What was your most memorable trip this
year? The Yunnan province of China was amazing. We flew into Kunming and then drove up and up close to the Tibetan border.
This is one part of China that is not cookie-cutter; native tribes are allowed
to flourish. They preserve their heritage and flaunt ethnic costumes. Lijiang
is a quaint World Heritage Site that looks like Old China. The closer you get
to Tibet, the wilder the landscape becomes, with galloping horses and untamed
pastures.
Your most memorable meal (not necessarily
on the same trip)? Outside Bangalore, there is a restaurant
called Grasshopper, run by a young couple trained in design.
The chef, Himanshu Dimri, is self-taught and loves Japanese cuisine, which
shows in his clean minimalist preparations that are international in flavor and
big on ambition. There is no menu. You have to call ahead to reserve a
prix-fixe seven-course tasting menu.
What was the most exciting thing that
happened close to home? Native to the Western Ghat mountains of
South India, Neela-kurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) is a
shrub that blooms only once in 12 years. 2006 was one of them. The vision of
entire mountainsides filled by this blue flower is unforgettable. And the blooms
may last into 2007. Visit www.kurinji.in
for details.
Did you stay in, or visit, a hotel that
particularly wowed you? Maison Souvannaphoum in Luang Prabang,
an erstwhile palace-turned-boutique hotel. Scarlett Hotel in Singapore is decorated like a boudoir—all pinks and purples, suede and
velvet—completely at odds with Singapore's clean and staid image.
What place did you find overrated or
disappointing? Angkor Wat was a disappointment because so much
of the good stuff has been looted or carted off to museums. Since I grew up in India, I am used to giant temples with intricately carved stone sculptures. I was more
affected by the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh. It had photographs of all the Cambodians killed by the Khmer Rouge and
reminded me of Auschwitz, another place I visited that I probably will never
forget.
What was your worst (or funniest) travel
experience? Funniest: Coming face to face with an elephant
calf at Mala Mala Game Reserve in South Africa. Neither of us
knew what to do. The calf eventually took the lead and turned its rump on me.
Worst: Spending the night in the Moscow airport. I was with a friend who used
to work at the U.S. State Department. The immigration officials in Moscow took one look his passport, pulled us both aside, confiscated his passport, and
jailed him with a promise that he would be deported the next morning. He begged
me not to leave the airport until I was able to see him off the next morning.
So I sat on the baggage belt, swigging vodka and chatting all night, until he
was escorted on to a U.S.-bound plane.
2007: RING IN THE NEW
What's going to be hot this year?
Most will pick Kerala, but I'm betting on Madhya
Pradesh, the largest state in India, now slowly awakening to its
touristic potential. The Taj hotel group has opened two luxury wildlife resorts
there—in Pench and in Bandhav Gargh. Elsewhere, the small seaside town of Pondicherry is thriving. It has a strong French influence, a vibrant
artist community, and a recent influx of people who have taken to restoring
homes and turning them into boutique hotels.
What is going to be the big-deal hotel
opening? The Shanti Ananda Mauritius and the Taj
Bhutan will both be spectacular, the former for its spa and seaside
location, the latter because it's in hard-to-visit Bhutan. Also, the Aman
New Delhi, the company's first urban resort, and the Four
Seasons Mumbai.
Is there a restaurant or a chef whom
everyone is watching? Pure, India's first high-end organic restaurant, which promises
international-quality organic cuisine—great if they can pull it off.
What trips do you have planned for 2007?
The Maldives because I love to dive. I'd love to revisit Tel
Aviv and Jerusalem. Izmir on the
Turkish coast. Hanoi, just to get one of their form-fitting
Ao-dai dresses tailored. A train journey is part of the romance of India, and if time permits, I'd love to try out the Palace on Wheels or the Deccan
Queen, both luxury trains that travel through Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
Where do you most want to go in the world
that is still a dream away? The South Pacific.
Where wouldn't you go even if you won an
all-expenses-paid, first-class trip? Las Vegas.