The insider: Bill Bensley; Home+Away; Taste; On the Road
The hotel designer spends his summers fly fishing in Mongolia’s Delger River.
MEMORABLE DESTINATION
It takes a full two days to get to the Delger River, Mongolia, on the Russian border where, every summer for the past five years, six pals and I venture off-road and certainly off-line to fly-fish for the protected species of taiman, an extraordinarily large trout. We have 220km of river to ourselves for a week to catch and release as we float and camp in a world untouched by humans, leaving behind nothing but footprints. My record is 56 trout in one day.
TRAVEL TIP
I have visited almost 100 countries and the best thing that I arm myself with is the ability to say “hello”, “yes, please” and “thank you” in the local language. It never fails.
COMING UP
We are ready to open Shinta Mani Wild in Cambodia next month. It’s a luxury tented camp in a corridor connecting Bokor and Kirirom national parks, and will protect threatened wildlands as well as create sustainable opportunities for the people who call this area home. Other recent projects include Rosewood Luang Prabang, Laos, and Capella Ubud, Bali.
Bill Bensley heads a firm of architects, interior designers and landscapers based in Bangkok and Bali; bensley.com.
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HOME+AWAY
Qantas has just completed a refresh by design firm Woods Bagot of its domestic business and members-only Qantas Club lounges at Melbourne airport aimed at increasing seating capacity and expanding food and drink offerings. The new urban-chic decor incorporates marble, timber, fluted glass and metal finishes. In the business club facility, expect a Spice Bar with freshly prepared Asian dishes such as noodle soups and stir-fries, all-day barista coffee, a bar serving Australian wine and beer plus signature Rockpool concoctions during cocktail hour. Other features include seasonal dining options by the airline’s F&B maestro Neil Perry, a Quench drinks station for flavoured waters and tisanes, power and data outlets at all fixed seating, and a communal zone with large work tables. There are shower suites for the weary and for aviation geeks, window-walls offering tarmac views. In the past five years, Qantas has built, upgraded or refreshed 85 per cent of its premium airport lounge network. Next on the agenda, and expected to open late next year, is a dedicated first-class lounge at Singapore Changi, the fourth in the Qantas international network, alongside, Sydney, Melbourne and LA. Also scheduled is an expansion and upgrade of the existing business lounge at Singapore Changi.
SUSAN KUROSAWA
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TASTE
The importance of fika, a coffee break with a couple of biscuits or a bun, in Swedish daily life cannot be understated. Many Swedes have fika before breakfast, mid-morning, after lunch and before going to bed, making them one of the largest consumers of coffee in the world. They’re also pretty keen on biscuits. Which is why, in his newly published The Nordic Baking Book, Magnus Nilsson devotes 48 pages to cookies. The Swedish chef previously authored the bestselling Nordic Cookbook and runs Faviken Magasinet restaurant in his homeland. His new 576-page hardcover is a comprehensive look at baking in Scandinavia and he travelled throughout Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, collecting more than 450 recipes. They run the gamut from bread (including a rye cooked in hot volcanic springs) and porridge to pancakes, sponge cakes and deep-fried pastries, with spoonfuls of history, cultural insights and personal reflection thrown in for good measure. For instance, who knew the Finns have a tradition of baking with flour made from pine tree bark? Or that Nordic pizza is served with a side of cabbage salad? The chef’s talents extend to photography and his pictures pepper the book with snowy landscapes, rustic kitchens and snaps of this fanatical baker’s scrumptious creations; $59.95.
PENNY HUNTER
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ON THE ROAD
HUSKEE REUSABLE COFFEE CUPS, 4-PACK, $44-$64
Made from recycled coffee bean husk, these BPA-free reusable cups won best in class at the 2018 Australian Good Design Awards. The brand is inviting cafes to adopt the cup under a swap scheme that aims to do away with disposables. Available in 180ml, 240ml and 350ml sizes; lids and saucers extra.
UNIDEN UH45 WALKIE TALKIES, 4-PACK, $104.95
These walkie talkies make it easy to stay in touch with your travel buddies when mobile signal is minimal. Offering 80UHF channels, they are compact and lightweight and feature a backlit LCD display and built-in LED light. Sold as singles or in packs of up to four.
PENNY HUNTER
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WHAT IN THE WORLD
■ All proceeds from the Wilderness Society’s new limited edition book, Wilderness — Protecting Australia’s Protected Places ($125), go to conservation campaigns to save wild places such as Tasmania’s Tarkine; its author, Geoff Law, will lead two Franklin River rafting trips with Tasmanian Expeditions in January and February.
■ NYCgo.com has compiled a list of lesser-known concert and theatre venues in the Big Apple with upcoming programs; Apollo Theatre (Harlem), Brooklyn Steel (Williamsburg), Flushing Town Hall (Queens) and Lehman Centre for the Performing Arts (the Bronx) are in the mix.
■ Etihad Airways is celebrating its 15th anniversary of flying and its 10th year of sponsoring the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with events and the limited edition release of cabin crew ties and scarfs by New York designer Diane von Furstenberg, who based her geometric patterns on the Yas Marina Circuit; the uniform accessories will be worn on board through November.
■ In partnership with Hello Kitty Land Tokyo, Keio Line has covered one in every 10 of its trains with images of the seemingly inescapable cartoon character.
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