all the dish that’s fit to print
elephants never forget
Elephants are captivating, clever and curious creatures. They have fascinated us for ages and have been depended upon by their human neighbors for centuries. Anantara Hotels Resorts & Spas and its charity, The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation will sponsor the upcoming photography exhibit, Elephants in Between, showcasing images by photojournalist Brent Lewin which captures this dynamic relationship in Thailand. Since 2007, Brent has focused on elephants in both urban and rural settings. His photographs are the story of a struggle to preserve traditional cultural identities in a rapidly changing economic landscape.
The exhibit will be located in Bangkok at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand between September 3 and October 14, and will feature Brent’s stunning images depicting Asian elephants in Thailand.
Once a symbol of honor and dignity, elephants have been used in development efforts across Thailand, especially in the logging and tourism industries. These exploits have come to represent the inequity of the country’s economy. Brent captures the deep emotion behind this modern problem through his series of moving photographs.
Brent’s work has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, New York Times, Discovery Channel Magazine and Newsweek. His work with elephants has been awarded by Pictures of the Year International, Prix de la Photographie Paris (Px3), the International Photography Awards, American Photo and the FCCT Photojournalism Annual. He is currently involved as associate producer and videographer on a feature length documentary, Elephants Never Forget, produced by CanazWest Pictures in coproduction with the National Film Board of Canada starting later this fall, which explores the plight of the Asian elephant and the modern human-elephant relationship in Thailand and China.
The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation is headquartered at Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa in Chiang Saen, Thailand, which also runs an on-site elephant camp and elephant conservation center dedicated to rescuing elephants from a life on the streets of Bangkok or other major Thai cities. Use this worthy cause as an excuse to visit Thailand. First see the photographs, and then travel to Anantara to get up-close-and-personal with the subjects for yourself.
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my mangroves
There’s the good news, and then there’s the bad news. We’ll get the bad over with first — recent satellite images have shown that the world’s mangroves are disappearing at a faster rate than what was once believed. Approximately 53,190 square miles is all that remains of these precious ecosystems. While that number may seem big, it’s about 12 percent smaller than original estimates, according to a recent report from The Christian Science Monitor. These ecosystems protect both the coastland from storms and young sea life from predators during development. They are sometimes referred to as the ‘nurseries of the ocean’.
summer showers
When packing for Santa Fe in the summer most travelers think of sunscreen and sundresses, but this time of year an umbrella is just as important! The summer season is referred to by locals as the “monsoon” season for its daily – albeit normally brief – showers.
Inn on the Alameda’s resident naturalist and concierge shares a little history on these summer storms.
saving the tigers
Endangered animals have always tugged at our heartstrings, but it’s nice to see someone actually doing something about it! Leonardo DiCaprio backs the Save Tigers Now campaign (launched by the WWF) which raises awareness about endangered wild tigers. This organization hopes to double the species by 2022. Banyan Tours & Travels, a tour operator that specializes in luxury travel in India, does its part by educating their staff and working closely with naturalists and guides at Indian parks.
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from ruins to gardens
©NTPL/Penny Tweedie
When Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson found Sissinghurst, it was an Elizabethan summer palace in ruins. Now the roofless rooms and crumbling brick walls are filled with flowers. The house and gardens embodies a beautiful connection between past and present. Sackville-West and Nicolson’s grandson, Adam Nicolson, recently wrote about his unique abode and its “delicious homeliness” (in the English sense, meaning homelike, not ugly). Beyond the house and garden, there are fields of farmland. Members of the Royal Oak Foundation have free entry to this idyllic country Estate, and over 300 other historic houses in the National Trust’s repertoire.
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garden party
With the weather warming up, it’s time to head to the farmer’s market to indulge in the season’s finest locally grown produce. But what happens when we eat out? With the growing trend of on-site herb and vegetable gardens, restaurants and hotels are turning over a new leaf and guests are reaping the benefits with fresher food, straight from the garden.
North America
NoMi at Park Hyatt Chicago
In the middle of bustling Chicago, NoMi has created a garden sanctuary. Its lush landscaping sits on the seventh floor of the Park Hyatt, affording diners dramatic views of the city. At night, soft candlelight makes this urban oasis the perfect spot for sharing small plates and sipping carefully crafted cocktails. With summer coming up, NoMi has created a tomato-inspired menu with dishes like BLTs with vine ripened tomatoes and caprese salads with colorful heirlooms.
Chef’s pick: Composition of Heirloom Tomato with buffalo mozzarella, shallots, and Chianti vinaigrette.
TOPPER’S at The Wauwinet, Nantucket MA
Along with savoring the delectable cuisine of Chef David Daniels, guests at TOPPER’S get an extra fresh flavor note from the herbs gathered in the chef’s own garden. Chef Daniels keeps a plot of parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme growing right outside The Wauwinet. Diners who opt for the more casual TOPPER’S Deck get a primo view of Daniel’s little Eden, so they can be assured that the seasonings are fresh and those basil leaves resting atop the spaghetti pomodoro were just plucked from their stems moments before.
Chef’s pick: Simple Spaghetti Pomodoro, with chili flakes and fresh basil leaves.
Caribbean
Strawberry Hill, Blue Mountains, Jamaica
This 50-acre mountain top resort in Irish Town, Jamaica, originated as an 18th century coffee plantation. Today, the resort still boasts extensive gardens and orchards yielding copious fresh produce daily. Aromatic varieties of mint are used at the Strawberry Hill Living Spa, and lemongrass and basil spice salad dressings and teas. Bananas, pineapples, mangoes, and other local fruit grow on the property, giving guests a variety of fresh produce.
Chef’s pick: Strawberry Hill Jerk Style Lamb Rack, with lamb reduction and a guava glaze.
Europe
Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa, Interlaken, Switzerland
Between the luxurious ESPA and the outdoor tennis courts lies a garden replete with all sorts of herbs. By mid-May, this chef’s garden supplies the hotel restaurants with coriander, lavender, basil, sage, and others, including edible blooms like fiery red nasturtiums. Torsten Goetz tends to the garden, making sure all of those delicious flavors flourish and make it to the kitchen to spice up the chef’s cuisine.
Chef’s pick: Saddle of Irish lamb with Indian spices, “Cama di rapa,” sweet and sour mango pearls, and lightly smoked lamb jus.
Asia
Anantara Dhigu Resort & Spa, South Male Atoll, Maldives
Imagine eating dinner while the wafting aromas of lemongrass and hot peppers float in the air. Now imagine this garden in paradise. At Anantara Dhigu Resort & Spa in the Maldives, guests can do just that with the addition of a new chef’s herb garden. A lone hut stands among Thai, Indian, and Maldivian chilies, wild rocket, Chinese cabbage, and other edible greenery, so locavores can rejoice in the fact that herbs and veggies are no more than a few feet away, bringing new meaning to “farm to table”.
Chef’s pick: Tom Yam Pho Teak, a spicy seafood soup with fresh lemongrass and hot basil.
Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa, Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand
The organic vegetable garden at Anantara Golden Triangle supplies the restaurant and on-site cooking school with fresh produce year round. The resort also organically cultivates its own rice paddy, and the rice harvested is entirely consumed at the property. Showing its green thumb, Anantara Golden Triangle uses natural fertilizer on all its crops, courtesy of the resident elephants.
Chef’s pick: Thick, creamy chicken curry, filled with herbs and spices such as sweet basil and kaffir lime leaves.
Anantara Si Kao Resort & Spa, Changlang Beach, Trang Province, Thailand
At Anantara Si Kao, the herb garden holds a world of local flavors. Somewhat common names such as lemongrass, Thai basil, and chili grow next to the more exotic hot holy basil, galangal, and kaffir lime. No idea how to use them? Take a Thai cooking class – each class starts in the garden, gathering herbs for the recipes. Also check out the weekly Market Night when vendors from the local Trang Market set up stalls on the resort grounds and sell their wares, including local produce, vivid spices, and even the famous Thai street food (safely prepared in the resort’s kitchens so you don’t have to worry).
Chef’s pick: Pla Nueng Si Hio, steamed seabass fillet with ginger, garlic, chili, and light soy.
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himalayan happening
Now that winter is finally over, you may think it’s time to close up shop on the vacation planning but, in fact, it is the perfect time to go somewhere totally off the beaten track: the Indian Himalayas.
Shakti Ladakh, part of Shakti Village Experiences opens this Saturday, May 15. With Shakti, guests stay in traditional village homes which have been adapted to provide proper comforts without compromising their authenticity. Accompanied by local porters and guides, travelers go on ‘soft adventure’-style walks between the villages and through the epic landscapes surrounding them.
Experience the dizzying natural wonder of the Ladakh village, which is located at an elevation of over 11,000 feet. Traditionally a backpacker’s mecca, Ladakh is perfect for travelers looking to immerse themselves in rural North Indian life and drink in the untouched and unrivaled views of epic landscapes.
And be sure you stay at least 6 days so you can acclimatize to the high altitude and let the awesome beauty of the snow-capped peaks change the way you think about ‘vacation.’
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make way for cheetahs
Four adorable cheetahs were born on Sir Bani Yas Island, part of Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara, Abu Dhabi. This was a result of a successful breeding program attempting to bring back the population of cheetahs, extinct in the United Arab Emirates and vulnerable worldwide. The proud parents of the cubs were raised in captivity, but were trained to hunt and be self-sufficient before being released into the Arabian Wildlife Park and are now able hunt and fend for themselves without human interference. Their cubs will be raised completely in the wild. Safira, the cubs’ mother, is keeping a careful watch over her progeny and hasn’t moved them from their birthplace in a small cave in the mountains. Once the cubs start venturing beyond the cave, visitors to the island will be able to see them roaming the 10,131-acre park. Guests can also take guided tours through the park and learn about the Arabian free-roaming animal inhabitants. The Arabian Wildlife Park is the only one of its kind in the region and has successfully reintroduced hyenas and the Arabian Oryx. The Oryx was the flagship specie on Sir Bani Yas and was introduced in 1971 and declared extinct in the wild by 1972. Now, there are around 400 Arabian Oryx on the island roaming freely in the park.
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audemars piguet charges to victory, again!
After 12 teams with players from over 15 countries journeyed to Thailand to compete in the annual King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament, the games culminated with a match that pitted team King Power against reigning champion Audemars Piguet. It was a close game until the latter came out strong in the second half, beating King Power 10 to 6. Since its start in 2001, the tournament has raised $300,000 for the protection and conservation of Thai Asian elephants, and this year 1.8 million Baht (over $55,000) was collected for the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre and the National Elephant Institute, the event’s sponsors.
Jealous you missed out on the fun? At Anantara Golden Triangle you partake in Elephant Camp and go trekking on elephant drives through the forest, and even help bathe elephants in the river. Polo mallets not included.
Click here to see highlights from the event.
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elephants on parade
2010 King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament Parade, Chiang Saen, Thailand
A great parade kicked off the 9th King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament in Thai style this morning, trumpeting through the historical town of Chiang Saen in the Golden Triangle region of northern Thailand. Colorfully decorated elephants, Parong hill tribe people in traditional costumes, marching bands, dancers, and beauty queens in ancient Thai garments paraded past cheering crowds to celebrate the spirit of friendly competition. Following the parade, two exhibition matches were held back at the resort as a teaser of what’s to come tomorrow when international teams head to the polo pitch for the opening of the heralded King’s Cup.
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