Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2022 i Travel + Leisure India & South Asia

RAJASTHAN HAS MY HEART, for more reasons than one—it is my second home, and there’s something unique about Rajasthani hospitality that makes it top-notch in the world. And when you are privy to a royal welcome, the bar is inevitably set high. Our latest issue takes you inside the private home of the new Maharawal, or king, of Jaisalmer, Chaitanya Raj Singh. This is his first cover shoot post his coronation last year, but what makes this feature even more exclusive is the fact that, for the very first time, the millennial king has allowed a magazine photo shoot at his summer palace—the exquisite Moolsagar (p. 28). The exclusivity doesn’t end there. We have the Maharawal driving us around the desert city in the yet-to-be-launched electric compact SUV, Volvo XC40…

Every March, Travel + Leisure India & South Asia celebrates International Women’s Day by featuring tales of extraordinary women. This year, in addition to dedicating most of this edition to female travellers’ voices, we sat down with some pioneering personalities who have not only shattered glass ceilings but also paved the way for a generation of female entrepreneurs, writers, sportspersons, and creators. Find inspiration from these pathbreakers who will also help you set some serious travel goals.…

You’re a research scholar, art conservator, co-founder of Empire Tours Ladakh, and an ice hockey player. What role, would you say, describes you best? It’s a mix of different things. My hockey journey started at a very young age, when I used to play on a small pond in my village [in Ladakh]. The Indian women’s ice hockey team was founded in 2016. However, ice hockey is a seasonal sport and we depend on natural ice—which is available for just two-and-a-half months in a year. So, I could not earn from the sport and had to choose something else. That’s how art conservation came into the picture. I was always inclined towards art and learned about a course that teaches art conservation in India. Recently, I founded Shesrig Ladakh (instagram.com/shesrigladakh),…

Did you always want to be an entrepreneur? My journey into entrepreneurship has been non-linear. I earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, after which my first full-time job was in wealth management. However, I always deeply appreciated hospitality and the art of creating memorable experiences that bring people together. I have also found that conscious business models can contribute to resolving issues such as sustainable job creation, human capital building, gender parity, and climate resilience. When I returned to India from New York in 2007, I had an opportunity to set up my first restaurant, which was an extremely rewarding experience. Tamara Leisure Experiences (tamaraleisureexperiences.com) was also established around the same time. I joined Tamara in 2012 after completing my MBA at Columbia University. The challenge of reinventing a historic…

BEING A CITIZEN of the world, having lived in nine countries—India, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, UK, Oman, Spain, Maldives, UAE, and now Qatar—and having travelled to over 50 cities, I am very proud to call Qatar my home. Qatar is one of the safest countries in the world. In fact, its capital, Doha, has been named the second-safest city in the world for three consecutive years since 2020 by the Numbeo Safety Index (numbeo.com). Whether you’re travelling with your girl gang or alone, the country offers numerous options for an unforgettable trip. From indulgent shopping to dining experiences, well-curated art immersion, and a relaxed day at the spa, Qatar has something for every kind of traveller. Here are some of the top activities that women visitors must discover in the…

TRUST THE ICE. This was the mantra my climbing instructor, Lani Chapko of Chicks with Picks (chickswithpicks.net), had encouraged me to repeat as I attempted to ascend a towering frozen waterfall. With my boots still firmly planted on the ground, this seemed like a reasonable statement. But at nine metres in the air, with nothing more than spiky crampons and a third-of-a-centimetre-wide steel point anchoring me to the side of a ravine, it sounded ludicrous. In most parts of the country, ice climbing is considered a niche adventure sport. In Ouray, a tiny town cradled in the mountains of southwestern Colorado, it’s the lifeblood of winter. Shop windows carry the sign please remove crampons before entering. The unofficial town slogan is “Have an ice day.” On a frigid January weekday, I…

GETTING THERE Qatar Airways (qatarairways.com) and Aegean Airlines (aegeanair.com) offer connecting flights to Corfu with stopovers in Doha and Athens. From Corfu, you can catch a ferry to Gaios, the capital of Paxos. STAY The Thinking Traveller (thethinkingtraveller.com) has a handpicked collection of soulful villas on Paxos. Demand has been high since European travel reopened last summer, but weekly rates are surprisingly affordable and include transfers from Corfu—as well as a never-too-much-trouble concierge service. Aperghis, which sleeps eight, starts at ₹4,78,051 per week. For pull-out-all-the-stops villas equipped with extravagant accessories (speedboats, chefs, and yoga instructors), look towards Five Star Greece (fivestargreece.com). Patrizia Peracchio’s estate, Paxos PTR, sleeps up to 22 and costs ₹20,16,778 per week. EAT & DRINK Averto This trendy spot has a lovely backyard enveloped by greenery. Go for brunch…

AS OUR CAR ENTERS the tiny town of Dungarpur, two hours south of Udaipur, my wife and I have our reservations about the destination. This is a town few tourists have heard of. But we are in for a surprise. The place is spotless; we cannot see a single sign of trash as we drive through its busy roads to our destination, Udai Bilas Palace, a royal boutique property. The royal family of Dungarpur traces its origins to the Guhilot Ahara Rajputs of Chittorgarh. Around 900 years ago, Maharawal Samant Singh, the elder son of Maharawal Kshem Singh, left the family to carve out his kingdom in the deep south of Rajasthan, in an area called Vagad. In the early 14th century, the seventh king of the ruling family, Maharawal…

1. Big Bang Unico Ledger HUBLOT Created in partnership with Ledger, this Hublot watch merges crypto technology and traditional watch craftsmanship. Based on the Big Bang Unico, it has a 42mm black ceramic case and a skeletonised automatic chronograph movement. Most striking is the golden bezel cast in Electrum, a natural gold and silver alloy that was used around 580-590 BCE to mint the earliest known coins. The Latin Bitcoin motto, Vires in Numeris is stamped onto the bezel’s outer edge. Also packaged with the watch is the Ledger & Hublot Nano X, a limited-edition crypto key. 2. Royal Oak 50th Anniversary AUDEMARS PIGUET One of the world’s most iconic designs created by Gerald Genta is celebrating its 50th anniversary with an array of Royal Oak models, including 37mm self-winding…

BUILT WITH JAISALMER’S quintessential ‘golden stone’, Nachana Haveli is located on a busy chowk in the heart of the city. A variety of stalls and shops flank its entrance. But the noise of the market fades out as I walk through its high-arched gate to arrive in the middle of a sprawling courtyard, under a neem tree. The haveli was built during the late 17th and early 18th century, I’m told by its present owner and resident, Vikram Singh Nachana, who belongs to the royal family of Jaisalmer. “Post British Raj, we are the seventh generation to live here. We have a genealogical chart that begins with Lord Krishna and Rishi Atri and descends down to my son,” he shares. Now in his early 40s, Singh began restoration work at…

As a young girl, did you have an idea about the kind of woman you’d like to become? I was brought up in a community of strong women—my aunts, mother, and grandmothers. They encouraged me to be my own person. From a young age, my mother made sure I learned that women need to make their own money. I was encouraged to make my own decisions. I don’t have a typical career, and I think I owe it to the people who raised me. The 13-year-old me would be proud of where I am today, even though the 30-year-old me feels that I have miles to go. When you’re young, you have a vision for your life, and I was very clear that I wanted a creative life. I knew…

You have previously credited the idea for Heads Up For Tails to your dog, Sara. What made you develop the idea into a business that was nearly non-existent in India? In 2007, when Sara stepped into my life, she completely changed the course of it. Although I had grown up around dogs, this was the first time I was being a parent of one. I wanted her to live her best life and began looking for products with which I could pamper her. But to my disappointment, none of the stores in India shelved even basic pet-care products. I was heartbroken when I was forced to return home empty-handed on her birthday. That’s when it hit me, that there might be numerous others on the lookout for good products and…

IN 2015, WHEN Insha Qazi returned to Kashmir after studying in London, she realised that the region had few employment opportunities for the youth. A civil engineer and business management graduate, Qazi did not want to settle outside of her home state, like many others her age had, but not having employment options meant that she either had to leave or create an opportunity of her own. She chose to do the latter. Having witnessed the penchant of Kashmiri youth for creativity and recognising the potential of local arts and crafts, Qazi decided to set up a fashion design school in Srinagar. Fashion, she believed, could make a strong statement for the Kashmiri youth who had had no opportunity to pursue it so far. And so, in 2016, she…

Adirondacks, New York Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia and innovator of ice-climbing tools, put this area on the map in 1969 when he ascended a route now named Chouinard’s Gully. Adirondack Rock & River makes the sport accessible with lodging and an ice park exclusively for clients. rockandriver.com Cody, Wyoming The South Fork of the Shoshone River Valley has one of the largest concentrations of multi-pitch ice climbs in the Lower 48. Wyoming Mountain Guides can arrange tours. wyomingmountainguides.com North Conway, New Hampshire The International Mountain Climbing School offers guided climbs up challenging routes like Pinnacle Gully as well as clinics throughout the White Mountains. ime-usa.com Valdez, Alaska Novices and pros can find a challenge on 180-plus ice climbing routes in the area. Alaska Guide Co. leads trips all winter…

WHEN I ARRIVED, Súsanna Holm was sitting in the sunshine outside her front door, knitting and taking in the view of sea and sky that has been delighting her since she and her husband built their house nearly 40 years ago. I’d walked through Kvívík, a fishing village on the western edge of Streymoy, the largest of the 18 Faroe Islands, where brightly painted houses cluster around the ruins of a Viking farmstead and a medieval church. A river fell steeply from the mountains to the harbour. Children played where a dam made a swimming spot, while in the meadow above the village, adults harvested hay by hand. Súsanna showed me upstairs to a warm kitchen-dining-crafting space with the same view the Vikings had a thousand years ago, down the…

I WAS WALKING ON the streets of Leh, Ladakh, when I saw this woman wearing a heavy traditional dress and flower headdress, and selling dry apricots. She told me she was from the Dard Aryans tribe, who claim to be descendants of the pure Aryan race. They have unique physical features, culture, social customs, and language. Further research on this fascinating tribe revealed that they mostly live in the villages of Dha, Hanu, Beema, Garkone, and Darchik—together making up what’s called the ‘Aryan Valley’. —RACHIT KUMAR ON HIS PHOTOGRAPH SHOT ON A NIKON D750 WITH AF-S NIKKOR 50MM F/1.8G, IN OCTOBER 2021. Rachit Kumar was an entrant in our ongoing ‘Your Best Shot’ contest. Submit your best shots at tplusl@burda.in, or use the hashtag #telltnlindia and tag @travelandleisureindia on Instagram,…

1 Sample an Old Way of Life at the Stok Palace, Ladakh The Stok Palace, built over 200 years ago, continues to be the home of the Namgyal dynasty, and offers a way of life untouched by modernity. Most of its six rooms offer uninterrupted views of the Indus valley, and do not have WiFi, air conditioning, or intercom. Opened to the public in 1980, with the blessing of the Dalai Lama, the palace, though not ostentatious, was built by local craftsmen and embodies everything that is inherently Ladakhi—from its in-house monastery with intricate wall murals, to its museum with intriguing artefacts, including a crown that is said to be over 1,000 years old. Craft an amulet for a loved one at the monastery with the help of the resident…

1. SMARTPHONE Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Each Galaxy S device pretty much sets the bar for the year’s crop of upcoming smartphones. This year’s S22 Ultra does just that, while also bringing in features from the Galaxy Note series. So, not only do you get the latest processor, the best OLED display (with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate), four cameras at the back, including a 10x optical zoom, but you also score a slot for the S-Pen. ₹1,09,999; samsung.com/in 2. SMARTWATCH TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 Want a next-gen smartwatch but put off by the geeky options on the market? Check out TAG Heuer’s classy new Calibre E4: you get Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 4100 processor, Google’s Wear OS, a sapphire crystal, and of course, TAG’s styling and cachet. Also new is…

THE FIRST TIME I visited Ladakh was in the 1970s. It was enchantment at first sight. I have gone back many times over the years. After being house-bound for most part of the pandemic, I headed back to Ladakh once more, for a month. I needed to be in the mountains and assess what was happening there. Ladakh has some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the world. Majestic mountains soar into the sky suspended in blue—the lakes at their feet and wreaths of clouds at their summit. Amid the rocky outcrops are incredible birds and animals that are seldom seen. I travelled across the mountains searching for species that I had only heard of. Two things struck me immediately: the misguided efforts to ‘green’ the valleys of Ladakh have…

What sparked your interest in writing? I grew up in a house full of books, with a mother who is a writer and a father who revered the written word. I’m not sure if that’s what pushed me towards wanting to be a writer, but I always found great solace in both reading and writing. I cannot recall a time since childhood when I didn’t carry a book in my bag. I remember we had many rules surrounding [watching] television, but none when it came to reading. We were taken to libraries and bookstores where we could choose books each weekend. Which writers have inspired you? I love writers who play with language. Tom Robbins, [Salman] Rushdie, Nadeem Aslam, and recently The Overstory [by Richard Powers] did that for me. Of…

In the movie industry your looks were a big part of your popularity. Today, you have a huge following on social media where you address body shaming. Tell us about these two journeys. In the beginning, I tried to view this requirement of a fair, slim, petite girl [in the movie industry] from a character perspective. And instead of feeling acrimonious, I tried to make modifications [by adjusting] my height, outfits, etc. Later, I accepted the fact that I cannot change this thought process overnight. Shaming or not, the industry I worked with ran a superficial business, and being a part of something you can’t stand up to was exhausting. The woman I am now is who I have always been. It’s just that [earlier] I was trying to fit…

AS SOON AS I arrived in Two Rivers, a wilderness area outside of Fairbanks, Alaska, I was enveloped by yelps and howls echoing through the crisp spring air. The sled dogs twirled in excitement as I stopped to greet each one. For them, a visitor means only one thing—a mushing adventure is about to begin. I opened the door to the yurt—slightly bigger than the average bedroom, with a central wood-burning stove to make the frigid winter months tolerable—and was immediately charmed by a small Caucasian-shepherd puppy that lay curled beneath a wooden sign that read LAST FRONTIER MUSHING CO-OP. I had come to Fairbanks to try my hand at mushing, or competitive dogsled racing, which has a long history in Alaska—the first known race took place in Nome in…

GETTING THERE British Airways (britishairways.com) flies from Delhi to Edinburgh via London. Flights from Edinburgh to the Faroe Islands with Atlantic Airways (atlanticairways.com) are one hour long. STAY Havgrím Seaside Hotel 1948 A beautifully renovated historic property on the Tórshavn coast. Doubles from ₹27,384; hotelhavgrim.fo Hotel Føroyar The rooms and suites of this Tórshavn hotel are large and light-filled. Doubles from ₹10,250; hotelforoyar.com EAT Barbara Fish House This restaurant in one of Tórshavn’s oldest buildings showcases traditional Faroese cooking. Entrées ₹1,796–₹2,020; barbara.fo/barbara Koks It books up months in advance—and lives up to its Michelin two-starred fame. Expect fish prepared in unusual ways. Tasting menu ₹21,697; koks.fo DO Heimablídni This “home hospitality” programme connects travellers with Faroese householders offering communal meals, farm experiences, and traditional skills. Súsanna Holm, who teaches knitting…