Located off the coast of West Africa, Cape Verde is one of the continent’s best-kept island secrets. If you’re a water-sports fanatic, this is the destination for you, plus the blend of Brazilian and West African cultures boosts the excitement level of Cape Verde. From daytime surfing to nighttime dancing, Cape Verde’s perfect for the adventurous and curious spirit.
Read More >>Posts Tagged ‘local drink’
The Off-Season in Corfu, Greece: A Slower Kind of Travel
In the off-season, even Corfu Town slows down. It becomes easy to find a table along the elegant Liston arcade and no one complains if you decide to spend hours and hours reading your newspaper while slowly sipping a coffee or ouzo. In the narrow alleys of Corfu Town, you can enjoy the small family-run tavernas that have been serving lunch to the locals for generations.
Read More >>How Long is Long Enough? A Slow Travel Cheat Sheet
We’ve asked our global network of local tourism professionals about the ‘length of stay’ factor in their destinations. Answers varied, but they all agree on one thing: the average tourist isn’t a slow traveller and just doesn’t stay long enough to really appreciate a place. Here are their thoughts on how long is long enough and what the average fast traveller is missing.
Read More >>Slow Travel in Mendoza, Argentina: Stop and Stay Awhile
The unaccelerated process of tasting wine is typical of slow travel. Both involve a deliberate, sensory-rich lesson in how to appreciate something to the fullest. Mendoza, Argentina, lends itself nicely to a slow travel experience in other ways too. If you can, stop in Mendoza. Stay for a while, at least a month. Take small sips. Discuss.
Read More >>What is Slow Travel? Here’s What We Think
“Slow down.” This is the simple message of the Slow Movement. In today’s high-speed world of fast food, jet planes and instant communication, we are losing touch with ourselves, with each other, and with the earth, says the Slow Movement. Like ‘slow food’ and ‘slow media,’ ‘slow travel’ is a part of the movement. And here’s what the WHL Group staff thinks about it.
Read More >>The Inside Word… on Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Phnom Penh demands your attention from the moment you arrive. Vibrant, exciting and utterly unpredictable are just a few words to describe Cambodia’s capital. It’s a city of stark contrasts: slick SUVs share the road with old-world cyclos; visitors can relax in a posh cafe and think they are in Paris, or join the locals at a pop-up stall selling fried noodles.
Read More >>Four Excellent Overlooked Christmas Markets in Europe
While the celebrated Christmas markets in Germany, Poland and Switzerland always crowd up for the holiday season, there are other well-established European markets slightly further off the beaten track that offer thinner crowds and beautiful locally made products. Eastern Europe in particular is a great place to check out the growing markets, while farther in the west of the continent, the funky holiday Christmas stirred up in Amsterdam is not to be missed.
Read More >>How to Make Pastry with Alcohol in Crete, Greece
Yes, we did use spirits while making small delicious cheese pies, called ‘kalitsounia,’ in a traditional hillside village of western Crete, Greece. Koula Barydakis, our ebullient chef instructor, began our local cooking lessons by pouring a shot of raki for herself and her students as we toasted the traditional Cretan diet, one of the healthiest in the world.
Read More >>The Many Spheres of Heritage in the Cape Winelands of South Africa
East of Cape Town in South Africa, the Cape Winelands region encompasses a mountain chain, nearly 7,000 species of endemic plant life, hundreds of wine vineyards and over a quarter of a million people. No single feature of the Cape Winelands stands on its own. Rather, they form a complex web of connections: the gorgeous nature is related to the local agriculture, which is in turn connected to a history of colonisation and cultural development that continues to affect social and environmental issues today.
Read More >>Mexican Cuisine: An Intangible Cultural Heritage Recognised by UNESCO
Who has never tried enchiladas, guacamole or tacos? Very few people. Fittingly, Mexican cuisine was in 2010 listed by UNESCO for its Cultural Intangible Heritage, gaining Mexico recognition for its traditional dishes that retain the names, ingredients and cooking practices dating back to the pre-hispanic era and incorporate influences and contributions from other cultures.
