IN EXTREMIS OUTER SPACE JULY 2019 the Allure of Conquering the Desert the PROBLEM with NEW YORK’S SUPER TALLS

A DISPATCH FROM IN EXTREMIS OUTER SPACE JULY 2019 The allure of conquering the desert THE PROBLEM WITH NEW YORK’S SUPER TALLS

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OS_DPS_Template.indd 9 6/25/19 1:35 PM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MANAGING PARTNER EDITORIAL & GROUP EDITOR DIRECTOR OBAID HUMAID AL TAYER IAN FAIRSERVICE GINA JOHNSON [email protected]

EDITOR SENIOR ART ART DIRECTOR DIRECTOR GEORGINA LAVERS OLGA PETROFF CLARKWIN CRUZ [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

SENIOR DIGITAL EDITORIAL WEB DEVELOPER ANIMATOR ASSISTANT FIROZ KALADI SURAJIT DUTTA LONDRESA FLORES [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORS Emma Coiler; Ben East; Sarah Freeman; Radha Ghosh; Jess Holland; Dom Joly; Louise Leung; Conor Purcell; Marzena Skubatz; Adrienne Smith. Front cover: Zak Honza

GENERAL MANAGER PRODUCTION CHIEF COMMERCIAL GROUP SALES PRODUCTION MANAGER OFFICER MANAGER SUNIL KUMAR R MURALI KRISHNAN ANTHONY MILNE MICHAEL UNDERDOWN [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

ASSISTANT PRODUCTION PRODUCTION SENIOR SALES MANAGER SUPERVISOR MANAGER BINU PURANDARAN VENITA PINTO MURALI NARAYANAN [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS FOR EMIRATES EDITOR DEPUTY EDITOR MANNA TALIB CATHERINE FREEMAN

Emirates takes care to ensure that all facts published herein are correct. In the event of any inaccuracy please contact the editor. Any opinion expressed is the honest belief of the author based on all available facts. Comments and facts should not be relied upon by the reader in taking commercial, legal, financial or other decisions. Articles are by their nature general and specialist advice should always be consulted before any actions are taken.

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7977_Roam Like Home_Openskies_19.5x26cm.indd 1 6/19/19 7:10 PM CONTENTS

JULY 2019

62 DUBAI

A spiritual quest? What are today’s desert explorers trying to achieve? 62 17 73 GLOBAL EMIRATES

Expo 2020 Experience 18 Latest news 74 Four transformative Stay: From Sydney to Singapore 20 Inside Emirates 76 programmes coming Dom Joly: Trouble in the Congo 26 Destination: Muscat, Oman 78 out of the mega-event A dispatch from outer space 28 UAE Smart Gate 80 68 Neighbourhood: Istanbul 34 Route maps 82 New York’s super talls 42 The fleet 88 LitFest In Kenya, widlife watching via train 48 Celebrity directions: Ari Aster’s guide to How the Earth made us The weather report 54 Hungary 90 70

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jumeirah.com/jumeirahvittaveli | +960 664 2020 15

EDITOR’S NOTE

THE OUTER LIMIT

Humans are drawn to emptiness. Consider the moment when George Clooney detaches himself from Sandra Bullock in Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity, sending him ricocheting into space. There is something peaceful in this noble act of sacrifice, yet simultaneously terrifying – the image of one human drifting into an infinite chasm of darkness. For millennia the universe has fascinated humankind, in part because we cannot bend it to our will. Manned missions can take us to some of it; but our usual human logic such as the natural order of time, or gravity, are reshuffled in an alien cosmic paradigm. Even recent discoveries are almost unimaginable; in our first dispatch from outer space, Jess Holland recounts the recent feat of the first-ever image taken of a black hole. The collapse of a massive star plays with the very fabric of time and space, “remind[ing] us that the universe we live in is a much stranger and more enigmatic place than day-to-day life might suggest,” she writes (p28). Back on planet Earth, maybe the closest thing that exists to space is the desert. For our front cover story, we examine the motivations of those who venture into the harshness of spaces like the Empty Quarter or the Sahara (p62). Is it just physical exertion they seek? Or something deeper? FOLLOW US

facebook.com/ openskiesmag Georgina Lavers, Editor

twitter.com/ openskiesmag

instagram.com/ openskiesmag

OS_072019_P10-15_FrontSection.indd 15 6/24/19 4:17 PM

Global

EXPERIENCE ° STAY ° DISPATCH ° NEIGHBOURHOOD ° SUPER TALLS ° KENYA ° PHOTOGRAPHY

Australian angles Examine Sydney’s architecture from the ground up in this hip, urban hotel. p.20

OS_072019_P17_GlobalOpener.indd 17 6/24/19 1:29 PM 18 / GLOBAL / EXPERIENCE

MANCHESTER INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL, 4-21 JULY The musician visualising homelessness Karl Hyde of Underworld discusses his project inspired by homelessness – a crucial part of a festival programme that also features Idris Elba, Janelle Monae, and David Lynch

How did your relationship with Man- has always been the way I’ve collected We’re going to have a temporary city chester International Festival begin? words for lyrics. So that naturally led centre workshop where more stories will Initially, through a play about father- to thinking about how we could give a be created on cardboard. These will get hood I co-wrote with Scott Graham voice to people with experience of living photographed every day and printed [Frantic Assembly] and Simon Stephens on the streets – I covered the walls again, into billboards for Festival Square. What [The Curious Incident of the Dog in the painted their stories and Rick put to- was amazing last time was that people Night-Time). It was a beautiful collision gether this really powerful soundtrack. would come and see me madly painting of ideas, a bit like the ethos of the whole He said it was the toughest thing he’d and listen to the music – and if it moved festival itself, really. You get to rub shoul- ever done because he really was under- them then there was something tangible ders with the best artists in the world, as scoring people’s lives. for them to grab hold of. well as the local community. It actually had a tangible effect on the What does Manchester mean to you now? So how did Manchester Street Poem homeless people who took part, didn’t it? Manchester is an amazing city, full of come about? We were really clear that it couldn’t be energy and great positivity – and Under- Well, we’d been talking about doing an event which dropped into the festi- world has always had a really long and something for the 2017 festival as Un- val and then left. We proposed a legacy happy relationship with the place, going derworld, but we didn’t feel like we had project and it’s been humbling and kind back decades. The support that exists for anything that warranted a place in such of life-affirming to see this idea turn the creative arts is incredible. You have an important festival. But me and Rick into monthly workshops, drawing in an idea and people say, come on, let’s [Smith, Underworld collaborator] did the community and giving people the do this. It’s a great attitude to have and have an idea that sprang out of an instal- opportunity to tell their stories, express Manchester Street Poem is a fantastic ex- lation we’d done in Tokyo, where we’d themselves We’re not selling sob stories, ample of that ethos of giving arts back to taken over a department store, covered and that was key. the people and throwing opening doors a room in cardboard, and painted on it How will Manchester Street Poem look to everyone. stories I’d overheard on the streets. That in 2019? mif.co.uk

Above: Karl Hyde of electronic group Underworld Right: At work on the Manchester Street Poem

OS_072019_P18-19_Experience_ThePlan.indd 18 6/24/19 4:19 PM JULY 6-28 TOUR DE FRANCE The biggest bicycle race in the world makes its Grand Départ in Brussels this year to honour famous Belgian rider Eddy Merckx’s first Tour de France win, 50 years ago. Following the opening weekend, the 21-day jamboree of cycling wends its way anticlockwise around France to Paris, via the highest paved pass in the Alps, the Col de l’Iseran. After Chris Froome’s horrific recent crash, Geraint Thomas is the favourite to retain the yellow jersey. Brussels, Belgium and various cities around France, ending in Paris. letour.fr

JULY 4-6 JULY 18-21 JULY 26-28

INDIA INTERNATIONAL COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL GARMENT FAIR An entire global industry has grown Fuji Rock is probably the world’s One of Asia’s most important cloth- up around comic conventions, but cleanest, politest festival. Nestled in ing fairs, the IIGF is crucial for Indian San Diego’s Comic-Con International mountains outside Tokyo, it offers a export trade, as well as a fascinating is still the original and the best. Over lot more than its guitar-wielding name look into the fashions of many parts 130,000 fans, most dressed up as might suggest; this year Chemical of the world come S/S 2020. Cov- their favourite characters, descend Brothers, James Blake and Sia bolster ering ‘head-to-toe’ garments, from on authors, actors, directors and festival favourites such as The Cure. high-end pieces to high street trends, producers – it’s such an influential For those tired by generic European there’s plenty to explore for buyers. event, a Comic-Con Museum is now festivals, Fuji is a unique alternative. Greater Noida, New Delhi, India. planned for 2021. Naeba Ski Resort, Yuzawa-cho, indiaapparelfair.com San Diego, US. comic-con.org Japan. fujirockfestival.com

OS_072019_P18-19_Experience_ThePlan.indd 19 6/24/19 4:19 PM 20 / GLOBAL / WHERE TO STAY

SYDNEY 33.8688° S, 151.2093° E PRICE: FROM US$134 PER NIGHT

The West Hotel offers an upscale, THREE DINING PICKS urban stay in the heart of the city Quay One of Australia’s best known restaurants by one of its best known chefs, this recently Sydney sider revamped venue is a must visit. Expect a gourmet menu show- WORDS: RADHA GHOSH casing rare and local ingredients in complex creations, served up against a backdrop of Sydney’s best views – the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. quay.com.au

Tramsheds This trendy dining precinct, housed in – as the name suggests – a converted tram depot, offers a range of excel- lent options from Japanese to Spanish tapas and Italian. It also hosts regular markets and pop-ups. tramshedssydney.com.au

Koi Dessert Bar & Dining It may be best known for its intricate desserts dished up by former Masterchef finalist Reynold Poernomo, but this inner city gem is equally good for delicious degustation din- ners featuring modern Asian flavours, at an affordable price. koidessertbar.com.au As far as locations go, you can’t beat West als used throughout in the furnishings, and Hotel. It’s smack bang in the middle of one of jewel-toned accents make the rooms as chic Sydney’s hottest lifestyle precincts, Baranga- as they are cosy. Thoughtful touches such as roo (the buzzing waterfront promenade is USB ports near the bedside tables (because, worth checking out on Friday evenings), and that’s exactly what an on-the-go-traveller also offers easy access to Sydney’s CBD and needs) and a free snacks and soft drinks Darling Harbour with their many attractions. mini bar – plus luxurious Australian-made But even if you come for the location, Appelles bathroom amenities – all enhance you’ll stay for the actual hotel. The jewel- the experience. box-esque building is home to Australia’s With so many amazing restaurants in first Curio Collection by Hilton property, town (see our brief guide on this page), ho- SYDNEY which aims to meld luxury with a bit of tel restaurants don’t usually rank high in personality. Combining all the benefits of a Sydney’s dining scene, but Solander Dining large global chain like Hilton with a distinc- & Bar is an exception to the rule. The styl- tive boutique vibe, the 182-room hotel ticks ish street-level venue is not only named all the right boxes. after Daniel Solander, the First Fleet’s bot- Emirates operates three non- The stellar design combines a botanical anist, but takes its botanical roots seriously stop daily services from Du- theme – you’ll find it everywhere, from the – whether it’s in the plant-forward menu, bai to Sydney. Choose from plush floral patterned room carpets to the featuring native ingredients, or the horti- two daily A380 services and a leafy atrium area – with sleek contemporary culture-inspired signature cocktails. It’s one third daily service operated by styling. Scandi-inspired lines, plush materi- of the nicest ways to get a ‘taste of Australia’. a Boeing 777-300ER.

OS_072019_P20_Stay_WestHotel_Sydney.indd 20 6/24/19 1:32 PM

22 / GLOBAL / WHERE TO STAY

SINGAPORE 1.3521° N, 103.8198° E PRICE: FROM US$300 PER NIGHT

Robot butlers and jungle cabanas at IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD the Sofitel Singapore City Centre First a sleepy fishing village, the arrival of the docks in 1864 transformed Tanjong Pagar into a heaving mass of rick- A botanic twist shaw haulers and rich trad- ers. After decades of decline, WORDS: ADRIENNE SMITH it became the first area to be designated for conservation in the 1980s. Today the historic shophouses are home to the highest number of Michelin-recommended restaurants in the city making Tanjong Pagar a premier food- ie destination.

Singapore is proud of its diversity, and none ender-toned Miss Joaquim orchid. Regular epitomises it more than Tanjong Pagar – an travellers will find the reassuringly luxuri- area nestled between the city’s central busi- ous rooms spacious, a rarity in Singapore’s ness district and the heritage of Chinatown. dense urban jungle. More unusually, the ho- In the heart of this cultural confluence, tel commissioned local artist William Sim a lift delivers guests straight up from the to design a colouring book – the whimsical

street and MRT (metro system) levels into illustrations of the lion city’s landmarks TANJONG the Sofitel Singapore City Centre. Converted will appeal to kids – and two robot butlers PAGAR from an empty parking lot barely two years (currently on trial), which deliver minibar ago, the Wallich Street location provides refreshments to your door. Cabanas situ- the hotel with its glass and gold design in- ated on The Lawn (a five-floor high patch spiration, while a floral theme pays tribute of grass) and the mid-air pool and jacuzzi to Nathaniel Wallich – who designed Sin- shaded by frangipani trees and skyscrapers, gapore’s botanic garden in 1822. The latter both offer respite from the bustle below. Emirates operates four plays out in the flourishes on staff jackets, Not to be outdone, the bar offers herbal daily services from Dubai six larger-than-life floral paintings by Ital- flourishes too. Cocktails feature herbs such to Singapore. Choose from ian artist Arianna Caroli in reception, and as mint and thyme grown on the hotel’s own two daily A380 services and two daily services op- the lobby’s vast ceiling sculpture, made of balcony, and the restaurant Racines (“roots” erated by the Boeing 777- 700 hand-blown glass leaves. in French), where dishes of locally-farmed 300ER. From Singapore, The botanical theme continues in the frog legs come in parsley butter or Sze- Emirates offers nonstop hotel’s 223 rooms and suites, each accented chuan-style, for example, reflecting the ho- flights to Dubai, Brisbane with purple in homage to Singapore’s lav- tel’s twin origins and diverse inspirations. and Melbourne.

OS_072019_P22_Stay_Sofitel_SG.indd 22 6/24/19 1:33 PM 50 WOOSTER, RESIDENCE NO. 5N Soho, NYC

Concept Design by Sara Tecchia Built by Daryl Wugalter - Figure Ground Inc. Custom lighting by Hervé Descottes - L’Observatoire International

4,800 sq. ft. | Private Elevator Entrance | Balcony Terrace | EcoSmart Fireplace Burner

REPRESENTED BY: Susan Meisel, Meisel Real Estate meiselrealestate.com | 001-917-330-3033 24 / GLOBAL / WHERE TO STAY

DUBAI 24.8204° N, 56.1354° E PRICE: FROM US$900 PER NIGHT

Updates to Jumeirah Al Qasr offer a refreshing THREE DINING PICKS luxury in the heart of coastal Dubai Khaymat al Bahar Pick a view – pool or sea – and settle back for an authentic Lebanese feast. Try the A palace for the kibbeh, lamb makanek and battata harra (fried potatoes). modern age Hide At this American meatery, WORDS: GEORGINA LAVERS guests can select their choice of steak from a glass-fronted cube, where cuts are carefully aged by the chef.

Aboretum The largest dining space at Al Qasr and the most grand; the Arabian Gulf acting as a backdrop to mosaic fountains and metres of white marble.

As a concierge leads me to my suite at As comfortable as the lodging is, the real Jumeirah Al Qasr – the palatial 294-room draw of Al Qasr lies outside. Set in 40 hec- property set within the canals of Madinat tares, golf carts will whiz guests across the Jumeirah – we pass three families happily property to one of a myriad number of op- DUBAI lost in a warren of corridors and water fea- tions. Families can play a life-size game of tures. Though swiftly redirected by attentive chess, head to the Wild Wadi Waterpark for staff, their confusion only seeks to illustrate a day or to an impressively diverse kid’s club; the sheer breadth of this Dubai mainstay. whilst couples should check out the three First opened in 2004, Al Qasr was known private pools – one is adults only – or the in the city as a bastion of traditional Arabian outdoor massage cabanas at Talise Spa, an luxury – its name, after all, a direct transla- award-winning, frangipani-scented slice of tion of ‘the palace’. Undergoing a refurbish- tranquility set amidst semi-tropical gardens. ment in 2018, that vibe is still very much in All of the activities above are included in place, but with the addition of considerably the room rate, allowing guests to switch off Planning a visit to Dubai and the UAE? Watch Emirates & updated suites. and enjoy everything the property has to of- Dubai TV on today’s flight There are nine categories of room, rang- fer. And on a balmy evening, perhaps noth- to see fun things to do in- ing in size from a cute 55sqm to a 115sqm ing beats cruising Madinat’s waterways, an cluding Tourist Attractions, Royal Suite, which – as my abra captain sol- abra slowly making ripples in the canal’s Dining, Activities, Entertain- emnly informs me – usually hosts celebrities. inky waterways. ment and Golfing.

OS_072019_P24_Stay_Dubai_AlQasr.indd 24 6/24/19 3:35 PM THE FEWER COMPONENTS, THE MORE EFFICIENT AND FASCINATING THE PRODUCT. LESS IS MORE!

VITROCSA HAS REINVENTED THE PIVOTING DOOR FOR A RESULT THAT IS BOTH TECHNICALLY AND AESTHETICALLY SUPERIOR.

VITROCSA.CH 26 GLOBAL COLUMN

4.0383° S, 21.58° E

BAAI

om n the ongo unting a IAA ongolese myth puts Dom Joly in a dangerous spot

’ve often travelled to supposedly dangerous would relay our discussions so that we never countries. oming home get statements like directly spoke. This was supposedly to avoid t must have been very scary, and nod and any heated exchanges, but it didn’t work too look thoughtful for a second as they absorb well. The villagers wanted a fairly eye-water- my incredible bravery. The truth, of course, ing sum of money to help me find the lake, is that most of the dangerous countries are and it was money that didn’t have. Discus- a joy to travel in. They have no tourists, no sions went on all day until finally, after eight budget airline flights and their people prac- hours, a figure was reached that could afford, tically roll out the red carpet when you visit. and the deal was done. use the word ‘most’ as this is not always the To celebrate the villagers threw a party at case. Take the ongo, for instance. visited which was the guest of honour. We partied what is known as the good ongo, the one all night until my intended guide to the lake whose capital is razzaville and sits on the took a sudden and violent disliking to me and banks of the River ongo directly opposite tried to attack me with a machete. inshassa, capital of the bad ongo. e had to be held down and then tied to a was in the country to hunt monsters. nearby tree. quickly realised that was nev- was trying to see if there was any truth to er going to see the lake and slipped out of the the legend of the Mkele Mbembe, a dino- village and off in a canoe at dawn before even saur-type creature that supposedly inhabited worse things happened. felt like a coward, a remote lake in the far north of the country. but also felt happy to be alive. aving made After three days of hard travel got to the my way back to razzaville, spent a couple village, whose inhabitants were the unofficial of happy, unexciting days being a tourist. To guardians of the lake. needed to get both my surprise and delight there was a large and their permission and their help to get me to flourishing ebanese community in town. the lake. thought this would be fairly easy. therefore unexpectedly found myself feeling ow wrong was. a lot more at home by the banks of the ongo The villagers called a meeting and it was than ’d anticipated. should have taken some explained to me that we should communicate hummus on my trip to ake Tele – hummus through a man known as orte-arole who solves everything.

OS_072019_P26_DomJoly.indd 26 6/24/19 1:39 PM Stay for aed 199 with theme park tickets!

ROVE AT THE PARK NOW OPEN Rove Hotels now has six locations in Dubai. Stay at Rove At The Park for AED 199 per night and get two tickets to Dubai Parks and Resorts*. Enjoy unlimited access to three theme parks, one water park, an outdoor swimming pool and more. Book online on rovehotels.com.

*This offer is valid until 30th September 2019. Terms and conditions apply.

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Scientists have captured the first-ever image of a black hole, an achievement that has mammoth implications for the future of science

WORDS: JESS HOLLAND A dispatch from outer space

At the heart of an elliptical galaxy called Messier 83, located 53 million light years from Earth in the constellation of Virgo, there’s a whirling cosmic object billions of times more massive than the sun. Its mass is so disproportionate to its size that it has bored a hole into the fabric of spacetime: get too close and it will suck you into a pit from which nothing – not even light – can escape. This chasm is surrounded by a radiant ring of parti- cles whipping around it almost at light speed, formed from matter being ripped to pieces by gravity and heated to a temperature of billions of degrees. This isn’t the kind of hot and hard- to-reach destination usually covered in The first Open Skies’ pages, but it’s one that has recorded grabbed the attention of the world’s me- image of a dia in recent months. That’s because, on black hole, 10 April, scientists unveiled an unsimu- taken by eight radio lated image of this supermassive black telescopes hole; the first such image that has ever at once been produced.

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“The level of interest has been amaz- icas, who used eight radio telescopes ring – but by what it means for Ein- ing,” says Prof. Dr. Michael Kramer, Di- located in remote and high-altitude stein’s theory of general relativity. rector of the Max Planck Institute for spots across the world, including the According to this theory, time and Radio Astronomy, in Bonn, Germany, volcanoes of Hawaii and the icy peaks space are directions in a single object and a key member of the team behind of the Antarctic. Thanks to the way data called spacetime, which can be warped this accomplishment. He’s speaking via recorded by these telescopes at the ex- and curved by the matter and energy Skype right after a small and belated act same moment was combined, they in it. One consequence of the theory is celebration with colleagues, a couple of functioned like one giant virtual tele- that a massive and ultra-compact object weeks after they first shared their find- scope as big as the Earth. The size of this could create a hole in spacetime that not ing with the world. “It’s much more at- data was so vast that it had to be phys- even light could escape. Although such tention than we ever expected,” he adds, ically transported rather than digitally a phenomenon was a mathematical “not just from colleagues, but also from transferred. consequence of Einstein’s own theory, it neighbours and people on the street. It’s When this information was eventu- seemed so outlandish to the scientist at almost become iconic.” ally processed into a final image, Kram- the time that he argued that these holes The black hole image was captured er says, he was “just totally blown away.” couldn’t possibly be real. by a team of more than 200 researchers Not by the image itself, he adds – a dark Now, as Kramer points out, “we from Europe, East Asia and the Amer- circle surrounded by a fuzzy, glowing know for certain that black holes ex-

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most famous (5) space telescope: The Hubble 2. Event Horizon Telescope Director Sheperd Doeleman reveals the image at a conference 3. Arizona’s Submillimeter Telescope (SMT) was one of eight telescopes used to capture the image 4,5. Scientists from MIT’s Haystack Observatory were part of the 200-strong astronomer team 6. Schoolchildren discuss the finding in Zhuji, China (6)

ist, because we can see them. We have that allows us to look at many more This black hole is much smaller than indisputable evidence that this is the black holes in other galaxies,” he says, the black hole at the centre of Messier 87, case.” He adds, “The fact that we can and more and better images will follow. which makes it more difficult to capture, now use technology that wasn’t known “Maybe in a number of years it will be but it is also much closer, and it has other to Einstein when he wrote down his boring and accepted. If that’s the case properties that are better known by sci- equations, and yet what you see is com- that’s great. But with a little bit more ef- entists. Creating an image of Sagittarius pletely consistent with the predictions fort we can do so much more.” A*, Kramer says, may not light up the of general relativity, that is an impor- The team behind the Event Hori- public’s imagination to the same degree tant milestone. Textbooks before and zon Telescope (EHT), as the network of as the first black hole image, because after the image will be different, be- linked telescopes is called, has already it won’t be the first of its kind. Howev- cause new textbooks will always have set its sights on a new target: the black er, “from a physicists point of view, it’s that image inside.” hole at the centre of our own galaxy, even more exciting,” he says, because Although the image shared in April known as Sagittarius A*. Researchers of the way this extra information can be was the culmination of years of work by have already begun gathering obser- combined with the visual data. “I’m very hundreds of people, Kramer adds that vations of this object, and hope to pro- much looking forward to that.” “this is only the beginning” of a new duce an image in the next “year or so,” In the meantime, experts and non-sci- era. “We’ve just opened a new window according to an EHT statement. entists alike continue to marvel at the

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7. The South Pole Telescope in Antarctica 8. Workers maintain a telescope at the Max Planck Institute in Bonn, Germany

black hole image that has already been and constant, and that cause always He mentions the existence of Stone unveiled, and what it means on multiple precedes effect. It’s still a mystery what Age structures that seem to be built levels. Part of the reason it became so in- happens inside black holes, where spa- with the guidance of astronomers, to stantly iconic, Kramer says, is because of cetime is warped to an incomprehensi- line up with celestial bodies in certain its connection to the famous name of Al- ble degree. ways. They suggest, he says, that “[we bert Einstein, and the fact that black holes We are living in a golden age of in- have] always looked up at the sky ask- “are almost a part of pop culture” because terest in astronomy, with a new coming where we come from, where we’re of their role in science fiction. mercial space race getting underway, going to – basically the fundamental But there is also something deeper the world celebrating the 50-year anni- questions for humanity. That’s what going on. Black holes remind us that the versary of the moon landing, and the makes us human.” universe we live in is a much stranger first direct observation of gravitation- and more enigmatic place than day-to- al waves happening just a few years day life might suggest. Theories ascribe ago. But people have always stared up Space Movies on ice brings you some of properties to these phenomena that in fascination at objects in the night Hollywood’s greatest-ever movies about overturn our perception of every reali- sky, Kramer says, and ascribed special space exploration including First Man, ty: the fact that time and space are fixed meanings and mystical powers to them. Apollo 13, Gravity, The Martian and more.

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NEIGHBOURHOOD ISTANBUL 41.0082° N, 28.9784° E

Vestiges of old Turkey rub shoulders with vintage fashion boutiques, politically-charged graffiti and new wave coffee houses in this sea-sprayed Anatolian neighbourhood Kadıköy-Moda, Istanbul WORDS & IMAGES: SARAH FREEMAN

OS_072019_P34-40_Neighbour_Istanbul.indd 34 6/24/19 1:43 PM DID YOU KNOW? Archaeologists have uncovered artefacts dating as far back as 3500 BC in this historic hood.

Istanbul’s once-sleepy Asian side is undergoing something of a renaissance thanks to Kadıköy-Moda, a dynamic neighbourhood positioned on the Bos- phorus Strait’s southern tip. The best way to arrive here is by ferry, still one of the city’s cheapest thrills at less than a dollar, and a transcontinental commute for many over the Bosphorus, the city’s raison d’être. Much of Kadıköy hugs this arterial strait, and nowhere competes with its three-kilometre-long Long before the bearded baristas START waterside park (otherwise known as moved in, Armenians and elite Otto- Moda’s seaside) for sunset views of The mans were renaming the neighbourhood BARIŞ MANÇO MUSEUM Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Lin- formerly known as Chalcedon, ‘Moda’, ger in its promontory Çay gardens and meaning “trendy”. Alongside the pop- The chances are you’ve never heard backgammon houses and you’ll soon up galleries and art-house cinemas sits of Barış Manço, despite him ranking realise life here is about sea, tea and thousands of years of history. In 685 BC as one of Turkey’s most international- more tea. Even the hood’s docile stray Kadıköy Moda became the first settle- ly successful recording artists, whose cats, beloved by the city’s residents ment on the Bosphorus, and it claims death provoked an outbreak of na- since Ottoman times, have embraced the city’s oldest mosque, built 100 years tional mourning two decades ago. You Kadıköy’s easy-going milieu. before the Fall of Constantinople. Its don’t need to be an Anatolian rock fan Beyond the beach, which you’re no wonder residents call themselves to appreciate the national treasure’s never more than a 15-minute stroll Kadıköylu rather than Istanbullu; there’s wonderfully wacky 19th Century man- from, are flea markets full of curios, plenty to be proud of here. sion-cum-museum, though. Its here raw juice bars, spice sellers, and cultur- the Turkish Elvis recorded over 200 al-bar hybrids like Arkaoda, pushing songs and edited his popular children’s the neighbourhood’s creative envelope. TV shows. Between his flamboyant Boarding Bahariye streets’ historic, concert outfits and jewellery designs, rattling tram (that circles in a clockwise there’s prized collections of Belle Épo- loop), is a good way to get your bearings. que glassware and Napoleon III furni- Hop on and off at streets like rainbow ture, spread over three floors linked umbrella-shaded Ziyâ Bey, Bağdat Av- by a keyboard staircase. Don’t skip the enue – the Champs-Élysées of Istanbul basement’s Knight’s Room or Winter – and Kadife Sokak, lined with pubs, Garden, chock-full with instruments tattoo parlours and live music haunts. that include a 1905 harmonium. Then hit up a vintage fashion storm on Caferağa Mahallesi, Yusuf Kamil Leylek Sokak, which more than lives up Paşa Sok. No:5, 34710 Kadıköy, to Kadıköy Moda’s moniker. 1 +90 216 337 94 13

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SOUND BITE Near to Moda Pier you’ll find mouth-watering midye dolma stands peddling Turkey’s favourite street food; lemon-doused mussels stuffed with herbed rice, pine nuts and currants. 2 A SIX-MINUTE WALK

VINTAGE ROOM

Upgrade your wardrobe with hand embroidered clutches from Kyoto, nineties Fendi sunglasses and French taffeta cocktail dresses at this just- opened boutique. Its proud Kadıköylu owner, Zelig Toplar, is a former indus- trial engineer who now scours ateliers from Singapore to Berlin for vintage treasure. The interior; a vision of crystal chandeliers, antique armchairs and walnut sideboards – is as gorgeous as the apparel. Not for sale but worth the visit alone is Zelig’s Great Grandmoth- er’s 200-year-old velvet bindallı, an Ottoman wedding gown – framed like a museum piece on the wall. Caferağa Mahallesi, Leylek Sk 8a, 34710 Kadıköy, [email protected] 3 AN EIGHT-MINUTE WALK

KADIKÖY ANTIQUES STREET

A multi-century journey in one short street, eye up Persian carpets, dusty gramophones and porcelain tea sets between steaming cups of Turkish tea with convivial shop owners. Tellalzade Sokak, Kadıköy

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4 A SEVEN-MINUTE T3 TRAM

ASUMAN

We recommend you leave calorie counting at the door of this temple to chocolate. Decadent desserts like feraye (a Belgian waffle with molten chocolate) and Müjgan (a posh éclair drenched in steaming coffee) are worth the 20-minute table wait, but for an instant sugar hit, follow your nose to its Wonka-styled chocolate room. Belgian-sourced with novel Turkish flavours is Asuman’s namesake cologne, layered with subtle M.O. – think rose petal-studded tablets chocolate aromas. and tahini-flavoured truffles, which Caferağa Mah Şair Nefi Sokak 9 9, D:a, fly off the shelves. Die-hard chocohol- 34710 Kadıköy, +90 216 338 69 54, ics can even smell the part with their asuman.com 5 A FOUR-MINUTE TAXI

MODA AILE ÇAY BAHÇESI

Shaded by old sycamore trees, this open-air tea garden’s westward facing views of the Marmara Sea make it the perfect sunset perch. Do as locals do and BYOS like street-stall-bought Simit (Turkish bagel with sesame) and mas- tic ice cream from Ali Usta, a local in- stitution. Then let veteran waiters settle your Turkish tea and coffee bill the old-fashioned way, by counting up your glass empties. Caferağa Mahallesi, Park İçi Yolu, 34710 Kadıköy, +90 216 337 99 86

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6 AN EIGHT-MINUTE TAXI

SÜREYYA OPERA HOUSE

Built by a Turkish politician and designed by an Armenian, this state- owned, art nouveau opera house’s charm is its eccentricity. The city’s first musical theatre on the Asian side has spent most of its 92 years as a movie house, only raising the curtains on its first operetta in 2007. Making up for lost time, the Istanbul State Opera and Ballet now wows an unstuffy, sneak- er-wearing crowd, with thrice-weekly performances and nosebleed seats starting from as little as 40 TL (US$7). Arrive early to toast a few pre-theatre drinks to its art deco foyer, modelled on Paris’ Champs-Elysées Theatre. Osmanağa Mah., General Asım Gündüz Cd. No:29, 34714 Kadıköy, +90 216 346 15 31, [email protected]

A FOUR-MINUTE T3 TRAM per jam, and (for added kick) their ‘Oh Eliza’ cocktail, blended with Jalape- RITA MODA no-infused Tequila. Caferağa Mah. Şair Nefi Sokak No:14 With past lives as an iron sculptor Kadikoy, +90 216 338 72 72 7 workshop and painters studio, this three-storied Anatolian mansion has been reborn as an elegant new restaurant-slash-cocktail-bar. Its creative spirit endures thanks to an experimen- tal drinks menu and eclectic décor of ISTANBUL mid-century furniture, art deco de- tailing and lashings of petrol blue and dusky pink velvet. Bow-tied barmen whip up hot pomegranate margaritas and pumpkin spice espresso martinis at its ceramic-tiled bar, whilst upstairs, a stylish crowd dig into sharing platters like topik, a traditional Armenian Emirates operates nonstop daily meze. Feeling adventurous? Order the services to Istanbul Airport and to grilled lamb intestines with chilli pep- Sabiha Gokcen.

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SELLING AIR

SHORT ON FOOTPRINT, LONG ON SKY, NEW YORK’S ‘SUPER TALL’ SKYSCRAPERS STAND ACCUSED OF ZOMBIE URBANISM. CONOR PURCELL EXAMINES THE CLAIMS

WORDS: CONOR PURCELL

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Right: 432 Park Avenue, the tallest residential building in the world THE SUPER TALLS CHANGING MANHATTAN’S SKYLINE

CENTRAL PARK TOWER This 95-storey tower has been beset by issues (both financial and con- ities change all the time, usu- the Rockefeller Center, thin and vertical struction) since work began in 2014. ally slowly and usually imper- architecture marked great public urban It’s set to open next year and will be ceptibly. It’s hard, however, space,” he told Dezeen. “The Empire the tallest residential building in the to miss the new generation of State Building’s vertical dominance of- world when finished. With Central Csuper tall skyscrapers that are chang- fered a public observatory deck. No such Park views, the few available units ing New York’s skyline. Stand in Cen- public space will be offered by our pres- left range from $6.9 to $63 million. tral Park and you can see them: some ent privatised spires. Not only do they finished, some not, all of them pencil deny public access to the top and cast 111 W 57TH STREET thin and incredibly tall, casting long, long shadows on the street, they will sel- Another luxurious residential super narrow shadows over the park’s south- dom be occupied, as their $90 million tall, 111 W 57th Street (also known ern end. While New York has always apartments are financial instruments, as the Steinway Tower), looms over been a city that built upwards and not really apartments for everyday life. Central Park, at a mammoth 1,428 has never been shy about large-scale Many of these profane spires have been feet tall. Some analysts believe the urban development, this new breed of built with tax abatements from our once tower will feature the first $100 mil- skyscrapers seems different somehow; public-oriented city government.” lion sale, and given its location on a by-product of a neo-liberal fanta- So are these buildings just the in- ‘Billionaire’s Row’, who would bet sy where apartments are ‘assets,’ and evitable result of America’s hyper-cap- against it? where air is something to be bought italist society, the obvious outcome of and sold. Take one of the first super trying to squeeze as much ‘value’ from 432 PARK AVENUE talls: 432 Park Avenue. every new development? That’s part of The tallest residential building in the Described by one critic as an “elon- it, but it’s also down to improvements world when completed in 2015, 432 gated toothpaste box,” it rises more than in technology, which allow such feats of Park Avenue was the first of the new 1,400 feet into the air, yet has a footprint engineering to be built, partly it’s down era of super talls to hit Manhattan. It of only 93 square feet. It’s ‘slenderness to developers wanting to make as much was also revealed that more than 50 ratio’ is just 1-15 (the ratio of the width money as possible, and partly it’s down per cent of the building’s apartments of its base to its height), and looks from to the fact that developers can transfer were owned by foreign investors, a certain angle, almost too narrow, as ‘air rights’ from adjacent buildings and most of which are unoccupied more if the inhabitants on the highest floors build higher than ever before. “The cur- than 10 months of the year. should fear for their safety. Or, witness rent epidemic of out-of-context as-of- the rising form of Central Park Tow- right development is many years in the 53W53 er, which will be the tallest residential making,” says Tara Kelly, Vice President Designed by Jean Nouvel, 53W53 building in the world when it’s complet- of Policy and Programs at The Munici- is a 1,250 feet-tall skyscraper adja- ed, a vast glass monolith, looming over pal Art Society of New York, an advocacy cent to the Museum of Modern Art the southern section of Central Park. group that focuses on the public realm. in Midtown. The mixed-use tower will These are towers for the ultra-wealthy; “But it’s the result of a combination of feature offices, apartments (ranging glossy structures filled with luxurious two factors: engineering advances that from $3 to $80 million) and is one of apartments costing anywhere between allow towers to rise higher and skinnier the more visually interesting of the US$10 and $90 million, places for the than previously possible, and market new breed of super talls. global elite to park their assets as much conditions that make these properties as places to live. Aside from the morals profitable enough to justify the enor- TOWER FIFTH of such naked capitalism, the aesthet- mous construction costs.” Slated for Fifth Avenue, this tower ics of this recent push upward have also Another driver has been the devel- would become New York’s tallest sky- been called into question. opment of the condominium form of scraper by roof height upon comple- The city’s architecture critics, never ownership, which allows developers to tion. Consisting of 1,556 feet of office shy in voicing their opinions, have not start booking sales off-plan, vastly re- space, it would dominate Midtown held back. The renowned New York ar- ducing their risk. Condos can also be Manhattan (at least until a taller build- chitect Steven Holl said: “If we rewind bought and sold without anyone’s ap- ing is approved), provided it can get to Manhattan in 1934 and buildings like proval, unlike new co-ops, in which new past the New York zoning laws.

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OS_072019_P42-47_Supertalls.indd 46 6/24/19 4:23 PM Left: The One57 47 skyscraper, also known as The Billionaire’s Building

buyers need to be approved by a tenants’ sidies, and their preening San Gimigna- York, but a story about every global city board. Ultimately, though, these towers no competition for the most vertiginous where the ultra-wealthy buy property. are about wealth, and what better way views has launched a thousand critiques “These towers are the most visible sym- for the ultra-wealthy to maintain their of the city’s rampant up-bulking.” bol of inequality,” says Carol Willis, the assets? “People are parking their money While it’s easy to blame rapacious founder and director of New York’s Sky- in New York and London,” says the ar- developers and the greed of faceless scraper Museum and adjunct associate chitect A.M. Stern, “because they seem overseas investors, the role of city au- professor of Urban Studies at Colum- safe in comparison to the instability in thorities has also come under a lot of bia University. “The sales price of most the rest of the world.” They are also, cru- scrutiny. Elizabeth Diller, another New of these towers is now about $5,000 or cially, anonymous. You won’t find entry York-based architect, and partner in $6,000 per square foot and it can go up buzzers with names at the entrance to the architectural firm Diller Scofidio to $10,000 per square foot. There is an 432 Park Avenue or 111 West 57th Street. and Renfro, believes a large part of the enormous amount of resentment, about The ownership of these apartments is problem is due to a lack of planning. “I this type of ‘zombie urbanism’ such as often hidden behind arcane offshore believe in planning logics where you Billionaire’s Row.” companies, and even the physical apart- have neighbourhoods, and you don’t Pressure groups are not giving up ments themselves, floating high above just do one building at a time,” she says. on New York’s skyline without a fight the city, cannot be seen into by any of “We need more planning vision in the however. Most want similar things: their neighbours. The apartments them- city than there is now, where there’s no more public reviews of the planning de- selves are filled with curated libraries, thinking of the effect of tall buildings. cisions, and less leeway given to devel- yoga studios, dog bathing facilities and Every property owner is in it for them- opers. “We would like to see the public professional kitchens. The interiors, as selves, building into outer space.” review process made more robust and luxurious as they are, are almost beside New York though, has had a suc- more effective, with a greater role for the point. “If you have to pay six to eight cession of gilded ages and arguably has local stakeholders whose neighbour- thousand dollars per [square] foot,” says always been a city that looked upwards. hoods are affected by these changes in the architect Rafael Viñoly, “and you The city’s first ‘skyscraper,’ the Tower development,” says The Municipal Art design a unit for someone who has that Building at 50 Broadway, was eleven Society’s Kelly. “New York is currently kind of money… you’re wasting your storeys high when it was completed in involved in a revision process for our time. Who wouldn’t want to do whatev- 1889. That was surpassed the following City Charter, the document that defines er they want with that space?” And as year by the 20-storey, 308-feet New York the functions of the New York City gov- the towers get taller (and thinner), the World Building, which was the tallest ernment. As part of that effort, we have number of apartments shrinks. The de- building in the world at the time. By called for codifying a comprehensive veloper Bruce Eichner built CitySpire in 1931, the Empire State Building opened, planning process that addresses issues 1987; it had 300 apartments on 50 floors. all 1,250 feet of it, a giant leap, literal- such as infrastructure, schools, open He built Madison Square Park Tower in ly and metaphorically, from just a few space, transit, historic preservation, re- 2017 – it has 83 apartments across 65 decades before. The reason towers grew siliency, and sustainability alongside floors. Putting just one apartment on so much in height over the interven- the factors of building density, bulk, and a floor promotes a sense of exclusivity, ing period was due to improvements height that our current Zoning Resolu- guarantees 360 degree views and en- in technology, specifically, steel frames tion considers.” sures no useable floor space is wasted replaced load-bearing masonry walls, It will remain to be seen who wins on corridors or elevator hallways. which were difficult to use on small the battle for New York’s skies. While the super wealthy might love plots of land. these towers of excess, others are less Another technology that helped the than happy. The architecture critic Mi- advent of the skyscraper? The eleva- chael Sorkin wrote in Architectural Re- tor. New York built upwards around its Emirates offers three daily A380 services from Dubai to New York JFK. Choose cord: “The rise of the horrible, steroidal financial centre in Downtown, before from two nonstop daily services and collection of towers near Central Park, moving towards Midtown, clustering a third daily service that makes a stop with their absentee oligarch owners... towers around Grand Central Terminal in Milan. To Newark, Emirates offers a their limp starchitect designs, their and Penn Station. But this new genera- nonstop daily service from Dubai and a shadows over the park, their public sub- tion of skyscrapers is not just about New second daily service via Athens.

OS_072019_P42-47_Supertalls.indd 47 6/24/19 4:23 PM 48 THE LUNATIC EXPRESS IS NO LONGER NO IS EXPRESS LUNATIC THE THE TRAIN THAT RAN FROM NAIROBI TO MOMBASA HAD A A HAD MOMBASA TO NAIROBI FROM RAN THAT TRAIN THE COMMUTE THE NOW, ONE. GOOD A WASN’T IT AND – REPUTATION SEIZE TRAVELLERS AS TRAP, TOURIST UNLIKELY AN BECOME HAS SEAT TRAIN THEIR FROM 5 BIG THE SEE TO CHANCE THE ON

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WORDS: LOUISE LEUNG

PHOTO: YASUYOSHI CHIBA

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“Please look out of the window to cosmopolitan capital of Nairobi in the your right, to see elephants as we pass north, with its hipster cafes, bourgeois through the Tsavo National Park,” a po- boutiques and high-rise towers, to the lite voice advises over the loudspeaker. Indian Ocean oasis of Mombasa on the As we glide through the arid, yellow West coast of Africa. grasslands of one of Kenya’s oldest na- Built and financed by the Chinese, tional parks, all eyes are peeled for big it was conceived by the Kenyan govern- game trundling between the iconic bao- ment as a faster way to move cargo from bab trees that define typical postcards the city to the port of Mombasa – the of African plains at sunset. train line was never meant to be a tour- The Tsavo is home to the classic ist attraction. But since opening in May Revival of the Mombasa-Nairobi line big five game animals: lion, black rhi- 2017, it’s become exactly that. has been financed by China’s Belt and no, cape buffalo and leopards, as well The Kenyan Railways Corporation Road Initiative, which aims to bring as the elephants. Any of them could be has had to lay on extra services to meet back trading routes connecting China with Central Asia, the Middle East, spotted from our seats. But this isn’t passenger demand (there are now two Africa and Europe via networks of a safari. Rather, it’s a ride on Kenya’s passenger trains per day in each direc- upgraded railways and ports new high-speed railway that links the tion), and says that it has moved 2.7 million passengers to date. The service regularly sells out at busy periods. The safari-esqe announcements were added as a response to the tourist demand and have become a staple of the journey, delivering interesting snippets of historical and geographic information as the railway zooms through Nai- robi National Park, then bisects Tsavo East and Tsavo West national parks, with the bluish peak of Mount Kiliman- jaro visible in the distance just after half way through the ride. Dazzles of zebras regularly trot along beside the tracks, casually eyeing up this modern new beast as the train pulls into various stations along the route. Before the Madaraka Express tourists travelling from Nairobi to Momba- sa by land had two options: they either braved the treacherous, single-lane road that snakes down the country and is regularly besieged by sandstorms and held up by freight trucks overturned while trying to overtake – a journey that takes 16 hours, on a good day. Or they could have bought a ticket on the storied Lunatic Express, the single-gauge railway line built by British colonialists at the turn of the 20th Centu- ry, which became something of a legend among travellers and historians alike. The Nairobi Railway Museum, opened in 1971, tells much of its leg- endary history. This dusty corner of the capital, which looks like a junkyard for old steam trains (you can easily climb inside trains from more than 100 years ago without being spotted or stopped)

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and where the gift shop is only some- Clockwise top left: Commuters times staffed, images and relics from make their way through Mombasa’s the now-retired line give a glimpse into station; Rhinos in Nakuru National Kenya’s colonial past. Park; Engineers and workers on the original railway line, circa. 1890 The Uganda Railway, as it was offi- cially called, was built by 32,000 workers, many of whom were shipped in from In- dia, and newspaper cuttings at the museum reveal just how many men were savaged as lions attacked their tented camps at nighttime – and sometimes even climbed into the train cabins. In total, about 2,500 men died building the line – more from the back-breaking work than the hungry wildlife – but this phe- in by the Queen of England when she nomenal engineering achievement suc- rode the train remains in the museum, ceeded in joining the British protectorate utterly unprotected and unmanned. of Mombasa to the colony of Uganda, By the end of the 21st Century, howev- uniting the disparate tribes in between as er, it was tourists who were being driven the country today known as Kenya. crazy by the British line. It regularly left The Lunatic Express – so named for Nairobi hours behind schedule, and could the mental state it drove the labourers take as long as 24 hours more than sched- who built it to – was a matter of British uled to finally pull in to Mombasa, leaving

pride. The now-threadbare seat once sat travellers stranded in obscure stations AFP GETTY IMAGES; PHOTOS:

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such as the mountain village of Voi while with a packed food and drinks trolley. As ical excellence even further when the engineers were called to repair a patch the train sweeps through the countryside, next section of the line opens later this of century-old track, or scrape big game you get a sense of how vast Kenya is and year (the exact date is currently uncon- road kill from the line. It undeniably had the modernising effect the train line is firmed, but the line is built). The next a romantic charm, but for anyone on a having at everywhere it stops. Huge, glass phase will take tourists north of Nairo- schedule it was an enemy to timekeeping. spaceship-like stations have now landed bi through the big blue skies of Kenya’s The Madaraka Express, by contrast, in previously small rural outposts such as Rift Valley, zooming past the huts of has never once been late, according to the Voi, a jumping off spot for those going on Maasai Mara people all the way up to Kenyan government, and takes just four safaris in the East Tsavo where the long Naivasha, famous for its geothermal hot and a half hours to reach Mombasa, cost- grass now grows over the old train tracks. springs and the jumping off point for ing passengers 1,000 Kenyan shillings for Locals say that since the trainline began Hell’s Gate National Park, home to the a ticket in first class – that’s four times stopping in Voi the town has swelled, with famous rock formation that inspired the faster than the Lunatic Express, when the high-rise apartment blocks springing up opening scene of the Disney animated British train was having a good day. Seats and new restaurants and hotels to cater to classic film The Lion King. can be booked in advance online. the tourists who pile in twice a day. With so much new scenery to take in If the Lunatic Express was a symbol As the train pushes further south at 120 kilometres an hour, this definite- of Kenya’s past, the Madaraka Express is and nearer to Mombasa, the land be- ly isn’t a train ride you’ll be wanting to what the government wants visitors to see comes more lush – fertile hills stretch sleep through. as its future. The comfortable cabins are out like inviting green gardens as the spotless, being mopped and swept every twinkling blue sea of Mombasa comes 30 minutes, there are phone charging into view, illustrating just what a diverse stations by every window seat and friend- nation Kenya is geographically. Emirates operates two nonstop daily ly staff dressed in flight attendant-style The government has plans to show- services from Dubai to Nairobi with the

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES; AFP GETTY IMAGES; PHOTOS: uniforms regularly bustle down the aisle case that botanic brilliance and ecolog- Boeing 777-300ER.

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Most photographers come back from a friendship slowly blossomed between location after capturing their subject. the pair that, Skubatz says, made the They might stay for weeks, or months, farm “feel like a second home.” but onwards they must travel – in search As well as building an emotional of their next muse. Not so for Marzena collection to her human subjects – Bil- Skubatz, whose series in Iceland drew la’s daughter Heida also returned to her inexorably into the country. the farm after studying in Reykjavik – Her photo series, The Weather Re- Skubatz also started to develop another port I, follows Billa – who runs a weather relationship: one to the location itself. station and farm in one of the most inac- “The weather station is at the end of cessible regions of the country. the fjord, which means I can watch and “I fell in love with the place the first listen to the sea all through the day and time I saw it,” says Skubatz. “I was looking night. The experience of being so close to spend time at one of the most remote to the sea all by yourself, all the time, places I could find, and was interested in shifts something within you,” she says. helping with the farm work and learning “It throws you back to your most inner about the weather reporting process.” thoughts and emotions.” Thought at first wary – Billa took Though starkly beautiful, with fre- one year to agree to be photographed – quent northern lights streaking across

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winter skies, the work is demanding, most broken my equipment a few times, and the climate often excruciatingly running down the hills trying to catch a bleak. Billa sends temperature and data sheep, or climbing up a mountain. from the weather station every three “At some point I decided that I can- hours – even throughout the night. not do both at the same time, and left “I mostly come to this place in the my camera at home to help with farm wintertime, when everything is more work, photographing the project as challenging and exhausting,” says much as possible in my free time.” Skubatz. “The sea can get really wild, The series examines both emo- and the northwind really strong. Some- tional and physical landscape – the times it feels like the storms are going to geography and people simultaneously wash away my face. But it also makes me imbued with feelings of isolation and feel alive and reminds me how small I independence, of dedication and be- am as a human being at the same time.” longing. It is why, says Skubatz, she has At first overwhelmed by the sur- been returning for the last seven years. rounding nature, Skubatz learnt to cu- It is lonely and often thankless rate her approach – shooting quickly work, but for these women, something due to limited light, as well as recon- unspoken exists in this wild place; keep- ciling her photography work with the ing them there day after day, month af- manual labour she also took on. “I’ve al- ter month – year after year.

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OS_072019_P54-61_MarzenaWeatherReport.indd 61 6/24/19 2:30 PM WORDS: BEN EAST PHOTO: ALEXIS BERG

CONQUERING

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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO CROSS A LAND MOST CONSIDER

UNINHABITABLE? THESE DAYS, THE ALLURE IS LESS ABOUT CONQUERING

UNCHARTED TERRITORY – AND MORE ABOUT FINDING ONESELF

Above: Max Calderan Right: The Marathon des Sables, oft-described as the toughest marathon on earth

s a seven-year-old growing up Calderan is not the first to be cap- outside of Venice, Max Calde- tivated by the strange allure of the de- ran used to pore over a much- sert. When Bertram Thomas crossed the loved encyclopaedia. One Empty Quarter in 1930 he did so with 15 Aday, he was stopped in his tracks by a camels and their keepers, and talked of page about the Arabian Peninsula’s Rub’ being seduced by a forbidden land with al Khali, known as the Empty Quarter – its virgin silences and merciless heat; the largest sand desert in the world. He “the last considerable terra incognita”. remembers the moment like it was yes- But while Thomas was keen to discover terday. “A place where the Bedouin and the geology and anthropology of the ter- camels are scared to move, that migrato- rain, Calderan and the thousands who ry birds avoid,” as he tells it, 45 years on. sign up for gruelling events such as the “I drew a picture of it, went to my Marathon Des Sables – the event in the mother, and told her I would be the first Sahara described as “an extraordinary man to cross it alone. And from that day, race for extraordinary people in an ex- my last thought before sleeping, my first traordinary place” – are arguably em- thought when I woke up, was to do this. In barking on a different adventure these this moment, I became a desert explorer.” days: the journey to discover themselves. Calderan, whose achievements to date in- “When I first went into the desert,” clude running 360km in 75 hours across considers Calderan, “it was to try and Oman’s deserts in summer, 100km in 24 find solutions to the problems in my hours across the UAE desert while fasting life – and yes, to achieve something. But and following a 437km line of the Tropic what you soon realise is that a sand dune of Cancer – also in the desert – is still pre- can’t help you with that. It can kill you occupied by the Empty Quarter. “The se- in five minutes. You have to keep silent, cret of life is precisely here,” he says. listen to the desert, let it become your

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PHOTOS: ALEXIS BERG; MARTA BACARDIT 67

From top: Ragna Debats, – and I really wanted to prove a woman common consensus is that it takes a ‘spe- who won the women’s Marathon Des Sables this could cope with this as well.” cial kind of person’ to venture into the de- year; Contestants must In fact, by the end of the second day, sert, up a mountain, or through a jungle. carry their own food as Debats knew she was probably going to Bellatriu thinks the idea of testing your- they run, and sleep in win the women’s race, so set herself a new self is actually more universal than that. communal Berber tents target of finishing as high as possible over- “People need challenges,” she says. all: impressively, she was already close to “We need to fix goals that give meaning the Top 10. But increasing pain caused by to our lives and help us to disconnect her backpack meant Debats ended up in from everyday stress. We need to over- such severe discomfort, she was fighting come ourselves.” just to put one foot in front of the other a And while for an athlete like Debats day later. “I went through some pretty bad the desert was another challenge to tick moments,” she admits. off, for someone like Jenkins, it was a teacher. And then something incredible Most people would have quit. In fact, life-changing experience. happens; you see things you know no- amateur runner Jonathan Jenkins, who “You feel very, very small when body else has ever seen; you are think- completed Marathon Des Sables last year you’re in the desert,” he says. “You’re going where nobody else has ever thought to raise money for London Air Ambu- ing not very far for what seems like an before. By the end, you’ve got what you lance, did just that in 2016. “The reasons eternity. So one time I just stopped with needed out of the journey, not what you were justifiable – I wasn’t fit enough – but another guy and we looked up at the wanted. There’s a big difference.” it was my head which got in a negative stars. It really was a magical moment, Calderan’s thoughtful, almost mysti- spin,” he explains. “As I ran I found myself so far away from all the tiny things that cal approach to the desert might at first putting together a narrative about how I annoy you in your daily life. glance seem a long way removed from would pull out, how I could tell myself this “And there were a lot of people doing a the attitude of champion professional was a glorious failure,” he remembers. lot of thinking and talking about what was trail runner Ragna Debats, who won the “When I did stop half-way through important to them. Pretty much everyone women’s Marathon Des Sables in her own day four, I was relieved for about 15 min- apart from the elite athletes is doing it for range of Merrell running shoes. And yet utes… and then spent the next two years someone else, and it’s their stories which the pull of the desert is the same. regretting it.” keep you going when it hurts, when “There’s this great feeling of lone- So when Jenkins returned to the you’re hanging on to your running shorts liness, of only seeing sand around you desert last year he made sure he was as at 3am during a sandstorm…” in these wide open spaces,” says the mentally ready as he could be. Such psy- So crossing the finish line – which 40-year-old Dutch runner. “You do gen- chological preparation, agrees Debats, both Debats and Jenkins say seemed uinely connect with nature and your- is key. She’s sure that the work she did to be agonisingly close forever, thanks self in those moments, when you’re with Spanish sports psychologist Mar- to a cruel heat haze – is a genuinely out there with your own food, with itxell Bellatriu helped her overcome her emotional experience, particularly as everything you need to survive. You fo- own dark moments and see a difficulty everyone gets the same medal. As a solo cus on the puzzle – of running, resting, as a challenge rather than a catastrophe. explorer, Calderan doesn’t have that recovering – and nothing else. It is the “Knowing how to redirect negative communal feeling of achievement. But ultimate challenge.” thoughts is a powerful strategy for dif- the long-lasting emotions are similar. The Marathon Des Sables is certain- ficult times where motivation fails,” “Because the desert gives you the ly that. Dubbed the toughest footrace on says Bellatriu. “Mental preparation is right balance and alignment, once I earth, competitors set off on a six-day, as important as physical preparation, leave I can transfer what I have expe- 250km stage race through the dunes, je- and developing skills such as trust, mo- rienced to the people around me,” he bels and salt plains of the Sahara. Tem- tivation and concentration allow us to says. “So being in the desert also means peratures regularly reach 50 degrees optimise performance and maybe even I can be a good father, a good friend, a centigrade, runners have to carry their enjoy the activity.” good person in my community. own food, water is rationed and commu- Even in the searing heat of the de- “If you can survive the desert, you nal Berber tents are pitched each night. sert? “Well, the desert does have an add- can survive anything.” “There were many things which made ed toughness,” she agrees. “The adverse it into an interesting experience, shall we conditions, the monotony in the land- say,” laughs Debats. “Normally I get to a scape, the extreme climate… mentally it hotel for a one-day race and everything does need special preparation and you Held in the city, the Standard Chartered is optimal. But sharing a tent with eight do need to anticipate helpful solutions Dubai Marathon takes place every year others, carrying a backpack, dealing with and strategies.” in January. Check out the highlights the heat in the day and the cold at night, But why take on this mental and from 2019’s marathon in Emirates & was as challenging as the actual running physical trauma in the first place? The Dubai TV on ice.

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Women try out an electric tricycle from Mobility for Africa that runs on solar power

tricycles than they could on foot. Mobil- The forward ity for Africa director Felicity Tawengwa says Expo Live’s funding will allow the expansion of a current pilot project to thinkers who are provide electric tricycles to more women, and to explore an affordable leasing mod- el going forward. As the electric-vehicle changing the world revolution hits Africa, the benefits will be both regional and global. Expo 2020 Dubai’s US$100 million in- cutting our reliance on fossil fuels and mobilityforafrica.com novation and partnership programme arresting the alarming climate crisis, is Expo Live supports ingenious innova- one the world’s next great challenges. tors who have devised socially impact- In Africa’s remote rural commu- COOKING UP A BETTER FUTURE ful projects that help push the world nities, those pressing needs are multi- The fallout of the global refugee crisis has towards a brighter future. From sup- plied by more local concerns, particu- spread far and wide, with implications porting refugees to cultivate a tasty larly for the women who hold together stretching beyond the immediate con- income to a cheery robot that teaches families, yet often lack basic personal cerns associated with the displacement computer programming, these ideas transport. Zimbabwe-based Mobility of millions of people. In Malaysia, Expo prove that innovation can come from for Africa has an answer: provide them Live grantee PichaEats is giving refugees anywhere, to everyone… with solar-powered electric tricycles. dignity, purpose and an income with a As well as adding to the growing scheme that is as tasty as it is innovative. tranche of sustainable transport, the After witnessing the fantastic cu- THE WHEELS ARE TURNING scheme is also helping to alleviate pov- linary skills of many of the relocated WITH SOLAR POWER erty for women and their families by population, particularly refugee moth- Providing transport for our bil- enabling those who sell fresh produce ers, PichaEats devised a project to sell lions-strong global population, while to carry much greater quantities on the authentic, home-cooked meals. These

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talented cooks prepare a huge variety of dishes inspired by their home origins, and for every meal sold, they earn 50 per cent of the sales. The remainder is used to cover PichaEats’ operation costs. The project has already sold 100,000 meals since it began in 2016, providing much-needed income to about 100 women and their families and transforming lives so that children can stay in education rather than drop- ping out early to find work. The next step, thanks to Expo Live, will be to hire professional chefs to help the refugee cooks hone their cooking skills and menus, as well as boost mar- keting to reach even more customers. pichaproject.com

A ROBOT THAT TAKES YOU TO SCHOOL Putting a friendly face to a serious aim, Marty is a fun, educational robot de- MAPPING OUT AN ACCESSIBLE WORLD signed to help children of all ages engage Visiting a location for the first time can with programming – and solve a looming prove daunting for anybody, but for potential labour crisis in the process. people of determination, turning up “Computerisation and automation unprepared can lead to insurmountable are going to shift the job market, so there’s obstacles. Being able to find advance in- a big need to get more kids engaged with formation about a site’s accessibility can STEM (science, technology, engineering make all the difference. and maths),” explains Alexander ‘Sandy’ Japanese wheelchair user Yuriko Enoch, the founder and CEO of Marty’s Oda, the founder of WheeLog, knew this maker, UK startup Robotical. from personal experience, and realised Enoch’s eureka moment came that collating accessibility information when he was looking for a Christmas and presenting it in an easily-digestible present for his niece. He found that format could have a significant impact Top and above: Examples from the many smart toys offered little in the on people across the globe. fourth round of Expo Live’s Innovation way of excitement or educational val- The resulting app creates an inter- Impact Grant Programme. After four ue, so quickly became boring. Marty, active crowdsourced map that allows cycles, Expo Live now supports 121 however, can be made to move using a wheelchair users to share and see the grantees from 65 countries, providing variety of programming languages via accessibility of public spaces. Its suc- funding, guidance and exposure a laptop or tablet – from basic expres- cess is potentially exponential: the sional eyebrows to more complex dance more users, the more information is moves, or even playing football. gathered and shared, and as the re- Children can also customise their source grows, the more wheelchair Marty with accessories and liveries users are able to plan trips with confi- thanks to free 3D printing files. One clev- dence and clarity. The World Health er user even made Marty voice-controlled Organization estimates that about by linking it with an online assistant. 65 million people worldwide rely on There are already 5,000 Martys, but wheelchairs for their mobility. Thanks Enoch says: “Expo Live will help us go to Expo Live’s involvement, WheeLog from reaching thousands of students can be expanded across the globe, in to tens of thousands of students.” Such more languages, and including input news should put an even bigger smile from local governments, providing a vi- For more about the upcoming Expo on Marty’s face. tal service to millions of people. watch Expo 2020: A Timeless Cele- robotical.io wheelog.com bration in Emirates & Dubai TV on ice.

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sense; the rocks eventually led to dis- How historically tinctively fertile land, perfect for cotton growing, which in turn brought slaves important is the planet? to cultivate it, and those African Amer- icans stayed put. When they could vote, Lewis Dartnell on how understanding they tended to support the policies of the Democrats, traditionally more at- the ground beneath our feet is key to tuned to problems of poverty that these understanding the world people were facing. “All from a band of ancient sea-floor WORDS: BEN EAST mud,” laughs Dartnell. “I loved explor- ing all these causal changes and links in this book. Here’s another one: the Ara- bian deserts are formed by atmospheric circulation and within them the camel became uniquely adapted to desert sur- vival. So the camels were essential for the trade in incense, which began 4000 years ago from the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula and carried across the deserts into Mesopotamia, the Le- vant and the Mediterranean. These kinds of routes that we often label as the Silk Roads were not just about trade; they were about the dissemination of ideas, technologies, philosophies, reli- gions. It was the landscape and ecology of Eurasia that created this network – it was effectively the Internet of its time.” And Dartnell’s ideas have genuinely started to disseminate across the globe too. The conversations he’s had since publication – including in Dubai at the Emirates Literature Festival earlier this year – have convinced him that people If you look out of your window right by the planet itself,” he says. “It’s thought instinctively understand that “one of now, the planet you see beneath you all of modern humanity, for example, de- the repercussions of humanity’s power might seem like a tapestry of oceans, scends from a single exodus event out of and technological capability is that we seas, mountains, deserts and fields that Africa, entering the Arabian Peninsula have started to change the planet”. we have shaped and bent to fit our own during a climatic shift to wetter condi- “I wanted to show the other side of ends. But think a little deeper – in fact tions and the greening of the area.” that equation, that features of the envi- literally go deeper into the earth’s crust - It’s a fascinating book which, in its ronment have had a huge influence on and actually it’s the very make-up of the scientific voyage of discovery into our the way we live our lives,” he says. Earth, from plate tectonics to atmos- past – “I only cover 5 million years of An influence that will, surely, only pheric circulation and ocean currents – history in 300 pages,” he jokes - has huge appear more obvious – and become the which has made us and the way we are relevance for our present and future, an great challenge of our times. in the 21st Century. important and sobering reminder that That might sound obvious, of course, we ignore the ground beneath our feet at but actually the planetary processes our peril. Not least during its astonishing are more intrinsically linked to the way section where Dartnell aligns a swathe Origins: How The we live our lives than we have ever im- of Democrat voting counties in the over- Earth Made Us (Vintage) is out now. agined, says author and professor of sci- whelmingly Republican southeastern For more, listen to ence communication Lewis Dartnell in United States to a band of cretaceous the Emirates Airline his new book, Origins: How The Earth rocks formed 86 million years ago. Festival of Literature Made Us. “Each of the great steps in hu- That might seem ridiculous, but podcast in Radio & man history are fundamentally caused take a step back and it makes perfect Podcasts on ice.

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A SERIES OF EXTRAORDINARY STORIES CAMEL WHISPERER

Discover timeless wonders among the dunes through the eyes of a daughter of the desert

WATCH HER STORY AT VISITABUDHABI.AE Emirates

NEWS ° INSIDE EMIRATES ° DESTINATION ° UAE SMART GATE ° ROUTE MAP ° FLEET

Digital savvy Emirates’ digital channels continue to push boundaries, with the introduction of an Arabic Emirates app, and the integration of AI to improve customer experience planned for later this year. p.74

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More than 40 per cent of customers checked in online for their Emirates flight last year

Emirates launches app in Arabic

All the features in the Emirates app are now available in Arabic, bringing the total number of languages supported to 19. The Emirates app currently receives an average of 600,000 monthly downloads and allows users to search, book and improve its digital channels. Last manage their flights as well as their financial year, a quarter of all ticket Emirates Skywards accounts. sales were made on its web and Emirates is the only airline globally mobile channels and over 40 per cent to have its mobile app available in 19 of customers checked in online for languages, including Arabic, English, their flights. Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Emirates’ digital channels continue Czech, French, German, Greek, Italian, to push boundaries as it explores more Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil emerging technology and prepares to & Portugal), Polish, Russian, Spanish, integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Thai and Turkish. improve the customer experience later In recent years, the airline has this year. been using analytical and customer The Emirates app is free to download behaviour insights to constantly on iOS or Android devices.

EMIRATES AND COLLINGWOOD FOOTBALL CLUB RENEW LONGSTANDING PARTNERSHIP

Emirates is celebrating the renewal of and back of Collingwood’s guernseys and one of its most enduring and successful shorts during the club’s match day games. sponsorship properties in the Australian The airline has invested more than market, marking 20 years as the Premier $100 million in the Australian market Partner of the Collingwood Football Club. through community initiatives, sports Formed in 1999, the partnership and the arts – including the Sydney and has been instrumental in delivering Melbourne Symphony Orchestras. excellence to one of Australia’s most Globally, Emirates’ sponsorship famous and widely supported clubs in For two decades, the Emirates logo portfolio includes the prestigious Arsenal the Australian Football League. has been proudly displayed on the front FC, Formula 1 and the Dubai World Cup.

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EMIRATES REDUCES SINGLE- USE PLASTICS ON BOARD

Emirates has introduced eco- friendly paper straws and a future commitment for all flights to be plastic straw-free, in a network- wide commitment to reduce single-use plastics. The airline has been working on various long-term sustainability initiatives in addition to plastic straws. Plastic swizzle sticks and stirrers will be replaced with eco-friendly alternatives by the end of the year, and from August, plastic bags used for Inflight Retail purchases will also be replaced with paper bags. Fuelled by a cabin crew member’s suggestion, the airline has been segregating large plastic bottles on board to be recycled in Dubai and the rest of the world. The initiative Emirates SkyCargo strengthens is estimated to divert three tonnes, or about 150,000 plastic bottles, its pharma capabilities from landfill in Dubai each month. A review of the plastics on board Emirates SkyCargo has unveiled a pharma cargo build up and break has been conducted and over purpose-built facility in Chicago to down, storage and direct ramp access. the next few months, the airline handle pharmaceutical cargo, as part Developed in partnership with ground will implement other initiatives to of its Pharma Corridors programme. handling company Maestro, the tackle plastic waste. The dedicated facility is part of a facility has a capacity of 15,000 tonnes The initiatives are part of the broader strategy to enhance protection of pharma shipments per annum. airline’s ongoing sustainability for temperature sensitive pharma Following up on the success of efforts. In 2017, Emirates shipments; not just at Emirates the Pharma Corridors initiative introduced ecoTHREAD blankets SkyCargo’s hub in Dubai, but from announced in January 2018, an initial made from recycled plastic bottles origin to destination. network of 12 pharma stations has for its Economy Class cabin. Each As part of Pharma Corridors, been expanded to 20. blanket is made from 28 recycled Emirates SkyCargo works with ground In Dubai, Emirates SkyCargo’s plastic bottles and by the end of handling partners and other local pharma operations – including the this year, Emirates is predicted to stakeholders at the stations that are 24/7 trucking operations between save 88 million plastic bottles from important origin or destination points its terminals at Dubai International landfill from this initiative alone. for pharma, in order to ensure a high Airport and Dubai World Central – standard of handling operations for have been certified as compliant to pharmaceuticals. EU GDP (Good Distribution Practices) The Chicago facility is spread over guidelines this year. 1,000 square metres, with scope for With over 8,000 square metres additional expansion and provides of dedicated pharma storage and comprehensive protection for pharma handling space, Emirates SkyCargo cargo through temperature controlled operates the world’s largest multi- zones for acceptance and delivery, airport GDP certified hubs in Dubai.

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Seasonal zest This summer, Emirates menus will feature the sweet and tangy flavours of the season’s fruits. Here’s a sneak peak of what’s onboard

110 million+ Meals served a year

209 Meals a minute

Emirates prides Seasonal meals itself on its 1,800 longstanding global Chefs Emirates delights customers with special partnerships with menus year-long for global events like local providers Chinese New Year, Ramadan and Easter and artisans. This and according to the availability of emphasis on high seasonal ingredients. In the last month, quality ingredients the airline also introduced meals around stems from delicacies like white asparagus on flights Emirates’ focus on to Germany, Amsterdam and France, aligning with the European harvest simple, well-cooked season. Hanami-inspired menus were dishes that highlight introduced on flights to Japan during the 12,450 their destinations’ cherry blossom season in April. Recipes regional cuisine.

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What can you look forward to this summer?

(1) (2) REGIONAL SPECIALTIES

1. Flights to UK and Ireland This month, First and Business Class customers can sample treats featuring seasonal strawberries including the classic British summer dessert Eton Mess. Strawberry eclairs, a strawberry cream delice and a deconstructed mille-feuille with poached strawberries, white chocolate cream, pastry crisps and basil tuille will also be served.

2. Flights to India (3) Alfonso Mangoes are in season throughout the early summer in India, mainly in Delhi. In July, the tropical fruit is the star of its desserts in all classes. First and Business Class customers will be treated to an Alfonso Mango layer cake while Economy Class customers will enjoy an Alfonso mango and sago kheer.

3. Flights to and from Italy Next month, Emirates’ First and Business Class passengers will enjoy an appetizer of the season’s heirloom tomatoes paired with burrata, an Italian cheese made from mozzarella and cream. Burrata, whose name translates to “buttered,” has a solid outer layer of curd BEHIND THE SCENES made from fresh mozzarella, which is then formed into a Food enthusiasts can Emirates Food Channel hollow pouch and filled with go behind-the-scenes available on ice, the soft, stringy curd and fresh cream. The burrata is paired of Emirates’ on board airline’s award-winning perfectly with the sweet and menus and global in-flight entertainment tangy flavours of the heirloom partnerships with the system. tomatoes that have ripened in the summer.

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Muscat, Oman A diverse, Middle Eastern pocket

Consider this: at Oman’s furthest tip is the imposing Hajar Range, with rocky outcrops and stocky humpback dolphins cruising gen- tly around the bay. Head down the coast and wild beaches take centre stage, with miles of pounding surf and the odd bull taking a pre- fight dip (typically, a more gentle undertaking than its Spanish counterpart). Head even further south and you’ll find lush banana planta- tions in Salalah, Oman’s very own jungle. One must consider Muscat in this context, as it gives insight into why its residents are so dedicated to this quiet pocket of the Mid- dle East. Beyond the chain coffee shops and financial centre, there is a historic air to the capital and its surrounding landscape. Digs around the region have suggested human presence as far back as 100,000 years, with the former Omani Empire’s influence also seen in the form of 16th-Century forts, falajes and ancient villages. For a more recent look at the Sultanate’s history, tourists often wander down to Angli- cized-slash-Arabic stylings of Mutrah, with lampposts dotted along the corniche and the retro Al Alam Palace showcasing the country’s lengthy relationship with the UK. A permanent and lovely fixture is the Gulf of Oman, which has seen dhows weighed down with frankincense trade along its coasts, and pearl divers scale its depths in the hopes for ecru treasures. Now, divers submerge themselves with schools of fish and the odd gentle whale shark, unseen by the city above. WORDS: GEORGINA LAVERS GEORGINA WORDS:

Starting 1 July Emirates will oper- ate a double daily A380 operation on EK 862/863 and EK864/865 to and from Muscat Internation- al Airport (MCT). Muscat will become Emirates’ shortest sched- uled A380 flight, flying a distance of 340 kilometres each way.

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CHEDI USCAT SHANGRILA AL ANANTARA AL or an intimate escape HUSN RESORT ABAL AL AKHDAR it’s worth checking into SPA A police checkpoint en- the Chedi Muscat a eyond Mutrah and sures vehicles are fi t to fi ve-star garden oasis past the museum quar- take on the 3,000-me- set over 21 acres. ter is the Shangri-La, tre climb to one of Located on one of the equipped with a private the best hotels in the coast’s few private beach, as well as 180 region. Perched above beaches, a ban on chil- rooms and suites. Se- the grand canyon of dren day passes and cret beach coves and Oman the Anantara is watersports mean that infi nity pools beckon a truly singular expe- the villas are ideal for from scalloped arches rience. Breathe in the the more meditative with amenities includ- cool mountain air and of tourists. ing a butler service and dine among stars that ghmhotels.com/ pre-loaded iPods. blanket inky skies. muscat shangri-la.com/muscat anantara.com

TURKISH HOUSE THE BEACH COPPER Rather uncreatively It can be tricky to get Looking for a fl at white nicknamed The ish outside bookings in typical hipster am- Place’, be prepared to but dining on careful- bience complete with ueue at this humble ly-sourced seafood polished steel and req- yet delicious seafood ust feet away from the uisite reclaimed wood café. Its owner, a Chedi’s 370 metre pri- fi ttings? Copper, just former fi sherman, vate beach is worth the down the road from aims to showcase the commitment. Oysters Qurum Park, is the fi nest grouper, snapper, are gillardeau, the cav- place. For food, expect umbo shrimp and local iar is Iranian, and the American-lite: chicken hamour. Dishes are ac- lobsters are wild and and waffl es, prawn companied by mee sourced directly from mac and cheese and platters and studded the Gulf of Oman. bagels loaded with nigella bread, served ghmhotels.com/en/ salmon and dill. warm from the oven. muscat/dining copper.restaurant

DAANIAT SULTAN ABOOS ABAL AL ISLANDS GRAND MOSQUE AKHDAR Whale sharks moray Tour groups will come A car is a virtual must eels, angel ﬁ sh… for for the numbers: the in Muscat with Jabal some of the best diving 600,000-crystalled Al Akhdar or Green in Oman take a small chandelier once Mountain a few hours’ boat an hour out to deemed the largest in drive away. As you these UNESCO-protect- the world, or the mam- wind around mountain ed islands its crystal moth Persian carpet buttresses stop off at clear waters teeming in the main prayer hall. the ancient city of Ni- with aquatic life. May Those looking for calm wa before heading to to October sees the should ust wander in this lush mountaintop. islands off-limits to and out of the various Stargae smell the visitors – leaving its mosaicked alcoves, damask roses and hike rare sooty falcons to hidden staircases and among still-inhabited nest in peace. a fully-stocked library. ancient villages.

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NATIONALITIES THAT CAN USE UAE SMART GATES Be smart! Use UAE Smart Gate at Dubai International Airport

Citizens of the countries listed on in and out of the airport within the right and UAE residents can seconds. speed through Dubai Interna- Just look out for signs that tional by using UAE Smart Gate. will direct you to the many UAE If you hold a machine-read- Smart Gates found on either side able passport, an E-Gate card or of the Immigration Hall at Dubai Emirates ID card you can check International Airport.

USING UAE SMART GATE IS EASY

Have your machine-readable passport, E-Gate card or Emirates ID card ready to 1 be scanned.

Place your passport photo page on the scanner. If you are a UAE resident, place your E-Gate card or Emirates ID card into 2 the card slot.

Go through the open gate, stand on the blue footprint guide on the floor, face the camera straight-on and stand still for your iris scan. When finished, the next set 3 of gates will open and you can continue to baggage claim.

REGISTERING FOR UAE SMART GATE IS EASY To register for Smart Gate access, just spend a few moments having your details validated by an immigration officer and that’s it. Every time you fly to Dubai in future, you will be out of the airport and on your way just minutes after you have landed. *UK citizens only (UK overseas citizens still require a visa)

IF YOU’RE A UAE RESIDENT UAE SMART GATE CAN BE USED BY: Remember to bring your Emirates ID card next time you’re • Machine-readable passports travelling through DXB – you’ll be able to speed through passport from the above countries control in a matter of seconds, without paying and without registering. Valid at all Smart Gates, located in Arrivals and • E-Gate cards Departures, across all three terminals at DXB. • Emirates ID cards

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La Vie ~ embracing life by the luxury Emirati brand

www.feathers-fashion.com @feathersfashion

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K 82 EMIRATES ROUTE MAP

GLOBAL ROUTES *Suspended **Seasonal service

Emirates Amsterdam / Auckland / Bangkok / Barcelona / Beijing / Birmingham / Brisbane / Casablanca / Emirates Christchurch / Copenhagen / Dusseldorf / Frankfurt / Guangzhou / Hamburg / Hong Kong / Houston / Porto: Jeddah / Johannesburg / Kuala Lumpur / Kuwait / four times London / Los Angeles / Madrid / Manchester / weekly service starts 2 July Mauritius / Melbourne / Milan / Moscow / Mumbai / Munich / Muscat / New York / Nice / Osaka / Paris / Perth / Prague / Riyadh / Rome / San Francisco / São Paulo / Seoul / Shanghai / Singapore / Sydney / Taipei / NEW ROUTES NEW A380 ROUTES A380 Tokyo / Toronto / Vienna / Washington, DC / Zurich Emirates route ﬂ ydubai route Routes shown are as of time of going to press as of time going to Routes shown are EMIRATES ROUTE MAP 83

TRAVEL TO ADDITIONAL DESTINATIONS WITH OUR CODESHARE PARTNERS With 23 codeshare partners in 26 countries (21 airlines and an air/rail codeshare arrangement with France’s SNCF/TGV Air and Italy’s Trenitalia), Emirates has even more flight options, effectively expanding its network by over 300 destinations. for full details on our travel partners for full details on our travel emirates.com Visit 84 EMIRATES ROUTE MAP

MIDDLE EAST

Emirates route ﬂ ydubai route AFRICA *Suspended **Seasonal service Routes shown are as of time of going to press as of time going to Routes shown are EMIRATES / ROUTE MAP / 85

ASIA & PACIFIC

EUROPE & CENTRAL ASIA

**Seasonal service 86 / EMIRATES / ROUTE MAP

AMERICAS

EMIRATES SKYCARGO

Freighter destinations Routes shown are as of time of going to press as of time going to Routes shown are

88 EMIRATES FLEET

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ARI ASTER’S GUIDE TO BUDAPEST

The director of Swedish folk horror, Midsommar, on why Hungary proved ideal to portray a rural idyll not all that it seems

INTERVIEW: EMMA COILER

Midsommar is set in a small Swedish and then when things got dark, have that village, but most of the filming was in eerie gothic thing going on as well. Hungary, which has been a very important In the city, Budapest just offers so much country in the last couple of decades for architecturally – and the backdrop can’t filming. Mission Impossible, The Martian, fail but to be imposing. Those big gothic Blade Runner and Robin Hood were all cathedrals, the Roman Amphitheatres, shot here. There are so many fantastic the traditional Turkish baths and so much buildings and beautiful locations, it’s no more. To have such impressive backdrops surprise it has become so popular. allows directors so many options. Budapest is an incredible city – There are no shortage of hotels in the architecturally one of the most stunning city – but if you can stay anywhere near in Europe – but we needed a more rural Buda Castle I would suggest that. The location, and Hungary has that. We were castle looks so impressive at night – if you searching for somewhere that could can find a hotel and more specifically a provide this wonderfully beautiful location hotel room with views out onto the castle where people were going for a good time, at night, then you won’t regret it.

BUDAPEST 47.4979° N, 19.0402° E Emirates flies nonstop daily to Budapest with the Boeing 777-300ER.

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