Food, Drink & Travel

It was a leap across a veritable frontier. We coasted, drifting in-and-out of consciousness, across a nameless, featureless desert which held the great secret of inducing sleep. Sliding into oblivion we would mysteriously re-awaken at the sight of an obliterated portion of highway, or of a blackened bus with its windows blown-out. News of brigands and snipers held little sway over us, so tranquilized we were by the faceless emanations of a landscape resembling one of Jupiter’s moons. Even our heroic driver, the chain-smoking Imad al-Din – master of the cross-border dash and ferryman to the beleaguered – would find his long bouts of waking vigilance eroded.

In retrospect, the eleven-hour journey from Amman to Baghdad across a flat-line countenance of highway was but a nanosecond’s flight through space. It was only upon our arrival into the city, that time performed a sudden volte-face, throwing us into another metaphysical loop. Existing as a netherworld on the periphery of a functioning, breathing universe, “the new Iraq” – whose stilled heart we had just transgressed – was now little more than a forgotten principality. It’s past obfuscated, its future unwritten, it greeted us with a decidedly poignant absence. Only its well-known ability to stamp indelible impressions of tragedy upon the minds of outsiders had remained completely intact. Read the rest of this entry »

Nauders – Landeck – B 315

A serpentine of street, it curves and curves, leading downwards, riverwards, valleywards, inn-wards.
A white horse on a green field.
Lying there, dead like Sunday, dead like one wrong step and all.
A river, the Inn.
Its water glacier-coloured, a melange of winter and spring, running through July, carrying the taste of white peeks at the edge of the horizon.

Behind a curve, an intersection:
Switzerland / St. Moritz to the left, Germany / Fernpass to the right.
Here I am, on the road again, here I am, rolling on. Read the rest of this entry »

There is a wonderful integrity to food that crosses boundaries

Imagine a world where “having an Indian” for fourth and fifth generation South Asians in the west means warming a clinically packaged supermarket mesh of flourescent red chicken in a gloopy sauce. This is the stuff of 26-year old Vicky Bhogal’s gastronomic nightmare – a world where Aunty-ji’s fresh home cooked meals prepared in the musty villages of South Asia have become hazy folklore. It was precisely this, and her “insatiable greed for food, especially her mum’s cooking” that prompted Vicky to preserve the tried and tested recipes from her family’s culinary talent into a slick cooking manual for later generations of her kin. Her efforts have inadvertently became a commercial venture under the title of Cooking with Mummyji – a neat publication which has sold over 13,000 copies in the United Kingdom alone, and has attracted much media attention and accolade in the form of the best new cookbook at the British Guild of Food Writers Awards. Read the rest of this entry »

You might have noticed that I’m a bit late this month – blame an excess of yule-tide relaxation. And continuing the relaxed feel into the merry month of January, this month’s article contains hardly any rants (well not serious ones anyway). By the way, thanks Dave for the prompt and the idea.

Why pick on business travel? Well if you work in IT, for a vendor or as an independent, you generally have to go where the work is. It can become a big, stressful, part of daily life. You change your view of what’s important, and a small incident can assume significance way beyond the norm.

Let me give you a real life example. The following story is only slightly embellished. Read the rest of this entry »

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Trekking or lounging… Bathing or desert… And for those who expect the snow already book your week with snowshoes Nomad Adventure!

EGYPT: From the desert of Saudi rougesMer islands, desert islands or, choose all three!

In this exclusive itinerary, Nomad combines the joys of the Arabian desert along the trails and Roman cities with the attractions of the islands in the Red Sea. Swimming, snorkeling among coral light hiking and many are waiting for you. Upon arrival, we head to the desert and the oasis of Saudi Melh for a first walk in the green canyon to reach the Roman city of Mons forgotten porphyria. Before crossing the neck of Quattara, the caravan passes through the paths of ancient quarries. It’s a great day of discovery! Finally one last walk in the heart of Jebel Qatar circus red needles and its granite offers breathtaking scenery before the cruise in the turquoise sea. Two days sailing on the Red Sea in the archipelago of paradise islands Gubal between coral reefs, lagoons and deserted beaches to conclude this week especially rich beauty… Egypt as you have never seen!.

Level: dynamic.

Duration: 8 days 4 and 2 and a half foot boat.

Stages: 3 to 5 hours of walking, 2 to 3 hours of navigation.

Nights: aboard the boat and camping in the desert.

Price: From 990 $ on a 4-pers. Min. Of Paris included except meals has Hurgadah, beverages, between sites, tips, visa (15$), insurance and registration fees.

Departures: every Saturday from 3 October 9 to 30 June 2010.

NEPAL: Annapurna Sanctuary

After villages, rice fields and forests, the valley suddenly widens and 4000 m from the south face of Annapurna block the horizon. Welcome to the Annapurna Sanctuary! All around the peaks exceed 6 000 m, connecting the high peaks mythical Hiunchuli (6440 m), Annapurna South (7220 m), Fang (7650 m), Annapurna I (8,091 m), Annapurna III (7555 m) Machhapuchare (6990 m)… A dazzling show! This altitude trek accessible to as many people and offers a unique panorama. After the visit of Kathmandu, the first day of walking around the village Gurung deLandruk, we already have a superb view of Annapurna South (7219 m) and Hinchuli (6441 m). We then cross the valley of the Modi Khola towards Dohan (2505 m). The climb to the base camp of Annapurna actually starts via Machhapuchare. The arrival at 4150 m offers an exceptional show with all around, the thirteen legendary peaks of the massif!.

Level: dynamic.

Duration: 17 days including 10 on foot.

Stages: 4 to 6:30 walk. Maximum altitude. : 4150 m. Porting by porters.

Nights: in hotel and lodge. Read the rest of this entry »