The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia – May 25, 2013 Judy has the willowy grace of a catwalk model, with high cheekbones, unblemished skin and a practised insouciance. When I ask her why she ran away from home, she slowly folds her slender brown arms and answers through half-closed eyes, “Because my father tried toContinue reading “Umoja Uaso women’s village, Kenya”
Author Archives: Rob McFarland
Floris Perfumer, London
The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia – May 18, 2013 Unsurprisingly, the first thing that hits me when I enter Floris is the smell. It’s as if ribbons of fragrance are being twirled around my head – a delicate aromatic dance of floral and citrus tones, offset by sharper notes of spices and wood. ForContinue reading “Floris Perfumer, London”
A night at Meydan Races, Dubai
The Sun-Herald, Australia – May 12, 2013 I feel like I’m watching the opening scene from a movie. Projected across one of the world’s longest video screens – a 108-metre monster that looms over the track at Meydan Racecourse – is the image of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum. He’s strollingContinue reading “A night at Meydan Races, Dubai”
Freestyle Escape cooking school, Sunshine Coast, QLD
The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia – May 4, 2013 It was with some trepidation that I signed up for a cooking class at Freestyle Escape. The last time I ventured into a professional kitchen I rendered a salad inedible by liberally garnishing it with peppercorns (I thought they were lentils). But the minute IContinue reading “Freestyle Escape cooking school, Sunshine Coast, QLD”
Welcome to SkyMall World
The Sun-Herald, Australia – Mar 3, 2013 I used to dread US domestic flights. I would board in a fog of despair knowing that for the next four hours I would be squeezed between two bathroom-tile salesmen from Idaho. The only entertainment would be a Miley Cyrus movie played on a screen 100 metres awayContinue reading “Welcome to SkyMall World”
Five classic NYC bunches
The Sun-Herald, Australia – Jan 13, 2013 Ask a New Yorker about their plans for the weekend and you’re almost guaranteed to hear the word brunch. It’s a New York institution. A chance to catch up with friends and indulge in a Mimosa-fuelled afternoon of good food and gossip. The tricky bit is choosing where.Continue reading “Five classic NYC bunches”
Adventures in Borneo
Escape travel section, Australia – December 16, 2012 For the past few days I’ve been haunted by two things: fleeting glimpses of Mt Kinabalu’s ominous-looking granite peak and the dawning realisation that I’m the least prepared of anyone in the group. At 4095m, Mt Kinabalu is South-East Asia’s highest mountain, but it’s also one ofContinue reading “Adventures in Borneo”
GQ does Stockholm
GQ Australia – Dec 2012 First, let’s tackle the stereotypes. Yes, Stockholm can be eye-wateringly expensive and yes, its inhabitants are possibly the planet’s most attractive race. Which at least means when you’re being relieved of $10 for a beer, it will be by a long-legged, flaxen-haired beauty with piercing blue eyes and aContinue reading “GQ does Stockholm”
A music road trip through America’s Deep South
GQ magazine, Australia – October 2012 Of all the great highway journeys, one has been elevated to pilgrimage status by music fans. It starts in the jazz halls of New Orleans, sweeps through the cotton-rich blues joints of the Mississippi Delta and finishes in the honky-tonks of Nashville. It’s a 1000km slice of musical history;Continue reading “A music road trip through America’s Deep South”
The blues in Clarksdale, Mississippi
The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia – Sep 22, 2012 The legend of Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil at a deserted crossroads in Mississippi is perhaps the most famous in blues music folklore. The story goes that after several lacklustre performances, the guitarist disappeared on the Mississippi Delta. One night he foundContinue reading “The blues in Clarksdale, Mississippi”
Live music in Austin, Texas
Open Road magazine, Australia – September 2012 “We’re like a blueberry in a sea of tomato soup,” remarks one Austinite with a wry smile. It’s a statement that explains a lot about this endearing little city. While most of Texas is Republican and conservative, Austin is a democratic enclave – a laidback, liberal speck onContinue reading “Live music in Austin, Texas”
Chatwal Hotel, New York
The Sun-Herald, Australia – Aug 26, 2012 Precisely 134 steps from the consumer carnage of New York’s Times Square is the first of two discreet entrances on West 44th Street. Cloaked in black awnings and manned by immaculately dressed doormen, they lead without fanfare to one of the city’s most elegant five-star hotels. TheContinue reading “Chatwal Hotel, New York”
Searching for jazz in New Orleans
The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia – Aug 18, 2012 It’s a typical Tuesday night on Bourbon Street. Young people clutching dangerously strong daiquiris roam the narrow, neon-lit strip, past a gaudy parade of bars, strip clubs and tattoo parlours. Competing spruikers try to lure people inside with the promise of cheap drinks, while upContinue reading “Searching for jazz in New Orleans”
Fall colours in upstate New York
Dominion Post, New Zealand – August 1, 2012 “I dunno,” says the guy standing next to me as we gaze over the valley. “The colours just ain’t poppin’ this year.” I look at him in disbelief. In front of us is a sweeping vista of tree-blanketed hills in a riot of autumnal shades. There areContinue reading “Fall colours in upstate New York”
Signature walks around Banff & Lake Louise
Escape travel section, Australia – July 22, 2012 Canada is a bit of a show-off when it comes to national parks. Not only does it have more of them than anywhere else in the world, but its most famous Banff National Park is just a two-hour drive from Calgary and home to the bustlingContinue reading “Signature walks around Banff & Lake Louise”
Adventures in Victoria Falls
Escape travel section, Australia – July 15, 2012 This doesn’t look good. We’re heading towards a towering wall of water that has capsize written all over it. We paddle hard, digging deep into the swirling river, hoping to power through. We hit the wave square on and the raft is flung skyward. Suddenly, I’mContinue reading “Adventures in Victoria Falls”
Wall Street Revival
Business Traveller Magazine, Asia-Pacific edition – July 2012 Back in 1961, The New York Times described the atmosphere around Wall Street thus: “A deathlike stillness that settles on the district after 5:30 and all day Saturday and Sunday.” It’s true that ever since the area became a financial hub in the mid-1800s, it’s been aContinue reading “Wall Street Revival”
Cruising the Chobe River
Escape travel section, Australia – June 17, 2012 Twenty minutes after seeing two hippos mating – an enthusiastic spectacle accompanied by a fanfare of grunts and snorts – we stumble across a pair of elephants at it as well. It’s hard to imagine two more cumbersome-looking creatures getting frisky but, rather than it beingContinue reading “Cruising the Chobe River”
Adventures in South Africa’s Northern Cape
Escape travel section, Australia – June 3, 2012 South Africa’s Northern Cape is a vast, sparsely populated region that rarely makes it on to travellers’ itineraries. This is a pity as it’s home to numerous natural wonders including the stunning red sand Kalahari desert, one of Africa’s largest national parks, and the mighty OrangeContinue reading “Adventures in South Africa’s Northern Cape”
48 hours in Dubai
Maxim Magazine, Australia – June 2012 Call it the Dubai Dilemma. To stop over or not to stop over? So many travellers fly to Europe and Africa via this tiny Arab emirate that it’s become famous as somewhere to break up the journey, rather than a destination in its own right. I decide to putContinue reading “48 hours in Dubai”
Rob McFarland 