winter getaways
Want a winter holiday, but can’t decide where? element’s trained monkeys selected five random destinations from the editor’s shapka to give you some ideas.
TEXT OLI REDMAN feedback
goa Laid-back Goa, with its ludicrously picture-perfect beaches and easy-going culture, provides an oasis amid the neverending crowds, stress and dysentery that constitute the rest of India. The historical Portuguese influence combined with the naturally relaxing surroundings give the people of India’s smallest state such a mellow disposition that they barely need to touch all the drugs that are floating around. The beaches are, of course, the biggest draw of the place, but finding a quiet one can be a challenge if you stick to the guidebook-approved destinations: ageing hippies swarm all over them like an infestation of tanned zombies. It’s not that hard, however, to escape the crowds: just rent a scooter, which are available everywhere, and go exploring. Knowing how to ride is highly recommended for the sake of the skin on your knees, although the people who rent them out won’t give a toss either way. There are plenty of relatively quiet beaches around, as well as stunning mountains and tropical forests further inland. You can fly direct to Mumbai with Aeroflot for 27,700 rubles return, then you’ll need to take a 14-hour train down to Margao, which is the transport hub of the state. Don’t forget the visas, which are more or less a formality but need to be done in advance. Disease-ridden Russian citizens require an HIV certificate. kazakhstan Organizing a skiing holiday anywhere in Europe generally means days spent plowing through a mound of information about different resorts, accommodation options, package deals and so forth. Save yourself the headaches by taking a ski holiday in Kazakhstan, where there’s only one resort of note and almost no information to be found about it. What information there is about Chimbulak, however, is almost overwhelmingly positive. The resort is a mere 25 kilometers from Almaty, making it surprisingly accessible, and reading about the amazing snow conditions and lack of crowds is making me increasingly moist with desire as I research it. Although there are relatively few marked pistes, the clear slopes allow intermediate and expert skiers and boarders to make their own tracks through the sweet, sweet powder — Chimbulak receives 900 centimeters a year on average, making it an especially attractive proposition considering that many European resorts have been struggling with snow conditions recently. The accommodation and restaurant facilities are limited, but adequate by all accounts. Fly to Almaty with Transaero for around $400 return, depending on dates. Visas are available at the border, without prior arrangement. kazan A visit to Kazan, with its minaret-strewn skyline and multi-ethnic flavor, produces a disquieting feeling of incongruity, rather like when produkty staff are polite and friendly to you. As the capital of the semi-autonomous and fiercely nationalistic republic of Tatarstan, Kazan feels just a little bit less like a Russian city than most. With a disorientating knock on the head and a lot of squinting you could almost believe you were in Central Asia. The star attraction of the town is the Kremlin, which was recently made a Unesco World Heritage site, although a stroll through the streets of the old town, with its miniature mosques and ramshackle old wooden houses, is one of the best ways soak up the atmosphere of the city. The market is also worth having a browse through, as the Tatar influence means that amid the regular heaps of cucumbers and spring onion you might find such delicacies as pigs’ heads or sheep entrails. While there’s little to actually do other than wander around, it’s certainly a good place for a weekend break. S7 has some special offers at the moment: a return flight can be yours for as little as 1,000 rubles if you book sufficiently far in advance. lisbon Some people travel to impoverished parts of the world to remind themselves of how privileged they are. Conversely, a trip to Lisbon will remind you that not all cities are bleak, depressing and homogeneous, and will allow you to return to Moscow topped up with cynicism and ready to face a long winter of despair and alcoholism. Set on the coast, you could at a pinch make a beach holiday of it, although that isn’t really the city’s main draw in December. Instead, meander through the hilly streets, admiring the medley of architectural styles which somehow manages to be both diverse and pleasingly cohesive. Bask in the relative warmth of the December sunshine in one of the many street cafes, or go listen to a little Fado, a unique local musical style which blends Arabic and African influences in mournful songs about poverty and the sea. Round off your day with a trip to the riverside Docas region, where most of the city’s best restaurants and most lively nightlife options are to be found. A return flight with Lufthansa, via Munich, will set you back 13,800 rubles if you book a few weeks in advance. armenia If we are to believe my taxi driver of yesterday afternoon, Armenia is by far the best country in the Caucasus region: friendlier and more hospitable than Russia, and indubitably superior to despicable Azerbaijan. There is certainly a surprising amount of history packed into Armenia’s landlocked borders. Capital city Yerevan is one of the oldest cities in the world, although it was given the standard Soviet concrete makeover in the 1930s, and few of the original buildings remain. Fortunately, outside the city, much of Armenia’s heritage has managed to survive. There are ancient monasteries and churches galore tucked away in the country’s many mountainous nooks, such as the Geghard Monastery, 35 kilometers from Yerevan, where the monks are so old-school that they occasionally sacrifice sheep at an altar. Apart from a wealth of historical and cultural attractions, Armenia’s Caucasian setting will set outdoorsy types salivating. Lake Sevan, just 70 kilometers from Yerevan, is the largest lake in the Caucasus and is great for camping, hiking or fishing, although it has suffered from poor ecological management in recent years. There is, however, no shortage of remote and untouched mountainous territory in the north of the country to satisfy off-the-beaten-track types. Visas are required for pretty much everyone, although these can be got without an invitation. Get there with Aeroflot for 12,000 rubles return. |
