Author Archives: Rob McFarland

In Situ restaurant, San Francisco

  Traveller, Sydney Morning Herald, Australia – Feb 24, 2018 Like most great ideas, the concept behind In Situ is so devilishly simple you wonder why someone hasn’t done it before. Invite a selection of the world’s top chefs to contribute a dish then create a restaurant to showcase them. Headed up by three Michelin-starredContinue reading “In Situ restaurant, San Francisco”

Tour of Nyamirambo in Kigali, Rwanda

Traveller, Sun-Herald, Australia – Feb 18, 2018 In a bare concrete hall, women rummage through second-hand clothing on makeshift wooden tables. “We call it caguwa wishyure, which means pick and pay,” says our guide Shema. “You can also say caguwa to a loved one. To show her she’s unique and there’s nothing else like her.”Continue reading “Tour of Nyamirambo in Kigali, Rwanda”

Embera village visit, Panama

Traveller, Sydney Morning Herald, Australia – Feb 3, 2018 After turning off the main road, we park in a small clearing and follow a dirt track down to the river. Waiting for us in a wooden dugout canoe are two men wearing small black and white beaded skirts and bright yellow loin cloths. The youngerContinue reading “Embera village visit, Panama”

Wildlife spotting in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda

Traveller, Sydney Morning Herald, Australia – Jan 6, 2018 Book a trip to Uganda and most people will assume you’re going to see the mountain gorillas. It’s one of only three places in the world where you can visit them in the wild (the others being Rwanda and the Congo). And while it’s one ofContinue reading “Wildlife spotting in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda”

Rafting the White Nile, Uganda

Traveller, Sydney Morning Herald, Australia – Oct 20, 2017 “We have three options for Itanda Falls,” our guide Wilson says. “Easy, 50-50 or 100 per cent.” The six of us confer. Choosing 100 per cent means we’ll enter Bad Place, a hole formed by an enormous standing wave, which all but guarantees we’ll flip. IContinue reading “Rafting the White Nile, Uganda”

Renaissance of the New York Hotel restaurant

Sydney Morning Herald & The Age, Australia – November 19, 2016 The hotel restaurant used to be something of a last resort. Often housed in a bland, unflatteringly lit space, it was a convenient option when you were too tired to go anywhere else. The menu was normally unadventurous (club sandwich anyone?), the service lacklustreContinue reading “Renaissance of the New York Hotel restaurant”

London’s best single-product restaurants

Sydney Morning Herald & The Age, Australia – November 12, 2016 Ever woken up with a craving for turkey? Me neither. But should that occur, and you happen to be in the London suburb of Shoreditch, you’re in luck. In June husband-and-wife team Amir and Limor Chen opened Strut & Cluck, a restaurant specialising inContinue reading “London’s best single-product restaurants”

Local produce in Vail, Colorado

Sydney Morning Herald & The Age, Australia – October 22, 2016 Where do you go to learn how to make moonshine? Moonshine University, of course. Christian Avignon and Ryan Thompson had no experience distilling spirits, so they figured they’d better learn from the best before starting a distillery in the ski resort of Vail, Colorado.Continue reading “Local produce in Vail, Colorado”

Review of British Airways i360, Brighton

Sydney Morning Herald & The Age, Australia – September 10, 2016 When the architects behind the London Eye, arguably Britain’s most successful tourist development this century, unveil a new £46 million attraction, it’s kind of a big deal. Not only is the 162-metre-tall British Airways i360 the world’s tallest moving observation tower but it’s alsoContinue reading “Review of British Airways i360, Brighton”

Riverhead ferry cruise in Auckland, NZ

Sun-Herald, Australia – January 10, 2016 The MV Kawau Isle looks conspicuous as she pootles into Auckland’s busy Downtown Ferry Terminal. All the other boats buzzing in and out are high-speed catamarans and ferries. We file onboard the elegant green and white wooden cruiser and she putters slowly away from the wharf into Auckland Harbour.Continue reading “Riverhead ferry cruise in Auckland, NZ”

An albatross named Grandma

Sydney Morning Herald & The Age, Australia – January 9, 2016 If Hollywood ever makes a biopic about an albatross (don’t rule it out), Grandma would be the obvious choice. Most albatrosses have one mate and live for around 40 years. Grandma, however, had five husbands (three of whom she outlived and one she marriedContinue reading “An albatross named Grandma”

England – Europe’s unlikely wine capital

Sydney Morning Herald & The Age, Australia – May 30, 2015 “English wine”, much like “English summer”, is an expression normally followed by a punchline. I spent my formative years in England and can’t ever recall seeing English wine on a restaurant menu. So it was with genuine astonishment that I discovered during a recentContinue reading “England – Europe’s unlikely wine capital”

See the Taj Mahal without the crowds

Sydney Morning Herald & The Age, Australia – May 16, 2015 “What’s that?” I ask, pointing at the smoke curling up from the opposite riverbank. “Burning bodies,” replies my guide nonchalantly. “They’ll gather the ashes and scatter them in the Ganges.” Through the smoky haze I can see the world’s most famous monument, a buildingContinue reading “See the Taj Mahal without the crowds”

Sunset kayak to Rangitoto Island, Auckland

Sydney Morning Herald & The Age, Australia – May 9, 2015 “Do you like wearing a skirt?” asks Sarah. “Only at weekends,” I reply, nervously. I pull on the waterproof spray skirt while apprehensively eyeing up the not inconsiderable distance between us and our destination. As the crow flies it’s five kilometres from St HeliersContinue reading “Sunset kayak to Rangitoto Island, Auckland”

Guide to New York sporting events

Escape travel section, Australia – May 3, 2015 New Yorkers love to compete. And they love to watch sports. So it’s not surprising New York is the only American city with more than one team in all five of the country’s most prestigious sports leagues. Whether you’re into American football, baseball, basketball, hockey or soccer,Continue reading “Guide to New York sporting events”

Learn to dance the Bollywood way

Sun-Herald, Australia – March 22, 2015 Hip sway…pelvic thrust…shoulder dip…finger wag. No, that’s not right. I’m thrusting the wrong way. Vibhor smiles patiently and we try again. I’m attempting to learn the steps to Dhinka Chika, a song from the 2011 Bollywood hit Ready, in which leading man Salman Khan (me) tries to woo leadingContinue reading “Learn to dance the Bollywood way”

Air NZ 75th anniversary exhibition at Te Papa museum, Wellington

Sydney Morning Herald & The Age, Australia – March 14, 2015 It’s easy to get all misty-eyed about the early days of commercial aviation. Passengers flying from Auckland to Sydney in the 1950s sat in spacious lounge-style seats, enjoyed a seven-course meal and had the option of playing deck quoits. It all sounds terribly glamorousContinue reading “Air NZ 75th anniversary exhibition at Te Papa museum, Wellington”

Adventures in Sydney’s Wild, Wild West

Sun-Herald, Australia – March 8, 2015 “Keep your arms folded and your legs crossed,” says the attendant. “Just imagine you need to go to the loo.” This last piece of advice is unnecessary because I need to go to the loo with impending urgency. My heart is also thumping like a base drum and myContinue reading “Adventures in Sydney’s Wild, Wild West”

9/11 Museum, New York

The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia – June 7, 2014 Of the thousands of artefacts in the new 9/11 Museum, it is the small, everyday items that are the most potent: the charred contents of a visiting English businessman’s wallet, a pair of ballet slippers belonging to Boston Investor Services employee Maile Hale. They personalise theContinue reading “9/11 Museum, New York”