Get Lost 27

WIN AN OVERLAND ADVENTURE THROUGH THE MIDDLE EAST

SEE PAGE 88 FOR DETAILS

ISSUE #27// $7.95 GST INCLUDED www.getlostmag.com

THE TOP 10 TRAVEL EXPERIENCES FOR

2011

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FRENCH POLYNESIA The Society Islands

MALAYSIA

The many sides of Sabah

ISSN 1449-3543

ANDREW ZIMMERN Weird food HOLIDAY IDEAS Cook Islands PHOTOSTORY Burning Man Festival

MOROCCO

Sounds of Essaouira

SCOTLAND

Glasgow after dark

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MOROCCO

SCOTLAND

Get down and boogie to the beats of the Gnawa Festival in northern Africa.

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MALAYSIA

Get to know Glasgow after the sun has gone down and the bars are buzzing.

Discover dragon boats, beautiful beaches, dive sites, proboscis monkeys and more in the state of Sabah, Borneo.

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TOP 10 TRAVEL EXPERIENCES FOR 2011 Our pick of the ten best travel experiences for 2011. From diving off the coast of Papua New Guinea to skiing in New Zealand, staying in an eco lodge in Sweden to stopping-over in Taiwan.

USA Take a look at the weird and wild Burning Man Festival in the Nevada desert. #12 get lost ISSUE #27

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AUSTRALIA Switch off and unwind at the Daintree Eco Lodge, Queensland.

COOK ISLANDS Our top tips for a 10-day holiday on the Cook Islands.

get in the know The first United States coast to coast airplane flight occurred in 1911 and took 49 days.

14 Your Letters & Photos 16 News & Views 20 Places to Stay 22 Top Five Trips 24 Events 25 Retro Travel 26 You Wish 90 Holiday Ideas 92 Food 94 Health 96 Photography 100 Travel Job 102 Our Shout 104 Music 106 Eco Travel 108 Reviews 112 Confessions get in the know Chile is roughly 4,300 kilometres long and (on average) 175 kilometres wide.

28 MOROCCO Gnawa Festival 34 SCOTLAND Glasgow after dark 38 FRENCH POLYNESIA The Society Islands 44 BORNEO Uncovering Sabah 49 TOP 10 TRAVEL EXPERIENCES FOR 2011 Get planning for a year of fun and adventure 78 PHOTOSTORY Burning Man Festival 84 AUSTRALIA The Daintree Eco Lodge 90 HOLIDAY IDEAS 10 days in the Cook Islands ISSUE #27 get lost #13

and

places to stay Artjungle Eco Lodge and Spa

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Itacaré, Bahia

WHAT: A hidden tree-house oasis in the heart of gorgeous Itacaré. You get all the mod cons: hot showers, mosquito nets, TV, aircon and an ice-box for chilling beers; plus, views of beautifully manicured gardens and the stunning Atlantic coastline. Snooze in a hammock, take a dune buggy trip, go diving, canoe, trek to waterfalls, laze on Bahia’s stunning beaches, and enjoy caipirinhas and capoeria in town.

WHY: The best of both worlds – a peaceful retreat with a lively town and palm-fringed deserted beaches nearby.

HOW: Live like Tarzan for between A$125–205 with breakfast per night. www.artjungle.org or www.hiddenpousadasbrazil.com #20 get lost ISSUE #27

get in the know The highest recorded temperature in Scotland was 32.9 °C in Greycrook, August 2003.

places to stay

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727 Fuselage Home

Wilson Island

Hotel Missoni

WHAT: Forget sleeping upright in a shoe-box sized space. This meticulously detailed 1965 Boeing 727 has two bedrooms, two baths, a flat screen TV, a kitchenette, a dining area and an ocean view terrace with 360-degrees of surrounding tropical gardens. The plane, which once flew for South Africa Air and Avianca Airlines, now takes centre stage on a 50-foot pedestal in the national park of the Costa Verde Hotel.

WHAT: Your own luxury tent set beside the sea on a tiny tropical islet. Each tent on this small resort (only six tents on the whole site) has a private deck with armchairs and hammocks – perfect for a lunch-time laze – and your own solar-powered shower.

Snorkel, walk the reef, and spot whales, birds and turtles (depending on the season), before heading to the community tent on the sand for board games, bocce (like bowls) and sundowners.

WHAT: Primely located on the Royal Mile, this hotel screams luxury in every detail: from the Missoni-designed kilt-clad young doormen, to the room’s glamorous wallpaper and bathrobes. A kaleidoscope of colours, bold patterns and intricate textures synonymous with the infamous Italian fashion house is integrated throughout this exquisite boutique lodging.

Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

WHY: This could be the closest you’ll come to joining the mile high club.

HOW: Pay A$400 per night in low season and A$500 per night in high season. www.costaverde.com/727

Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Edinburgh, Scotland

WHY: A barefoot beach glam paradise – perfect for a castaway camping experience.

WHY: An indulgence for fashionistas young and old, on the doorstep of the beautiful and historical Old Town.

HOW: Doubles from A$1,050 per night with a bottle of champagne on arrival. www.wilsonisland.com or www.mrandmrssmith.com

HOW: Doubles from A$249 with wi-fi, movies and the ‘healthy bar’ contents thrown in for free. www.hotelmissoni.com

get in the know Costa Rica permanently abolished its army in 1949.

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RHYTHMS OF

MOROCCO For more than a decade, Jane Cornwell has been visiting Morocco’s Gnawa Festival. She tells us why she still can’t get enough. text: jane cornwell images: various

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get in the know It is said that brides in Morocco must shut their eyes during the ceremony.

morocco

Horseback fantasia on the beach at the opening ceremony.

get in the know Although situated in North Africa, Morocco is the only country not part of the African Union.

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A member of a Gnawa brotherhood in a street outside the medina.

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USKETS RAISED, ROBES flapping, the horseback fantasia came galloping along the curve of beach leading to Essaouira’s old town, then wheeled to a halt outside the castellated city walls of the medina. On the other side of the blue-and-whitewashed stone, along the traffic-free avenue that runs past the Clock Tower and under the palm trees, came the sound of music: trance-like, rhythmic, bluesy. The sound of the Gnawa, the Maghreb’s funkiest, most mystical of religious brotherhoods, whose musicians were gathered here on the Atlantic coast for their annual four-day wingding.

The opening night of the 13th Festival D’Essaouira Gnaoua: Musiques du Monde saw groups of Gnawa in brotherhood-specific uniforms – leather slippers, different coloured boubous, an array of creative headgear – leading the procession past the cloth merchants and jewellery stores of the souk and into the vast open square adjoining the Moulay Hassan stage. Having recreated their 15th-century military cavalry dramatics, as they do at most largescale Moroccan events, the fantasia riders peeled away from the parade they’d joined briefly, leaving the Gnawa in the spotlight.

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Moroccan youths, Gnawa musicians beat side drums and clacked the metal castanets called krakeb: symbols of the chains that bound these descendents of sub-Saharan slaves in centuries past. They whirl, bending at the knees Cossack-style, the tassels on their skullcaps spinning out like spokes.

They chant, calling phrases from the vast Gnawi repertoire, which tells of exile and forgiveness, invokes God and the saints, and which everyone seems to know. The crowd chant back, as loud and unified as anything you’d hear on a football terrace.

I’ve been going to Essaouira’s Gnawa Festival for more than a decade now. At the end of each June, I fly to Marrakech and take a two-and-a-half hour taxi ride (give or take a mint tea pit stop) to this windswept port town on the Atlantic coast, lightening the boredom by counting the goats in the branches of the hardy argan trees and the workmen on the stretch of bone-rattling roadworks that seem to stay the same year after year. My heart still flips as soon as I clap eyes on the fairytale fortifications of Essaouira, dubbed the ‘Pearl of the Kingdom’ by merchants of yore. The town could be suspended between sea and sky, especially when the moon is out.

Essaouira has long had a magnetic effect on people, and particularly on musicians. Cat Stevens, Frank Zappa and Bob Marley all hung out here,

attracted by the laid-back atmosphere and ubiquitous Gnawa soundtrack pulsating from cassette stalls, shop windows, private homes. Jimi Hendrix only came for a few days but was duly impressed (the ruined fort at the far end of the beach was allegedly the inspiration for his song ‘Castles Made of Sand’) ; western jazzers such as Randy Weston and Pharaoh Saunders have experimented in situ with Gnawa music’s deceptively simple polyrhythms.

Robert Plant is another festival regular. Last year, he stayed in a rooftop room overlooking the Scala, the great sea bastion that so impressed Orson Welles that he featured it in his 1952 film version of Othello. Today, the Scala tends to be frequented by tourists having their photos taken astride impotent canons, and dreadlocked Moroccan hippies wrestling with the three-string guimbri bass-lute, the instrument whose subterranean boom and thwack is pivotal to Gnawa music. When wielded by maalems (masters) such as the great Mahmoud Guinea – a Zeus-like figure who has played with Carlos Santana – the guimbri has the power to both enchant and heal.

“Our music speaks to everyone, without barriers,” Guinea tells me through an Arabic interpreter, as we sit smoking kif in a private riad belonging to his wealthy Casablanca-based

get in the know The medina of Essaouira is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

morocco

benefactor. “It has a very spiritual dimension and it attracts people so they almost become addicted to it,” he says, reaching for a slice of watermelon from a table set for a soiree. “It is a therapy that is universal.”

As a spiritual force, the music of the Gnawa is held to cure all sorts of complaints and maladies with all-night, incense-heavy rituals called lilas. Lilas entertain good spirits, appease bad ones and heal everything from scorpion stings to nervous breakdowns via long, mass trances, and while the festival sometimes hosts late-night cultural demonstrations, and while some people even start convulsing dramatically, they are not the real behind-closeddoors thing. The emphasis here is on entertainment, as well as on tolerance and unity. It is largely thanks to the festival that the Gnawa – once regarded as pariahs and treated with disdain – have become national heroes.

Crowds of up to 40,000 now pour in from all over Morocco and beyond, packing out the festival’s nine stages and turning the place into a pickpocket’s paradise. My friend had his mobile phone pinched within minutes at Place Moulay Hassan, while watching the opening concert of a cross-art form spectacle featuring Gnawa maalems and brothers Mohamed and Said Kouyou and the Georgian National Ballet, which introduced the traditions of the Balkans to Gnawa rhythms with interesting if cacophonous effect. During the same concert someone even managed to nick the phone of Andre Azouley, the Moroccan Jewish advisor to King Mohammed VI, despite his coterie of security guards.

A sort of Moroccan Woodstock, Essaouira’s Gnawa and World Festival has always invited musicians from other genres to jam with the Gnawi: musicians from the worlds of jazz, rock and rap; from African, Brazilian and Latin music.

This year’s new emphasis on dance yielded mixed results. While Washington troupe, Step Afrika impressed with a stand-alone performance on the beachside Pepsi stage (as opposed to the beachside Meditel communications network stage – corporate sponsorship is big in Morocco) but were overshadowed two days later by the driving rhythms of Maalem Mustapha Bakbou, a onetime member of Morocco’s beloved Jil Jilala band.

Of the four big outdoor stages, the Moulay Hassan is my favourite. It lets you listen, look, roam about. On the second day, during a fusion concert with

the jazz-leaning Maalem Said Oresson and the jazzy Horacio, Garrison and Kinsey Trio from Cuba/USA, I order a freshly squeezed orange juice from a vendor. I sit down at an outdoor table belonging to one of several makeshift cafes, with the music from the stage

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The stars are out by the time dinner is over and Mahmoud Guinea takes to the stage at Bab Marrakech, a stage that bookends a vast space within walking distance (as are all the stages) of the medina. Guinea’s performance is typically majestic: the booming chords of

When wielded by maalems (masters) such as the great Mahmoud Guinea – a Zeus-like figure who has played with Carlos Santana – the guimbri has the power to both enchant and heal. still crisp and audible. From there, I also have a (partially obscured) view of a harbour crammed with ramshackle fishing boats. That evening I wander into the port to eat Moroccan-style seafood at the famous Chez Sam restaurant, watching falcons glide about their breeding ground on the adjacent Mogodor Island.

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his guimbri carry on the wind before the music explodes into a ferocious groove and hundreds of thousands of people raise their arms in the air. This was pure, unadulterated teknowit (authentic Gnawa), the stuff that puts devotees at lilas into trances. Indeed, as the layers build and chants repeat like mantras, a few people in the crowd start head

A Gnawa plays darbuka, the North African hand drum.

get in the know The Gnawa are thought to be experts in the treatment of psychic disorders and diseases by their use of colours, perfumes and trance.

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after dark:

text: justin jamieson images: justin jamieson

With a belly full of haggis, Justin Jamieson takes to the streets of Glasgow for a big night out.

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UST AS PRINCE HARRY IS TO Prince William, Glasgow has always been the ugly ducking to Edinburgh’s swan. While ‘Wills’ swans around in the limelight courting all the glory, Harry is a little more risqué, throwing caution to the wind. He seems like he’d be a much more thrilling night out.

At first glance, Glasgow could easily be driven through. The rolling hues of the Scottish countryside are dotted with quaint villages, deep lochs and welcoming home-style pubs – a much more inviting sight than the red brick, and seemingly dilapidated, streets of Scotland’s largest city centre. A second glance is a must, however, for amongst the working class tenements lie some of Scotland’s greatest architecture, led mainly by the remarkably prolific Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Underneath the seemingly harsh fabric lies a burgeoning art culture matched by a thirst for nightlife that even Prince Harry would struggle to keep up with.

4.00pm

Ashton Lane’s busy bars.

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OK, so it isn’t quite dark yet, but it is a good time to get out and about to see the city. Wandering east on Argyle St, under the Central Station Bridge, the surrounds resemble the New York borough of Brooklyn – tough and mean – until we hit Buchanan Street, where chic shops, classy cafes and serious shopping begin. It’s a long stretch, and we’re pleasantly surprised when offered a cold beer while trying on some clothes in one of the more fashionable establishments. The night has begun, and I contemplate just how overregulated we have become back home.

get in the know A ‘Glasgow kiss’ is the original slang for a head butt.

scotland

Comedy is a Glaswegian given.

6.00pm It is a long walk up Buchanan Street. As the shops get less boutique and more like the majority of Glasgow’s urban sprawl, we head towards Ashton Lane in the West End for the Ubiquitous Chip: a veritable institution in Glasgow and winner of 2010 restaurant of the year. It’s a sprawling old building, once a stable in a funeral parlour, squashed amidst a hub of trendy bars, cafes and an art-house cinema. Some suggest ‘The Chip’ was the first ever gastro pub. Their haggis is not only extraordinary scoffing fare, but it lines the tummy for the rest of the night.

The Ubiquitous Chip 12 Ashton Lane West End

8.00pm Ashton Lane now becomes the perfect place to kick-start the evening. The popularity of ‘The Chip’, along with the thirsty local students, is the reason for the many drinking holes gathered along this small stretch of lane – a concentrated strip of fun – from Jazz bars serving German Pilsners to tequila shots in a second floor dance club. We find ourselves in the Grosvenor Cinema Bar, originally opened in 1921. It’s now a trendy art-house cinema with a cool bar and comfy cushioned couches to chill out on with a pint of the local ale.

The Grosvenor Cinema Bar Ashton Lane West End

The honor roll at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut.

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Underneath the seemingly harsh fabric lies a burgeoning art culture matched by a thirst for nightlife that even Prince Harry would struggle to keep up with.

10.00pm

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We’re in Billy Connelly country here. This is where ‘The Big Yin’ came to be riffing on his working-class upbringing. Comedy is well and truly part of the lore in these parts. Edinburgh has the festival and Glasgow provides the talent. The sense of humour, born from hard yards, is infectious in this town. The Stand Comedy Club is an institution and just a short crawl from Ashton Lane. There’s a random selection of comics: an American in lycra, a local absurdist and a wacky guy who needed only to look into the crowd to illicit a laugh.

The crowd don’t suffer fools – luckily here there are rarely any.

The Stand Comedy Club 333 Woodlands Rd Glasgow www.thestand.co.uk

get in the know Whoopi Goldberg launched Billy Connelly’s career in the USA in 1990 after 20 years success in the UK.

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left hand french polynesia corner title

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get in the know Found only on Raiatea’s 800m-high Temehani Plateau, the five-petalled Tiare Apetahi opens at dawn with an audible pop.

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Island hopping in French Polynesia with a friend, Andrew Harris discovers that Tahiti is not just for newlyweds.

text: andrew harris images: andrew harris

Overlooking Huahine from the Belvedere.

get in the know Tahitian is just one of seven languages indigenous to French Polynesia, including Marquesan, Austral and Tuamotan.

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stopover experience

left hand corner title japan

text: luke wright images: various

WHERE: Taiwan is an island located of the south-eastern coast of mainland China. Taipei is Taiwan’s largest city and its capital.

WHY: Often overlooked on the travellers’ trail, Taiwan is actually a destination with plenty to offer. We highly recommend it – as a stopover or for a fully fledged holiday.

Taiwan was once known as Ilha Formosa, which in Portuguese means ‘beautiful island’. And rightly so; this place is seriously stunning in parts. Taiwan is an island with cultural and natural diversity that can easily mix it with Asia’s best.

From lush mountains to buzzing cities, top-notch beaches to incredible hot springs, this place will not disappoint. We can’t be sure what’s keeping the crowds away, but we suggest you beat them to it.

Ilha Formosa is, well, a beautiful island.

WHEN: Taiwan is subtropical and can be enjoyed year round. September to November is the best time to visit, although Typhoons can hit the island between June and October.

HOW: Fly with China Airlines from Australia to Taipei, Taiwan, and beyond for around A$1,200. www.china-airlines.com HIGHLIGHTS: •Exploring Taipei. Forget any preconceptions about this place, it is emerging as a wonderful city with a vigorous vibe.

From old temples to hi-tech gadgetry, there’s plenty on offer.

•Visiting the area surrounding the indigenous village of Wulai. Hot springs, hikes, rivers, jungles, waterfalls, wildlife and more.

•Taking a trip to Penghu is a must on any Taiwan itinerary. They call this the Hawaii of Taiwan. Gorgeous beaches, ornate temples, and excellent summer weather.

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get in the know Two percent of Taiwan’s population is listed as Taiwanese Aborigines. Their linguistic and genetic ties are not with the Asian mainland.

snow experience

text: craig tansley images: various

WHERE: Craigieburn is an hour and a half drive from Christchurch and an hour’s drive from the ski town of Methven.

WHY: You can fly to Aspen, Whistler or Chamonix and experience a remarkably similar ski experience: high speed gondolas and chairlifts will whisk you around state-ofthe-art ski resorts. Or you can come to Craigieburn – one of New Zealand’s most infamous club fields – for some of the best off-piste skiing on earth. The locals call this place the ‘ski museum’. Up here, skiing hasn’t changed since the 1930s. You’ll have to contend with nutcrackers used on fast-moving rope tows just to get up the mountain (mind your fingers). But when you’re up the top, you’re privy to the kind of backcountry slopes you normally need a helicopter to access.

WHEN: Craigieburn is open from June till October.

HOW: Drive from Christchurch or Methven, you can purchase a lift ticket on the mountain. Basic accommodation and meals are available, but no ski hire. Black Diamond Safaris can drive you there and provide guides for the tricky backcountry. www.blackdiamondsafaris.co.nz HIGHLIGHTS: • Some of the easiest accessed advanced off-piste skiing. Steep narrow chutes and wide open powder bowls right at the top of the rope tow.

• Craigieburn’s a non-profit organisation run by local club members. Stay in cheap slope-side accommodation and meet them all in the bar.

• The cost – only A$50 per day to get amongst snow that’s superior to anything most helicopter ski operators can offer.

get in the know New Zealander Sir Edmund Hilary was the first man to reach the summit of Mt Everest – his face is pictured on NZ$5 note.

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text: emma field images: emma field

Emma Field journeys to meet the indigenous Kuna people on a spectacular group of islands off the coast of Panama.

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get in the know Approximately 15,000 vessels travel through the Panama Canal (arguably the largest feat of engineering) each year.

cultural experience

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Originally from Colombia, the Kuna fled north from Spanish invaders in the 1600s and made their home in Panama’s Darién province. They finally settled in Kuna Yala, previously known as San Blas, in the 1800s.

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ONCE MET A GIRL WHOSE IDEA OF paradise was a scrubby tent in the middle of the Pantanal, Brazil. True, the thunderstorms were incredible, the night noises were like syncopated harmony, and the wildlife spotting out of this world.

The flip side was that the place was infested with insatiable mosquitoes and deadly scorpions. Anacondas, caiman and piranhas lurked in the rivers, and the humidity was unbelievable. An incredible experience, yes. Paradise? I beg to differ.

My idea of the perfect place is far more classically idyllic: a turquoise sea sprinkled with a generous helping of deserted islands of milk-white sand and coconut trees. Fortunately for me, I appear to have woken up in it.

Kuna Yala is an autonomous region of Panama made up of a 373-kilometre swathe of Caribbean coast and more than 350 undeveloped, low-lying islands populated by the fiercely independent Kuna people. Originally from Colombia, the Kuna fled north from Spanish invaders in the 1600s and made their home in Panama’s Darién province. They finally settled in Kuna Yala, previously known as San Blas, in the 1800s. Following a violent uprising in 1925, linked to the Panamanian government’s attempts to impose ‘national culture’, they became self-governing and today the Kuna are one of the most autonomous indigenous groups in Latin America.

I arrive in Kuna Yala sea-stained and salt-encrusted after 40 hours of being tossed around in a small vessel from Colombia. The first two days at sea were spent in a haze of seasickness cleared only briefly by visits from pods of dolphins and schools of flying fish. I was travelling with ten others on a 43-foot chartered yacht. Not the easiest way to reach the region in the windy season – a realisation that had struck me with considerable force the night before when my evening meal made a second appearance overboard into phosphorescence (in retrospect an oddly brilliant experience) – but a memorable entrance to the Kuna Yala’s more isolated islands nonetheless.

Still weak from seasickness after our midnight arrival in Kuna Yala, I emerge from my cabin that morning to find clear skies and a mercifully calm Caribbean sea.

Half of my group, along with Federico, our exuberant French-Brazilian capitan, is already rowing to the nearest island.

A few other small yachts are floating nearby. Five apparently deserted islands, festooned with palm trees and fringed by fine, white sand, surround us.

The steady land of the nearby beach beckons. A gentle five-minute swim through warm water takes me to the island, which turns out not to be as deserted as it had appeared from the yacht.

A Kuna family gathered around a small, discreet hut built from palm leaves and

get in the know The Pan American Highway runs the length of North, Central and South America, with The Darién Gap being the only exception.

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diving experience

text: justin jamieson images: shane wasik // justin jamieson

Justin Jamieson dives into Papua New Guinea’s warm waters to see if it really does have the best diving in the world.

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NEVITABLY IT’S TRAVELLERS WITH a purpose who discover the new hot spots. Bali was a deserted surfers’ paradise before the hordes followed, and Thailand is fast running out of secrets as the Alex Garland groupies search for their perfect ‘beach’. Surfers and divers have long extolled the virtues of Papua New Guinea, with new breaks to surf, untouched reefs to dive, and no chance of running into the bar-mat stealing, Bintang-guzzling masses. Papua New Guinea may not be as cheap as some of its northerly Asian neighbours, but here privacy is a privilege well worth paying for.

It’s been three hours since we landed at Gurney Airport in PNG’s Milne Bay Province. Bumping along a dry dirt road,

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our bus passes small villages peeking through jungle-thick greenery on our left, and clearings exposing the crystal blue Solomon Sea to our right. Friendly locals wave and smile with red betel-nutstained grins. Children run alongside us as we slow over potholes. This is not what I had expected. PNG’s capital, Port Moresby, has a reputation as one of the world’s most dangerous cities and it’s coloured the rest of the country with the same brush. I am ashamed by my initial unfounded concerns as the people of Milne Bay prove to be incredibly welcoming and are more curious about us than we are of them.

The bus drops us at a small pier and we head by boat to Tawali Resort, along the coast past fishermen and children

splashing in the shallows. It is idyllic here and we are the only tourists to be seen.

The diving in PNG is characterised by the warm, clear waters of the Solomon Sea, lush coral gardens and a vast array of marine life. For a novice diver like me, even the briefing is exhilarating as we’re told minke whales and orcas have been spotted at our first site, Wahoo Point.

Just as I fall backwards into the water, I hear our instructor mention hammerhead sharks. I spend the first five minutes with my back to the reef, peering out into the blue. The colours are spectacular and my diving vocabulary expands as I glide past gorgonian fans and appropriately named elephant ear sponges. I have never experienced visibility like it.

get in the know The Aqua-Lung underwater breathing apparatus, was developed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his colleague, Emile Gagnan, in 1943.

We dive Deacon’s Reef that afternoon – yet again, only a few minutes boat ride from the resort. I first thought Tawali Resort was built on a secluded point, hidden in the jungle, to escape mass tourism. But there isn’t any of that in PNG. It becomes as clear as the sea itself that Tawali is positioned for easy access to a veritable divers’ smorgasbord of delicacies.

Deacon’s Reef is a surreal dive. A coastal reef perched on a headland with the coastal currents, rich in nutrients, nourishing all the gorgonian fans and corals. Being so close to land and still twenty metres down, the rainforest hangs over the reef, casting a shadow within the coral garden – peaceful and mesmerising. My dive buddy keeps me moving, pointing out an array of sea creatures and corals in all manner of vibrant colours.

World War II has left its mark in Milne Bay. It was here in August 1942 that a brave group of diggers held the Japanese at bay until reinforcements arrived and the Japanese fled. It was the first time the Allies had beaten the Japanese land forces. There are remnants of the war scattered through the jungle, as well as sunken ships and planes at rest at the bottom of the sea. We dive the Muscoota, an old sailing ship that was used as a coalrefuelling barge for American warships.

A mishap by one of the warships put her to the bottom of Discovery Bay. Here she rests, the tip of her bow sticking out of the water and her stern resting twenty metres below. It’s an eerie dive – most wreck dives are – but the water here is cooler and a deep green. We swim through the Muscoota’s hold, past hundreds of giant clams and a mimic octopus resting amongst the spilled coal, until we surface at the bow where we’re greeted by two local boys with toothy grins.

That evening we gaze out over the rainforest and across Discovery Bay from the balcony of Ulumani Treetops Rainforest Lodge. It’s a rustic but charming place, with home-cooked local food and plenty of cold beer. We’ve dived forests of coral and a shipwreck, hopped through undiscovered islands, stayed in an exclusive resort, and we are about to bed down in a beautiful home-style lodge.

In a country with more than 800 languages and with tribes only discovered in the last 50 years, one would expect considerable variety. PNG does not disappoint. On my last evening at Milne Bay, I realise that the travel bug has bitten me once again, nibbling like a persistent mozzie and leaving me itching to see more of this incredible country. get in the know Sorcery is still practiced and quite common in Papua New Guinea.

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get in the know The world’s highest commercial bungee jump is Macau Tower, on Macau, at 233 metres high.

adrenaline experience

text: kelly irving images: kelly irving //john lamberti

WHERE: The action-packed Wild Five at Oribi Gorge on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

WHAT: The world’s highest – and odds-on craziest – gorge swing. Plummet 165 metres head first from the edge of a cliff into the gaping abyss of the beautiful Oribi Gorge. You’ll need to clamber shakily down a ladder onto the rocks where two red feet mark the spot from which you’ll jump. On a heart-pounding count of three, open your eyes (it’s an effort), take a leap of faith, and scream your pants off as you race water droplets from nearby Lehr’s Falls to the river below. The entire jaunt lasts no more than a minute, but the achievement lasts a lifetime. It’s not only the closest you’ll ever get to base jumping, but also one of the most frightfully addictive things you will ever do. Don’t have the guts? Try one of the Wild Five’s milder activities: the world’s highest commercial abseil, the zip-line Wild Slide, white water rafting, hiking, horse riding and more. Our advice: get in the know In South Africa there are 11 official languages recognised in the constitution.

go for the big one. It’ll give you ultimate adrenaline-junkie bragging rights.

WHEN: Oribi Gorge’s tropical climate make it a year-round destination. Though, September to March (summer) is hot and humid, and November to April (rainy season) is best for white water rafting.

HOW: Forget the big five, try the Wild Five. The price is as mental as the jump – only A$50 for a rush that lasts a lifetime. www.oribigorge.co.za Fly South African Airways from Australia to Johannesburg and onto Durban. www.flysaa.com HIGHLIGHTS: •Stepping off the ledge! Run, jump or be nudged – you won’t regret it.

•Taking in the canopy views with an ear-to-ear grin ... as you’re being hoisted slowly back to the top that is.

•Sucking back a beer post-jump. Weeks later, you still won’t able to believe you did it – and neither will your friends.

ISSUE #27 get lost #71

EST.

2004

Discover the best bars the world has to offer. These fab five will quench your thirst after a long day cruising from city to city, sight to sight. Enjoy.

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Boudoir

Academia da Cachaça

Meza Bar and Grill

‘Understated’ is not a word in Dubai’s vocabulary, and a night out here is no exception. Tip: don’t go for subtle when you hit this bar! Think French Court, wild luxury, opulence and extravagance; crystal chandeliers, rich fabrics, plump sofas and oil paintings. Rub backsides with the city’s elite on the rocking dance floor. But don’t be mistaken for playing musical chairs when the tunes suddenly stop and the superman theme song kicks in. It’s a sign that someone’s just splashed out on a wallet-splitting bottle of bubbles. www.myboudoir.com

This bar-cum-restaurant-cum-museum is dedicated to the lethal Brazilian cachaça (rum). There are two thousand old cachaça bottles to admire, as well as over 500 varieties to sample – served up either straight, as traditional caipirinhas, or as colourful fruity concoctions with each and every tropical combination under the Brazilian sun.

Try lip-smacking northern specialties like jerked beef, roasted heart of palm and kale (risotto) as you mingle with the gorgeous crowd under the ceiling’s unmistakable green and yellow flag. www.academiadacachaca.com.br

Head to the heart of buzzing Soho for a taste of London’s urban scene.

This bar’s sleek seductive interior combines glamour with comfort.

Its discreet drinking spaces and snug private areas are decked out with banquettes, booths and deep, low-level seating. Tuck into mouthwatering steaks and carb-coma inducing hamburgers, before you chill in the relaxed and funky surroundings under the dark tones and dimmed lights. Or, get up and shake off those calories to the latest beats from one of the city’s top DJs. www.meza-bar.co.uk

Dubai Marine Beach Resort and Spa, Dubai, UAE

800 Armando Lombardi Ave, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

110 Wardour St, London, UK

image: guto costa #102 get lost ISSUE #27

get in the know Cachaça is not only the official spirit of Brazil, but also the third most-consumed spirit in the world.

our shout

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Cocoon Club

Carl Benz Strasse 21, Frankfurt, Germany You could be mistaken for thinking you’re on the set of the latest Ridley Scott blockbuster. Stylish visuals and an ultra-slick design; UFO-like platforms and a snaking 100 metre membrane wall complete with flickering holograms.

Pump the air with the masses crammed in front of a space-age pulpit where goatee-bearded DJs spin tunes in aural thrall. Escape from the madness and chill in one of the cushioned cocoonlike pods. Then press a button on your personal touch screen to see images of the hip and trendy arriving along with other social butterflies. www.cocoonclub.net

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Dry Dock

Under the rail tracks, Shimbashi, Tokyo, Japan Hidden away under the rail tracks in Shimbashi is what can only be described as a little white shoe box. A nautical circular hatch marks the door. Enter and head downstairs where you’ll find it’s a bit of a squeeze – but then that’s part of the charm. There’s standing room for about a dozen and upstairs it’s pretty much the same. Drinkers spill outside where chit chat is muffled by the rumbling of overhead trains. Suck back a Japanese craft or draught beer from the ever-changing menu (it’s bigger than the bar!), then cosy up with the friendly locals and enjoy. www.shimbashi-dry-dock.com get in the know It is illegal to drink beer out of a bucket while sitting on a curb in St. Louis, USA.

ISSUE #27 get lost #103

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