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The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

Good Weekend Magazine, page 1 - 11,035.47 cm² Capital City Daily - circulation 265,704 (-----S-) Media Monitors Client Service Centre 1300 880 082 Copyright Agency Ltd (CAL) licenced copy ID 140138583 BRIEF DILMAH INDEX 1 PAGE1 of 41

EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCES THE ULTIMATE WORLDWIDE WISH-LIST

THE TRAVEL ISSUE COVER STORY COMPILED EN ANTHONY DENNIS OUR TOP

NATURE LOVER, HEDONIST, ADRENALIN JUNKIE. CULTURE VULTURE, OR ALL OF THE ABOVE - WHOEVER YOU ARE, YOU'LL FIND PLENTY OF BUCKET-LIST IDEAS HERE. SOME OF OUR MOST TOURIST-TRAPAVOIDING. GLOBE- TROTTING WRITERS SHARE THEIR FAVOURITE DESTINATIONS. TRAVEL ADVEIL RFS EY HELEN ANDERSON, MARK CHiPPERFIELD. ANTHONY DENNIS KENDALL HILL, KATRINA LOBLEY. EMMA VENTURA The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

1 AFRICA The only identifiable downside of dining WILDLIFE halfway up the Eiffel Tower at the posh Le Jules Verne Restaurant (aside from the hefty THE EXPERIENCE Sleep with hippos and bill) is that you're effectively denied a full- bathe with mongooses in Kenya's Masai Mara. frontal look at the famed structure itself. But A long, theatrical snigger hangs in the air, the view of Paris, delightfully interrupted by followed by a snort and a sharp riposte. All the milk-chocolate-coloured girders of the night this hippo banter continues, metres tower, is to dine for. A reservation here includes away, echoing off the banks of a horseshoe not just the master chef's renowned killer bend in the Talek River. The Masai Mara cuisine, albeit in a slightly more touristic vein, National Reserve is famous for the reliable but some welcome queue-jumping: the abundance and diversity of wildlife seen restaurant's own dedicated elevator, which goes on safari drives, and staying in an unfenced straight up one of the tower's shapely legs, camp in the heart of the park means, conveys diners directly to the second level. AD thrillingly, there is only well-zippered canvas between you and the beasts. HA DREAM TO REALITY Singapore Airlines (singaporeair.com) flies from Australia to Paris DREAM TO REALITY Emirates (emirates.com/au)via Singapore. Le Jules Verne Restaurant: flies from Australia to Nairobi via Dubai. Wildlife restaurants-toureiffel.com. Safari (www.wildlifesafari.com.au) includes the Mara Explorer Camp on its customised luxury safari itineraries. 4 PACIFIC JOURNEY 2 MIDDLE EAST THE EXPERIENCE Drive the coast roads of OUTDOORS the Big Island, Hawaii. There are two sensational driving routes out THE EXPERIENCE Sail a dhow on the of Hilo, the sleepy main settlement on the Musandam Peninsula, Oman. Big Island. Highway 130 leads to the World In all the turmoil of the Arab Spring, one Heritage-listed Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Middle Eastern sultanate has maintained its where visitors can witness Earth's creation as cool. Peaceful, breathtaking Oman moves at red-hot lava from the active Kilauea volcano the sort of relaxed pace you'd expect from a adds an extra 16 hectares to the island's country blessed with generous oil and natural surface area each year. Alternatively, take the gas reserves and a desolate, captivating beauty. Hamakua Coast road north-west for cinematic Channel Oman's laid-back rhythm with a dhow seafronts, farmers' markets, bohemian villages trip on the sunbaked Musandam Peninsula, and the cowboy town of Waimea. KH where the stark Hajar Mountains fall sheer into the Arabian Sea and stunning submarine DREAM TO REALITY Hawaiian Airlines worlds unfold beneath the surface. KH (hawaiianair.com) flies from Sydney to Honolulu and on to Hilo. More information: gohawaii.com. DREAM TO REALITY Emirates (emirates.com/au) and Etihad (etihadairways.com) fly from Australia to the United Arab Emirates with connections to 5 ASIA Oman. More information: omantourism.gov.om. CULTURE THE EXPERIENCE Climb the startling rock 3 EUROPE fortress of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka. INDULGENCE Most of the island's eight UNESCO World THE EXPERIENCE Splurge on a meal at Heritage sites are clustered in this dry central Alain Ducasse's Eiffel Tower restaurant. zone, where wild elephants roam and ancient kings built marvellous cities. Among the most The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

66 Staying in an unfenced camp in the heart of the park means. thrillingly, there is only wel-- zippered canvas between you and the beasts.91

(above) a Masai warrior surveys his starkly beautiful homeland. The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

startling of these ruins is Sigiriya, a pleasure palace built improbably atop a volcanic plug. 8 AFRICA It's best known for its 1500-year-old cliff-face ADVENTURE frescoes of spectacularly well-endowed, THE EXPERIENCE Explore Morocco's wasp-waisted women, thought to be a rebel spectacular Atlas Mountains. king's concubines or celestial goddesses. After an eyeful, pass between the monumental The snow-capped Atlas Mountains loom over stone paws of a lion and climb another 1682 Marrakech and the harsh, khaki-coloured steps to a throne with views of a long-gone desert that surrounds this colourful medieval kingdom. HA city. Rising to a height of 4167 metres, the magnificent mountains separate the Atlantic DREAM TO REALITY Singapore Airlines coast from the Sahara Desert. While most (singaporeaircom) flies from Australia to visitors are content to spend their time Colombo via Singapore. Banyan Lanka Tours exploring the souks and crumbling palaces of (banyanlanka.com) arranges customised Marrakech, a hiking trip through the Atlas luxury itineraries. Mountains is a special joy - especially if you are lucky enough to walk with a local Berber 6 SOUTH AMERICA guide who takes you to his aunt's house for ADVENTURE mint tea and flatbread dipped in wild honey. Despite their proximity to Marrakech, the THE EXPERIENCE Get face to face with mountain villages seem to belong to another Easter Island's stone sentinels. age as bearded men haggle in colourful Famed for its towering stone sculptures, Berber markets and ancient mud-walled towns Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is a place of mystery cling to the sides of high, treeless ravines. and rare physical beauty that's also a magnet There are few roads - old women carry huge for hikers and scuba divers. Successive waves stacks of firewood on their shoulders, village of colonisers have each left their mark on boys drive sheep across fast-flowing mountain this remote Pacific island, but it is the giant streams. But even in this harsh wilderness, it's sculptures, or moth, that dominate the still possible to find a French-style auberge visitor's imagination. Mc where you can enjoy a dish of grilled lamb, a fresh salad and a glass of chilled Moroccan DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (qantas.com) and rose on the terrace. Multi-day treks with local LAN (lan.com) fly from Australia to Santiago, guides, cooks and mules are available, as Chile. Easter Island, a special territory of are expeditions on horseback. Overnight Chile, is 3700km from South America and can accommodation is in Berber-style tents or local be reached via LAN, which flies direct from guesthouses. Mc Santiago. Stay at Posada de Mike Rapu (see explora.com), a contemporary lodge with DREAM TO REALITY Etihad (etihadairways. a good program of guided excursions. corn) and Emirates (emirates.com/au) fly from Australia, via Abu Dhabi and Dubai 7 EUROPE respectively, to Casablanca, with connections to Marrakech. Morocco By Prior Arrangement CULTURE (moroccobypriorarrangement.net) can arrange THE EXPERIENCE Take in some of the Atlas Mountains guided walking trips. finest ballet you'll ever see at Moscow's magnificently restored Bolshoi Theatre. 10 AFRICA It boasts the world's most bolshie, inept HERITAGE ushers and crankiest, most curt cloakroom THE EXPERIENCE Be amazed by the historic attendants, and it's wickedly expensive. rock churches of Ethiopia. Fortunately, it's the famed troupe's dancers who are the stellar attraction, and a visit to Local legend has it that the ii marvellous Moscow is positively incomplete without monolith churches of Lalibela in northern attending a performance of the Bolshoi Ballet. Ethiopia were carved from bedrock by humans This is especially the case since late last year, during the day and by angels at night. Laid out when the company reopened its stupendous in the 12th century as a "New Jerusalem", the 1720-seat grand theatre - a 19th-century masterpiece of this holy assembly is Bete Moscow landmark in its own right, and Giyorgis, which was hewn from stone in the now Putin's new pride and joy - after an shape of the St George's cross and built in a interminable and controversial restoration. AD single day, apparently, because on this occasion man and angel worked side by side. The stories DREAM TO REALITY Singapore Airlines can seem far-fetched but the experience is (singaporeaircom) flies from Australia to genuine; inside these World Heritage-listed Moscow via Singapore. Bolshoi Ballet: bolshoi.ru/en. The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

churches, Coptic Christians still worship as they did in the first millennium - clad in white robes, prostrate in prayer and shrouded in incense. KH DREAM TO REALITY Emirates (emirates.com/ au) flies to Addis Ababa via Dubai; Ethiopian Airlines (ethiopianairlines.com) offers an air pass that includes flights to all the country's major historical sites at Lake Tana, Gonder, Aksum and Lalibela. More information: tourismethiopia.org.

11 NORTH AMERICA URBAN THE EXPERIENCE Lift your spirits at one of the world's most unusual parks. Grab a coffee and a copy of The New Yorker and make like a local by hanging out on the High Line - an elevated park fashioned from an abandoned 1930s freight rail line that's revitalised Manhattan's Meatpacking District. The first section opened in 2009, another 10 blocks were added last year and there's lobbying to extend the 2.2-kilometre-long park further. The hip design includes a sunbathing lawn, wildflower field and native grasses, along with the occasional 9 FREQUENT FLYER art installation. KL EUROPE DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (gantas.com) flies from Australia to New York City via Los Maeva O'Meara Gourmet Safaris eh rec tor_ Angeles. Stay at The Standard (standardhotels. com), which straddles the park. More THE PLACE Sardinia. Italy, information: thehighline.org. THE EXPERIENCE Sardinia's capital, CoglItari. is on-a o-r 4 6 the great unexpected finch. Grab a coffee, a Evorywhore you Ida there are copy of The New lovely palm trees. cobblestone streets, winding alleyways and great little Yorker and make place!. where you can 5tOp and eat 4nd hay._ like a local by a glass of tOmothing, They do a rod nnullet hanging out on roe celled bottarga, whith is an inten5e, tFe High Line. pressed, 5alty. Wily product that's much- prizedybu grate it over 5peghetti so you 99 get this ioyely seafoody flavour. DETAILS arit6h Airways (britial-as4rwayt.c.cwri) Fres from Australis to. London with tions to Rome. Alitalia (alitalittorn) Hies daily frown 111.141T TO LAST, Rome to Cagliari in ra minute's_ Miaby Lines ktop left) Easter Island's famous moth statues, (mobylines,com) ooseatra the Faitest ferry (above) New York's High (four hours, 45 minutes) between Civitevecchia Line aerial park. near ROM, to Mi.. Sardinia. Kt. The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

12 EUROPE across the Taiwan Straits by Chiang Kai-shek and JOURNEY his Nationalist troops as they fled Mao Zedong's victorious Communists in 1949. The museum's THE EXPERIENCE Cruise the beautiful exquisite treasures, including the priceless Stockholm archipelago and stay at the same Jadeite Cabbage with Insects, encompass the hotel as Nobel laureates. entire breadth of China's epic history. No The five-star, 345-room Grand Hotel Stockholm, wonder mainlanders, courtesy of relaxed travel the preferred accommodation of Nobel regulations, are flocking to Taipei. AD laureates when in the Swedish capital to collect DREAM TO REALITY Taiwan's China Airlines their citations, serves as the perfect base from (china-airlines.com.au) flies directly from Australia which to explore the enormous Stockholm to Taipei. National Palace Museum: www.npm.gov. archipelago. The hotel, which is located on one tw. Stay at Les Suites Taipei (lessuiteshotels.com). of Stockholm's 14 city islands, is next to the More information: taiwantourism.org. multitude of wharves from which ferries depart to the scantily populated but stunningly beautiful isles of the archipelago, a haven for 14 ASIA sun- and fun-loving locals in summer. AD ISLANDS DREAM TO REALITY Emirates (emirates.com/ THE EXPERIENCE Chill out on China's only au) flies from Australia to Copenhagen via Dubai. tropical island. SAS Scandinavian Airlines (flysas.com) connects China's southernmost province, Hainan Island, regularly between Stockholm and Copenhagen. is often described as "the next Hawaii" because The Grand Hotel: grandhotel.se/en. of its palm-fringed beaches and tropical climate. The best beach resorts are in the southern 13 ASIA district of Sanya. Elsewhere, you'll find rugged CULTURE mountains, dense rainforests and ancient temples. The pace of development is staggering THE EXPERIENCE Visit the greatest museum - there are now morethan 500 hotels on the of Chinese antiquities. island - but if you want a self-indulgent beach Taipei's extraordinary National Palace Museum holiday with a difference, look no further. MC eclipses anything on the mainland, largely by DREAM TO REALITY Hainan Airlines (global. virtue of modern Sino history, and much to the hnair.com) flies from Australia to Hainan via chagrin of the mainland Chinese. Its contents - Shenzhen, or fly direct from Hong Kong, more than 600,000 pieces - were smuggled Singapore, Shanghai.

w0FIL DS APART: (clockwise from top) elephant riding in Thailand; a ghat leading down to India's Ganges River; Wang Wang, one of Adelaide Zoo's giant pandas; the Fifth Floor Champagne Bar at London's Harvey Nichol

66 Turn keeper for a morning arid ex pa ri6nce the thrifl of popping food straight into a panda'& waiting mouth. 99 The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

15 EUROPE NATURE INDULGENCE THE EXPERIENCE Hand-feed Adelaide's THE EXPERIENCE Soak up the champagne giant pandas. lifestyle at London's Harvey Nichols. As breakfasts go, panda cake doesn't look At this ever-fabulous department store, a particularly appetising. But this steamed complimentary appointment with a personal concoction of ground bamboo, corn and rice shopping assistant makes for thoroughly powders, soy flour, calcium, sugar and eggs civilised retail therapy. A session in the looks just fine to Wang Wang and Funi, the shopping suite, to be booked in advance, male and female giant pandas resident at includes advice on style and fit, plus access to Adelaide Zoo. Turn keeper for a morning and showers and refreshments. When you're done experience the thrill of popping a piece of trying on the latest designer collections, the cake or slice of apple straight into a panda's Fifth Floor Champagne Bar, with its airy, floral waiting mouth. KL decor, inspired by the work of Emile Galle, is DREAM TO REALITY Virgin Australia the perfect place to break for bubbles. Ev (virginaustralia.com.au) and Qantas (qantas. DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (gantas.com) and corn) fly regularly from Sydney and Melbourne British Airways (britishairways.com) fly from to Adelaide. The behind-the-scenes VIP Panda Australia to London. To book a personal shopping Tour runs four mornings a week (zoossa. session, visit harveynichols.com/personal-shopping. com.au). Stay at the Clarion Hotel Soho (clarionhotelsoho.com.au). 16 ASIA CULTURE 18 ASIA THE EXPERIENCE Witness the mesmerising NATURE Hindu aarti ceremony on Varanasi's ghats. THE EXPERIENCE Ride an elephant along the Thai-Burma-Laos border. On a stifling, humid evening by the Ganges, not far from the haunting, smoky funeral ghats The 65-hectare Anantara Golden Triangle is (or stepped hillsides), Varanasi's spectacularly part luxury resort, part elephant sanctuary - intense daily fire ceremony can leave the sort of rough-luxe alternative to the mindless visitor in a near trance-like state. Far from pampering of most five-star developments. being merely a tourist attraction, this sacred, Trainee mahout (elephant driver) programs clamorous event involves young Hindu priests bring humans and elephants together for facing "Mother Ganga" and waving flaming gently paced walks and swims in the border aarti lamps around a person or a deity in rivers between Thailand, Burma and Laos. order to achieve purification. AD When fully booked, the resort has a human- to-elephant ratio of about 160:30 - about DREAM TO REALITY Singapore Airlines one pachyderm among five people. KH (singaporeair.com) flies from Australia via Singapore to six Indian destinations, including DREAM TO REALITY Thai Airways Mumbai and Delhi, with domestic connections to (thaiairways.com.au) has multiple daily Varanasi. Stay at the Nadesar Palace (tajhotels. flights from Australia to Bangkok and on to com), a former maharaja's 19th-century residence. Chiang Rai. Stay at Anantara Golden Triangle (goldentriangle.anantara.com). The resort is a 70km drive from the airport. 17 AUSTRALIA The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

19 ASIA/EUROPE private island such as Laucala - owned by JOURNEY Red Bull magnate Dietrich Mateschitz, who charges guests $26,000 a night to stay in his THE EXPERIENCE Travel the Silk Route in hilltop residence (but only Woo a night to style between Beijing and Moscow. stay in a regular bure) - or the 91-hectare The Golden Eagle pioneered luxury train Vomo, a postcard-perfect island of sugary sand, travel on the Trans-Siberian, the most epic translucent waters and gently lapping waves. KH and challenging rail route on earth. Now the DREAM TO REALITY Virgin Australia Golden Eagle is forging new levels of comfort(virginaustralia.com), Jetstar (jetstar.com) in Central Asia, a part of the world not knownand Air Pacific (airpacific.com) fly from to be as smooth as silk for travellers. Book a Australia to Nadi; private air charters transfer well-appointed, comfortable compartment on guests to the islands. More information: the Russian-crewed train for a true trip of a Laucala.com; wakaya.com lifetime between Beijing and Moscow, along the Silk Route, via the must-see UNESCO World Heritage-listed cities of Samarkand, 21 EUROPE Bukhara and Khiva.AD INDULGENCE DREAM TO REALITY The Captain's Choice THE EXPERIENCE Tour the amazing markets "Silk Road by Private Train" tour (captainschoice.and tapas bars of Barcelona. com.au) starts in Beijing and ends in Moscow. The Catalan capital is home to some of Singapore Airlines (singaporeaircom) flies from Europe's best markets, such as Mercat de Is Australia, via Singapore, to Beijing and Moscow. Boqueria, which is conveniently located just off touristy Las Ramblas. Here you'll find deli 20 PACIFIC upon deli redolent with hanging legs of ham, INDULGENCE or jamon, the cherished Spanish delicacy. Elsewhere, Mercat de Santa Catarina, with THE EXPERIENCE Imagine you are fabulouslyits adventurously modern, multi-coloured wealthy during a stay on a private island in Fiji.wave-like roof, is the venue for the cool The northern hemisphere has the Caribbean Cuines Santa Catarina, a contemporary tapas but we have Fiji, a 330-strong archipelago of bar that serves everything from tuna tataki equal beauty but far fewer crowds. For the to Thai chicken curry (and it works). AD ultimate in hedonistic escapes, retreat to a

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DREAM TO REALITY Singapore Airlines 66 (singaporeair.com) has a regular connection to Barcelona from Australia, via Singapore. Mercat A private de la Bogueria: bogueria.info; Cuines Santa path gives Catarina: www.cuinesantacaterina.com; Travel the access to e World (traveltheworld.com.au) and Tauck (tauck. crumbling, corn) run "Paradors of Northern Spain" group tours starting in Barcelona and ending in Lisbon. tourist-free (except you) 22 ASIA portion of the HERITAGE ,,eierable Great Wall THE EXPERIENCE Enjoy your own private slice of the Great Wall of China. of China.. Commune by the Great Wall is the admirable folly of two of China's most prominent real-estate developers and is nestled in the Walnut Valley and Rock Valley in Badaling, within easy reach of the Chinese capital. It consists of a series of unique, cutting-edge, contemporary villas designed by leading architects from around Asia. You can stay at any of the resort's 42 villas - located within the two valleys - comprising nearly 200 suites, with a private path that gives access to a crumbling, tourist-free (except you) portion of the venerable Great Wall. AD LV1lG H I 5 TORY! (clockwise from top left) DREAM TO REALITY Singapore Airlines savouring the markets of (singaporeair.com) has regular flights from Barcelona: enchanting Australia, via Singapore, to Beijing. Commune scenery along the Silk Route at Khiva; the Great by the Great Wall (commune.sohochina.com) Wall is a destination within is a 75-minute drive from the centre of Beijing. easy reach of Beijing. The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

23 NEW ZEALAND ADVENTURE HISTORY THE EXPERIENCE Scuba dive in Indonesia. THE EXPERIENCE Take off to Peter Jackson'sA voyage on Tiger Blue, a 34-metre gaff. personal aviation museum. rigged wooden sailing vessel, is like something Without the creative genius of Oscar-winningout of Pirates of the Caribbean. The ship is a filmmaker Peter Jackson - and the Weta fully equipped "live-aboard", designed for studios - this would be a forgotten aerodromescuba diving in remote parts of the Indonesian with a few broken-down old planes. Thanks toarchipelago, such as Sumba, Flores and Banda. Jackson, Omaka now has the world's finest A highlight is a visit to see those fearsome collection of World War I aircraft (most of it reptiles, the Komodo dragons, on the island of operational) and an astonishing display of Komodo. Tiger Blue has four cabins, delicious memorabilia, including field uniforms, rare Indonesian food and a well-trained crew. mc medals and captured German booty. Weta's DREAM TO REALITY Jetstar (jetstar.com) flies recreation of real-life battle scenes and muddyfrom Australia to Denpasar, Bali, frequently. Fly trenches is inspirational. Mc direct from Bali to Bima (Sumbawa), where you DREAM TO REALITY Air New Zealand can board Tiger Blue (tigerblue.info). (airnewzealand.com) flies to Wellington on the North Island with domestic connections to Blenheim, located at the north of the South Island. Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre (omaka.org.nz) is 5km from Blenheim.

24 SOUTH AMERICA INDULGENCE THE EXPERIENCE Visit Jose Ignacio, beach- town favourite of the Latin American jet-set. That ridiculously handsome polo player from the Ralph Lauren ads holidays here, as does Shakira (she has a ranch nearby) and fashionable types such as Naomi Campbell and Mario Testino. But outside of peak season in January, Jose Ignacio is just a dirt-road beach village on Uruguay's laid-back Atlantic coast that has more in common with 1970s-era Byron Bay than St Barts. Accommodation is in chic boutique hotels or B&Bs, and the vibe is barefoot and beautiful. KR DREAM TO REALITY The best air connections to Punta del Este are from Buenos Aires. Qantas (qantas.com) and LAN (lan.com) fly from Australia to Santiago, Chile, with connections to Montevideo.

25 ASIA The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

26 AUSTRALIA 28 EUROPE NATURE JOURNEY THE EXPERIENCE Explore Tasmania's THE EXPERIENCE Stay in the white villages wondrous island sanctuary, Maria Island. of Las Alpujarras in Spain's Sierra Nevada. Part convict ruin, part wildlife sanctuary Lose yourself amid Andalucia's mountainous and part 19th-century industrial curio, Maria region, which Arabic conquerors made their Island is Tasmania's best-kept secret. This smallown in the 8th century. Whether you rent a island off Tassie's east coast north of Hobart villa in tiny Atalbeitar, where a few scrappy teems with possums, sea eagles, wombats, cats make up the pedestrian traffic, or echidnas, wallabies and kangaroos. Hiking, Trevelez, the highest town in Spain and home mountain biking and kayaking are all popular to some of the country's best jamon, the area's pursuits. Camp overnight or rent one of the towns and villages, clinging to the cliff-faces in old convict cells. MC stark, whitewashed relief, offer a spare, DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (qantas.com), unvarnished beauty. EV Jetstar (jetstar.com) and Virgin Australia DREAM TO REALITY British Airways (virginaustralia.com) run regular flights to Hobart(britishairways.com) flies from Australia to and Launceston. A ferry service, taking 30 London with connections to Malaga. Rent minutes, operates between Triabunna and Maria a car at Malaga airport (malagaairport.eu); (mariaislandferry.com.au). The Maria Island Walk Las Alpujarras is about mokm to the (mariaislandwalk.com.au) operates four-day north-east. Villa rentals (rusticaltravel.com). walking expeditions. More information: spain.info.

27 NORTH AMERICA 29 ASIA WILDLIFE ISLANDS THE EXPERIENCE Search for the Yukon's THE EXPERIENCE Immerse yourself in bears under the midnight Canadian sun. a Philippines island paradise. Spotting a grizzly from the Yukon's wildflower-Tropical islands don't come much more perfect fringed highways isn't as hard as you might - or laid-back - than Panglao, an idyllic think. Keep your eyes peeled for a flash of collection of farms, fishing hamlets and white- shaggy amber fur or take the hint from other sand beaches off the south-west tip of Bohol. tourists who have pulled over their RVs Most visitors are here for the excellent scuba (recreational vehicles) to sit, transfixed, at the diving. Outrigger canoes can be hired on the sight of a bear or two snacking on summer beach for a few dollars. Accommodation growth. With just a campervan door between options are limited but, for something really you and those teeth, your heart will beat special, book a thatched pavilion at Eskaya faster - guaranteed. KL Beach Resort & Spa. MC DREAM TO REALITY Air Canada (aircanada. DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (qantas.com) flies corn) flies from Australia to Whitehorse via to Manila from Australia. Cebu Pacific Vancouver. Kluane National Park (pc.gc.ca) offers(cebupacificaircom) flies to Bohol (Tagbilaran great bear spotting. Rent an RV in Whitehorse Airport) from both Manila and Cebu. Eskaya (travelyukon.com). Government campgrounds Beach Resort & Spa (eskayaresort.com). are open May to September. The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

30 FREQUENT FLYER ',MOPE Amu Funds, Wow THE PLACE Eiollogid, I.ake Ciimr.), PtiIy THE EXPERIENCE Illy gloc.iielfolloi uridutron poi up ithnlAtt rind do 170+041.10.1, iht #111110 iii0141 CdItill hnhind rhy vibe.) lc% locatod on ific hIP1 1. Pillny the Eltf-er did I-11" Fivrdndating, -, Iii..pc.toti la iblfilketu km o-dihly untitesite thought" while you're Lhu.. Nrid riot ipoodinii, all ul 1 uiploollielf3i, out the tho*pipriFe of tho 11017i" ol .111e village' actot" thv waiter. YOki lino* that George Cloorioy wit imoillet %Meg@ aurrurrvliam, rirlindiog hI vtril .F.lidiliNelek IP, palace, DETAIL!! %intim:woe A Wine.. ("ingapoumair.r.ogn) Me* I rc.tri, A.,31.11vaIte to Mihtn wia h'00, HiIt Iokc 2Si rale io Como ot Vicerma then abi i t.flagIolvdvd.w.nenoloadi,cm..11/91..1 Spla"#$ out web a alley id the arid 1-1.1011 V111. !;.arbeillon. twIltarobrikrellIonceenmil.

You're supposed to be thinking Incredibly exquisite thoughts, not spending all your time look;ng out the window at the sparkle of the lights of the little villages across the water. 99

F35AR ES.S.ENTIAL (from top) seeing a grizzly bear in the wild will give your holiday a thrilling flavour; the serene shores of Lake Como in Italy. The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

amid the shimmering, sky-scraping Disneyland 31 AUSTRALIA of development that is modern Dubai, but NATURE this restored precinct, founded by THE EXPERIENCE Marvel at the Menindee 19th-century Persian merchants, provides Lakes, NSW. a glimpse of the Emirate's trading past - and Kinchega National Park, on the banks of the a clue to its present. EV Darling River, is among the most remarkable DREAM TO REALITY Emirates (emirates.com/ but least known of our national parks, and au) flies from Australia to Dubai. Bastakiya is on the Menindee Lakes (there are four) are the Bur Dubai, on the west side of Dubai Creek, main drawcard. Now in flood, they present a which is lined on both sides with numerous abra magnificent sight: a huge expanse of water, stops. Bastakiya tours (cultures.ae). rich in bird and marine life. Sunsets here are stunning. There is pleasant lakeside camping or shearers quarters for hire, both operated 33 AUSTRALIA by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. /.40OUTDOORS DREAM TO REALITY Rex (rex.com.au) operatesTHE EXPERIENCE Attempt to walk Victoria's direct flights between Sydney and Broken Great Ocean Road. Hill. Menindee is about ilokm from Broken Not so long ago, people came to drive the Hill - hire an off-road vehicle. Contact NPWS Great Ocean Road. Now they want to pull (environment.nsw.gov.au) about camping on their hiking boots and walk the entire near the lakes. 102-kilometre route - from Apollo Bay to the Twelve Apostles. Big-surf beaches, dense 32 MIDDLE EAST eucalypt forest and sheer ocean cliffs are just some of the things to see. The track is well HISTORY signposted. with plenty of campsites along THE EXPERIENCE Discover Dubai's the way. But it's no doddle, so expect a few hidden heritage. blisters, aches and pains. Mc Make like a local and catch an abra, a DREAM TO REALITY Apollo Bay is located traditional wooden boat that taxis people about zookm south-west of Melbourne. across Dubai Creek. Explore the shaded Although Victoria's Great Ocean Walk can be narrow alleyways, ancient wind-tower tackled independently, Bothfeet (bothfeet.com) architecture, cafes and galleries of Bastakiya. offers small, group expeditions. Authentic experiences can be hard to find The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

34 NORTH AMERICA hunting, fishing and "advanced cultural learning". CULTURE THE EXPERIENCE Tour a native American 36 EUROPE pueblo in New Mexico. URBAN No other inhabited pueblo in the United THE EXPERIENCE Head to Helsinki, this States is more dramatically situated than Newyear's World Design Capital. Mexico's Acoma. Perched atop a 110-metre- Helsinki is celebrating everything from art to high sandstone mesa rising from the desert, homewares (including the internationally the citadel has been home to the Acoma renowned littala line) with late-night shopping, people since the 12th century. From the discounts, workshops, exhibitions and events. visitors' centre below, take a minibus to begin The Finnish capital's Design District spans a 90-minute tour that includes a peek inside several easily negotiated blocks, where you'll the 17th-century, dirt-floored adobe church; find such diverse stores as Artek, founded by descend via a rock stairway with handholds modern architecture maestro Alvar Aalto, rubbed smooth by countless generations. KL Kalevala Jewellery, inspired by Finnish DREAM TO REALITY United Airlines (united. legends, and the hippie-chic Globe Hope, corn) flies from Australia to Albuquerque via doing the right thing by creating clothing and Los Angeles. Acoma is about iookm west of bags out of recycled fabrics, EV Albuquerque; pueblo tours run from February DREAM TO REALITY Finnair (www.finnair.com/ to November (acomaskycity.org). Rent a vehicle au) flies from Australia to Helsinki. Design from the airport (avis.com). District Helsinki: designdistrict.fi; Helsinki World Design Capital: wdchelsinki2012.fi/en. 35 NEW ZEALAND CULTURE 37 EUROPE THE EXPERIENCE Delve into secret INDULGENCE Maori business. THE EXPERIENCE Savour a glass of red Tom Loughlin is a Maori chief, qualified chef, wine by the hearth of a quinta in Portugal's expert fly fisherman and former rugby league Douro Valley. player. Set on 2000 hectares of North Island The adventure begins on the slow train that mountain and forest, Tamau Pa is a place of follows a single track north through the simple outdoor adventure where Maori culturemountains from Porto to Pinhao, past stations can be experienced first-hand. Apart from where the azulejos, Portugal's traditional blue- enjoying one of Tom's gourmet hangis, guestsand-white tiles, tell the story of port-making. can catch wild eels in the river and hunt deer A new generation of winemakers, however, is (during the season). Along the way you might focused on the region's unique, gutsy red wines even discover your inner Maori. Mc made from indigenous grape varieties, most DREAM TO REALITY Air New Zealand notably touriga nacional and tinta roriz. HA (airnewzealand.com) has regular flights from DREAM TO REALITY British Airways Australia to Auckland and Wellington on the North(britishairways.com) flies from Australia to Island with connections to regional airports. TheLisbon via London with connections to Porto. Kai Waho Experience (kaiwaho.co.nz), at Tamau UTracks (utracks.com) can arrange a five-day, Pa near Taupo on the North Island, includes self-guided walking trip in Douro Valley. The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

factory. Later, at high tea on the terrace, 38 FREQUENT FLYER assess the strength, colour and pungency of a brew likely picked yesterday morning (no AUSTRALIA milk or sugar, please). HA Guy maestri Achst.. 2009 Archibald Pi-ie winner, DREAM TO REALITY Singapore Airlines (singaporeair.com.au) flies from Australia to THE PLACE Seel Rocks, NSW. Colombo, via Singapore. Banyan Lanka Tours THE EXPERIENCE I've been (banyanlanka.com) includes the Ceylon Tea Trails coming to this area for 30 (teatrails.com) on its itineraries. years - I've got a little place here that I truck around with. 41 EUROPE Tr e beaches am so good that lye become .somethirrg of a snob - F don't OUTDOORS even bother bringing my ur/hoard back to THE EXPERIENCE Put yourself in the Sydney (where Ilive] hrty More. If there are postcard at Lake Bled, Slovenia. 10 peopia in lila surf Up here. it's a m-owd. The tiny nation of Slovenia only has one island There's-a dirt road into Seal Rocks ELM and - rising from the turquoise waters of Lake Bled [the locals] try to keep it that way. Ifs one of - but it's a beauty. Strapping Slovenian men the roast magicel places on earth row you across the tranquil glacial lake to DETAILSRex frax.corrLaa) Pies From the island, where you climb 99 steps to the Sydney to Tamar oarri Fronn Seal Rcheks. 15th-century church of St Mary. When you have Seal Rocks Is 310krn n-orth of Sydney on the recovered from the 100-metre ascent, you're htsw mid north coast Stay 8t. Sugariod rewarded with views of the Julian Alps. EV Point's hlsturic lighthouse cottages DREAM TO REALITY Finnair (finnair.com/au) (sealrockslii0ahouseaccommodation.corn.su) flies from Australia to Helsinki with partner or camp (seafroclksholidaypark.cem-au), airline Qantas, with connections to Ljubljana. More information: visitljubljana.si. Regular buses and trains run from the capital, Ljubjiana, to Bled, 39 NORTH AMERICA 60km north-west of the capital (slovenia.info). OUTDOORS THE EXPERIENCE Tear up the perfect dirt of Idaho's mountain-bike trails. 66 In winter, Sun Valley is a glamorous ski resort. there areio The rest of the year it's mountain-biking heaven. people in the This Idaho playground's fractured shale makes S.Iurf at Seal for pretty much perfect dirt. Add to that single- Rocks, ita track trails at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels (including hiker-free "flow crowd,- It's one trails") and breathtaking scenery. KL of the most 'magical place DREAM TO REALITY United Airlines (united.com) flies from Australia to Boise via Los Angeles. on earth Rent a bike from The Elephant's Perch in Ketchum that adjoins Sun Valley (elephantsperch.com). NEAR AND rAR. 40 ASIA (from top) Helsinki is this year's World Design CULTURE Capital; Seal Rocks THE EXPERIENCE Learn how to taste tea has brilliant surf and (properly) at a Sri Lankan tea estate. not too many surfers. A day in Bogawantalawa begins with tea in bed in one of four restored colonial bungalows at Ceylon Tea Trails, then a breakfast cup beside a terrace where pickers are plucking the prescribed "two leaves and a bud". Another cup follows with planter-in-residence Andrew Taylor, who conducts a tour of the Norwood tea The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

42 EUROPE can bear to sneak away, Milan's attractions CULTURE include da Vinci's The Last Supper, Sforza Castle and, of course, the Duomo (cathedral), THE EXPERIENCE Sip Valpolicella on the plus Missoni for a steal at La Rinascente steps of the Arena di Verona, Italy. department store. EV Catch a performance at the "other" colosseum, DREAM TO REALITY British Airways the Arena di Verona, set in the home town of (britishairways.com) flies from Australia to Romeo and Juliet. Six different benchmark London with connections to Milan. Hotel operas are performed over so nights during Principe di Savoia (hotelprincipedisavoia.com), festival season, June to September, although part of the Dorchester Collection, can arrange this beautifully preserved Roman amphitheatre,tours of Milan La Rinascente (www.rinascente.it). dating from AD30, sees year-round performances. Seated on the ancient steps, vino in hand, the romance is palpable. EV 45 PACIFIC ISLANDS DREAM TO REALITY Emirates (emirates.com/ au) operates daily flights from Australia to THE EXPERIENCE Escape the tourists on Dubai with onward connections to Venice. New Caledonia's Lifou Island. RailEurope (raileurope.com.au) operates train Palm-fringed beaches, sleepy tropical villages services between all major Italian hubs. Verona and a good supply of Cotes du Rhone and is about uokm west of Venice. Arena di Verona: freshly baked baguettes ... is there anything www.arena.it. else today's beachcomber could desire? Lifou, one of the Loyalty Islands, is the gem of New 43 ASIA Caledonia - green, unspoilt and supremely laid-back. The combination of Kanak culture, CULTURE French gastronomy, crystal-clear ocean (the THE EXPERIENCE Meditate with Buddhist island is a magnet for snorkellers) and island monks on a sacred mountain in Japan. tranquillity makes Lifou one of the best-kept In AD816, a Japanese monk named Kukai secrets in the Pacific. mC climbed the holy mountain of Koya, on the DREAM TO REALITY Air Caledonie (air- Kii Peninsula south of Osaka, and built the caledonie.nc) and Qantas (qantas.com) fly first temple of the Shingon sect of Esoteric from Australia to Noumea. Air Caledonie has Buddhism. About 50 of Koyasan's 117 temples regular flights from Noumea to Lifou. Stay at the welcome travellers to stay in simple tatami-mat Drehu Village Hotel (drehu.grands-hotels.cc). rooms, meditate or pray with their monks and dine on a highly sophisticated temple cuisine, shojin ryori. Just outside town, a "forest 46 EUROPE therapy walk" beneath mossy cedars and hinoki HERITAGE leads to Okunoin, an ancient cemetery of half THE EXPERIENCE Check in at (probably) the a million graves - a serene city of spirits. HA world's oldest hotel in Spain. DREAM TO REALITY Japan Airlines (jal.com.au) Parador de Santiago de Compostela, a member and Qantas (qantas.com) fly direct from Sydney of Spain's unique network of heritage inns, has to Tokyo. Shukubo, or temple lodgings, usually been welcoming weary pilgrims on the Camino have shared toilets and communal, separate- de Santiago trail for centuries. The 128-room gender bathhouses (shukubo.jp/eng). More hotel, likely the world's oldest (though some information: jnto.org.au. Japanese ryokans, or traditional inns, may demur) dates to 1499, when it opened as a hospital for 44 EUROPE pilgrims. It has a commanding position adjacent URBAN to Santiago de Compostela's grand cathedral and square, while the hotel itself features four THE EXPERIENCE Stay at the most stylish elegant cloisters and restaurants specialising in digs in Italy's fashion capital. the local Galician cuisine. AD The belle epoque Hotel Principe di Savoia, DREAM TO REALITY More information: overlooking Milan's Piazza della Repubblica, paradores-spain.com. Travel the World has been scoring style points since the 1920s. (traveltheworld.com.au) and Tauck (tauck.com) Sip a Negroni in the Thierry Despont-designed run small-group "Paradors of Northern Spain" Principe Bar before retiring to one of the tours beginning in Barcelona and ending in Lisbon deluxe Mosaic rooms, with their opulent Singapore Airlines (singaporeaincom) flies from bathrooms adorned with tiny glass tiles. If you Australia to Barcelona, via Singapore. The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

66 Ljubljana s streets are wonderful owarid@r - a rare -mix o-F the old and the avant garde

ALL THE WORLD'S A DEST IN ATiON (clockwise from top) Milan's classy Hotel Principe di Savoia; Lifou Island, New Caledonia; Ljubljana capital of Slovenia. The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

47 EUROPE WILDLIFE CULTURE THE EXPERIENCE Take a walk on the wild THE EXPERIENCE Savour some architecturalside in South Africa's Kruger National Park. eye candy in Ljubljana, Slovenia. When you're out under the stars on safari, The Slovenian capital's streets are wonderful with nothing but a bit of canvas between you to wander, a rare mix of the old and the avantand the wildlife, you'd better hope the lion garde: the cobbled, medieval Mestni Trg (townsleeps tonight. Then again, little can match the square), the exuberantly baroque Franciscan experience of listening to the throaty coughs of church and the bold architecture of Joie unseen leopards while your Shangaan tracker PleCnik, who stamped the city with his recounts tales of rhino charges and sparks unconventional signature in the 1920s and from the fire disappear into the African night. '30s. Criss-cross his colonnaded bridges, At Ngala Private Game Reserve, on Kruger's which sport modern sculptures and span the western border, luxury safari operator &Beyond Ljubljanica, and soak up the city's surprisingly offers guests the chance to step away from the Mediterranean vibe at a riverside cafe. EV four-wheel-drive and into the scrubby terrain, DREAM TO REALITY Finnair (finnair.comfau) flies from Australia to Helsinki with partner airline Qantas, with connections to Ljubljana. More information: visitljubljana.si.

48 ASIA JOURNEY THE EXPERIENCE Play high-altitude backyard cricket in Himalayan India. The source of the Ganges and the holiest of India's Hindu temples are found in the Himalayan foothills of Uttarakhand, a little- touristed northern state known as the "land of the gods". Follow cow paths and pilgrimage routes in the spectacular Kumaon region through oak and rhododendron forests, and stay at restored village houses along the way. And rest in utter luxury at the private alpine retreat of 3600 Leti, where staff and guests play cricket beneath the Nanda Devi range. HA DREAM TO REALITY Shakti (shaktihimalaya. com) runs private walking trips in the Kumaon region, staying at village houses and 3600 Leti. Singapore Airlines (singaporeair.com) flies from Australia to Delhi via Singapore.

49 AFRICA The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

50 FREQUENT FLYER SOUTH AMERICA Richard Evans BrgeCloinb Sydney manis01g clifector, Innerser Sydney Opera House CEO- THE PLACE I3Li 0110S. Afre.5. Argentina THE EXPERIENCE One oil my most amazing experiences wen going to the lootloall in an area called La BOCZ It WaS jug a regutar mata we went to cm a Sunday night.Pearde bting ininstruments - h.errns, the yelrierle thing - so irorri start tti finish thv match haissouncltreck. The wholle crowd is chanting and stamping - it was just Isananeis. At a certain point Flares we 50-Ma oilE II was one of the on-o-st electrifying. theatrical &porting ox pa rioncias oF my life. DETAILS Cl.ntas (qairitascurn) Dies #1,D111 AL,Str Ithato Santiago. Chile, wit h corinact ion* to Buenos Aires. Stay at the boutique Home Hotel in the Paia-rrno Vi neighbourko-cid thomelsueoos-aires,com),

on bespoke guided walks that can last from 114 51 EUROPE two hours to three days. Accompanied by CULTURE an experienced guide and tracker, groups Going to the numbering a maximum of six pick their way footbaR in La Bo. THE EXPERIENCE Spend a night at the world's through Timbavati Game Reserve. They pause W$one of the finest opera in Vienna. to interpret the signs of the bush, whether it's most electrifying. Book tickets to an opera (or queue 80 minutes a change in bird calls, the subtle crack of a theatrical sport ini before curtain for 4 standing-room tickets) at branch or the breathy "bah" of an impala the five-tier wedding-cake baroque Wiener warning. There's a pleasurable prickling of experiance Staatsoper, or Vienna State Opera. It's one adrenalin as you mull potential encounters my life, of Europe's busiest theatres, with arguably with toothy predators, but &Beyond focuses 99 the world's toughest and most discerning on the small stuff, too. Whether you're audience. After the encores, cross the road contemplating a baboon print, the exertions for a slice of original sachertorte (chocolate of a dung beetle or a wisteria tree knocked cake) at Hotel Sacher. HA down by an elephant, it all adds up to a DREAM TO REALITY Emirates (emirates.com/au) greater appreciation of the environment. If flies from Australia to Vienna, via Dubai. you opt to sleep out, you'll hardly rough it: Wiener Staatsoper: wiener-staatsoper.at. accommodated in smart, semi-permanent More information on Vienna and Austria: tents, and dining alfresco on pan-African food. vienna.info/en and austria.info/au. Alternatively, head to stylish Ngala Tented Camp, where all manner of birds, monkeys and antelope join you for sundowners by a limpid 52 NORTH AMERICA infinity pool.EV URBAN THE EXPERIENCE Get hip and happening in DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (qantas.com) has Portland, Oregon, America's coolest city. regular flights from Australia to Johannesburg with connections to other South African cities. NATURAL 1-1104?, For a city of just over 500,000 inhabitants, Fly from Johannesburg to Nelspruit or (clockwise from top) stay Portland, in America's Pacific north-west, Hoedspruit airports, where &Beyond in a luxury tree house in harbours lofty ambitions. Not content with its New Zealand; ride on (andbeyond.com) will transfer you the 190km a rail trail in Cornwall; go reputation for excellent coffee, delicious into Ngala Private Game Reserve. bananas in Buenos Aires, regional fare and award-winning beers and The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

wines, Portland is also the country's most British Airways (britishairways.com) fly regularly freewheeling, liberal (in the lower-case "I" to London. Padstow is a four-hour drive from sense) enclave. The city motto is "Keep It London, or catch a train to Newquay. Bicycle Weird" - where else could have produced hire: Padstow Cycle Hire (padstowcyclehire.com) Voodoo Doughnuts? MC Stay at St Petroc's Hotel (rickstein.com). DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (gantas.com) flies from Australia to Los Angeles with connecting 54 NEW ZEALAND flights to Portland on Alaskan Airlines. Stay INDULGENCE at Hotel Modera (hotelmodera.com). THE EXPERIENCE Stay at a luxury tree-house lodge in New Zealand. 53 EUROPE New Zealand's network of superb, world-class OUTDOORS luxury lodges stretching across the North and THE EXPERIENCE Tackle the scenic Camel South Islands is that country's gift to the world Trail in Cornwall. of cushy accommodation. And there's none more unusual and appealing than Hapuku On a sunny day - and north Cornwall has its Lodge, at Kaikoura on the north-east coast of fair share - there is nothing like riding the the South Island, with its quintet of spacious 28-kilometre Camel Trail, which stretches and well-appointed architect-designed tree along a disused railway line from the houses. They deliver not only wicked fishing village of Padstow via Wenford Bridgestandards of comfort but also fabulous views to Bodmin Moor. Don't expect to bump into of snow-capped peaks, deer-filled pastures any dromedaries, though - the trail takes its and, of course, the canopies of native name from the magnificent Camel Estuary, manuka groves. AD which flows from Wadebridge to the sea. Hardened mountain bikers will find the trail DREAM TO REALITY Air New Zealand easy work, with the old railway line making (airnewzealand.com.au) has flights from for a pleasant jaunt, but the countryside Australia to Wellington and Christchurch. is ravishing. MC Hapuku Lodge (hapukulodge.com) is located just outside Kaikoura. DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (gantas.com) and

f.. The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

adventurous two-week cruise to the Arctic, via Denmark, Norway and Sweden, chances are that you won't miss out. Celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa installs some of his best chefs from his raw fish empire, including from New York, to man his floating sushi bar, which also serves other Japanese dishes. If you tire of Japanese, there's always the Italian restaurant, Prego, where from the vantage point of your dining table you could well be lucky enough to spot herds of beluga whales frolicking in the frigid Arctic waters. AD DREAM TO REALITY Crystal Cruise's "North Cape and Arctic Circle - Arctic Adventure" cruise between Copenhagen and Stockholm departs on July 8, 2012 (crystalcruises.com). Emirates (emirates.com/au) flies to Copenhagen from Dubai, with daily connections from Australia.

57 PACIFIC ADVENTURE THE EXPERIENCE Swim with Bora Bora's friendly sharks. So you think a Tiffany's box is the best shade of blue in the world? Clearly you haven't been to Bora Bora, the most famed (and outrageously beautiful) of the more than 120 islands and atolls that make up French 55 PACIFIC Polynesia. The mountainous main island, ADVENTURE once a strategic World War II base for US THE EXPERIENCE Whoosh down Samoa's forces, is surrounded by a lagoon of the most Papasee'a Sliding Rocks. startling hue imaginable. Unsurprisingly, a holiday here means embracing the life aquatic: Conquering a five-metre-high, almost-vertical go for a lazy snorkel over one of the coral waterfall might not seem much of a challenge gardens that attract fish of every size, shape, - until you're peering over the top, knees colour and habit imaginable, or up the quaking, with Samoan teenagers daring adrenalin factor exponentially by slipping in you to sit on the mossy rocks and take among a school of reef sharks with black- the plunge. Once you've pushed off there's tipped fins. Even though the species isn't no turning back - you're headed for the known to nibble on people, it's a seriously cool rock pool below and a glorious feeling heart-pumping adventure to be in the water of invincibility for the rest of the day. Three with no barrier between them and you- smaller slides will warm you up for the especially when you spy much larger (but big one. KL notoriously shy) lemon sharks lurking on the DREAM TO REALITY Virgin Australia flies direct seabed below. Swimming with these sharks is from Sydney to Samoa (virginaustralia.com). the highlight of a day tour on a motorised Sliding Rock is a few minutes' drive from Apia. outrigger canoe. The tours usually include Stay in a bungalow at Aggie Grey's Hotel cuddling stingrays in shallow waters, a & Bungalows (aggiegreys.com). bountiful lunch on one of the motus (islets) that ring the lagoon, a circumnavigation of the main island with stops at the best snorkelling 56 EUROPE spots and, if you get the right crew, a few INDULGENCE traditional and not-so-traditional tunes sung THE EXPERIENCE Dine at the on-board with complete joie de vivre. KL Nobu sushi bar as you cruise the Arctic Sea. You may have to tussle with your Japanese fellow passengers aboard the very classy luxury ships Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony for a seat at the sushi counter at Silk Road & Sushi Bar. But on an The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

in faux lndochine-style, with a dining room, library and small gym aboard. AD DREAM TO REALITY Vietnam Airlines (vietnamairlines.com) flies direct from Australia to Hanoi (the closest city to Halong Bay). Halong Violet, and two other luxury cruises, can be booked through Active Travel (activetravel.com.au).

59 NORTH AMERICA INDULGENCE THE EXPERIENCE Splurge on a stay at Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur. When it comes to overnight pit-stops along California's famed Highway" they don't come much more luxurious than Post Ranch Inn. If money's no object, book a cliff house perched on the vertiginous Big Sur cliff-top. Otherwise, Go for a lazy stargaze from bed in a triangular stilted tree snorkel over house with skylights, or contemplate the one of the coral mountains from your peak house's outdoor hot tub. Don't leave without soaking in one of the gardens that infinity pools overlooking the Pacific Ocean. KL attract fish of DREAM TO REALITY United Airlines (united. every size, shape, com) flies from Australia to San Francisco. Post colour and habit Ranch Inn (postranchinn.com) is about 240km irrgagirlable. south of San Francisco. 60 ASIA CULTURE DREAM TO REALITY Fly to the island of Tahiti THE EXPERIENCE Take in the markets of with Air Tahiti Nui (airtahitinui.com.au), overnight Uzbekistan, land of the golden smiles. in Papeete, then take a domestic flight to The majority of visitors to this former Soviet Bora Bora, 260km to the north-west. Bora Bora republic come to visit its "big three" Silk accommodation packages at tahitinow.com.au. Road cities: Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. But a bonus of a visit to Uzbekistan is the 58 ASIA markets surrounding or inside the cities' INDULGENCE World Heritage-listed monument precincts (as well as sites within the capital. Tashkent, THE EXPERIENCE Cruise Vietnam's Halong itself). Bukhara's ancient trading domes are the Bay on a small luxury junk. location for stalls selling exquisite embroidered Halong Violet is not only the most luxurious wares such as rugs and cushions. It's here, too, junk on Vietnam's World Heritage-listed that you can encounter the local people of Halong Bay - which is dotted with more Uzbekistan, known as "the land of the golden than 2000 karst-like islands that protrude smiles" - a reference not to a dubious "national dramatically from the sea- it's also the fastest. happiness index" but to the fact that many a This means you reach Halong Bay's key local woman's mouth features the arresting attractions, such as floating fishing villages, status symbol of a full set of shiny gold teeth. AD more quickly than any of the other 400-odd DREAM TO REALITY The Captain's Choice "Silk boats. But it's the indulgent comfort factor JUNE. ONO NG; Road by Private Train" tour (captainschoice.com. that sets Halong Violet apart from the rest. (clockwise from top) cruise au) via Central Asia starts in Beijing and ends in The junk, with just six spacious berths the size in Vietnam's Halong Bay; swim with the sharks Moscow. Singapore Airlines (singaporeair.com) of a boutique hotel room (and with similar in French Polynesia; flies to and from Australia, via Singapore, to amenities, such as spa baths), is decorated take tea in Uzbekistan. Beijing and Moscow. The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

61 SOUTH AMERICA JOURNEY OUTDOORS THE EXPERIENCE Cruise in luxury along THE EXPERIENCE Stargaze in the Atacama Bangkok's Chao Phraya River. Desert, Chile. Bangkok's Chao Phraya River is one of the High, dry and blessed with minimal lightor airworld's great urban waterways, extending all pollution, the Atacama Desert is renowned the way to the ancient capital of Ayutthaya in for excellent stargazing. Frenchman Alain the Thai countryside and beyond. There'sno Maury and his wife, Alejandra, lead fascinatingbetter or more agreeable way to commune tours of the night sky using high-definition with the river than aboard one of the chic, telescopes on their remote Altiplano property. converted 20-metre teak rice barges of The Milky Way is almost close enough to touchManohra Cruises. Linger on the polished and the crystal-clear sight of an exploding timber deck (sans footwear, please) during the nebula or distant galaxy is unforgettable. KH day as you watch Thailand's raucous riverine world drift by. By night, dine al fresco on DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (gantas.com) and quality Thai cuisine while the barge is moored LAN (lan.com) fly from Australia to Santiago, at an upriver Buddhist monastery or temple. AD with connections north to the desert city of Calama. San Pedro, the main tourist town, is DREAM TO REALITY Thai Airways (www. a 45-minute taxi ride away. Stargazing tours thaiairways.com.au) flies frequently from available through spaceobs.com. Australia to Bangkok. Manohra Cruises: manohracruises.com. 62 ASIA The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

THE EXPERIENCE Savour the pintxos bars in 63 AFRICA San Sebastian. HISTORY Spain's northern Basque country has evolved THE EXPERIENCE Relive South Africa's into the best place to eat in the Western world Anglo-Zulu wars. - according to no less an authority than Ferran Adri, the man who famously ran the world's Fans of the classic 1964 British film Zulu, best restaurant until he shut El Bulli lastyear. starring Michael Caine and Jack Hawkins, will The soul of this blessed epicurean land is found find this dusty little outpost on the veldt in San Sebastian, an aristocratic seaside resort strangely familiar. The mission station at Rorke's renowned for having more Michelin stars per Drift, where 139 redcoats defied a 4000-strong capita than anywhere on earth. Within this small Zulu army in January 1879, contains a quaint sweep of coastline and surrounding countryside museum, complete with life-size battle scenes. dwell such culinary legends as Mugaritz. Arzak, Although the site is a modern re-creation, this Martin Berasategui, Akelarre and Etxebarri. is a deeply moving place. MC But San Sebastian's sixth sense for cuisine is DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (qantas.com) flies not confined to three-star establishments- from Australia to Johannesburg with connections gastronomy runs in the veins here. Men gather to Durban. Rorke's Drift is a four-hour drive weekly in the historic centre at private dining from Durban. The nearest town is Dundee clubs called txokos to cook communal feasts (46km away). Stay at Royal Country Inn using the finest seasonal produce they can (www.royalcountryinn.com). Find expert guides source in this lush corner of the Iberian at: battlefieldsregionguides.co.za. Peninsula. For outsiders, the easiest and most fun way to savour the Basque dedication 64 ASIA to degustation is to embark on a txikiteo, a crawl of the old city's pintxos (tapas) bars. CULTURE All will have prepared pintxoson the bench THE EXPERIENCE Discover architectural and usually a blackboard menu of cooked-to- jewels in Phnom Penh. order hot dishes. The standard of food is so exceptional it doesn't really matter what bar Before the killing fields, Cambodiawas briefly a centre of modern architecture. Driven by the you choose, but the likes of Bar La Cepa. Alone French-trained Cambodian architect Vann Berri, Tamboril and Casa Ganderias have won fans for their alta cocina en miniatura (haute Molyvann, Phnom Penh between the 1950s cuisine in miniature). KH and 1970s became the setting for several acclaimed modernist buildings such as the DREAM TO REALITY Thai Airways (www. Capital Cinema and the ambitiously named thaiairways.com.au) and Emirates (emirates.com) Olympic Stadium, many of which are now offer good connections from Australia to Madrid, under threat. The Cambodian capital is also from where there are daily one-hour flights to San home to a plethora of faded French colonial Sebastian. More information: Spain.info. buildings. Download a self-guided tour by Khmer Architecture Tours or hire a private 66 ASIA guide who is an architectural expert. AD HERITAGE DREAM TO REALITY Thai Airways (www. thairairways.com.au) flies from Australia to THE EXPERIENCE Stay in a converted shop- Phnom Penh via Bangkok. Khmer Architecture house in historic George Town. Penang. Tours: ka-tours.org. Stay at Raffles Hotel Le South-east Asia has undergone a just-in-time Royal (raffles.com) or The Quay (thequayhotel. heritage revival with cities and towns such as corn). More information: tourismcambodia.com. Vietnam's Hoi An, Laos's Luang Prabang and Malaysia's Malacca all benefiting from restorations driven by UNESCO World Heritage 65 EUROPE listings. Now, visionary Australians Narelle INDULGENCE McMurtrie and Christopher Ong have helped The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

66 to transform George Town, on the Malaysian Fl ada 9a5car's island of Penang. They've opened chic and flora and affordable accommodation, casual Australian- fauna have style cafes, laid-back restaurants and art yed in galleries from the shells of traditional shop- houses and even a set of stables. AD isolation to create a place DREAM TO REALITY Singapore Airlines (singaporeaircom) flies from Australia to unlike any Singapore with connections to Penang with other on its regional carrier, SilkAir (silkair.com). the planet More information: straitscollection.com.my; www.muntrimews.com.

67 AFRICA JOURNEY THE EXPERIENCE Visit Madagascar for its unique animals, plants and siGH-rs A HO SOLINGSz I incredible landscapes. (clockwise from top left) Ptntxos feast in Madagascar really is a world apart. Cast adrift Spain's Basque country: from the African mainland more than 100 Fatehpur-Sikri, one of million years ago, its flora and fauna have India's architectural evolved in isolation to create a place unlike wonders: walking in pristine New Zealand: any other on the planet. On the world's fourth some of Madagascar's largest island, 90 per cent of the plants are unusual flora. endemic along with 93 per cent of the The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

mammals (including lemurs). 60 per cent of More information on Fatehpur-Sikri: the birds and almost all the amphibians. KH Archaeological Survey of India (asi.nic.in). DREAM TO REALITY The shortest route from Australia to Madagascar is via Mauritius with Air69 AUSTRALIA Mauritius (airmauritius.com). More information: INDULGENCE madagascar-tourisme.com. THE EXPERIENCE Dine and stay at Royal Mail Hotel, Dunkeld, Victoria. 68 ASIA The Royal Mail Hotel is not merely Australia's HERITAGE finest country dining experience, it also forms THE EXPERIENCE Explore the lost city the basis of a rewarding holiday. Check in for of Fatehpur-Sikri. a mandatory two-night stay to enjoy chef Dan Hunter's much-lauded virtuoso cooking, An hour's drive from the town of Agra, home perfected during an extended stint in Spain. But of the Taj Mahal, is the less visited, though no don't forget to factor in a visit to the adjacent less compelling, 16th-century Mughal ghost and spectacularly rugged Grampians and a city of Fatehpur-Sikri. Abandoned in 1585 return drive to Melbourne via the Great Ocean - apparently due to an inability to supply Road, due south from Dunkeld. AD adequate water to its populace - the amazingly well-preserved, red-sandstone Fatehpur-Sikri isDREAM TO REALITY Dunkeld is 260km west of an awe-inspiring amalgam of Hindu and IslamicMelbourne. Royal Mail Hotel: royalmail.com.au. architectural styles. Hire a guide in order to extract the maximum value from your visit to 70 ASIA the site, a perfect companion to a pilgrimage JOURNEY to the Taj Mahal. AD THE EXPERIENCE A long-awaited look into DREAM TO REALITY Singapore Airlines Burma, a nation wrought by political disharmony (singaporeaircom) flies from Australia via Singapore to six Indian destinations, including Even before Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Mumbai and Delhi, with rail connections to Agra.Kyi gave her blessing for tourists to visit her The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

71 FREQUENT FLYER troubled homeland, Burma (never Myanmar) NEW ZEALAND was a treasured secret of intrepid travellers. Matt Goldberg Now the world is welcome to experience Melbourne-based Lonely Planet CEO. ethereal Inle Lake, the fabled city of Mandalay, the temple-strewn plains of Bagan and the THE PLACE Rob Roy attractively ramshackle colonial capital of Glacier Track, Rangoon. Get it while it's hot. KH THE EXPERIENCE This is one DREAM TO REALITY Thailand is a convenient of the great day walks in the gateway to neighbouring Burma with Thai Airways world. You wand ET up a glacier- operating one-stop flights from Australia to fed ri YEW,. cross the swing bridge Rangoon via Bangkok. More information: and take a Five,ki[ometre wa[k that asc-ends to the glacier, lts harrowing in places Myanmar-tourism.com. because it's edgy. but when you get to the top you're rewarded with an incredible view 72 NORTH AMERICA of the Rob Roy Glacier and about 50 flowing JOURNEY waterfalls. [My eldest child] Aidan was a Hit!: bit younger than nine and it was the first THE EXPERIENCE Take the train through time he realised what he could accomplish, Mexico's Copper Canyon. It was a fethe-r.son bonding experience that The El Chepe railroad is an absolute neither one of us will forget. engineering marvel that connects the dusty DETAILS Air NEW Zealand (airnew7ealand. desert capital of Chihuahua City with the cam) has regular direct flights from Australia Pacific coast at Los Mochis. En route, this to Christchurch and Queenstown on the South 60-year-old locomotive route traverses Island. with regional cisonections. Rob Roy 86 tunnels, 175 bridges and countless 6lacier Track is in Mount Aspiring National switchbacks as it wends its way from Park fdloc.govtm) in the South Islands Southern Alps. From Queenstown. its about 130krn to the park via Wanaka,

;tH4t 'iiii47 The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

2000-plus metres high in the Sierra football participation rate of any Australian Tarahumara mountains, through the community, a reality that produced such AFL magnificent Copper Canyon to sea level. KH legends as Michael Long and the Rioli brothers. When not having a kick, the Tiwi can DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (qantas.com) flies be found creating extraordinary bark from Australia to Dallas with connections to paintings, weaving pandanus, or carving and Chihuahua City with American Airlines (aa.com). painting the intricate Pukumani burial poles Daily departures both ways between Chihuahua that decorate Tiwi graves. Access to the and Los Mochis. More information: Chepe.com.mx. islands is by organised day trip; visitors take billy tea and damper with the Morning Tea 73 ASIA Ladies, talk with local artists about their CULTURE inspirations and motivation, and enjoy the spectacle of a smoking ceremony or THE EXPERIENCE Explore the frenetic traditional dance performance complete with backstreets of Kolkata with a private guide. ochre-painted bodies. If a day seems too Burdened by its Black Hole stigma and its short, visitors can camp overnight on Bathurst reputation for intractable, grinding poverty, and hunt and gather their own food with their Kolkata remains one of India's most overlooked hosts. Local delicacies include mangrove and least appreciated cities. Yet it's blessed worms and goanna. KH with not only some of India's finest, albeit DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (gantas.com), decaying, colonial architecture, but Virgin (virginaustralia.com) and Jetstar (jetstar. fascinatingly frenetic bazaars which even corn) all fly to Darwin from Melbourne and include a fast-vanishing Chinatown. Book Sydney. Tiwi Tours on Bathurst Island organises Walks a learned private guide from Calcutta visits to Wurrumiyanga (formerly Nguiu, the main and be transported (in an aged yellow township), and to neighbouring Melville. More Ambassador taxi, no less) into what is an information: aussieadventures.com.au. exotic, wholly foreign universe. AD DREAM TO REALITY Singapore Airlines 75 EUROPE (singaporeaircom) flies from Australia via Singapore to six Indian destinations, including INDULGENCE Kolkata. More information: Calcutta Walks THE EXPERIENCE Stay in a 16th-century (calcuttawalks.com). Stay at the Taj Bengal palazzo on Rome's Via Condotti. Kolkata Hotel (tajhotels.com). Napoleon slept here. Napoleon the Third, to be precise, and at the 16th-century Palazzo 74 AUSTRALIA Ruspoli visitors can still bed down in the same CULTURE apartments once enjoyed by the ruler of the Second French Empire. Residenza Napoleone THE EXPERIENCE Commune with the Tiwi Ill consists of three extravagant suites

on Melville Island. ' adorned with centuries-old oil paintings, At the very top of Australia, 80 kilometres tapestries and statuary. The palazzo's separate from Darwin across the Arafura Sea, lies a rooftop apartment with terrace views to the magical place unlike anywhere else on the green lungs of the Villa Borghese offers an continent. The Tiwi Islands - Bathurst and equally charmed existence, right in the heart Melville, Australia's second- and fifth-largest of Rome on Via Condotti. KH islands respectively - are home to a unique DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (gantas.com) flies population of 2500 indigenous Australians. from Australia to Singapore from where Finnair Tiwi language and culture are distinct from (finnair.com/au) flies to Rome via Helsinki. For that of mainland Aborigines and the people accommodation details see: mrandmrssmith.com have two abiding passions - art and Australian residenzanapoleone.com. rules football. Tiwi islanders have the highest The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

76 ASIA and Sweet William, wild poppies bloom in INDULGENCE abundance and the landscape has reverted to its dreamy Aegean type. KH THE EXPERIENCE Tuck into a sushi breakfast at Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Markets. DREAM TO REALITY Etihad (etihadairways. com) flies from Australia to Istanbul via Abu The world's biggest and finest fish market is Dhabi. TJ's Travel (anzacgallipolitours.com) in a crazy, topsy-turvy world where lunch is Eceabat has excellent guides who lead one-day breakfast at any of a series of outstanding, circuits of the battlefields. excellent sushi bars serving the freshest and best raw fish on the planet. Rub shoulders at the crowded sushi counter with a motley 79 AUSTRALIA collection of Japanese market workers and NATURE bleary-eyed foreign tourists. Combine your visitTHE EXPERIENCE Hop across to Kangaroo with a viewing of the tuna auction (restrictions Island for its stunning flora, fauna and food. apply) between 5am and 6.15am and a wander around the market itself - though take care in It's often described as Australia's Galapagos the maddening traffic. AD but, beyond the marketing hype, Kangaroo Island is what it is: an unpretentious, accessible DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (qantas.com) holiday destination with superb coastal flies regularly to Tokyo. For more details and scenery, prodigious wildlife and a burgeoning regulations about visiting Tsukiji Markets go local food and wine industry. Wander among to: www.shijou.metro.tokyo.jp/english. For scores of seals on an otherwise deserted accommodation needs stay at the nearby, beach; marvel at true natural wonders such as affordable Park Hotel (www.parkhoteltokyo.com) Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch; meet in Shiodome. the producers of all kinds of foods, from 77 AUSTRALIA sheep's milk cheese to Ligurian honey; then INDULGENCE chill out on an island that is refreshingly free THE EXPERIENCE Beckon your butler while (so far) of glitz. AD you're all at sea. DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (gantas.com) and Silversea's six luxury cruise ships ply routes Virgin Australia (virginaustralia.com) have regular all over the world but, come summer, one flights to Adelaide where Rex (rex.com.au) has heads Australia's way, travelling via east coast frequent connections to Kingscote on Kangaroo Ports from Tasmania to the Top End. Getlost Island. Stay at Thorn Park on the Island (thornpark. in a world where the champagne's on tap, your com.au) or Aurora Ozone Hotel (auroraresorts. butler is a phone call away and the "porthole" com.au). More information: southaustralia.com. is floor-to-ceiling glass. And you can work on improving mind and body (anthropological 80 PACIFIC lecture or zumba class?) once you lever OUTDOORS yourself out of your deckchair. KL THE EXPERIENCE Ride via mule to Molokai's DREAM TO REALITY More information (including famous leper colony in Hawaii. Silversea's Australian ports): silversea.com. Until recently it was taboo for outsiders to come to Kalaupapa, on the remote island of 78 EUROPE Molokai. Hawaii's dark secret, this is where HERITAGE leprosy sufferers were banished between 1866 and 1969. Today, travellers can visit the isolated THE EXPERIENCE Visit Gallipoli for its but stunning peninsula site via a five-kilometre beauty as well as its history. mule ride down sea cliffs and a bus tour Some Turks call it the "Australian Mecca". Its through the remnant colony. Contact is place names echo from our history books - forbidden with the few remaining residents, the Nek and the mass graveyard at Lone Pine. but historical displays and photographs Battlefield tours do a roaring trade as convey the tragic beauty of the place. KH Australians, New Zealanders and Britons DREAM TO REALITY Hawaiian Airlines return to the scene of one of their bloodiest (hawaiianair.com) flies from Australia to Honolulu defeats. But remembrance is only one aspect and Island Air (islandair.com) connects to Molokai. of the experience on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Mule treks depart Monday to Saturday. More The graveyards are scented with stocks information: muleride.com and gohawaii.com. The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

Travellersto Molokai can it the isolated but stunning peninsula site via a five-kilometre mule ridedawn seacliff PIP

CRUISY L IF EST 'VIE (from top) enjoy luxury at sea on a Silversea ship; a mule ride down sea cliffs will transport you to Kalaupapa's leper colony on the Hawaiian island of Molokai.

.k. The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

81 AFRICA CULTURE THE EXPERIENCE Discover the gem of El Jem, Tunisia. Thrysdus, as the Ancient Romans called El Jem, is today a dusty, unremarkable settlement in north-east Tunisia that has only one real claim to fame. At the end of the main street, Avenue Habib Bourguiba, stands Africa's largest amphitheatre, a 35,000-seat wonder of tiered Corinthian columns and rippling history. Modelled on the Colosseum in Rome, it is almost as large and in marvellous condition, considering it has dominated this arid plain for more than 17 centuries. KR DREAM TO REALITY Etihad (etihadairways.com) and Qatar (qatarairways.com) fly between Australia and North Africa. El Jem is reached by train from the capital, Tunis. Check the Australian government's Smartraveller (smartraveller.gov.au) website for security advice for Tunisia.

82 NORTH AMERICA week-long itineraries in the Sea of Cortez WILDLIFE id (expeditions.com). Delta (delta.com) flies from THE EXPERIENCE Cruise the Sea of Cortez, The Coral Triangi. Australia to Los Angeles with connections to Baja California, Mexico. is known as "the La Paz, from where you transfer to San Carlos to board the ship. On land you have the well-worn Love Boat Amazon of the ports of Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco but the seas', so the 83 PACIFIC real star of the Mexican Riviera is the Sea of waters teem Cortez, the most biodiverse body of water on ADVENTURE the planet. Cradled between the Baja with magnificont marine rife. THE EXPERIENCE Snorkel or dive in Papua Peninsula and mainland Mexico, this marine New Guinea, heart of the Coral Triangle. wonderland, dubbed "the world's aquarium" PIP by Jacques Cousteau, harbours more than From the bizarre horned sea cucumbers of the goo fish species and 2000 marine Tufi fjords to Pig Island's coral gardens painted invertebrates that thrive here on nutrient-rich verdigris and calamine, Papua New Guinea is a upwellings from the sea floor. The Sea of largely unexplored paradise for snorkellers and Cortez is also home to 33 species of marine scuba divers. The country sits at the mammal, including the world's largest fish, the intersection of the Great Barrier Reef and the whale shark, and the world's largest animal, Coral Triangle, an area known as "the Amazon the blue whale. Small cruise and expedition of the seas-, so the waters teem with ships are the best way to experience this magnificent marine life. KH often-harsh environment in comfort. Summer DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (qantas.com) flies temperatures can soar into the high 30s and from Australia to Port Moresby. Or you can cruise much of the sea is fringed by desert, so on between Cairns and Rabaul with Aurora the water (or in the water) is the best way to Expeditions (auroraexpeditions.com.au). discover what lies beneath. Swim with sea lions, turtles and devil rays, or snorkel above kaleidoscopic schools of parrot fish and 84 EUROPE sergeant majors. Outside the major ports, the CULTURE landscape is an unfolding postcard of sentinel THE EXPERIENCE Visit the gardens at cacti, dramatic mountains like the Sierra Giverny, France. Giganta and 50 remote islands, many of them GIRT BY SEA! (dpckrouse national parks or biospheres sheltering unique Trom top left) Saffire, You don't have to be a fan of impressionist on Tasmania's Freycinet master Claude Monet to swoon at the environments and wildlife. KH Peninsula; cruising the Croatian coast; the meticulously tended gardens and cottage he DREAM TO REALITY Lindblad's expedition spectacular reefs of once called home in Normandy. The painter's cruiser National Geographic Sea Lion offers PNG's Coral Triangle. house is charming and there's a new-ish art The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

museum on site, but nothing can eclipse the Sailing the Adriatic is not a pursuit confined glorious abundance of Monet's "kingdom of to the European jet set. Any group can hire a flowers" - from the symmetry and colour sleek yacht and chart a course for some of bursts of the Clos Normand to the enduring Croatia's 1100 coastal islands, whiling away the inspiration of the Japanese water gardens thatdays eating, drinking and slowly becoming nut- the artist painted continuously for 20 years. KHbrown ocean nymphs. Medieval villages, DREAM TO REALITY Air France (airfrance.com)gambolling dolphins and effusive local flies from Australia to Paris. Giverny is about hospitality guaranteed. KH 75km from the capital and accessible by train, DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (gantas.com) flies bus or car. Claude Monet's house and gardens from Australia to Frankfurt with connections to are open from April to October only. More Zagreb and Dubrovnik with Croatia Airlines information: giverny.org. (croatiaairlines.com). Book yachts through established rental companies like sunsail.com. 85 AUSTRALIA Novices can hire a skipper. INDULGENCE THE EXPERIENCE Stay at Saffire Freycinet, 87 AUSTRALIA Tasmania's multi-star lodge, for the food as WILDLIFE much as the scenery. THE EXPERIENCE Encounter the rare Tassie's most luxurious lodgings are home to creatures of Lord Howe Island. one of Australia's outstanding regional chefs. Everything about Lord Howe Island seems rare Hugh Whitehouse, who won critical acclaim and a little improbable. Its extravagant beauty during his days at Darley's restaurant at - palm trees, white-sand beaches, turquoise Lilianfels in the Blue Mountains, is these lagoon - is more South Sea island than days ensconced at Saffire's Palate restaurant. Australian coast. Lord Howe rises spectacularly The ingredients for his creative dishes are from the ocean to the Jurassic-dramatic basalt sourced direct from Tasmania's wealth peak of Mount Gower, a challenging nine-hour of quality produce. The only catch is that walk past sea cliffs, cloud forests and to experience Whitehouse's cuisine - in microhabitats teeming with strange wildlife, a spectacular, glass-encased lodge building much of it unique to the island. In nesting overlooking the Hazards Range- you need season, for example, providence petrels fly out to be one of Saffire's guests. AD of nowhere when called from the mountain and flop, unafraid, at walkers' feet. They're DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (gantas.com) and among hundreds of thousands of seabirds that Virgin Australia (virginaustralia.com) fly regularly rest and nest on this volcanic speck, protected to Hobart and Launceston from Melbourne and for the past 30 years by UNESCO World Sydney. Saffire (saffire-freycinet.com.au) is located at Coles Bay, near Freycinet National Heritage status and as pristine an environment as you're likely to find. Far outnumbered by Park, on Tasmania's east coast, about 200km fish and fowl are humans - at any one time north of Hobart. only 400 visitors are permitted on the island, which is home to about 350 residents, many of 86 EUROPE whom you'll meet on their bicycles, dodging OUTDOORS flightless (and rare) woodhens and flesh- footed shearwaters on the road. A perfect day THE EXPERIENCE Rent a yacht in Croatia and island-hop. The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

will also involve immersion, for the island is bookshelves and dimly lit barrel hall, is among ringed by the world's southernmost coral reef. the most atmospheric. A short walk uphill will The diving at 50 sites is superb - visibility bring you to the country's first wine-themed often exceeds 30 metres - or simply snorkel in hotel, The Yeatman, where lunch by the the lagoon among coral gardens and spot the decanter-shaped pool is accompanied by unique (and adorably ugly) double-headed unrivalled views over the Douro river. EV wrasse and McCulloch's anemonefish, a rare DREAM TO REALITY British Airways clownfish, among 500 fish species found in (britishairways.com) flies from Australia to local waters. Or wade knee-deep at Neds Lisbon, with connections to Porto. Taylor's runs Beach and handfeed metre-long kingfish. daily tours of its port lodge at Vila Nova da Gaia Later, tuck into the freshest kingfish sashimi (taylorpt/en). The Yeatman (the-yeatman-hotel. on the deck of Capella Lodge, a chic beach corn) is excellent for accommodation, food and house beneath the twin peaks of Mount wine. More information: visitporto.travel. Gower and Mount Lidgbird, and the height of barefoot luxury on the island. HA 90 AUSTRALIA DREAM TO REALITY QantasLink (qantas.com) operates daily flights to Lord Howe Island from OUTDOORS Sydney on most days. For luxury accommodation, THE EXPERIENCE Ride an airboat through the stay at Capella Lodge (lordhowe.com) and Mary River wetlands in the Northern Territory. see the island with LHI Environmental Tours The Florida Everglades have got nothing on an (lordhoweislandtours.com). More information: airboat safari through the Mary River wetlands lordhoweisland.info. in the Northern Territory. Fierce crocodiles abound and the area is famous for its profuse 88 NORTH AMERICA bird life, including a huge breeding colony of URBAN magpie geese. Glide across its watery reaches to witness the eerie silence of a drowned THE EXPERIENCE Snap an architectural melaleuca forest or the glory of a lily field icon from Quebec City's ferry. stretching to the horizon. KH Ask the doorman at the slightly spooky- DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (qantas.com), Virgin looking Fairmont Le Chkeau Frontenac for Australia (virginaustralia.com) and Jetstar (jetstar. the best place to snap one of the world's corn) operate regular flights from Sydney and most photographed hotels", and he'll point Melbourne to Darwin. Stay at the upscale Bamurru you towards the commuter ferry plying the St Plains (bamurruplains.com) bush camp, about Lawrence River below. Ride the ferry during three hours' drive from Darwin. Bamurru offers the infamously cold winter and you'll feel as airboat tours of the wetlands. though you're aboard an icebreaker. Or time your ride for sunset and catch the hotel looking its sparkly best as the lights come on. KL 91 ASIA DREAM TO REALITY Air Canada (aircanada. CULTURE corn) flies from Australia to Quebec City via THE EXPERIENCE Take in a Balinese temple Vancouver and Montreal. Stay at Fairmont Le without leaving the beach. Chateau Frontenac (fairmont.com/Frontenac) Hire a driver to take you to Tanah Lot. The and ride the ferry (traversiers.gouv.qc.ca/en). venerated Hindu temple sits on a rock off Bali's west coast and, come high tide, is encircled by 89 EUROPE seawater. At low tide wander across the black INDULGENCE sands for a closer look - but only those intent on legitimate prayer can enter the complex, THE EXPERIENCE Stroll among the lively which maintains its mystique with a shroud of streets and port wine lodges of Portugal's trees and vines. The sight becomes even more second city, Porto. dramatic at sunset when the temple is thrown Whether it's the winding, cobbled streets, the into silhouette. KL dazzling Casa da MUsica concert hall or net- DREAM TO REALITY Garuda Indonesia (garuda- fresh sardines, Porto's joys are many, but a indonesia.com) flies from Australia to Denpasar. tour of the sturdily beautiful port wine lodges Tanah Lot (tanahlot.net) is about 30km north-west is a must. Taylor's, with its ledger-lined The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

66 Many of us. spendalifetime waiting to visit the Taj Mahal and then only allocate a rushed, sweaty day trip from DOH to expe-rience it.

OPP

TOW 1,1 AND COUNTRY,. (clockwise from top left) a ferry crosses the St Lawrence River in front of the Fairmont Le CF4teau Frontenac hotel: La Esguina, a New York favourite of Megan Washington's: the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

93 ASIA 92 FREQUENT FLYER HERITAGE NORTH AMERICA THE EXPERIENCE Stay in style at the nearest Mogan Washington five-star hotel to the Taj Mahal. Singer-songwriter Many of us spend a lifetime waiting to visit the 111111 THE PLACE New York City. Taj Mahal and then, when we do get there, only allocate a rushed, sweaty day trip from -- THE EXPERIENCE I'Vd gone to Nev.. York City and had Delhi to experience it. Splurge on a night or two at The Oberoi Amarvilas, the best and fantastic times_ and then I've grpne-and it's kind Chi nearest hotel to the Taj Mahal (just boo chewed rine up. gut no Matter metres away) and savour unmatched views of India's architectural jewel. Rise at dawn, with where I go there, Palways Kive a strong complimentary coffee and tea awaiting you in experience, iseither awesome or Led, the lobby, for a crowd-beating tour of the We checked out a few places in DUMI30, monument with a scholarly private guide and which Is Down Under the Manhattan transport aboard the hotel's own fleet of Bridge Overpass.. There's a whoie bunch of really great venues, cafes and amazing electric golf buggies. AD bars there. Mayahuel is. a magical Arid DREAM TO REALITY Singapore Airlines ta-quila bar in the East "Allege and it's just (singaporeair.com) flies from Australia via completely hada-ss. My other tip iS La Singapore to six Indian destinations, including Esquina - it looks like a cline, and Is. a diner the capital, Delhi, which has frequent rail but there's a restaurant underneath. There's connections to Agra. Stay at The Oberoi signage for the restaurant at all. You Amarvilas (oberoihotels.com). mike. a booking and then you go th-rough the kitchen Of this crummy-looking diner. 94 AUSTRALIA past all the dudes washing pots and parts. ADVENTURE and down, down, dawn, down, down t© THE EXPERIENCE Glamp in style in the this amagirts, beautiful. condlelit, gothic Blue Mountains. Niexidall restaurant underneeth. The Blue Mountains are so familiar to DETAILS, riy to New York City Via 105 Sydneysiders it's easy to forget just how wild ATheeleS with Qantas 1:garita.i:orn). VIrgin and compelling they are. This high-end Auitrolia (wiriginaugtraiiationa), Darts Welth. glamping (glamour camping) experience More corn) or United (unitedairlines.cormau4. presents the wilderness area in a new light - information: Ourribony,--org; niayabiLielnY..corril guests (usually no more than six at a time) esquisonye-corm ICL sleep in designer swags in the bush and gourmet meals and chilled wines are of Denpasar and about 50km south-west of provided. Activities include bushwalking, Ubud. Stay at the Alila Resort Ubud Hotel canoeing and birdwatching. mc (alilahotels.com/ubud). DREAM TO REALITY Blue Mountains Private Safaris (bluemountainsprivatesafaris.com).

95 NORTH AMERICA JOURNEY THE EXPERIENCE Travel in high style across Montana's Glacier National Park. Of course you could drive yourself up Montana's Going-to-the-Sun Road to the Continental Divide - but where's the old- fashioned glamour in that? Glacier National Park's fleet of 17-passenger red buses with rollback canvas tops dates from the-193os. They're driven by "jammers" - so called because predecessors would "jam" the gears to cope with the steep gradients. KL DREAM TO REALITY Delta (delta.com) flies from Australia to Glacier Park International Airport via Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. Stay in the park's historic lodges or nearby Whitefish. The buses operate 15 park routes (glacierparkinc.com). The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

96 EUROPE To one side there's a kiosk doing a brisk trade in INDULGENCE Chiko rolls and garfish 'n' chips. Those in the know (and with a booking), however, will push THE EXPERIENCE Take coffee, cake (and through a white door leading to the Star of goulash) at a grand Budapest cafe. Greece's fine diner and settle into a candy- Forget Vienna (hard as that may be). The striped chair overlooking Gulf St Vincent. For all marbled, gilded and decidedly decadent New its casual beach-chic vibe, what comes out of York Cafe in Budapest matches or even the kitchen is serious fare showcasing goodies surpasses any equivalent salon in the Austrian such as Fleurieu Peninsula venison and organic capital. The cafe, which occupies a prized olives from McLaren Vale next door. KL section of the Boscolo Hotel, derives its name DREAM TO REALITY Virgin Australia from the New York Insurance Company that (virginaustralia.com) has regular flights from commissioned the building, with the cafe itself Sydney and Melbourne to Adelaide. Star of opening in 1894. While the place is full of Greece (starofgreececafe.com.au) is at Port American tourists, the food is typically Willunga, an hour's drive south of Adelaide. Stay Hungarian, with traditional goulash and a at Willunga House (willungahouse.com.au). selection of continental tortes that will blow your mind, and potentially your waistline. AD 98 ASIA DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (qantas.com) flies HISTORY regularly to Frankfurt with connections to THE EXPERIENCE Be charmed by Malaysia's Budapest on Maley Hungarian Airlines (malev.hu). colonial past. New York Cafe (newyorkcafe.hu). Budapest is the starting point of APT's is-day, 14-night Toby jugs, horse brasses, hunting prints and "Magnificent Europe" cruise (aptouring.com.au). cream teas - these are hardly the things you Stay at Sofitel Hotel Chain Bridge (sofitel.com). might expect to find in a steamy Malaysian jungle. But they abound at Fraser's Hill, a beautifully preserved hill station from the British 97 AUSTRALIA colonial era. These days Bukit Fraser (founded INDULGENCE by a colourful Scot, Louis James Fraser) THE EXPERIENCE Linger on the cliff top at attracts ornithologists (there are more than Port Willunga, South Australia. 270 species of birds), golfers, hikers, anglers

41. --CJ eked into one of Jai:hangs. snowiest ,alloys are ancient larrnhouses with hatched roofs so -:,teep they look :ike hands joined iii prayer.

WINTER WONDERLAND! (above) Shirakawa-go's thatched farmhouses have been awarded World Heritage status. The Saturday Age, Melbourne 31 Mar 2012

and nostalgia buffs looking for a mock Tudor From Takayama, rent a car or take the 50-minute tearoom serving perfect English scones. Mc bus ride to Shirakawa-go in Gifu prefecture. More information: jnto.org.au. DREAM TO REALITY Singapore Airlines (singaporeair.com) has regular flights from Australia to Kuala Lumpur via Singapore. Fraser's100 AUSTRALIA Hill is 103km from Kuala Lumpur. Catch a train NATURE from KL to Kuala Kubu Bharu and then take a THE EXPERIENCE Swim with whale sharks local taxi. More information: tourism.gov.my. and stay in tented luxury in Western Australia. You'll feel far from cast away at Sal Salis. The 99 ASIA eco-sensitive encampment of nine supremely CULTURE comfortable tents is set against the dunes just a THE EXPERIENCE Gaze upon Sh rakawa-go'sfew metres from the pristine waters of Ningaloo super-sized farmhouses. Reef, last year declared a World Heritage site. Crisp outback luxury extends to high thread Tucked into one of Japan's snowiest valleys arecounts but few mod cons. That matters less ancient farmhouses built on a super-human with whale sharks just beyond the fringing scale, with thatched roofs so steep they look reef from April to July, and a staggering array like hands joined in prayer. Gassho means "to of other marine life year round. EV pray" and it's the name given to these World Heritage-listed wonders, many of them guest DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (qantas.com) and houses. What's more, they're photogenic all Virgin Australia (virginaustralia.com) have regular year round: snap them during the winter flights to Perth and Skywest Airlines (skywest. evening "light-ups", in spring when villagers com.au) operates daily flights from Perth to gather to re-thatch roofs, in summer when Learmonth Airport. For more on the camp, go they're reflected in flooded rice paddies, or to the Sal Salis website (salsalis.com.au). GW in autumn during the annual fire drill. KL Like us on Forel:rook and Iri us know your DREAM TO REALITY Qantas (gantas.com) flies Favourite trinfeL rfstst[narlon - regularly from Australia to Tokyo. From there, www.facebook.colintGOODwEEXPONAGA.ZIKE take a train to Nagoya and another to Takayama.