may owe its look to the coffers of King Philip II of Spain, but it bristles with colours born entirely of its Caribbean coastline. Then there are the palenqueras: ladies in bright dresses of African design, who walk the streets posing for snaps, but whose origins lie in San Basilio de Palenque, a 17th-century village of runaway slaves that became the first ‘free’ town in the Americas. This shot brings these two sides of the city together with another icon: the voluptuous La Gorda Gertrudis by Fernando Botero, an artist who knows that true beauty comes from the shape of imperfect things. It is Cartagena in a nutshell: seductive yet with a depth that rewards the traveller who looks closer. © Hemis/Alamy. Cartagena Grace by Lauren Santo Domingo and Johanna Ortiz (£70; Assouline) is out now; eu.assouline.com

Escape to the Cape

Make the most of South Africa’s striking coastline, dramatic mountains and cultural life with these perfectly placed Cape Town stays

Reviewed by Tebogo Pin-Pin

CAPE GRACE

From its location, on a private quay between the V&A Waterfront and the yacht basin, Cape Grace more than lives up to its name. Its setting certainly helps, with guests cheerfully removed from the busier shop ping areas of Cape Town’s wharf. Instead, mountain-facing rooms give visitors the feeling of being a world apart, while balconies with views of the working harbour offer something else: a sense that you’re on a real city waterfront and not some tourist replica. Artefacts, local paint ings, sculptures, rare fabrics and original antiques narrate the Cape’s colourful past throughout the hotel and offer a break from the identikit design of most luxury stays. But it’s the details that impress. The spa has African-inspired treatments that let you unwind in peace, and if you aren’t tempted by the culinary delights of the city, the respected Signal Restaurant is reason enough to lure you out of your room; plus there’s a whiskey bar, a fully equipped gym and a swimming pool. Rooms from £685 per night, including breakfast; capegrace.com

The

THE WINCHESTER BOUTIQUE HOTEL

The Winchester is certainly hard to miss. The look of this pink 1920s Cape Dutch-style confection is eye-catching enough, but then there’s the setting. Its location, on the edge of the busy Sea Point Promenade on Beach Road, means the swell of the Atlantic is an ever-present companion, while both Table Mountain and Signal Hill form a back drop to remember. Ocean views from the restaurant’s terrace continue a coastal vibe that also takes in a pool and Italian-style courtyard surrounded by palm trees and fountains. Rooms channel the 1920s design theme that runs throughout to add a distinguished feel to any stay. Rooms from £313 per night, including breakfast; newmarkhotels. com/accommodation/the-winchester-hotel

Sitting by the dock of the bay

habourside setting of Cape Grace and many of Cape Town’s luxury hotels offers a window on the city’s still-working waterfront

Tales of the

sea

The remote islands of Australia’s Torres Strait lie in one of the most hazardous stretches of water in the world, but those who make it there will find stories and wildlife well worth the effort

Words Lizzie Pook

Heart of a Nation

One of the biggest projects transforming Saudi Arabia is the restoration of Diriyah, birthplace of the Kingdom. As it opens permanently to visitors for the first time, we discover a historic wonder that manages to also capture a new era

Words Lyn Hughes & Juliet Rix

Diriyah: The city of earth

A series of huge projects are changing the face of Saudi Arabia, but none is more symbolic than the restoration of its old capital, finds Lyn Hughes

any people don’t know Saudi food,” explained Hadeel Al Mutawa, the female founder of Takya restaurant, as eight of us sat around a table in relaxed camaraderie sharing the first wave of dishes she had sent out. A salad of fig, mandarin and pomegranate arrived, followed by citrus-infused chickpeas with beetroot, and light dumplings stuffed with pumpkin. It was traditional food but made with a contemporary twist and taken to fine-dining levels. It’s no surprise thatTakya was one of the first restaurants offered a prestigious spot in a new high-profile development overlooking the UNESCOWorld Heritage site of At-Turaif. Hadeel had more than earned her place at its table. Just as enjoyable as the mouthwatering cuisine was the wide-ranging conversation swirling around it. My Saudi companions were all connected in some way with At-Turaif and Diriyah – a project launched to restore what was the birthplace of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, capital of the First Saudi State and original home of the Al Saud family, opening it back up to the public. It was the reason for my visit. But what also struck me was how we were all men and women

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dining together in Saudi Arabia, the conversation both rich and stimulating.

If you haven’t heard, there’s change afoot in Saudi. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud is on a mission to transform the kingdom’s economy with his Vision 2030 masterplan, fuelled partly by opening the country up to tourism.And with two-thirds of the population under the age of 35, the social transformations it has triggered are being embraced by a new generation, at least in the main centres.

Since 2019 there have been radical changes here. Men and women are no longer segregated in restaurants.There are targets to get more women into employment – and they can now drive. Cinemas have even opened and the arts are now being encouraged. It was my first visit to Saudi, and in truth, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But the tone was set upon arriving at Riyadh’s airport, where the immigration official was an efficient but friendly woman, who promptly told me to enjoy my stay.

Just as fascinating is how the country is reshaping itself physically. Several giga-projects are being planned as part of this transformation, and tourism is driving many of them. NEOM,

A sunny future

(top) The buildings of At-Turaif are a mix of original and restored sections, but care is being taken across much of the Diriyah development to build in a way that doesn’t clash with the original city – even its luxury hotels will have mud-brick façades

Previous spread: DGDA; this spread: DGDA; Juliet Rix; Takya

a futuristic megacity, has been making headlines, as has a huge project on the Red Sea that includes a luxury tourism destination, AMAALA, which is due to open in 2027. But one of the first, and arguably most important, developments is Diriyah.

This project cuts to the heart of the nation and its Saudi identity. Once a nondescript town on the outskirts of Riyadh, Diriyah is home to the UNESCOWorld Heritage site of At-Turaif. It was inscribed in 2010,yet its mud-built palace, monuments and mosques had been little visited or appreciated, even by Saudis.

The plans for Diriyah’s redevelopment are far-reaching but also mindful of the area’s past.A large section will be pedestrianised; cars will be banished underground, with parking going three levels deep. All buildings, including the hotels that are opening, will be built in the Najdi style, with exteriors made of traditional mud bricks. Looking at the plans, it was apparent that much of it will be made on a very human scale, with shaded narrow streets echoing the Arabian cities of old.

The whole project will take years to complete, but the focus for now is on the historic At-Turaif district, which will be fully open to the public this December. It is a living archaeological site where discoveries are still being found, which made me

all the keener to visit. Guides have been recruited and trained, and over 60% of them are women. Key buildings have been carefully restored, and walkways, interpretation boards and museums have now been incorporated into the area.

Also opening is Bujairi Terrace, a collection of restaurants overlooking At-Turaif that will offer a range of top-level dining options from around the world, as well as esteemed local brands such as Hadeel Al Mutawa’sTakya.

The speed of change here is dizzying, and both the Diriyah project and the wider social reforms are no less momentous in person. I asked Muhannad Shono, an artist who had been living overseas before returning home, whether he had concerns about any future backlash against the social changes.

“The difference would be that now people have tasted a different way, it wouldn’t be easy to change that,” he told me.

As I sat amid the historic walls of At-Turaif at dusk, watching a ‘Sound & Light Show’ projected onto its mud bricks, I imagined Diriyah in its heyday.And then I thought of its resurgence today and of the wider and far-reaching developments going on all around it. I was glad that I’d had the chance to visit the country at this extraordinary point in time.

Food for the body and the mind (this page; clockwise from top left) Takya takes traditional Saudi Arabian dishes from regions across the kingdom and updates and modernises them for a fine-dining audience; a palm tree – one of many being replanted around Diriyah – casts a shadow against the historic mud-brick walls of the At-Turaif district; an old copy of the Qur’an that can be seen in the Diriyah Museum, one of five new cultural institutions opening in At-Turaif; before the recent reforms, it was more difficult to be an artist and there was little support – as a sign of the changing times, the Ministry of Culture is now subsidising studios in Diriyah’s new JAX Art District

Green and pleasant land

The Murcian philanthropist Ricardo Codorníu, who trans formed the area that is now Sierra Espuña Regional Park in the 19th century, was known as ‘The Apostle of Trees’

SPAIN

Forget those images of fly-n-flop beaches, tourism in Spain is going distinctly – and brilliantly – green

Words Eddi Fiegel

ALTERNATIVE WINTER EXPERIENCES

Don’t hibernate! It might be chilly, but there’s a whole world of adventures that are just perfect at this time of year, from hand-fishing for salmon and spotting polar bear cubs to sleeping under a tongue of ice

Words Gareth Clark

Grab some culture

a sake-soaked battle: the town’s young people (all aged 25) attack a hand-built wooden shrine defended by the town elders (all aged 42) – these ages are deemed unlucky in Japan. By the end of the night, the shrine has been burnt to cinders, the bad spirits dispelled and plenty more spirits have been drunk.

Watch sky lanterns in Taiwan

Dodge fireballs in Scotland

While Shetland plays host to the fiery Up Helly Aa festival every January, the little fishing town of Stonehaven, near Aberdeen, lights up just as spec tacularly for Hogmanay.The Fireball Ceremony sees locals swinging flaming wire cages parade the main street until the wee hours of 31 December. It likely emerged from superstition, as a way to burn away bad spirits so the fishermen would have good luck; today it’s a magnificent excuse for a party.

Join the fire wars of Japan

Locals start cutting wood for the Nozawa Onsen Fire Festival as early as October, though the 300-year-old event is actually held on 15 January.The highlight is

The 15th day of the first month in the lunar calendar (5 February 2023) sees the air above Taipei’s Pingxi district fill with flames. During the Lantern Festival, thousands of paper lanterns are released into the night sky, while revellers also

Fire and ice (clockwise from far left) Vatnajökull glacier covers eight percent of Iceland; it takes 100 villagers to build the shrine for the Nozawa festival; according to legend, sky lanterns were invented by a Chinese statesman in around 220 AD; Stonehaven’s ceremony begins as the old Town House bell chimes midnight

cruise the night markets and gorge on fried chicken (a local obsession!).

Meet the folk demons of Bulgaria

In Bulgaria the wearing of masks was once thought to provide protection from bad spirits and encourage a good harvest. Now, these old pagan beliefs and customs take on a more modern form in Pernik’s International Festival of Masquerade Games (late January).

See locals roaming the streets wearing elaborate, monster-like costumes and performing the ritual kukeri dance, in order to chase evil away.

Float an ice river in Idaho, USA

No prizes for guessing what the Idaho town of Lava Hot Springs is famous for. Much of its Fire & Ice Winterfest (4–5 February 2023) focuses on the frozen aspect of these celebrations. You can drift down the Pontneuf River in an inner tube or join the locals sprinting the main street in their bathers to leap into the city fountain.Torchlit ski displays and plenty of time in the town’s thermal waters will warm you up later.

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A history written in stone

The USA and Canada’s Great Lakes region is bigger and older than most countries. Now a newly launched cruise is squeezing its billions of years of geological history into just eight days

Words Mark Jones

Isles of Scilly

Timing

British archipelago,

Some drove through the night, others took the sleeper train to Penzance, but we all arrived in good time for the morning boat to the Isles of Scilly.The long build-up is more than a necessity; it eases visitors into island life, where things move slower. Even while boarding the old-fashioned Scillonian ferry, it was clear we had slid into a timeworn dance: luggage was hoisted by crane, passengers strolled aboard on foot. All was as it should be. Pulling out of Penzance, I saw a pod of porpoises skipping the waves. It was a good omen, and we soon slid past the Cornish coast and into open water. My destination lay 45km south-west, where five inhabited islands (and many more uninhabited ones) offered a glimpse of a gentler life – though they were far from the same. Each had its own character: St Mary’s was the lively hub;Tresco had fine beaches and subtropical gardens; St Martin’s was dreamlike; St Agnes had an Enid Blyton-esque feel (and lashings of ice cream); and Bryher was rugged and wild.

As I travelled the islands, I couldn’t help but be struck by the ever-changing landscapes. One

minute I was climbing through heathland gorse and heather, the next I was dipping into coastal forests or passing wetlands. I could spend a morning beachcombing and swimming in secluded bays and an afternoon exploring hilltop fortifications and burial chambers, all at my own leisurely pace.

For many, wildlife is the main lure here. Boat safaris in search of dolphins, porpoises and seals dominate itineraries. Birders have a good chance of seeing puffins, Manx shearwaters, guillemots, razorbills, shags and fulmars at various times of the year. Even the flora entrances.The showy agapanthus, with its large purple and white flowers that are synonymous with the islands, often caught my eye.

Between exploring coastal paths, prehistoric monuments and ancient shoreline churches, I tried to slow down. I strolled dozing settlements, pottered in shops and lost all sense of time searching for cowrie shells.The summer high season meant boats were more frequent and I could maximise my stay here – and catch the gig-boat racing season – but there’s just so much to fit in.That’s the trouble with slowing down – you eventually run out of time.

Ask a local

“‘Aggy! Aggy! Aggy! Oi! Oi! Oi!’ is all you can hear from the St Agnes spectator boats, fuelled with competitive Scillonian spirit. Follow the weekly gig races (ladies on Wednesdays, men on Friday nights); it’s the high point of the Scillonian summer for visitors and locals alike. The varied race courses over the season take you on an exploration of not just Scilly’s natural beauty, but also its rich culture and history.

Centuries ago, the gigs raced to vessels needing guidance and to assist shipwrecks; today these very same boats are symbols of Scillonian identity.”

Hicks, Troytown Farm, St Agnes

is everything on this

where life slows to the beat of the tides and you lose yourself among coastal paths, pale sands and castles, discovers Helen Moat

Sam

AWL Images; Dreamstime; Sam Hicks; Shutterstock

The sands of time (clockwise from this) Strolling the shores of Tresco reveals glimpses of lone beaches and a slower life; Atlantic grey seals thrive on the islands; the ruined archway of Tresco Abbey is surrounded by beautiful subtropical gardens; the Scillonian casts off; Bant’s Carn burial chamber dates back to the Bronze Age

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