WANDER OKAVANGO DELTA BOTSWANA BIG SUR CALIFORNIA AMSTERDAM OKINAWA JAPAN ERIN KUNKEL In Big Sur, California, 13 campgrounds off er sites beneath redwoods, along rivers, and, at Julia Pfeiff er Burns State Park, overlooking the ocean. For more places to recharge in the region, see page 34. JUNE I JULY AFAR COM 31
p031_AFE0613.pdf April 18, 2013 - 17:22:00 wander okavango delta, botswana
SAFARI LODGES The ecotourism company Wilderness Safaris has been operating mobile camps in Botswana for 30 years. Today it runs 16 lodges in the Okavango Delta. Here are two of the best for wildlife viewing.
Three private, parquet-fl oored tents at Little Mombo Camp fea- 1. ture outdoor showers and private decks that overl ook the fl ood- plains of the vast Moremi Game Reserve. You’ll see elephants— Botswana has more than any other country—as well as lions, leopards, and hyenas.
Located on the delta’s 700-square- TRUNK SHOW mile Abu Concession, Abu Camp BY JAMES STURZ 2. (above) off ers an unusual safari experience: to walk among a herd of rescued elephants, or By July, up to 4 trillion gallons of water cover the even ride a mother or calf, as you observe the region’s game. Okavango Delta in northern Botswana, and the 200-foot- Reserve the open-air “star bed” on an elevated platform next to tall sand dunes of the Kalahari Desert become palm- and the elephant enclosure. papyrus-fringed islands. Go now to explore lush lagoons Accommodations at both camps must where elephants wade before the waters recede in the fall. be booked through a tour outfi er such as Travel Beyond. From $2,431. (800) 876-3131, travelbeyond.com
“THE SANDIBE OKAVANGO SAFARI LODGE EXUDES PURE AFRICAN LUXURY, AND THE WILDLIFE DIDN’T DISAPPOINT. A SAVVY TRACKER LED OUR GROUP TO A RARE LEOPARD SIGHTING.” Marcy Mendelson, AFAR.com
SOUVENIR OUTDOORS Botswana’s most famous Tour Okavango on a mokoro, crafts are baskets woven the dugout canoes of the from fan palm fi bers. They Bayei people, traditionally are dyed with natural pig- carved from jackalberry and ments: blue from fever-berry sausage trees but now often TALK leaves, dark brown from made from fi berglass. Lodge In Setswana, the principal language magic guarri shrubs, and guides paddle the boats of Botswana, pula means “rain.” yellow from the roots of red (or pole them like Venetian In a country that’s 84 percent desert, star apple trees. Some bas- gondoliers) past lechwe locals cry “Pula! Pula! Pula!” to kets take a month to make. antelope, painted reed frogs, invoke or celebrate good luck. Not Nearly all lodges sell baskets, and fl ocks of purple herons. coincidentally, the word is also the but you can also purchase them Most lodges off er mokoro trips name of the national currency; one
online at www.botswanacra .bw. between June and October. pula equals about 12 cents. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT FRANS LANTING/CORBIS COURTESY OF ABU CAMP ILLUSTRATION BY KEN D’AMATO ERIKA GOUWS
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p032_AFE0613.pdf April 29, 2013 - 15:29:06 wander big sur, california
SOUVENIR In a barn overlooking the ocean, Sheila Hillman found her calling making natural soaps from the ingredients of the region. Big Sur Country Soap now off ers dozens of varieties, including the citrusy Cedar Lemon Farm Scrub (above). From $7.50. bigsursoap.com
PACIFIC TIME
BY SERENA RENNER Countless writers, painters, and musicians share a common muse: the 90-mile stretch of California LODGES These two hideaways make it easy to coastline known as Big Sur. Here, chiseled mountains unplug, relax, and experience nature. slide into churning seas, chefs serve inventive cuisine, and a resurgent arts scene is growing amid the redwood trees. 1. GLEN OAKS BIG SUR Retro furniture, bright textiles, and in-room yoga mats characterize the Glen Oaks motel. Guests who book the Big Sur Cabin (above) can star- gaze from an outdoor clawfoot tub. From $225. (831) 667-2105, glenoaksbigsur.com
2. POST RANCH INN The oceanview cottages and cliff -edge infi nity pools here are the stuff of dream honeymoons. At the Sierra Mar restaurant, chef John Cox recently debuted a Taste of Big Sur menu that celebrates the coast with dishes such as red abalone marinated in kelp. From $675. (831) 667-2200, postranchinn.com
CULTURE DINING TOUR The Henry Miller Memorial Library is The Big Sur Bakery and Restaurant serves house- On a craggy rock in north Big Sur, the Point Sur a bookshop–cultural center dedicated made granola, ginger scones, and seasonal fruit lighthouse has beamed through furious fog, rain, to the bohemian author who once strudels in a cabin built in 1937. Wood-fi red pizzas, and wind since 1889. Volunteers lead moonlit called Big Sur home. It has become with toppings such as squash and prosciutto, tours from late April through October that a hot spot for concerts by the likes stand out on the dinner menu, and the blackberry allow visitors access to the lighthouse tower, of Gillian Welch and Arcade Fire and shortcake (above) is a dessert favorite. Occasional old housing quarters, and a blacksmith shop. a Thursday night summer fi lm series summer barbecues are worth a pit stop. Listen up for stories of shipwrecks along the way. held in the redwood grove.
47540 Hwy. 1, (831) 667-0520, bigsurbakery.com Mile marker 54.1 on Hwy. 1, (831) 625-4419, pointsur.org 48603 Hwy. 1, (831) 667-2574, henrymiller.org CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT RALPH A CLEVENGER/CORBIS DANI VERNON ERIN KUNKEL DOUGLAS PEEBLES TARA DONNE
34 AFAR COM JUNE I JULY FIND FIVE MORE INSPIRING EXPERIENCES IN BIG SUR afar.com/bigsurwander
p034_AFE0613.pdf April 19, 2013 - 13:48:06 wander amsterdam
MUSEUMS It has been a decade since the major museums on the Museumplein—a grassy square connecting Amsterdam’s main art centers— have all been open at the same time. Here’s what to check out at three revamped favorites.
1. RIJKSMUSEUM Once you’ve made the pilgrimage to the canvases of Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Hals at the upgraded Rijksmuseum (above), visit the new Asian art pavilion and a two-story shop fi lled with gifts and books. Museumstraat 1, 31/(0) 20-674-7000, rijksmuseum.nl
2. STEDELIJK MUSEUM The modern art gallery’s controversial new wing (the exterior looks like a giant bathtub) houses a restaurant, a gift store, and expanded exhibition spaces that will host the works of Dutch artist Aernout Mik this summer. Museumplein 10, 31/(0) 20-573-2911, stedelijk.nl
3. VAN GOGH MUSEUM THE NEW AMSTERDAM Sunfl owers, The Bedroom, and The Potato Eaters BY DAVID FARLEY are just a few of the masterpieces on display as part of the “Van Gogh at Work” exhibit. Paulus Po erstraat 7, 31/(0) 20-570-5200, The Dutch capital has much to celebrate this vangoghmuseum.nl summer. It’s the 400th anniversary of the city’s iconicnic canals, and three top museums have reopened aft erer major renovations. The party kicks off in June with concerts and other special events.
EVENT SHOP This year’s Grachtenfestival, an annual Headquartered about an hour north of thehe 10-day celebration of classical music city, Royal Tichelaar Makkum has been on Amsterdam’s famous canals, takes place making traditional Dutch pottery and tileses from August 16 through 25. Guides lead for more than four centuries. In Amsterdamdam architecture tours (in Dutch), and musicians proper, the design store Frozen Fountainn perform on barges and docks. Don’t miss the sells modern Makkum pieces, including Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, which will handpainted earthenware bowls (right), play from a pontoon near the Hotel Pulitzer. crafted by Dutch designer Hella Jongerius.us. grachtenfestival.nl Prinsengracht 645, 31/(0) 20-622-9375, frozenfountain.nltain.nl
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p036_AFE0613.pdf April 25, 2013 - 07:27:36 BROUWERIJ’T IJ VONDELPARK “For beer that has “I had to stop by character, head to this Vondelpark to stage microbrewery. It’s a rematch of the located in a former Netherlands versus bathhouse with a WEGEWIJS Italy Euro Cup game HARINGSTAL AB windmill next to the “The cheese shop that took place in KROMHOUT building, and you has been a culinary 2008. The Dutch beat “You cannot leave can tour the brewery institution for more us for the fi rst time Amsterdam without Friday through Sunday than 100 years. You’ll in 30 years, and I am eating herring. for $5.75, including a fi nd an enormous still after revenge. Our Kromhout is a great beer. The brewers look selection of Dutch team of fi ve Italian spot to try it with as if they’ve been doing varieties with guys took on four pickles. The fi sh has a this their entire life, indecipherable names; Dutch players, and we long history in Dutch and they will talk you luckily, the shop beat the crap out of culture. It’s a bit of a through the brewing owners let you taste them. Besides soccer funky-tasting fi sh, process for diff erent them. In my carry-on fi elds, the 120-acre but that’s why you WANDERING CHEF beer styles. They make bag, I smuggled home park has an open-air top it with pickles seven beers, plus three a wine-aged French theater that shows mu- and onions. If you’re BY JEN MURPHY seasonal options. I like cheese, the famous sic, dance, and plays in Amsterdam between Fabio Viviani, the chef-owner of two Italian their Plzeň, which is a Boerenkaas Gouda from June through May and July, you are restaurants in California and the new Siena hoppy pilsner-inspired (a caramel-tasting August. In summer, in luck. That’s when Tavern in Chicago, makes Amsterdam his layover ale. Attached to the cheese made from the park is also packed the new catch is at stop whenever he travels through Europe. The brewery is a small pub unpasteurized cow’s with people picnicking, herring stands and Florence native has outgrown his youthful where you can sample milk), and another roller-skating, and, of restaurants. The meat curiosity about the city’s red-light district and the beers and get farmstead Gouda course, smoking.” of the fi sh will taste “coff ee shops,” and now seeks out off -the-beaten- tasty snacks such with notes of cloves Bounded by Overtoom, sweeter because it’s path eateries that serve no-frills dishes to rooms as local sausages.” and spices.” Van Baerlestraat, De so fresh.” full of locals. Here are some of Viviani’s Funenkade 7, 31/(0) 20- Rozengracht 32, 31/(0) Lairessestraat, and On the corner of Singel favorite places to eat and unwind. 622-8325, brouwerijhetij.nl 20-624-4093, wegewijs.nl Amstelveenseweg and Raadhuisstraat VATORIUM HOTEL COURTESY OF SAMHOUD PLACES ANNES LINDERS THOMASEYCK COM THIS PAGE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP OPPOSITE PAGE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT BALL & ALBANESE J ILLUSTRATIONS BY MICHAEL HOEWELER COURTESY OF THE CONSER
DINING HOTEL DRINK Just three months after opening last August, the Located near the lively Museumplein, the Even the strongest jenever—the Dutch predeces- 70-seat Samhoud Places restaurant was awarded Conservatorium Hotel (above) pays tribute to the sor to gin—won’t help you pronounce Wynand two Michelin stars for international dishes such as building’s former life as a music conservatory; a Fockink, but this 350-year-old bar and distillery sole in hazelnut sauce, chickpea and crab crepes, classical sound track changes with the time of day. is the best place to sip the juniper-laced drink. and eggplant moussaka (above). Hit the casual Italian architect Piero Lissoni played with indoor- Imbibers spill out into an alleyway, their glasses lounge for à la carte entrées if you’re not up for outdoor spaces. He created a courtyard lobby fi lled with jenever concoctions infused with such the six-course prix-fi xe dinner upstairs. encased in glass and a spa with fi g and olive trees. fl avors as vanilla, coff ee, orange, or cinnamon. Oosterdokseiland 5, 31/(0) 20-260-2094, samhoudplaces.com From $415. 31/(0) 20-570-0000, conservatoriumhotel.com Pijlsteeg 31, 31/(0) 20-639-2695, wynand-fockink.nl
JUNE I JULY AFAR COM 37
p037_AFE0613.pdf April 19, 2013 - 13:48:55 wander okinawa, japan
DINING One of the most popular Okinawan dish- es is goya champuru (above), a stir-fry of bitter gourd, tofu, eggs, and sliced pork (or Spam). Try it at Urizn, a local restau- rant that has recently opened branches on the mainland. Its version of another traditional dish, rafute, made by stewing pork belly in soy sauce and brown sugar, melts in your mouth—and purportedly helps extend your lifespan. 388-5 Asato, Naha, 81/(0) 98-885-2178, urizn.gr.jp
DRINK A SURPRISING SLICE OF JAPAN Awamori—liquor fermented from long-grain Thai rice, as opposed to BY TOM DOWNEY the short-grain rice used in Japanese shochu—is the fi rewater of Okinawa. In addition to secret beaches and unspoiled jungles, Salon de Awamori, a bar perched on a sleek wooden rooftop, features hundreds the Okinawan archipelago off ers a culture distinct from of bottles, including Sennen no Hibiki, a fi ne kusu (aged) awamori that goes down mainland Japan’s. Explore ancient sites such as Shuri more smoothly than most. Castle (above), stop in American-style blue-jean shops, and 2-4-35 Mekaru, Naha, 81/(0) 98-951-0123 sample dishes and drinks you won’t fi nd anywhere else.
“IN OCTOBER, NAHA CITY STAGES A MASSIVE TUG-OF-WAR. ISLANDERS PULL A 650-FOOT ROPE TO REPRESENT THEIR HISTORY OF BEING GOVERNED BY TWO DISTANT RULERS.” Larisa Castille, AFAR.com
MUSIC Okinawan folk music is called Ryukyu minyo. The archipelago’s top minyo joint, HOTEL Shimaumui, is owned by the islands’ Unlike Okinawa’s eponymous main island, most famous traditional singer, Misako Iriomote island is almost completely blanketed Oshiro, who regales mostly elderly by jungle, rivers, and mountains. The balconies of patrons in her basement bar. Her music the Nirakanai Iriomote hotel aff ord views of the often features taiko drums (above) and a rocky outcrops of Tsukigahama beach. From April sanshin, a three-stringed instrument with through October, guests can take a boat up the a base sheathed in snakeskin. nearby Urauchi River, then hike to two waterfalls. 4-6 Higashimachi, Naha, 81/(0) 98-866-0234,
From $71, 81/(0) 98-085-7111, nirakanai-iriomotejima.com shimaumui.net CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT GETTY IMAGES/FOTOSEARCH RF GETTY IMAGES/AMANA IMAGES RF ILLUSTRATION BY MICHAEL HOEWELER COURTESY OF NIRAKANAI IRIOMOTE
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p038_AFE0613.pdf April 25, 2013 - 07:27:56