The Explorer - Issue 02 - Winter 2016

ISSUE 02 | WINTER 2016

EDITOR HEATHER RICHARDSON

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FRANSCHHOEK’S BEST KEPT SECRET

Sophisticated style and breathtaking beauty is the essence of La Clé des Montagnes.

La Clé des Montagnes offers an idyllic accommodation setting a short stroll from the historic village of Franschhoek in South Africa’s Winelands. A selection of four unique villas await you on a working wine estate, surrounded by picturesque vineyards and plum orchards with a magnificent mountain backdrop.

We invite you to enjoy an unparalleled luxurious experience in the heart of the beautiful Franschhoek valley.

THE EXPLORER | WINTER 2016 | 03

Dear Traveller,

Although January can be a bit miserable for many, it’s a time when we at Jacada Travel get very excited about planning our travels - for ourselves and our clients - for the coming year. Already we have personal trips booked

to Cuba, Peru and Everest Base Camp and are busy preparing some fantastic itineraries for our travellers. If you’re stumped for inspiration, I suggest checking out our list of top destinations for 2016 on page 14. Our second issue of The Explorer features my favourite safari destination, Kenya. This is a country full of culture and history, with some of the most varied landscapes on the continent. My colleague Jonny was brought up in Kenya and knows the country back to front - you can read his article on page 16. January is also an exciting month for us as it’s the time we launch our very first European tours. Anna explains how you helped us choose our destinations on page 38. I’m particularly keen to start introducing people to my home city, London - it’s only when I started to explore my backyard as a tourist I realised how lucky I am to live here. Another big event this year is Rio 2016. I used to live in Rio - in fact, it’s where the idea for Jacada Travel was born - so I can’t wait to see how the city benefits from the Olympics. A trip to Rio is the perfect opportunity to maximise that long-haul flight and discover some more highlights of South America. On page 26, Ciara rounds up the best places to visit over the Olympic season, from the Galápagos Islands to the Uyuni salt flat in Bolivia. Whether you like to make the most of the snowy season (page 42) or are jetting off to escape the cold (page 48), there’s a winter destination for everyone. I hope you’re visiting one of these this season - and if not, you know who to call.

Warm regards,

Alex MalcolmFounder & MD

A LETTER FROM ALEX

FEATURES

P 0 8 C R U I S E S We outline the best small ship cruising destinations - this year’s biggest travel trend.

P 3 2 LO N D O N Heather Richardson takes a tour of Westminster Abbey and delves into Britain’s long history.

P 1 6 K E N YA Jonny Humphreys writes about his childhood home and the birthplace of safari, Kenya.

P 2 6 SO U T H A M E R I C A With Rio 2016 fast approaching, Ciara Owens outlines the best August side trips from Rio de Janeiro.

IN THIS ISSUE OF THE EXPLORER


MEERA DATTANI TRAVEL WRITER

RACHEL BECKASIA EXPERT

Meera is a freelance travel journalist with a love for independent travel, walking and cycling holidays, wildlife, national parks, and eco tourism. She’s always on the look-out for interesting adventures, stories and people on her trips, which include Argentina, South Africa, India, Cambodia and French Polynesia. @no_fixed_plans

Half Spanish, half Swedish and raised in Tenerife (in part by an Andalusian nun), Anna has spent her life living in Spain, Sweden and the UK and has extensive experience travelling across Europe. Favourite countries include Italy and Croatia. Anna has sailed across the Atlantic twice as well as a fair number of passages in the Mediterranean.

Born in Tanzania and brought up in Kenya followed by decades travelling around Africa, Jonny has a genuine love for this continent. Some of his standout travel moments include watching a migration river crossing in Tanzania, canoeing down the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe and taking his local rugby team on tour in Kenya.

Heather’s experience of travelling started at 18 years old with a trip to Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands, including a six-week stint in the rainforest. An award-winning writer and one of TTG’s 30 under 30, Heather combines her passion for travel with her creative credentials as Jacada Travel’s marketing and editorial manager. @hg_richardson

Rachel’s passion for Asia was ignited when she spent a year teaching English in South Korea. Afterwards, she spent months travelling through Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Recently, Rachel has been exploring Indonesia, from the jungles of Borneo and the volcanoes of Java, to Bali’s fascinating culture and dramatic coastline.

Ciara’s love affair with South America began in 2001 when she went to Ecuador to teach English and was captivated by the vibrancy of the culture, the friendliness of the people and living at high altitudes. Since then she has ventured all over the continent from Patagonia to Colombia, living and working in the Galápagos Islands and Chile.

ANNA MASCARO EUROPE EXPERT

JONNY HUMPHREYS AFRICA & SAFARI EXPERT

CIARA OWENSLATIN AMERICA EXPERT

HEATHER RICHARDSON EDITOR

CONTRIBUTORS

CONTENTS

06 HOT TICKETS: TIME TO BOOK YOUR NEXT TRIP

14 WHERE TO TRAVEL: OUR TOP PICKS FOR 2016

22 THE GUIDE: VIETNAM

36 A LOVE AFFAIR: ITALY

38 OUR NEWEST TOURS: EUROPE

40 TOP DESTINATIONS: FAMILY TRIPS TO ASIA

42 DESTINATION INSPIRATION: TOP WINTER ACTIVITIES

46 GIVING BACK: INTERVIEW WITH THE FOUNDER OF BUILDING SCHOOLS FOR BURMA

48 CHASING THE SUN: WHERE TO GO TO ESCAPE THE WINTER

51 LAST-MINUTE ESCAPES: GO NOW

hot tickets

JOURNEY TO THE KOMODO ISLANDS ON BOARD A LUXURY BOATSail away in Indonesia on board one of our luxury phinisi boats (page eight) and visit the Komodo Islands, home to the huge, dragon-like Komodo monitors.

MAY 2016 >>> OCTOBER 2016


BOOK NOW

BE AMONGST THE FIRST GUESTS ON VAMIZI ISLANDThe new resort on Vamizi Island featuring six private villas will start taking bookings from March. Mozambique is another destination on our travel list for 2016 - flick to page 14 for the full selection.

BOOK YOUR CHRISTMAS ESCAPE TO COSTA RICAFeatured on our top places to go in 2016, Costa Rica is a country of incredible diversity. Soak in the hot springs, raft along the jungle rapids, go surfing on windswept beaches and watch baby turtles hatching.

DECEMBER 2016 >>> APRIL 2017

APRIL 2016 >>> DECEMBER 2016

the journey where the only moored boat is yours. Small ship cruising is the newest travel trend and the most elegant way to embrace slow travel. Climb on board in some of these destinations.

IndonesiaThe Indonesian archipelago is a divers’ delight, with a rich marine life dwelling beneath the water’s glittering surface. Giant manta rays sail serenely through the water, blacktip reef sharks patrol the coral banks and mellow hawksbill turtles float with the current. Even for

SLOW TRAVEL

What do you think when someone says ‘cruise’? If the image that springs to mind is hundreds of

silver-haired passengers packed onto an enormous vessel with nightly Michael Jackson tribute acts, think again. Cruising has taken on a new, boutique slant. These small, stylish boats have a limited number of cabins and all the trappings of a luxury hotel: think pool decks and cocktails; large, comfortable beds that face a balcony on which to watch the world go by; onboard expert guides and naturalists; and stops along

Take things at a slower pace on a luxury, boutique cruise – this year’s biggest travel trend.


Galápagos IslandsWhilst these boats are not the most lavish, it’s the destination that makes a Galápagos cruise so extraordinary. Tourism in these islands is strictly controlled, so there is never a huge amount of fellow travellers with whom to share the experience, but the better boats are the smallest. Spend your days sailing from one site to another; swim with the planet’s most northerly penguins; meet the playful sea lions, ever curious about visitors; trek to the volcano craters for a panoramic view of the islands; and spot the ancient giant tortoises made famous by Darwin. When to go? Year-round

poem, these boats drift between Bagan and Mandalay. Sip a gin and tonic, recline on your sunlounger and watch as you pass the golden temples that pepper the banks, the villages perched on stilts over the water and little wooden fishing boats that put-put-put along the river. Many of us are too used to a fast-paced city existence and taking things down a notch is a luxury few afford themselves. When to go? November to March

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those who don’t dive, spending time on the water is the best way to see the far-flung islands of Indonesia. Luxury phinisi boats – traditional two-mast ships – glide along the exotic shores of Raja Ampat in eastern Indonesia. Visit secluded white-sand beaches or journey to the Komodo Islands to glimpse the world’s largest lizard, the prehistoric-looking Komodo dragon. When to go? May to October

MyanmarThe newest cruising destination is Myanmar, where luxury boats are dipping their metaphorical toes into the waters of the Irrawaddy River. Following the route often called the ‘road to Mandalay’ after the Rudyard Kipling

CLOCKWISE FROM MAIN: THE TIGER BLUE

BOAT IN INDONESIA; THE STRAND

CRUISE, MYANMAR; A FISHERMAN IN

MYANMAR; SEA LIONS IN THE GALÁPAGOS; LOCAL INDONESIAN

KIDS; JUMPING OFF A BOAT IN INDONESIA

Mekong RiverThe Mekong is the world’s 12th largest river, and flows from the mountains of Tibet right through Southeast Asia, from Myanmar down to southern Vietnam. There it opens up into the Mekong Delta and releases into the South China Sea. Between Vietnam’s Saigon and Siem Reap in Cambodia, luxury boats meander through the waterways, passing rice paddies, floating markets where locals sell pineapples and fresh fish, and riverside villages that specialise in farming sugarcane and silk weaving. When to go? May to August for the best river conditions, or November to April for low water, but less rain

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AntarcticaThe ultimate bucket list destination, Antarctica is a remote, white desert accessible only to a privileged few. Take in lectures as you cross the famous Drake Passage or simply fly straight to the Antarctic Peninsula. Kayak through a sea of floating icebergs, watch curious whales investigate your boat, visit penguin colonies as they huddle together at the water’s edge and spend a night camping on the ice. Above all, make sure you savour the experience of being somewhere that can still be considered one of the world’s last great wildernesses. When to go? November to February

Peruvian AmazonExplore the deep, dense Amazon rainforest from the comfort of a luxury river cruise. Fly into Iquitos in northern Peru to begin your journey. As you sail along the river, you’ll stop for a variety of excursions, including nature walks through the jungle and visiting villages nestled in the rainforest. Keep your eyes peeled to spot howler monkeys swooping through the trees, sloths creeping along gnarled branches, hummingbirds flitting from flower to flower and rare pink dolphins frolicking in the river. When to go? Year-round (though June to September is slightly drier)


“Giant manta rays sail serenely through the water, blacktip reef sharks patrol the coral banks and mellow hawksbill turtles float with the current.”

CLOCKWISE FROM MAIN: THE MEKONG

BACKWATERS; PENGUINS IN

ANTARCTICA; ANTARCTICA XXI;

REFLECTIONS IN THE AMAZON

For further information and reservations, please visit www.thestrandcruise.comor contact [email protected]

The Strand Cruise is the latest Luxury Cruise to sail the magnificent Ayeyarwady River of Asia’s hidden treasure that is Myanmar. Embark for an authentic journey of discoveries from visiting temples, pagodas, palaces and monasteries to remote villages aboard this ship, which mirrors

the heritage and reputation of its sister property, The Strand Hotel in Yangon.

AN EXCLUSIVE & LUXURIOUS CRUISE

THE EXPLORER | WINTER 2016 |13

WHAT TO PACKCRUISE

Don’t forget your cruising essentials.

POLAR

• Down jacket• Winter gloves and hat• Thermal underwear• Warm layers• Waterproof jacket• Waterproof hiking/mountain boots

for ‘wet landings’• Sunglasses with UV filter• Sun block• Waterproof bag and camera case• Seasickness tablets if needed

GENERAL

• Good book/s• Camera• Binoculars• Travel journal

• Sunglasses and hat• Sun block• Sandals• Comfortable walking shoes• Cover-ups for visiting local

villages and religious sites

TROPICAL

TOP: GORE-TEX GLOVES, $139, GORE-TEX.COM; PHENERGAN TABLETS FOR SEASICKNESS; RIGHT: DOWN JACKET, $229, PATAGONIA.COM

THE LIST

FROM LEFT: ESCAPE FROM THE ANTARCTIC BY ERNEST SHACKLETON, FROM $7, AMAZON.CO.UK; THE RIVER OF LOST FOOTSTEPS BY THANT MYINT-U, FROM $15, AMAZON.COM

For further information and reservations, please visit www.thestrandcruise.comor contact [email protected]

The Strand Cruise is the latest Luxury Cruise to sail the magnificent Ayeyarwady River of Asia’s hidden treasure that is Myanmar. Embark for an authentic journey of discoveries from visiting temples, pagodas, palaces and monasteries to remote villages aboard this ship, which mirrors

the heritage and reputation of its sister property, The Strand Hotel in Yangon.

AN EXCLUSIVE & LUXURIOUS CRUISE

“There is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.”

Ranulph Fiennes, explorer

LEFT: TRAVEL JOURNAL, SMYTHSON, $215, SMYTHSON.COM

MyanmarThe results of the recent general election in Myanmar (formerly Burma) have filled the country with renewed hope and excitement.

Myanmar is an enormous country, containing far too much to see in one trip, but our highlights include a boat trip around Inle Lake to admire the leg-row-ing techniques of the local fishermen; soaring above Bagan’s temple-littered plains; a gentle cruise down the Irrawaddy, the River of Spirits; a visit to the Green Hill Valley Elephant Camp in the cool highlands of Kalaw; and laying eyes on Yangon’s impressive Shwedagon Pagoda.

“Myanmar’s landscape is rapidly changing with the recent surge of interna-tional interest and I would urge all those interested in the country to travel there as soon as possible, before the influx of large hotels and fellow travellers inevitably changes the experience. You’ll find the Burmese the most warm and welcoming people you’ll ever hope to meet, all willing speak freely and share their views of the politics of the country past and present. There’s a quiet charm to the countryside, as you see women farming rice, the leg fishermen working and the colourful markets full of fresh produce in the same way as generations past. The integral influence of Buddhism makes Myanmar a peace-ful and fascinating place to visit.” - Kate Edwards, Asia Expert

WHERE TO TRAVEL IN 2016DESTINATION INSPIRATION

CLOCKWISE FROM MAIN: TEMPLES OF

BAGAN, MYANMAR; BOTSWANA’S

OKAVANGO DELTA; MAASAI MARA, KENYA;

PARIS’ EIFFEL TOWER; PROVENCE, FRANCE;

FERNANDO DE NORONHA, BRAZIL;

CHRIST THE REDEEMER, RIO DE JANEIRO.

We’ve highlighted a few places that are on our team’s ‘must see’ list for 2016.

BrazilBrazil takes to the international stage when it hosts the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro from 5th to 21st August 2016.

Take advantage of Rio’s cash injec-tion to visit the city when it has its glad rags on for the world to admire. Cycle along the beaches, watching the cariocas parade around in little to nothing, running, powerwalking, skateboarding and playing football; sip zesty caipirinhas on a night out at a samba bar; and watch the sun set behind the Christ the Redeemer statue from Sugarloaf Mountain. But don’t stop at Rio – there’s much more to discover in this giant coun-try, from the spectacular, thundering Iguassu Falls and the dense, exotic Amazon rainforest to the relaxed, but stylish beach town of Trancoso and the little-known forested hills of Ibitipoca State Park.

MYANMAR • COSTA RICA • BRAZIL • BOTSWANA • VIETNAM • KENYA • FRANCE • INDONESIA • MOZAMBIQUE • SPAIN • ANTARCTICA


BOOK NOW

KenyaThe original safari destination, Kenya has recently rebooted its tourism industry and just in time to start celebrating 100 years of safari.

The commercial safari experience was established in Kenya around the late 1910s and 1920s, and some of the founding camps – such as Cottar’s – are still in operation. Because of the industry’s age, Kenya has one of the best infrastructures in Africa, so travelling around the country is easy. Aside from history, Kenya has a staggering range of landscapes from the savannah of the Maasai Mara to the snowy peaks of Mount Kenya. The country has a wide, fascinating range of cultures and people, and a rich literary and cinematic background. And this is before we’ve even mentioned the wildlife. Here, you can watch herds of wildebeest crash across the Mara River in the Great Mi-gration, see cheetahs streak across the plains, and even have breakfast with curious giraffes.

FranceTourists are still travelling to France in their droves and we will be amongst them.

From Champagne in the north to Burgundy in the east, the wine regions of France are amongst the world’s best. The country’s food is a major driving force behind people visiting, hungry for the fresh bread, cheese, pastries and classic, un-complicated French dishes. Winter brings skiers in their thousands, whilst in the summer, the dazzling water and super-sleek yachts of the sun-drenched Mediterranean coast-line glimmer. Then there’s Paris, the city about which Victor Hugo said, “He who contemplates the depths of Paris is seized with vertigo. Nothing is more fantastic. Nothing is more tragic. Nothing is more sublime.”

For our full list, head to explorer.jacadatravel.com

BotswanaIn September 2016, Botswana cele-brates its 50th anniversary of inde-pendence. The event shines a spot-light on Africa’s most eco-friendly country.

Paddle down the waterways of the Okavango Delta in a mokoro (canoe), passing wallowing hippos and ele-phants. The lions of Duba Plains are famous for their buffalo hunting, and Botswana is one of the best places to watch packs of endangered wild dogs racing through the plains, chasing down their prey. The Makgadikgadi Pans are an unearthly terrain of vast salt flats. Home to a handful of small, luxury camps, the bushmen, cheeky meerkats and giant, ancient baobab trees, the silent, peaceful pans are also superb places for stargazing.

“We are extremely privileged in Bot-swana in that the country is vast and has remained wild, as development has been well governed, considered and secure. This has resulted in the wild areas remaining truly wild, so one can offer an authentic, life-chang-ing experience.”- Ralph Bousfield, guide and co-own-er of Jack’s Camp

THE ORIGINAL SAFARI

Jonny Humphreys explains why no country is quite like his childhood home, the birthplace of safari, Kenya.

has been phased out and guns replaced with cameras. Ivory hunting is illegal in Kenya and many former hunters have turned to guiding, using their knowledge for a more positive purpose. Today, the safari industry benefits from this history: Kenya has the best infrastructure in Africa and some of the finest family-run lodges, many of which date back to the very first safaris. ICONIC LIONS AND ENDANGERED RHINOS

The wildlife that populates the sprawling plains of Kenya is the main

reason people visit. The Maasai Mara is one of the best places to see big cats, especially lions and cheetahs. Lions are

One of the most diverse and striking countries in Africa, Kenya was home for most of my childhood.

With parents who worked in the travel industry, we used to travel often and far throughout the country, always ending up at a beach resort for a few days in the sun. I have a genuine love for the country, for its people, the landscapes and of course, the wildlife. THE HOME OF SAFARI

Around 100 years ago, the first safaris began in Kenya, then under British

colonial rule. The first safaris were hunting trips for wealthy Europeans and Americans, but gradually trophy hunting

particularly interwoven with Kenya’s cultural fabric: this was the home of Elsa, star of Joy Adamson’s true story Born Free, the film of which turns 50 this year; the Born Free Foundation has declared 2016 the ‘Year of the Lion’. The iconic lioness’ grave is located in Meru. Watching a cheetah – the fastest animal on Earth – streak across the savannah after its prey is an impressive sight. The animal’s agility and speed are mesmerising. Cheetahs are in their element in the Maasai Mara, where the landscape is free of obstruction, which allows them to reach their lightning-quick top speed of 60-odd miles per hour. The cats can accelerate from 0 to 60 in just three seconds - that’s faster than most supercars.

CLOCKWISE FROM MAIN: FLAMINGOS

IN LAKE NAKURU; LEOPARDS IN LEWA; A GUIDE AT SARARA

LODGE IN SAMBURU; RHINOS; ELEPHANTS AT

SUNRISE

“The cats can accelerate from 0 to 60 in just three seconds - that’s faster than most supercars.”


Kenya is also the site of the famous Great Migration. Throughout the year, around 1.5 million wildebeest, 400,000 zebras and 200,000 gazelles travel in a constant migration that sees them following the rains through Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and Kenya’s Maasai Mara. At the border between the two countries, the Mara River temporarily halts the herds. They gather at the banks, nervously examining the water, until one wildebeest makes a break for it and gallops into the muddy river. The herd follows en masse, stampeding down the

banks and into the water. Several will fall prey to the famished crocodiles that lurk beneath the surface, having spent the entire year waiting for the herds. This is one of the most dramatic events I’ve seen in my 20 years as a safari expert – it’s not simply the sight of the river crossing, but the spine-tingling sounds of thundering hooves and grunting wildebeest that accompany it. Rhinos are well protected in Kenya and there are plenty of chances to see them in the wild, a privilege not to be taken lightly as poaching increases at an

alarming rate across Africa. Alongside southern white and black rhinos, Kenya is home to the world’s last male northern white rhino, named Sudan, currently under 24-hour army protection at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in central Kenya. Aside from the Big Five, there are rarer animals to spot in Kenya, too. Grevy’s zebra is an endangered subspecies, identifiable by its thinner stripes. The reticulated giraffe, with its earthy-red coat and neat white stripes, is found in the northern parts of Kenya, and the long-necked gerenuk, which is known

“Elephants show off mighty tusks of epic proportions, whilst cheetahs sit tall atop termite mounds scanning the sun-bleached plains for movement.”

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CLOCKWISE FROM MAIN: LIONS IN THE MARA; A GUIDE AT CAMPI YA KANZI IN THE CHYULU HILLS; THE NORTH KENYAN LANDSCAPE

PHO

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for standing on its hind legs to reach low-hanging branches, can be spotted in regions such as Samburu and areas with dry vegetation and thickets. A DIVERSE TERRAIN

For me, Kenya really stands out from other safari destinations because of

its landscapes. From the sparkling Indian Ocean lapping at the sandy shores of Kenya’s beaches to the rugged, snow-capped summit of Africa’s second tallest peak, Mount Kenya, I don’t think I’m being too biased when I say my home country is undeniably stunning. At 3,700 miles long, the Great Rift Valley runs from Syria to Mozambique, cutting straight through Kenya. Within the valley is Kenya’s lake system, a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its varied wildlife and endangered species. These animals include the lesser flamingo and the great white pelicans, for which the lakes are a critical breeding and nesting site. Lake Victoria is the world’s second

PACK YOUR BAGS

The Great Migration Luxury Safari >> Nine days on safari in the Maasai Mara and the Chyulu Hills – from $7,674 per person.


largest freshwater lake and the main source of the River Nile. Named after Queen Victoria, the lake was first discovered by Western explorers in 1858 when the British John Hanning Speke set out to find the source of the Nile. Today, the lake is a haven for birdlife, such as the African fish eagle, identified by its haunting call. The enormous (and quite delicious) Nile perch is fished from the lake, some of which are bigger than grown men. In the wild Chyulu Hills, elephants show off mighty tusks of epic proportions, whilst cheetahs sit tall atop termite mounds scanning the sun-bleached plains for movement. This is a volcanic land, with some peaks having formed as recently as 500 years ago. Across the Tanzanian border, Kilimanjaro looms. PEOPLE, CULTURES AND TRIBES

There are over 40 ethnic groups in Kenya from the Maasai and Turkana

tribes to the Europeans and Indians who

arrived throughout the 19th century. The official language of Kenya is English, but Swahili is the national language and the most widely spoken (the word ‘safari’ comes from the Swahili for ‘journey’). Of course, each tribe has its own mother tongue. All this makes Kenya a diverse and vibrant land, with many different people living side by side. The semi-nomadic Maasai tribes have long been a part of the safari industry, with their homelands being so close to popular destinations such as the Maasai Mara. They are distinctive with their red and plaid-patterned cotton wraps, stacks of colourful beaded necklaces and long earrings. Maasai guides are invaluable to many safari operators, adding a traditional, ancient understanding of the land to the modern elements of safari. Having travelled widely across Sub-Saharan Africa for work and leisure, I can truthfully say that no other place is quite like Kenya. As we approach the centennial of safari, it could be the perfect time to discover Kenya for yourself.

Most visitors to Vietnam will start in either the capital Hanoi or Saigon

(Ho Chi Minh City) and then work their way up or down the country. Hanoi, a charming, cultural city with hints of its French colonial past, is the gateway to Halong Bay, surely one of the most beautiful bays in the world. Saigon is a sprawling, frantically-paced city with a hot foodie scene and countless day trip options, including a visit to the impossibly narrow Cu Chi tunnels from where the Viet Cong fought during the Tet Offensive of 1968. Saigon is also where most trips to the Mekong Delta begin. In between these cities, you’ll pass the ancient citadel of Hué, the pretty town of Hoi An, with its multitude of tailors and cobbled streets, and the laidback beaches around Nha Trang.

A sliver of a country running the eastern length of Indochina, Vietnam is packed with breathtaking scenery, a long and often troubled history and a tantalising foodie scene. Whether you travel north to south or south to north, here are some of the highlights.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: l TEMPLE IN HUÉ; CYCLIST IN HOI AN; PHO; SPRING ROLLS; THE POOL AT AMANOI; THE SUN DECK ON THE PARADISE; JUNK BOATS ON HALONG BAY

HALONG BAY

VIETNAM

Halong Bay is the jewel in Vietnam’s crown. With glass-like water and great, limestone karst structures jutting out of the sea, the UNESCO-protected bay looks like the set of a fantasy film. On board a junk boat – a traditional Chinese-style ship with fully extended sails – the pace is slow and tranquil. You can visit caves filled with stalactites that

drip from the roof like melted wax or spend an afternoon in an empty cove with a picnic lunch. Kayak through the narrow passageways between looming, craggy karsts or plunge straight off the boat for an invigorating swim in the crisp, clear water. At night, that same water is alive with phosphorus plankton that lights up like tiny diamonds in the

THE GUIDE


FOOD

HALONG BAY

PACK YOUR BAGS

Luxury Private Tour of Vietnam >> A 15-day tour from Hanoi and Halong Bay, through Hué, Hoi An and Saigon, ending on the beach at Nha Trang – from $4,498 per person.

WHEN TO GO

sea as you swim. The sky mirrors the scene, with thousands upon thousands of flickering stars strewn across the inky black canvas.

Vietnamese food has been embraced by foodies across the world, but you can’t beat the real deal. You needn’t go far for a huge bowl of steaming Vietnamese noodle soup or pho (pronounced ‘fuh’, rather than ‘fo’). Every restaurant and street stall will serve this Vietnamese favourite (usually eaten for breakfast by the locals), and it’s not to be missed. The rice noodles are added to a thin broth flavoured with herbs and stock,

and diners are often given a pile of bean sprouts, chilli, fresh herbs and a wedge of lime to add to the soup. It’s not all pho though: try the Franco-Viet bánh mì pork baguettes; goi cuon, delicious rice paper spring rolls; or com tam, a broken rice dish often served with barbecued pork and a fried egg on top. Try a street food tour by Vespa in Saigon to soak up the sights, smells and sounds of Vietnam’s biggest city.

The weather in Vietnam varies regionally. The best time to visit is between January and May. In January and February it can be cool around

Hanoi and Halong Bay. November is dry in the north and south, but the central region experiences its worst rains; by December the conditions are better.

Galápagos Penguin

Let’s face it. We all came for the chance to get up close and personal with the superlative and unique wildlife of the Galapagos Islands. The Big 15 await

you: fearless, elegant, playful, open. This is nature viewing at its best. Nowhere

else in the world will you find penguins living on tropical islands, cormorants

surviving without flight, and birds of all types mating and nesting before your very

eyes. (Not to mention the sheer joy of swimming with the sea lions…)

LIVE THE WONDERSOF GALAPAGOS…

AS YOULIKE IT.

Santa Cruz II

Marine Iguana

Finch Bay Eco Hotel

Yacht Isabela II

But you want to see it on your terms. For some, that will mean adventure-filled days aboard the most comfortable, modern ships in the archipelago with an ample range of aquatic activities and itineraries planned by top expedition leaders. Or explore the islands on an intimate, traditional yacht that offers all of the conveniences you have come to expect from your travel experts. Still others will choose to rest around the pool or dine elegantly at the multiple award-winning Finch Bay Eco Hotel on Santa Cruz Island where you can explore at your own pace. You choose. We’ll make it happen. Safely. Beautifully. Uniquely.

Galápagos Penguin

Let’s face it. We all came for the chance to get up close and personal with the superlative and unique wildlife of the Galapagos Islands. The Big 15 await

you: fearless, elegant, playful, open. This is nature viewing at its best. Nowhere

else in the world will you find penguins living on tropical islands, cormorants

surviving without flight, and birds of all types mating and nesting before your very

eyes. (Not to mention the sheer joy of swimming with the sea lions…)

LIVE THE WONDERSOF GALAPAGOS…

AS YOULIKE IT.

Santa Cruz II

Marine Iguana

Finch Bay Eco Hotel

Yacht Isabela II

But you want to see it on your terms. For some, that will mean adventure-filled days aboard the most comfortable, modern ships in the archipelago with an ample range of aquatic activities and itineraries planned by top expedition leaders. Or explore the islands on an intimate, traditional yacht that offers all of the conveniences you have come to expect from your travel experts. Still others will choose to rest around the pool or dine elegantly at the multiple award-winning Finch Bay Eco Hotel on Santa Cruz Island where you can explore at your own pace. You choose. We’ll make it happen. Safely. Beautifully. Uniquely.

SIDE TRIPSOLYMPIC

Ciara Owens outlines the best side trips from the Olympic host city, Rio de Janeiro.

OLYMPIC

With Rio 2016 just a few months away, all eyes are on this iconic city. For those visiting the so-called cidade

maravilhosa (‘marvellous city’), Rio is an excellent starting point from which to discover the rest of Latin America this Olympic season.

ECUADOR & GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS

The Galápagos Islands, just a two-hour flight from mainland Ecuador

and somewhere I used to call home, are some of the most incredible islands in the world. This volcanic landscape is inhabited by wildlife that has never experienced any real threat from humans; as a result, the animals are incredibly relaxed around visitors. A playful sea lion will swim right up to you, curiously bringing its whiskered nose up to your face before darting off. Tiny penguins – the world’s most northerly and second smallest – might look ungainly waddling along the rocks, but diving into the sea, they take on bullet-like speed as they zip sleekly through the water. The world’s only marine iguanas dwell on these shores, too, gnarled like small dragons. In the highlands, giant tortoises slowly plod through their long lives, the span of which is usually around 100 years. The ancient reptiles use their huge shells as protection, drawing their neck and head under it with a rasping hiss when they feel threatened (they never hear you coming, which led Charles Darwin to firmly believe they were stone-cold deaf). On mainland Ecuador, there are tropical jungles to be explored, mist-shrouded cloud forests hiding hundreds of bird species, highland market towns, and Quito, the second highest capital city in the world with beautiful Spanish colonial architecture, great, ornately embellished churches and narrow cobbled streets. When to go: Year-round


CLOCKWISE FROM MAIN: GALÁPAGOS BLUE-FOOTED BOOBIES; MACHU PICCHU; TREKKING THE AUSANGATE TRAIL, PERU; LOCALS IN THE SACRED VALLEY; PISCO MAKING; CEVICHE; DEVIL’S NOSE TRAIN, ECUADOR; OTAVALO MARKET, ECUADOR; GALÁPAGOS TORTOISE; HUMMINGBIRD IN THE CLOUD FOREST, ECUADOR; PRIVATE JET

PERU

Nestled in the Andean mountains, lies the ancient citadel of Machu Picchu.

Built by the Incas around 1450, the city was later abandoned in 1572 when the Spanish reached Peru. Exploring the site is fascinating, and the mountainous scenery that surrounds it is gloriously beautiful. Hiking around the Sacred Valley is the perfect preamble to Machu Picchu and provides opportunities to meet the locals who live in the highland villages dotted around this historic and scenic region. Beyond Machu Picchu, there is plenty more to do in Peru. River cruises journey into Peru’s slice of the colossal Amazon rainforest, yet another ecosystem this diverse country houses. Surfers should spend ample time on the coast, riding some of the world’s finest waves. Foodies must make a stop in Lima, one of the major culinary capitals of the world, where you can sample mouth-watering fresh ceviche: raw fish (such as sole) marinated in lime juice and flavoured with chilli and red onion. Take a pisco tour to sample the national spirit and learn how to make the perfect pisco sour (warning: not to be attempted on an empty stomach). When to go: June to November is the dry season in Peru

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IGUASSU FALLS

The mighty Iguassu Falls straddles the borders of Brazil and

Argentina. At 80 metres high, the semicircular waterfall at Iguassu is not the biggest nor tallest fall in the world, but it is one of the most spectacular. On a sunny day, rainbows arch through the mist that gathers at the foot of the falls, which are set within a lush subtropical rainforest, home to hundreds of types of flora and fauna. Most of the falls – there are 275 cascades – are on the Argentine side, but it’s very easy to cross the border and see both areas. As well as admiring the falls themselves, there are countless rainforest trails to explore. Keep an eye out for toucans and kingfishers, brown capuchin monkeys and the Brazilian squirrel. When to go: Year-round, but the water is heaviest between January and March

UYUNI SALT FLAT, BOLIVIA

30,000 years ago, before the water evaporated, Salar de Uyuni was a salt

lake. Now it is a vast plain of hexagonal off-white sodium chloride tiles, the largest salt flat in the world. Ten billion tonnes of salt lies here, crushed into a thick crust, reaching several metres deep in parts. The desert covers an area of 4,086 square miles (about the same size as Hawaii’s ‘Big Island’), is located at 3,656 metres above sea level and is so perfectly flat that NASA visit the area to calibrate the sensors on their satellites. During the rainy season, the salt flat turns into a giant mirror, the water reflecting the cornflower-blue sky and creating the illusion that you’re standing on the clouds. When it’s dry, the salt crunches underfoot and a carpet of polygonal salt tiles stretches before you for miles and miles. When to go: July to October, with September being the best month to see the salt flat in the dry season


CLOCKWISE FROM MAIN: UYUNI SALT FLAT; CIARA IN THE PUNA; NORTH-WEST ARGENTINA; IGUASSU FALLS

NORTH-WEST ARGENTINA

This little-visited corner of Argentina is one of my favourite destinations. Tucked between Salta and the Chilean border, the Puna is an elevated plateau,

located at 4,500 metres above sea level. The terrain is barren and wild, with crusty salt flats, brilliant turquoise lakes and rust-red rock. What’s more, you’ll have the landscape all to yourself. Well, mostly: herders tend to their flocks of alpacas and you can visit local villages and learn about traditional weaving and silver making. This is one of the world’s last wildernesses, a secret that I’m almost loath to share. When to go: Year-round

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REDISCOVERING LONDON

Heather Richardson delves into Britain’s rich past in one of Europe’s most historic buildings, Westminster Abbey.

Standing in Dean’s Yard, a cobbled square hemmed in by walls of old stone and peaked archways, an orderly line of robed choir boys files past me and I start

to feel more like I’m in Hogwarts than central London. I’m here to visit Westminster Abbey, a place I haven’t been since I was a teenager on a day trip to the capital. In fact, in the four years I’ve lived in London, I have barely visited any of the sites most tourists would tick off within their first couple of days. My excuses are the same as most other Londoners: lack of time and a desire to avoid crowds of tourists being the most

commonly used reasons. Sadly, I think taking this city for granted is an additional reason I haven’t made time to dive into the wealth of historic and cultural heritage London has in an overwhelming quantity. That’s something I’m going to rectify, starting here at Westminster Abbey, an icon of the city and coronation site of every English monarch since 1066. Led by my guide, Lia, we enter the church from a private entrance, only accessible to Blue Badge Guides – a qualification that takes years of study and examinations. Lia leads me through the Cloister with its lofty vaulted ceiling. The Cloisters used to be the busiest areas

“As I look at the grave, trying to take in the enormous losses suffered, everyone stops for the church’s hourly prayer. It presents a perfectly timed moment of reflection.”

of the abbey and the monks would use them for exercise or meditation. Today, it is blissfully quiet and we take this opportunity to talk about the origins of the abbey. Edward the Confessor – who was later canonised – built Westminster Abbey to give himself a suitably grand burial site and the abbey was consecrated just a few weeks before his death in 1066. In 1245, the church was reconstructed by Henry III, the ‘builder king’, as a shrine to Edward and a place where all kings and queens would be crowned and buried. Westminster Abbey was built in an Early English Gothic style with flying buttresses and pointed arches and today it is still one of the best examples of that period of architecture. We enter the great abbey and I immediately look up: the vaulted ceiling arches high above. Huge stone pillars support Gothic arches that line the interior. Stained glass windows are set high in the walls and below them nearly 100 statues of saints stand in niches around the church. Beneath our feet are stone slabs bearing the names of the most notable people throughout British history, most of whom are buried here. Lia leads me to an old and worn wooden chair, with a tall, pointed back and high armrests. On each of the four feet is a small golden lion. This is the Coronation Chair, built by Edward I in 1296, and it’s one of the oldest chairs in the country, with every monarch since Edward II having been crowned on it. It wasn’t always

treated with the respect it receives now: Lia points out the initials and graffiti etched into the wood, much like the top of an old school desk. Underneath the seat is a gap. Lia tells me that this was where the Stone of Scone was supposed to sit: a symbol of England’s victory over Scotland. It is probably diplomatic that the stone no longer sits under the chair, though it was only in 1996 that it was returned to Scotland. We walk over to a large black stone slab on the floor, lined with red poppies. On it are the words: ‘Beneath this stone rests the body of a British warrior unknown by name or rank’. The tomb of the Unknown Warrior is a tribute to all those who fell during World War I. In 1920, several bodies were exhumed from four battlefields in France and covered with Union Jack flags to remain unidentifiable. One of the soldiers was randomly selected to be shipped to England, where he was given a state funeral and buried in a coffin made of English oak. The coffin was sprinkled with soil from the battlefield in France by King George V and finally topped with a slab of black marble from Belgium. As I read the inscription amongst other silent visitors in this cavernous, historic church, I can’t help feeling a little emotional. As I look at the grave, trying to take in the enormous losses suffered, everyone stops for the church’s hourly prayer. It presents a perfectly timed moment of reflection. Lia guides me through the church, avoiding the crowds and pointing out things I would


definitely have passed by without so much as a glance. One example is a small slab on the floor that commemorates John ‘Longitude’ Harrison, the man who – as you might have guessed – built the clock that calculated longitude at sea in the 18th century. Lia explains how groundbreaking this was: Harrison was self-taught and accomplished something that clockmakers had been trying to achieve for years – even Isaac Newton doubted it could be done. The government offered a £20,000 reward for anyone who could build the sea clock, though Harrison never received the prize. The clockmaker isn’t buried in the abbey and it was only in 2006 that he was honoured with a plaque. His clock still works today. It begins to dawn on me that under this roof lies virtually every Briton to have made an impact on history. A walk around Westminster Abbey affords a potted history of Britain and a celebration of all the magnificent achievements and discoveries throughout the ages: Sir Isaac Newton is here; so is the explorer Sir David Livingstone; the reformer and anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce; the poet Geoffrey Chaucer; and even, controversially given that this is a church, Charles Darwin. Winston Churchill has a green marble memorial, but he refused to be buried at Westminster, claiming, says Lia, “there were too many people he wouldn’t get on with”. He’s probably right. In the Henry VII chapel, my eyes are drawn

up to the fan-vaulted ceiling, an ornate web of shapes with hanging pendants carved out of the stone. Craning my neck backwards, I listen as Lia explains that the Perpendicular Gothic style of the ceiling, which was constructed between 1503 and 1519, is unique to England. As impressive as the roof is, I can’t help but be more interested in the engravings on the wooden panels below the seats of the chapel stalls. These misericords were usually hidden from sight, hence their cheeky or morbid nature. I study one that depicts a woman beating a cowering man. Another shows a devil carting off a monk. It’s not quite what I expected to find in the resting place of monarchs such as Henry VII and James I. As we exit the church, Lia points out the statues set in niches above the west entrance. Having assumed they were medieval saints, I’m surprised to see that these figures are 20th century martyrs, including Martin Luther King Jr. For some reason, the niches never held statues, but in 1995 ten modern-day martyrs from all over the world were chosen to be commemorated at the abbey and were unveiled in 1998. After our tour, I am left with a sense of wonder at how much important, game-changing history is immortalised in this one building. I recall Lia telling me about a bomb that fell through the roof of Westminster Abbey during World War II. It didn’t go off. “Some things are not meant to be destroyed”, Lia said.

“A walk around Westminster Abbey affords a potted history of Britain and a celebration of all the magnificent achievements and discoveries throughout the ages.”

AN ITALIAN LOVE AFFAIR

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: THE AMALFI COAST; TUSCANY; THE AUTHOR ON HER FIRST TRIP TO ITALY IN 1990; IN SICILY IN 1995; AND ON THE AMALFI COAST IN 1996; TAORMINA, SICILY; ROME


AN ITALIAN LOVE AFFAIR

It doesn’t take much to fall in love. A glance, a few words, a small gesture. In my case, it was the warm smile of an Italian

man, preparing mozzarella and cherry tomato panini in a London deli. “This is the best mozzarella in all of Italia,” he told me. “It arrived today. And my wife brought these pomodori yesterday from Toscana. Such sweet tomatoes, I can’t find them in England!” I was sold. On Italy. It was the accent, the words ‘Italia’ and ‘Toscana’… it sounded so romantic to a restless 12-year-old with dreams of escaping suburbia. A year later, aged 13, I had the option to study Latin, German or Italian at school, in addition to French, and after a lengthy debate based on complex reasoning such as ‘no-one speaks Latin, what’s the point?’ and ‘I don’t like the sound of German’, the language of romance won. An excellent native Italian teacher inspired me not only to develop a love for the language, but also for the literature, art and culture of the country. Several trips to Italy followed, three by the time I’d turned 18, including two rather hedonistic summers with friends, and then a degree in Italian and Spanish beckoned. This relationship was getting serious. At Birmingham University, an Italian man stole my heart and in the five years we had together, I got to grips with the politics, culture and lifestyle of Italy. I became part of his

family, a very big deal for Italians, and felt as home there as I’d felt anywhere. He introduced me to the music of Pino Daniele, Lucio Battisti and Franco Battiato, who I saw in concert in Milan. He explained the politics of the mafia, the architecture of Verona and why good tomatoes really did matter so much. A year in the university town of Padua sealed this burgeoning love affair – not with the man, but with the country. Good fortune in life has allowed me to travel all over the world and I believe I’ve fallen in love many times. Or have I? I smell frangipani when I think of my time in French Polynesia, I can taste sweet masala chai when India comes to mind, and I get goosebumps thinking of my first step onto Ugandan soil, the land where my parents were born. But when I think of Italy, my heart explodes into a heady cocktail of summer romance, Roman ruins, sunflower fields, Sicilian cannoli, the sound of children playing in tiny piazzas, and ice-creams at midnight on balmy nights. Almost 30 years later, this lustful love affair has stood the test of time. It’s my most successful relationship to date. It’s true that the smallest moments can often spark the biggest feelings. Who would have thought the Italian accent of a London deli owner would trigger the imagination of a 12-year-old girl? Did I mention his handsome teenage son who sometimes worked on Saturdays? Perhaps I forgot. But I’m sure it was absolutely nothing to do with him.

Travel writer Meera Dattani explores her passion for all things Italian.

was brought up in the Canary Islands and Mallorca. Who better to head up the Europe department? I moved straight back to London. Throughout the summer of 2015 I was busy travelling through Europe, revisiting the places I thought our travellers would like to see and inspecting the best hotels in the region. By September, I was ready to start putting all that knowledge into place, but

INTRODUCING

EUROPE

I was faced with one big challenge: where to start? That’s where the Jacada travellers came in. We asked all our clients to vote for the European country they most wanted to visit – and that’s how we ended up with our top three destinations: Italy (the overwhelming favourite), Croatia and my beloved Spain. In January, I began designing our first European tours.

After receiving countless requests for European tours, we knew we had to

respond to the demand. Before I took some time out to travel (including sailing across the Atlantic Ocean - twice!), I used to be a Latin America expert at Jacada Travel. When I heard that Jacada Travel were thinking about creating their first European tours, I was interested: I’m half Spanish and half Swedish, and

You asked and we listened: Jacada Travel’s European tours are here. Anna Mascaro introduces our newest trips.


ITALY

I’ve travelled around much of Italy before, but back in November I visited Venice for a Jacada Travel experience. Anyone can hop on a gondola to float around the canals, but I went to a gondola yard to see how the boats are made and learn about the craftsmanship and history behind the gondolas. I also went to a Venetian mask making class, and met a glass master at a Murano workshop. Beyond Venice, there’s the eternal city, Rome; the rolling hills of Tuscany; one of the world’s most beautiful coastlines, the Amalfi Coast; and much, much more.

Read about Meera Dattani’s love affair with Italy on page 36.

CROATIA

Croatia is one of Europe’s most newly popular destinations. I spent a long time there last summer, getting under the skin of this ancient land. Formerly part of Yugoslavia, Croatia’s history dates back to ancient Greek and Roman times, the relics of which you can still see today. Dubrovnik is a medieval walled, UNESCO-protected city on the Adriatic coastline, and the most sought-after destination in Croatia. My personal highlight was Istria in the west, which is a beautiful area of the country and also ties in well with Venice. I loved visiting the remote hilltop towns and the quaint countryside restaurants with their barbecued meats and pretty gardens.

SPAIN

My native Spain is somewhere I am thrilled to be introducing to my travellers, especially my family home, Mallorca. Spain is such a diverse country, with so many different landscapes and cultures. In the south of the country you can find some of the most intricate and ornate examples of Islamic architecture. In the north, the Basque Country boasts its own culinary culture, the pretty town of San Sebastián and the silver, space age-style Guggenheim Museum. Then there are the iconic, art-infused cities of Madrid and Barcelona. Local tours here are perfect for finding the insider’s tapas bar, the perfect paella and exploring the backstreets you’d miss on your own.

CITIES

We’ve also introduced city tours in London and Paris, two of the most important and historic centres of Europe.

Read more about London on page 32. France is one of our top destinations for 2016 (page 14).

ASIA WITH

LUANG PRABANG, LAOSAMANTAKA

Fly into Laos, where the locals joke the name Laos PDR (People’s Democratic Republic) stands for Laos: Please Don’t Rush. Luang Prabang

is a small, charming town where ornate, golden Buddhist temples sit alongside French colonial architecture and bakeries. Spend three nights here, wandering the cobbled streets, sampling an array of Asian cuisine at the night market, travelling to the sparkling waterfalls tucked into the forests around Luang Prabang and watching the world go by from an open-air bar on the banks of the Mekong River. Set aside a morning to learn how to cook Lao cuisine at Amantaka. Start at the market to pick up fresh vegetables, meat and freshwater fish. Stop for a quick coffee, before heading over to Amantaka’s organic farm and the al fresco kitchen where you’ll be taught how to make sticky rice, papaya salad and pork curry. Savour your handiwork overlooking the farm’s fish pond, with the mountains and verdant rice paddies in the distance.

We’ve teamed up with Aman to create an itinerary around Southeast Asia that takes high-end travel to a whole new level.

Southeast Asia with Aman >> Journey with Aman and Jacada Travel thorough Laos, Cambodia and Thailand – from $8,250 per person.

PACK YOUR BAGS

PHUKET, THAILANDAMANPURI

Polish off your time in Southeast Asia with five glorious days on Thailand’s sun-soaked coastline. Amanpuri is the original Aman hotel, located on the

Andaman coast of Phuket. If you can bring yourself to part with your sunlounger for a day, jump aboard the Sealion, Amanpuri’s 40-foot traditional Hong Kong junk boat. Sail through Phang Nga Bay, reclining on the open-sided aft-deck with its giant, plush cushions. Soak up the rays and explore the hidden caves around the bay before a long barbecue lunch of white snapper rubbed with coriander and barbecued in a banana leaf, spring rolls, calamari, Thai-style chicken and fresh, grilled vegetables.

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIAAMANSARA

Spend your next three nights in Siem Reap, the gateway to Cambodia’s mighty Angkor temple complex. These temples date back to the 9th

century and are the relics of the powerful Khmer Empire. As well as exploring these ancient ruins, there are plenty of opportunities for exploring the rural surroundings of the town. Escape the town centre bustle and cycle out to the rice paddies. Here you’ll find farmers working the fields and locals fishing in the rivers, gathering lotus flowers and harvesting fruit and nectar from sugar palm trees. Cycle past villages where the locals weave silk and work in palm farms, and excitable kids run out waving. Uncover ancient 10th-century temples tucked into the forest, far away from the crowds of the main Angkor complex. Enjoy a picnic amongst the trees before travelling by oxcart back to Amansara.

THE EXPLORER | WINTER 2016| 41

BALI The most popular island in Indonesia, Bali has some superb hotels and plenty to keep every generation occupied. Take a surfing lesson on one of the quieter beaches along the southeast coast; cycle through the countryside; visit Buddhist temples; or partake in a cooking class in Ubud, the cultural centre of the island.

BORNEOThe accommodation in Borneo isn’t as luxurious as other places, but the destination is the focus here. As well as entertaining the kids with the prospect of seeing the gentle orangutans in their natural habitat, it’s important that children – and adults – learn about conservation and the on-going battle to save the rainforests of Borneo. Visit conservation centres, take boat trips through the jungle and meet the local tribes.

THAILAND With its established tourism industry, Thailand is an easy escape for families. If it’s relaxation that you’re seeking, head straight down to the islands and your private, beachfront villa. For something more adventurous, the north of Thailand offers trekking, wildlife, hill tribe visits, zip-lining and white water rafting.

CAMBODIA The mighty Angkor temples are the focal point of Cambodian tourism, but there’s much more to discover in this immensely friendly destination. Mekong cruises will take you to small riverside villages and floating markets, you can ride horses through the countryside and children might enjoy visiting a local school to meet other kids.

VIETNAM Vietnam is a family-friendly destination with a wealth of history, culture, landscapes and food to discover. Go on a cycling tour past rice paddies and palm groves; watch a water puppet performance with a live orchestra; and no tour to Vietnam would be complete without a couple of days in the picturesque Halong Bay.

An Educational Family Vacation to Vietnam >> Delve into southern and central Vietnamese history and culture – from $3,182 per person.

FIVE FAMILY DESTINATIONSASIA

RACHEL BECK ASIA EXPERT

Asia is a wonderful place for families, but some countries are more suited to kids than others. Here are my favourite places for family trips.

PACK YOUR BAGS

Winter is upon those of us in the northern hemisphere, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of seasonal activities of which to take advantage. Layer up and head out on some of these trips to beat

the winter gloom.

PACK YOUR BAGS

A Southern Iceland Discovery >> Five days exploring southern Iceland including Reykjavik and the Golden Circle – from $4,920 per person.

NORTHERN LIGHTS HUNTING Surely the single greatest opportunity of these long, dark nights is sighting the mesmerising Northern Lights? The aurora illuminates the skies of the world’s most northerly lands and is visible during the darkest months of the year. Head to Iceland to glimpse this natural phenomenon where unearthly green ribbons flow across the sky.

SNOWSHOEINGWinter doesn’t put an end to mountain hiking, it just requires a slight change of footwear. Strap on some snowshoes and take to the hills. Most ski resorts in Europe offer snowshoeing, but it’s also possible to do as a private tour in other areas. The heels on snowshoes are loose, so it’s not as precarious an act as you might imagine. You quickly get the hang of walking with them, especially with a pair of walking poles.

WINTER WONDERLAND

DESTINATION INSPIRATION


HUSKY SLEDDING In the icy north of Norway, try your hand at controlling a pack of excitable huskies as you whip through the frosty landscape on board your sled. Learn about preparing the sled and how to pick your dogs, before mastering your technique as the dogs take off with a relentless energy. Every February, Norway also holds the largest dog sledding race in the world, Femundløpet, in the town of Røros.

PACK YOUR BAGS

Luxury Adventure to a Winter Wonderland >> Discover Norway’s northern islands over seven nights – from $11,514 per person.

SNOWMOBILING A great option in wintry destinations such as Scandinavia or Arctic Canada is a snowmobiling outing – a chance to unleash your inner speed demon. You don’t require a licence to operate a snowmobile, so it’s ideal for a first-timer. Seasoned snowmobilers can choose a performance model for more speed and more fun on a winter snowmobile safari.

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CKS The Explorer Magazine Ad_AW181215.indd 1 12/18/15 1:13 PM


WE LOVE IT WHEN YOU SHARE YOUR TRAVEL PHOTOS WITH US. HERE ARE SOME OF OUR RECENT FAVOURITES.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: WHALES IN ANTARCTICA BY KATE • NEIL & DEBORAH IN TANZANIA • RICHARD’S PHOTO OF AN ELEPHANT IN ZIMBABWE • THE GREAT MIGRATION IN TANZANIA BY LEE HENG • AYLWIN & MICHELLE ON THIER HONEYMOON IN CHILE • RAYMOND & KWAI IN A HOT AIR BALLOON ABOVE THE TEMPLES OF BAGAN, MYANMAR • JAY & ANNE IN THE MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM

JACADA TRIBESHARE ON

INSTAGRAM @JACADATRAVEL TWITTER @JACADATRAVEL

FACEBOOK /JACADATRAVEL

#JACADATRIBE

Heather Richardson meets the founder of Building Schools for Burma, Patrick Gilfeather.

BUILDING SCHOOLS FOR BURMA

Paddy Gilfeather’s grandparents met in Rangoon. His grandfather moved from Glasgow in around 1930 to work for the Burma Oil

Company (BOC) as an engineer when the country was part of the British Empire. There he met Paddy’s grandmother and the pair got married in Rangoon, which is now Yangon. When the war broke out, his grandfather fought in Burma and India, and when the Japanese arrived he was sent to Iraq to pump oil. Meanwhile, his grandmother and her daughters left Burma on foot, walking all the way from Rangoon across the mountains to Bangladesh. She managed to get on a plane to South Africa and finally boarded a boat home to Glasgow. It was his grandmother’s diary - an “amazing family document”, says Paddy, complete with receipts and photographs - that inspired him to visit Burma (now Myanmar). He was fascinated by the exotic-sounding places and ten years ago, he set off with the purpose of recreating his grandparents’ photos, including their wedding photo, which was taken in front

of the Shewedagan pagoda in Yangon. Paddy’s experiences in Burma led to a serious relationship of his own. On that first trip, he visited a school in Nyaung-U. “I wanted to see village life, see hospitals, I wanted to see schools,” Paddy says. “I met this one guy in Bagan and he took me in his horse and cart around the temples – it was absolutely fabulous, I loved it.” The next day the same man – who is called Min Min – hesitantly showed Paddy around his village. “He took me to this school, which was a monastery on the outskirts of Nyaung-U. They had 80 or 90 children in this school who the monks were teaching. The kids were queuing up to get into school. Some of them literally just had flip-flops and shorts - that’s all they had.” Paddy had bought some pens and books with him, but felt like he could do more. The next year Paddy came back with $200 to spend on books, pencils, educational posters and blackboards, but he realised that what they really needed was more classrooms. Paddy went back to the UK and thought

‘let’s do this properly’. He set up Building Schools for Burma and after completing the painfully slow process of registration and fundraising for a country people didn’t really know much about, he finally had enough to expand the monastery school at Nyaung-U with four new classrooms, each big enough for 50 kids. There are now 450 children at the school. “Children in Burma pay to go to school, they pay for their uniforms, they pay for books. A lot of people simply can’t afford to pay that. So, this monastery provides free education. They don’t have to wear uniforms. They don’t have to worry about buying anything. When we go out there and we give a child who has absolutely nothing a book, a pencil, a rubber and a sharpener, you see their eyes light up – that’s theirs to keep.” Kids can now stay at the school until they’re 14 or 15, rather than 12. “They don’t have to stay, but they are welcome to,” Paddy says. When the school was completed, Paddy was delighted. “People said, ‘you’ve done it’,” he remembers. But Paddy wasn’t ready to stop. His goal was to build a

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GIVING BACK


Building Schools for Burma is one of two charities Jacada Travel supports in Asia. For every trip to Asia we plan, we donate a set amount to the project.

school in each of Myanmar’s seven states. Ten years after that first visit, Burma has transformed, emerging from the shadows as one of the new ‘must-visit’ destinations in Asia. Bagan, Inle Lake and Yangon have all become popular destinations, and the suspicion of the locals towards tourists – largely a result of government propaganda – has melted away. Despite tourism bolstering the economy, there is still a lot of poverty. About eight years ago, there was a massive storm, Cyclone Nargis, which killed an estimated 140,000 people, although the UN have estimated the death toll to be 200,000. The tidal wave was three storeys high and demolished a huge area of the southwestern delta region. It was the worst flooding in 60 years and the tsunami and resulting landslides destroyed homes, businesses and schools. In partnership with a Burmese lady named May from Chiswick in west London and her English husband John, Paddy was able to build his second school in the delta region, which he describes as a “very, very poor area, still struggling to recover from that storm eight years ago.” Paddy’s third school is in the mountainous Chin State, one of the poorest states in Myanmar and located by the Bangladesh border. In the small village in which the school is based, the women have tattooed necks and faces and are animists, which means they believe in animal spirits. There are 80 different tribal people in Chin State, each with their different identities and tattoo patterns. “Sometimes you feel as if [certain tribal

people] are wheeled out for tourists,” Paddy comments. “This was actually the real deal – they don’t see any tourists, because there’s no reason for people to go.” Chin State is remote and difficult to access. From Bagan it takes a couple of days in a 4x4 to cross the mountains and reach the village. The region was also badly affected by the floods, so Paddy put aside his target to build one school in each state and started the fourth in Chin State. This one will cost around $12,500, including a concrete foundation, teak wood, a zinc-tin roof, wooden floors and tables and chairs. They will also be constructing two toilets, a water tank and solar panels from India, which is particularly important in a state where there is no running water or electricity. “What it means is that the children, their parents and grandparents, who might not have had an education before, are invited to the school to learn to read and write – it’s not just the children,” Paddy explains. “I’ve said it should be a place where community events can happen, not just schooling. It should be a safe place that people can go to. I’m very much a firm believer in community.” Sustainability is at the heart of the projects. “All I want to do is give them a helping hand and then they can help themselves,” Paddy says. The schools also provide jobs for local people. “Yes, we provide the money,” says Paddy. “But we use local builders, local architects, local merchants, local labourers – that way, the money we’re spending is stimulating the

local economy.” There’s an advantage to Building Schools for Burma remaining a small operation. “We’re a micro-charity. It’s me and a few valuable people who help me,” Paddy explains. “We don’t have any costs. This is a crucial point, which I think differentiates us from any other charity. Every penny we’re given goes to the next project. So, when I go out to Burma, I pay for my own flights, I pay for my own hotels, I pay for everything myself. I give up my time because I love it and I want to do it. All the other people involved – accountants, administrators, web designers – give up their own time and do it for free.” Another advantage is that they can access areas of Burma off limits to bigger institutions. These remote places are often the areas that need help the most. So far, Building Schools for Burma has raised enough money to build four schools in total, with a fifth on the way to completion. Paddy’s hopeful for the future. He thinks they can build two schools a year and thinks the fifth school will be built by March 2016, with the sixth funded by the profits from a specially created handbag by the design house Land of Ed. Paddy doesn’t see the project finishing any time soon. “As long as I’ve got the hunger, I will keep on doing it. There’s no reason to stop. It’s my love for the Burmese people and the country as a whole; for me, it was very difficult not to do something.” buildingschoolsforburma.org

OPPOSITE: CHILDREN AT SCHOOLS FUNDED BY BUILDING SCHOOLS FOR BURMA. THIS PAGE FROM LEFT: PADDY AT ONE OF THE SCHOOLS; AN EXAMPLE OF A RUN-DOWN SCHOOL IN BURMA

Don’t get SAD this winter. Travel to one of these sunny destinations to top up your vitamin D levels. You deserve it.

PACK YOUR BAGS

Introducing South Africa >> Cape Town, the Winelands and safari over nine nights – from $5,916 per person.

MEXICOThe Yucatán Peninsula offers one of our favourite stretches of coastline, featuring the Caribbean Sea, powder-white sand, ancient Mayan ruins and tasty tacos. With an average temperature of 28ºC (82ºF), the Mexican south is the perfect winter escape and tantalisingly close for those in Canada and the States.

SOUTH AFRICA South Africa’s summer is the best time of the year to visit Cape Town and the Western Cape. One of the most beautiful cities in the world, Cape Town looks simply divine in the sunshine. Along the coast, you can spot whales and great white sharks in the water and tiny penguins body-surfing out of the waves onto the beaches around the peninsula. Enjoy a glass of chilled Chenin Blanc in the Winelands, feeling suitably smug about escaping the winter.

Haciendas, Beaches & Wildlife >> Nine nights on the Yucatán Peninsula – from $5,552 per person.

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CHASING THE SUN

DESTINATION INSPIRATION


BRAZIL Summer in Brazil is celebrated in style with Carnival and a strong beach culture that sees the locals flock to the shore for football matches and volleyball games, surfing, jogging, working out, barbecues and sunbathing. Join the party in Rio de Janeiro or find a quiet cove along Brazil’s long Atlantic coastline.

PACK YOUR BAGS

Brazil Beach & Wildlife Vacation >> 12 nights in Fernando de Noronha, Pipa, the Amazon and Rio – from $7,622 per person.

PACK YOUR BAGS

Thai Countryside & Beaches >> Nine nights spent in Thailand’s rural north and the beaches of Phuket – from $4,776 per person.

THAILAND There are few places better than the Thai islands for winter sun. During our wet, cold and miserable months, the Thai islands bask in glorious sunshine - and if you can’t beat them, join them. There’s a place for every type from families to solo travellers, whether you like partying, diving, beaches, pool-lounging or anything else in between.

DISCOVER ANCIENT HISTORY IN CAMBODIA Explore Cambodia’s Angkor temple complex before finishing up in a private island resort.

LAST-MINUTE ESCAPES

ESCAPE TO VIETNAM IN THE DRY SEASON Take advantage of Vietnam’s best weather conditions for a well-rounded trip of culture, history, food and scenery.

SAIL AROUND THE GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS There are still cabins available on board our boats for an impromptu trip to this unique destination.

SPEND SUMMER IN ARGENTINA Head down to Patagonia for trekking and boat trips, and spend a few days soaking up the sunshine in the vibrant capital Buenos Aires.

I T C H Y F E E TNeed to scratch that travel itch? Here are

some destinations just ripe for visiting...

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Documents

The Explorer - Issue 02 - Winter 2016