The Art of Haggling – Guest blog from Mira’s Hand

Posted on May 8, 2012 by

We at Jetset Central Melbourne are big fans of Mira’s Hand so we want to share their recent blog post with you on the Art of Haggling. For more information on their range of Authentic Moroccan Skin Care, please visit the Mira’s Hand website.

I often get requests from family and friends to provide them with travel tips or to hook them up with our friends and family members in Morocco. As I am often happy to act as a mini Lonely Planet guide and point out restaurants, hotels, places to see and places to avoid, the most important tip I can give them is to master the Art of Haggling. As the old saying goes ‘one must practice a 1000 hours before one masters a skill’ and over the years I must have put in more than the required amount.

With such a variety of souks (markets) to explore across Morocco it’s likely your haggling skills will also improve as you explore what the country has to offer. Artisans in Marrakech, Fes and Essouraria turn out so many products and produce that you may have trouble taking it all in.  From leather goods, lamps, carpets, little trinkets or beautiful handmade ceramics, souks are a feast for all the senses.  The quality may vary but bargains do exist and it takes an experienced eye, a good sense of humour and a strong nerve to go toe to toe with the salesmen of Morocco.

To make your shopping trip in Morocco successful there are a few rules you need to adhere to:

- Greet the shopkeeper with a simple hello and a smile.
- Don’t seem overly happy or excited by an object you wish to purchase, may it be a carpet or silver jewelry.  Act cool, calm and mention the object in passing, while asking for the price.
- Act surprised when you find out about the price, but keep on smiling.
- Check some other items in the store/stall, again with the same ‘I really don’t like anything here’ attitude.
- Offer 50% of the price mentioned by the shop keeper. This is where the fun starts.
- Increase your price by 5 procents, but don’t exceed 10%.
- If the shopkeeper doesn’t want to budge, then wave a cheery bye bye to the shop keeper and walk away, he will in all probability call you back.
- When you are called back you can settle on the final price.

Happy shopping!

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An Open Letter to Ms Julia Gillard

Posted on April 19, 2012 by

Anzac Day Dawn Service - Gallipoli

Dear Ms Julia Gillard,

I write because I understand you’ll be visiting Turkey next week to attend Anzac Day memorial services at Gallipoli, and I’d like to give you a few handy hints on how to survive the Anzac Day experience.

I wouldn’t eat the kebabs they sell on site if I were you. They were a little bit old a few years ago when I went, and the chicken wasn’t great – quite over-cooked actually. Instead, I definitely recommend stopping at the supermarket in Kesan on the way down to stock up on food. We got some loaves of bread, some pastirma, feta and salad, and chocolate and pringles. Lots of pringles. They’re the best thing for long bus rides and camping out, wouldn’t you agree Ms Gillard?

One more tip Ms Gillard – get there early. Did you know they’re expecting up to 15,000 people this year? There isn’t much space so the earlier you get there, the better spot you’ll get. The coveted spot is right up the front, on the grass next to the row of chairs saved for dignitaries. But avoid the Fanatics’ area (they’re the ones in yellow hoodies singing I come from the Land Down Under), they’re a bit rowdy. And if you spread all of your stuff out around you when you first arrive, then you’ll have enough room to lie down on the grass at night. Getting there at 1pm for the 5am dawn service the following day should be fine.

Through the night, it’s hard to sleep due to all the documentaries they play on the big screen, and the brass bands playing war songs. Oh, and the man on the loud speaker asking everyone to move up to make room for newcomers still arriving. This is a tough one – on the one hand, you want to squish up to let as many people into to the site as possible and you know, show some Anzac spirit. On the other hand, you’ll have got there SO early for that awesome spot at the front Ms Gillard, so why should you let them into to your space at 4.45am? It’s a call you’re just going to have make at the time.

Have you packed yet? Pack as many clothes as can fit in your backpack. It will be hot as during the day so I suggest jeans and a t-shirt – the sun will be out and you can roll up your jeans and tan your legs. But make the most of it because once the sun goes down, you’ll have to line up for the porta-loos and put your thermals on underneath your jeans. I suggest a double layer of socks too.  You’ll need a good sleeping bag and beanie, and preferably a couple of advisers (or new backpacking buddies) to snuggle with. There’s warmth in body heat you know.

I assume you’ll spend some time in Istanbul – you couldn’t not, it’s an awesome place. Just don’t have too much to drink at the Sultan Hostel when you get back from Gallipoli. The barmen will try to keep you there by plying you with vouchers for free efes beers, and the Fanatics will no doubt chant “Here’s to Julia, she’s true blue…” in an effort to make you skoll them, but trust me, the Topkapi Palace is not appealing the next morning.

Speaking of the tourist attractions, they’ll be jam-packed next week so try to get to each site early. Aya Sofya is particularly busy and you can often be waiting in Sultanahmet Square for hours. If you do need some sustenance though, there is a man, Mehmet, who makes the best ever kebabs nearby. He has a portable cart, normally on the corner of Akbiyik St opposite the carpet shop and only sells one type of kebab. And they’re way better than the ones at Gallipoli.

So I hope you have fun in Turkey Ms Gillard, I’d love to hear how you enjoyed it. Don’t forget to check-in to Gallipoli on facebook so we can track your experience!

Kind Regards,

Rosie Richardson (who loves taking groups to Gallipoli, but not on Anzac Day, who loves kebabs but not the ones at Gallipoli on April 24 each year, and who loves drinking efes at the Sultan Hostel, without exception.)

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Friendliest Place on Earth

Posted on February 3, 2012 by

This is one of the hot topics when reminiscing about travels over a few beers with friends or around the coffee machine at our Jetset Central Melbourne office. Of course, it’s only ever going to be about places you’ve visited, so here are some of our favourites.

Cambodia finally said goodbye to terrible repression in 1991 when a ceasefire between warring factions was declared. Today travellers regularly tell of the warmth and friendliness of its people. Wherever you travel you will be overwhelmed by the welcoming nature of the people, particularly when you recall the tragedy of recent years.

One of Jetset Central Melbourne’s tour guides, Nevin, explained “we always wear a smile on the outside because we remember how bad things have been, but the tears are only just below the surface”. The biggest tourist draw in Cambodia is the Temples of Angkor. Over 1,000 ruined temples dating back to 15th century with many tourists coming in and out like a revolving door, with Angkor Wat being one of the most impressive buildings in the world.

There is so much more to Cambodia and perhaps the greatest attraction of all should be spending time with the locals. (Keep an eye out for our live updates from Cambodia later this month).

Just west is Burma (or should we say Myanmar) which has a reputation for fearsome oppression of its people by the Generals who run the military and who control much of the economy. Wouldn’t you expect to sense some resentment caused by the effects of crippling sanctions? Surely the Generals have blamed the outside world and surely we can expect a welcome that is at best tinged with resentment? You’d think so, wouldn’t you? If it was the other way around it would be, but no, not a bit of it. Whether you travel to Rangoon (Yangon) or beyond to the more remote areas the gentleness and warmth of the welcome can’t be faulted.

It’s the eleven year old boy, in a neatly pressed school uniform, riding up next to you whilst your making your way through the temples of Bagan. In perfect English he asks you all about the world, whilst all the while only able to reach one pedal at a time on his bike. It’s the guard at the front of Aung San Suu Kyi’s compound who, with a smile, says “I really can’t let you in”. It’s finding a place to eat, on a pitch-black night, in the back streets of Rangoon and then helping the Burmese waiters support Tottenham Hotspur against Arsenal in the north London derby on TV.

In the office a surprising hit was Syria. The time spent with Indian pilgrims who had come to pray in Damascus, and noticed how out of place we lads looked waiting outside a female-only holy site. The 2am cup of tea, and double-apple shisha, at a cafe where 50 local men are playing cards, but they all make a point to go out of their way and make the one female patron with us feel completely at home. The stroll through the almost deserted streets of Damascus at 3am and having the few locals you come across nod in acknowledgement.

How sad, Syria is a country struggling to find its way in a region fraught with tensions and is indeed suffering greatly from its internal divisions. How this country will fare, and the spirit of its people survive, is really anybody’s guess but perhaps we should think about Syria more closely once her troubles are behind her.

What is it that makes people talk about these destinations so highly? Sure they are all suffering, or have recently suffered dreadful oppression. Sure, some struggle with extreme poverty and do so without any envious reaction to monied visitors arriving on their doorstep, but this doesn’t feel that it’s the answer to the question. One other common factor is either the lack of a mass tourism industry, or the early stages of one. Could this be why people retain such a welcoming nature? Mmmmm, now that’s an interesting one.

There are so many more places and peoples we could talk about, so many more wonderful stories about connecting with people the world over…but so little space in this blog.

What’s been your experiences of the friendliest places on Earth?

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Cuba – Rum and an Ambulance

Posted on January 30, 2012 by

300 metres in an ambulance for a tetanus shot…

We here at Jetset Central Melbourne have always planned to use this blog as a forum for some of the wonderful travel tales of our friends and clients and what better place to start than Cuba and our friend Hayden.

Santiago de Cuba and a day trek in a hot and humid 40 degrees celsius with sun absolutely beating down. It’s days like these, other side of the world on an island that is so full of mystery for so many, when a drink and a chat at the bar are well deserved…

Sitting in what resembles a 1970′s Soviet administrative building it could be the Ukraine, or Moldova, but the beer and rums on the table remind that it is a beach resort in Cuba. The beer helps on the oppressively hot day but the bring your own rum, at $3 per litre, seems to help more. What a great concept, the BYO rum – order a Mojito and the remainder of the ingredients are added and you are happily sipping away on the drink born in Cuba and favoured by Hemingway.

Pre-dinner drinks finished and it’s off to a family restaurant – don’t think McDonalds as you definitely won’t be seeing those in communist Cuba, certainly not in Fidel’s lifetime – think the lounge room of a local home. Not only is the food great, the experience is something to remember and the rum continues to flow until it’s time to say thanks and head on home.

All is well walking home through the warm Caribbean night…until that very next step when the ground gives way. A deep, nasty cut in the leg and the broken remains of a rusty man-hole cover are all that’s left. Luckily, there is a travelling doctor at the resort; diagnosis – no problems, let’s get this dressed and go have a drink.

Thanking the doctor over a mojito, she remarks that there really is no reason to worry as it will heal fairly quickly and the tetanus shot you would have had will protect you as well. The tetanus shot I would have had…WOULD HAVE HAD!?  We may have a problem here…

Up early and off to the local clinic for the routine task of getting a tetanus injection…or so I thought. The earliest this could happen, I am told, would be three days, but come back tomorrow and who knows, you may get lucky. This is the upshot of the conversation, but given it was in Spanish, details are sketchy. By way of an example, try playing charades where your clue is tetanus. I do get lucky on day two though and I am presented with a shiny new needle which it appears I need to take somewhere else – 300 metres away – for the joy of having inserted into my body. I’m ready for a quick walk, but…

I am led to an ambulance!!

We take off on our way for what I can now only assume is a life saving procedure. Thankfully the siren is not sounding, but it is the only part of the trip that doesn’t seem like overkill.  We arrive at the hospital where a queue of around 100 locals are waiting in line on what appears to be “Immunisation Tuesday”. I am led past the queue – must have been the life-threatening extent of my massive injuries (yes, still a cut on my leg) and the drama of the arriving ambulance. I greet the Doctor who takes the needle and inserts it into a vial of what I can only hope, given how bad I am at charades, is a tetanus destroying liquid which is then jabbed into my arm.

Job done and it’s back in the ambulance for the return 300m trip where I face the prospect of a daunting bill for my treatment. Given the ambulance, front of the line service and first class care all the way, it’s fair to say I’m nervous and hope this is not going to be my last trip for a long time after covering what must be a scarily large bill.

$5.75

This is what the whole treatment cost and it’s hard to believe that I could pay so little for the care, let alone an experience that I will remember fondly forever.

Cuba is such a wonderful place to visit and I cannot recommend highly enough. Now for North Korea, with hopefully no need for a review of their health care system.

Any “memorable” medical travel stories “enjoyed”?? We’d love to hear your story so let us know in the comments section below.

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What’s The Weirdest Thing You’ve Ever Eaten??

Posted on January 24, 2012 by

The Place – Beijing
The Bet – have we photographed a dragon in the last two days
The Stake – eat the fried food of my friend’s choosing from the famous street food stalls

The result – I’m eating a sea horse…

Luckily enough though, I dodged a seahorse shaped bullet and the bet was carried over to Shanghai…where, much to my disappointment (yes, that’s what it was) we could not find any fried aqua-equines (is that a word??). Anyway, it’s fair to say I wasn’t looking too hard!!

So, weirdest thing ever eaten for me then becomes either yak dumplings from a back alleyway cafe in Lhasa, Tibet or the guinea pig (cuy) in Cusco, Peru with roast potatoes. Both were super tasty, but I have to admit that the cuy had me feeling guilty for days afterwards.

These experiences pale into insignificance compared to many other bizarre food events – you know the deep fried crickets from a Thai street food vendor, the beating snakes heart in Hong Kong, the jellied eels in London’s east end and all those other eaten-whilst-on-holiday-types of thing.

Go to Thailand, find any food market and as you marvel at all the local fresh fruit and veg keep your nose alert.  Alert for what?  You’ll know when you encounter it; the durian fruit is like a large rugby ball with 4 inch nails sticking out and just as much attitude.

This delight announces its presence with an aroma that can only be described as a stench.  The smell of rotting meat is so bad that in many places they won’t allow it to be sold, and hotels have signs banning it from their establishment! Having said that, the taste of the fruit is said to be like that of freshly made custard and well worth the smell.  I remain to be convinced.

Fresh fruit is not something you could label our next offering.  In the Philippines, Baalut is a regarded as a real delicacy and I’m really struggling to even write about this little joy.  Fertilized duck eggs, left in the sun to remain warm and start to ferment.  They are eaten when they have been kept in the sun for a certain period of time.  Lovers of the delicacy argue over how long you should leave the egg to develop the best flavour.  In the Philippines the best egg is 17 days old whilst the more discerning Vietnamese prefer 19 days worth of flavour.  Surely there have got to be better things to disagree over?

We could go on to create an entire a la carte menu of weirdest things ever eaten but perhaps the closing comment is to say log on to You Tube and type in “bush tucker trials”.  Footage of celebrities being paid to eat the most disgusting things.  You’ll need a strong stomach!  Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

We can’t promise you the weirdest thing you have ever eaten on our Foodies Tour to Morocco this year, but we can promise lots of wonderful flavours and experiences. Places are limited so if you want more info, email us here as we’d love to have you along.

Any gourmet treats you’ve “enjoyed”?? We’d love to hear your story so let us know in the comments section below.

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The Tastes of Morocco

Posted on January 18, 2012 by

Think Morocco and you inevitably think food.  In Marrakech, the Red City that sits in the foothills of the snow capped Atlas Mountains you come across the largest souk in the Arab world.  Its sights, sounds and smells will leave the senses reeling.  The call of market traders looking to bargain, the rhythm of the drummers, the voices of the singers and the movement of the dancers all play against a background of enticing smells.  The aroma of sweet oranges and fresh pastries baked that morning and the heady aroma of spices all combine with the sights and sounds to create what is one of the wonders of the Arabic world.

Morocco is one of the most productive countries for food in North Africa.  Tender meats, bountiful cereals, juicy fruit, sweet nuts and of course the spices you would expect, are all produced here in great abundance.  Combine this with thousands of years of influence from different peoples such as the Romans, the French and the Sudanese from the south who all left their mark on the identity of the area and you create a cuisine that is world class in its breadth, flavours and sheer variety.

Take your place on a guided tour of Morocco’s world of food, experience the delights of the area and learn how to prepare some traditional dishes in truly authentic Moroccan style.  Our small party, no more than twelve people, will be given exclusive access to some of the country’s talented chefs and cooks who will share their knowledge and experience with us.

Stay with us in traditional riad accommodation, homes built around an open air courtyard with fountains installed to create natural air conditioning.  Riads turned into intimate boutique hotels are features of many Moroccan towns and villages.  They have  all the style, comfort and convenience that you want for your once in a lifetime experience.

Before the cooking starts however, visit the souk to see what local produce and ingredients are all about.  Lemons, preserved or fresh, clementines, figs and dates are all beautifully arranged in stacks, so pretty you won’t want to disturb the display with buying.  Your visit to the souk will be intensely aromatic as you wander past piles of coriander and cumin and paprika and you may even spot freshly ground harissa pastes for sale amongst the stalls. While you’re in the souk look out for the tagines used to create the famous stews of the same name, their shapes are elegant and an important part in developing the true flavours of these dishes.

Despite being a Muslim country wine is made here and no attempt to understand the cuisine of Morocco would be complete without experiencing the vineyards.  The cooling effect of the Atlantic makes this an ideal place for growing grapes.  All that North African sun is just perfect for ripening juicy Syrah and Muscat grapes.

So, onto the real reason for being here.  You’ll learn to prepare local tagines, slow cooked stews of lamb or chicken spiked with spices and dried fruits to sweeten. You’ll also understand the gentle touch required to prepare outstanding couscous and marvel at the simplicity of freshly baking bread in the village’s communal ovens.

We’d love for you to join us for 13 days departing mid June 2012.  For more information, or to book, please contact Rosie on email or call on 03-9642 5138 to be one of only twelve people on a Jetset Central Melbourne fully escorted tour.

Places are limited so you’ll need to book soon to secure your place. We would love to have you join us…

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Travel apps – Trip Journal

Posted on January 16, 2012 by

We are always on the lookout for great tools to make your travels better in some way or another. Recently we came across an app that we think is a simple way to remember your trip…with everything that you need to capture your travel memories right in your hand.

We all know the drill – you take your camera on holidays and capture hundreds (thousands?) of photos that perfectly capture the mood at the time. If you are anything like us, the problem is that when you get home and unpack your bags after a long flight and face the prospect of heading back to work after all the great experiences you had on holiday, the last thing you want to face is sitting down and sorting your photos. Once sorted, then you can start on the task of tagging each of your digital photos for location and any other notes you wish to add to remind you, and show your family and friends, just how wonderful your trip was. This is a job for when you have had a rest…or unfortunately, a job for never.

Trip Journal from iQapps allows you to update your journal, right from your phone, wherever you are with maps, photos and videos, as well as notes. This information can be geo-tagged instantly for you which in turn means that your itinerary (and current position) can be mapped within the application as well as interesting stats like distance travelled, time and other geography.

Now, for those of us who aren’t the best at keeping friends and family updated when overseas, this is a simple and elegant solution. You can send real time updates so that your loved ones can see where you are and where you have been, along with full page photos, videos and your comments as your journey unfolds with not much more than the tapping of a share button. You can even provide Twitter GPS updates so everyone knows where you are…unless you don’t want to be found…

For us though best of all is this – the moment you step off the plane, you have a journal of your trip ready to go. In fact, you could sit on the plane and reminisce and update before you even get home. Your entire trip can be uploaded to Facebook for everyone to see, videos and photos can be shared on Flickr and YouTube respectively and you can even send to your blog page.

Trip Journal, as a tool, won’t compete with an exceptionally well maintained digital photo album with the highest quality images from a high end camera – after all, you are using the camera on your smartphone. What it will do though is give you an in the moment record of your holiday memories which is ready to browse through, and share, as soon as you make your first entry.

Available for iPhone and Android, Trip Journal is priced from $2.99AUD.

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Burma – emerging travel destination

Posted on January 5, 2012 by

Small temples in Bagan

Are you looking for a holiday that’s a bit different?  Thought as much.  Why else would you be snuffling around amongst the little gems on our website?  Well, try this one for size.

As Myanmar begins to cautiously look the outside world in the eye why not be one of those people that visit before mass tourism takes hold because mark our words – it certainly will.  Why not take a trip to Myanmar to see just what a mystical delight this culture really is.

Starting with the capital Yangon (or Rangoon as it used to be in the old days) and checkout the marvel that is the Shwedagon Pagoda.  Words really don’t do this place justice but unless you come with us you’ll have to read and believe.   The pagoda is thought to be 2,500 years old and is said to house hairs from the Buddha’s head.  One of Buddhism’s most holy sites it is built on a hill and is covered with more than 8,000 blocks of pure gold and more than 4,500 diamonds with a massive 72 carat emerald at the very top.  The site is truly wondrous and it says so much about the nature of the people in this country that such treasures can be left on public display without interference.

It’s best to see the pagoda at dawn or dusk when the sunlight makes the jewels glisten particularly brightly.   A visit here should also take in the inside to see the temples, and stupas.  This will really begin to show you another side of Myanmar that never gets mentioned.

Our trip will then move up country to the temples of Bangon.   Once recommended as a World Heritage site this is another jaw dropping place to visit.  A city, covering some sixteen square miles that consists of temple after temple after temple as far as the eye can see.  Some 2,200 temples built more than 1,500 years ago the city is now completely deserted (if you want to know what happened you’ll need to book on our tour).  Don’t think that this is a rolling display of small, insignificant temples either.  Many of the pagodas and stupas are large enough to challenge the temples of Yangon, even the Shwedagon Pagoda itself.  Sadly, in 1975 a massive earthquake levelled or ruined up to 1,000 additional temples but the area still has a dramatic impact and will further change your view of the country.  Bangon is a ruined city but the faded glory of its temples is a major part of its allure and really will be part of your new understanding of this ancient country.

Our final destination will be Inle Lake to see another aspect of Myanmar life.  Travelling north you’ll find a microcosm of many aspects of Myanmar culture. This lake is not amongst the Lake Victoria or Lake Superiors of this world, it’s actually quite small.  But, it’s special because of the way the local people mix their faith with the resources the lake has to offer and create a way of life that would be to the envy of many westerners.  As you can imaging farming is important but not the fish you might imagine.  You’ll see huge patches of manicured and obviously tended vegetation – water hyacinths.  The local people harvest the water hyacinth and make many locally sold products from it.  Watch them as they move between their homes on stilts using a one legged rowing technique that gives me cramp just thinking about it.  The lake is rich with local temples, festivals and pageantry and you will be assured a gracious welcome from the people of this area.

It’s certain that you’ll come away from Myanmar with your view significantly changed.  The Generals and the politics are focussed around Yangon and once out in the country you become blissfully unaware of such issues.  Having said that, even within the capital you’ll be overcome with the gentle nature and gracious attitude of these people and the beauty that is all around.

We are currently taking expressions of interest for tours in the second half of 2012, so if you would like further information let us know either by leaving a comment below or by email to jason.centralmelbourne@jetset.com.au

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