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Travelogger

We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.

Epic Train Journeys: The Blue Train

September 1, 2006 By Zahir


Africa is one continent I have yet to explore – imposing mountains, vast plains and of course the big 4 in their natural habitat – it all just seems so wild and mysterious.

Maybe its my penchant for colonial elegance ( think White Mischief), but I do believe that one of the best ways to see this magnificent continent is through the famous and ultra-luxe Blue Train of South Africa.

The transport of choice of kings and heads of state, the Blue Train is really akin to being a 5-star hotel on wheels. Instead of a rickety hard carriage seat, picture yourself in a gorgeous suite furnished with a spacious bed complete with fine cotton linens and a goose down duvet. The sweltering African heat outside is a non-issue with individually-controlled air conditioning, as well as under-floor heating in both the bathroom and bedroom for when things do get chilly.

And the bathrooms! For a train (and perhaps even a hotel on land), the bathrooms here are incredibly indulgent (bordering on the ostentatious) with gold-fitted baths and marble vanities.

When away from your private sanctuary, you can unwind (what else would be there to do?) in the chic lounge car reminiscent of a smart gentleman’s club, and play bridge or read a book from the train’s library with a frothy cappucino.

Dining naturally, is also an experience in itself. There’s a strict dress code for dinner (jacket and tie for the gents, evening dress for the ladies), and quite rightly so. You wouldn’t want a heathen in ripped jeans and flip-flops to ruin the ambience while you tuck into your gourmet meal, would you?

To top it all off, you’ll have a personal butler and a little boutique stocked with elegant African mementos to take back home. Main routes stretch from Pretoria to Cape Town and vice-versa, or from Pretoria to Durban. Other routes include stops at game reserves, and special chartered journeys are also easily managed for those who want to really splash out in style.

Cooking Class In Vietnam

August 27, 2006 By Zahir

Keen to try my hand at Vietnamese cuisine, I readily joined the cooking class offered at our hotel in Hue, the Pilgrimage Village, which included a trip to the local market.

Early the next day I was met at the lobby by Long (guest relations officer and our private concierge) and Trang, the very sweet young chef who was also to be my instructor.

We made our way to the Hue central market, a cornucopia of colours, smells and a sea of conical hats. Trang quickly ushered me through to the fish, meat and vegetable sections, expertly purchasing the rudiments of my lunch. On our way out we even met Long’s pretty wife, who was a seamstress in the market’s upper floor.

Back at the hotel, I freshened up with some bracing local coffee while the hotel staff gutted, peeled, chopped and washed (I hope) the fresh produce. Long interestingly told me too that there were no supermarkets in Hue – and everybody simply went to the market for practically everything as freshness was really important to them. Makes sense.
I cant remember the last time I saw some really fresh produce at my supermarket.

I was finally called to the hotel’s restaurant terrace, where under the bougainvilla lay a long table, filled with little bright bowls of seafood, meat, herbs, noodles, veg etc. All on a gleaming white tablecloth, all lovely jubbly.

Trang came and gave mea an apron and chef’s hat (ooh!) to wear, and got on with the lesson. I must say that she was quite strict, making me repeat some things over and over again until I got it right (like the damn folding of the pancake inside simmering oil!), and gently encouraging me to try harder like the time when I gave up trying to slice the pork into wafer thin slices with her huge cleaver.

They took photos and my husband came and partook (extra charge of $10 for him) of my fresher-than-fresh authentic Vietnamese meal (Hue pancake, pho bac and fried squid), which we both agreed was very good indeed.

Singapore Slang!

August 11, 2006 By Zahir

The Singapore Sling is one of those famous cocktails that shows up in bar menus practically everywhere in the world. So we all recognize the name, but many of us have no clue as to what it actually tastes like, or the cloudy history behind it.

Well, first off, the most notable thing about the pink Singapore Sling ( the “slang” in the title is a private joke my sister and I have – something to do with Aussies, but can also be attributed to the way the drink has been “slang-ed” -in that there have been many versions since its original recipe) is that it is Singapore’s most famous import, and originated at its equally famous hotel, the Raffles.

This is where the somewhat cloudy facts come in. While everyone (in the cocktail/bartending world I presume) agrees that the Singapore Sling was indeed created by one by Mr. Ngiam Tong Boon (a Hainanese-Chinese bartender) for the Raffles Hotel, the date of origin and the original recipe itself is widely disputed.

Regardless to say, the Singapore Sling (originally called the “Straits Sling” and changed in the 1930’s) was created at the turn of the century, sometime between 1908 and 1915.
There have been a number of theories researched about which recipe was most likely to be the original. Of these, Charles Baker probably came closest, his 1939 recipe being one he encountered in 1926 as follows:

The original formula is 1/3 each of dry gin, cherry brandy and Benedictine; shake it for a moment, or stir it in a bar glass, With 2 fairly large lumps of ice to chill. Turn into a small 10 oz highball glass with one lump of ice left in and fill up to individual
taste with chilled club soda. Garnish with the spiral peel of 1 green lime. In other ports in the Orient drinkers often use C & C ginger ale instead of soda, or even stone bottle ginger beer.

Of course, the Long Bar at the Raffles hotel offers the most famous recipe of all, and
any tourist new to the city must sample the Singapore Sling as part of the true Singapore experience.

The Raffles Hotel Recipe

* 1 1/2 US fluid ounce (45 ml) gin
* 1/2 US fluid ounce (15 ml) Cherry Heering liqueur
* 1/4 US fluid ounce (8 ml) Cointreau
* 1/4 US fluid ounce (8 ml) Benedictine
* 4 US fluid ounces pineapple juice
* 1/2 US fluid ounce (15 ml) lime juice
* 1/3 US fluid ounce (10 ml) grenadine
* dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice. Strain into an ice filled Collins glass. Garnish with cherry and slice of pineapple.

Welcome To Travelogger!

August 1, 2006 By Zahir

The world is my oyster and I’m going to taste all of it…..

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