LAUREL BLEADON MAFFEI SAYS...

“We were meant to explore this earth like children do, unhindered by fear, propelled by curiosity and a sense of discovery. Allow yourself to see the world through new eyes and know there are amazing adventures here for you.”

III | September 17, 2020

THE EDITOR'S NOTE

Greetings, fellow sojourners!

We're 3 editions in with Portmanteau, and we couldn't be happier. The response to the previous editions has been amazing, and we're overjoyed. Spreading awareness about the world at large is one of our core tenets, and so it shall be in this latest edition.

We talk about how light pollution affects not just the night sky but all of us living beings. We also write about one of the greatest animal migrations that occur every year, and share a recipe for
some crunchy, crispy pretzels, brought to you by
Niamh Larkin, the Executive Pastry Chef at 45 Park Lane,
Dorchester Collection!

As always, our Travel Record and Reel are ever present, with some choice selections of movies this time. And our Thinking Owl has had a rather sentient thought this time! We hope you enjoy this edition of Portmanteau as you did the last. As always, we welcome stories from you, our patron.

Sharing the mutual love for travel!
Ashish

WHAT YOU MISSED

One of the greatest wildlife spectacles in the world, Africa's annual migrations of wildebeest, zebras and other mammals.

LET'S GET

Travel Nostalgia

INSPIRATION

The land of a 1000 statues, land of the Rapa Nui, and many more intricacies.

THOUGHTS

A few passing thoughts from our resident nightlord.

FOOD

Learn about Pretzels, the ever present bar snack in Europe, and then make a fresh batch of these treats for yourself!

PUZZLED?

Puzzles to get your neurons firing.

01 Stories That Matter

A deep dive into a story that's arcane, thoughtful, and sometimes humorous!

Let there be no lights

and there were stars!

For millennia, the night skies have held the answers to some of the biggest questions that man has conceived about our origin and place in the universe. Stargazing has paved the way for substantial discoveries in astrophysics.

The ancient Greeks were able to deduce that there were other celestial bodies like ours. Charles Messier was able to catalogue his list of dark sky objects with nothing more than a simple telescope.

All these discoveries have one thing in common. They were done during a time when dark skies were far more common than they are today. The onslaught of urbanization across the world means that today, dark skies and with them, the art of stargazing are dying a slow death.

Light pollution is a form of pollution that people seldom talk about; when compared to the more drastic forms of pollution our world has to endure. Simply put, the skies are light polluted when the glare of city lights and street lights drifts upwards to the atmosphere and blocks out starlight from reaching us.

According to the International Dark-Sky Association and surveys done by NASA, 83% of the world’s population lives under a light-polluted sky able to see only a few stars. The impacts are not just harmful to astronomers, they are also of grave concern to humans and wildlife. Our sleep cycles are severely affected thanks to light pollution, and animals and birds that use the night sky and the moon to navigate find themselves confused and stressed by blinding floodlights and street lights, sometimes leading to unfortunate, fatal outcomes.

Picture Credits: Starry Night by The Legedary Van Gogh

There are efforts being made on a local and national level in some parts of the world. The United States, in particular, has a number of areas that are recognized as dark sites and given protection, and some cities like Los Angeles are trying innovative techniques in their districts like redirecting lights to the ground where they’re needed, instead of to the sky where they aren’t.

Some of the most famous dark skies in the world that are accessible to the public are Death Valley National Park in the United States, Spain’s El Tiede, or Ladakh in India. Light pollution maps available on the internet as well, so you can look for places to stargaze from based on the overlays.

In the long term, we must all collectively realize what we’re missing out on when the cities light up for another night. Although cities are almost foregone, we must strive to conserve the dark sites on earth so that we look up at the stars each night, things would be a whole lot different as prescribed by Calvin in our previous edition of Portmanteau. Let’s try and give ourselves that chance.

02 What You Missed When Grounded?

One of the greatest wildlife spectacles in the world!

Africa's annual migrations
of wildebeest, zebras and other mammals.

(Painting Courtesy: Albert Lizah)

The wildebeest migration is one of the greatest sights on earth. Every year hundreds of thousands of Wildebeest trample on Mara Serengeti planes moving to greener pastures and back. This year however has been one of the best for these migrating grazers and their predators too.

With global lockdown on travel, although tourism suffered, the animals themselves seem to have significantly benefited.

Safaris cancelled, the parks are free of jeep and trucks plying about with people to catch a glimpse of these natural wonders of Wildebeest, Zebra and Thomsons Gazelles migrations with the big cats in close pursuit. Herd sizes north of 20,000 Wildebeest have become familiar sights in the planes of Masai Mara and Serengeti. The famed Mara river crossing now lasts for six hours at a time with such large herd size.

The African Elephant herds

too have started to grow in size with no safari vehicles cutting their paths, breaking the herd into smaller units. Some never before seen dynamics among these animals is on display.

Where there is prey, there is the predator. Cheetah sightings have quadrupled too. With changing rain patterns and delayed migrations, the cheetah families have moved into habitats they had abandoned years ago. The Five Brothers and Tano Bora have taken to the Paradise Plains, Mara Triangle and Musiara Plains with fresh kills every day making for exciting spectacles. Even the elusive Leopards have become ubiquitous too.

Fortunately, Kenya and Tanzania have not been affected by the global pandemic and remains a safe and exciting place to escape from everyday life and grind.

Some unique camps and wilderness retreats add to the primal experience of the African jungles. Niche and luxurious private camps such as Olonana, Mahali Mzuri, Mara Plains, Richard's Camp among others are offering the best in private and safe stay along with safaris tailor-made for the most intense indulgence on the Masai Mara.

03 Let's Get Comical

How we miss the days when travel problems used to be limited to carrying too much luggage or overbuying souvenirs!

Judging by his suitcases, he wants to do some travelling. I miss the days when all he wanted was to go on a walk.

Since we're going on vacation, I thought we could turn our trip into a reality show. So, don't embarrass me!

Our vacation was only supposed to last a week. However, we have been gone six months. May be we should get back!

I see you elected to go with one big suitcase instead of going with a bunch of smaller ones.

04 The Reel

If everyone’s getting bored of watching repeats of shows on Netflix, we have you covered. This edition of The Reel has something for all family members to enjoy. A beautiful science fiction movie that revolves around love and understanding, a delightful stop motion comedy-horror flick for the young ones, and a drama that involves backstabbing, the black power movement and Vietnam.

From Spike Jonze, the mastermind behind a number of short films and ads all over the place, comes a film with heart and soul and artificial intelligence. “Her” may not be what constitutes as a true science fiction movie to some people, but in our opinion, it’s one of the best sci-fi movies ever released, especially considering the main plot point of the movie is not actually science, but love. Our protagonist, Theodore (played by the revolutionary Joaquin Phoenix) falls in love with a somewhat sentient computer operating system, Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). As outlandish as it may seem, the 2 experience what can only be described as true love, and the rest of the movie shows their journey together. With an ending that can only be described as perfectly bittersweet, Her is an absolutely beautiful film that cannot be missed.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

Based on the Neil Gaiman novel, Coraline is an animated movie that makes use of stop motion, and it does so beautifully. Stop motion is not an easy method to animate things with, but this is Coraline’s main merit. The story, too, with its charming wisps of humor and drama blended with an element of horror and mystery, leaves you guessing until the end as to the film’s direction. It talks about Coraline, a young girl who is bored of her current dull life with her dull family in a dull suburban home. Until one night, she finds a door to a new place, with a new mother (her other mother) and a much more comical father. This is where something seems like it’s not right, and the rest of Coraline is a treat that must be experienced first hand.

WATCH ON PRIME

From Spike Lee, the director behind a number of films such as Malcom X, BlackKKklansman and others, comes another movie exploring racial stereotypes that are then challenged in a very unique way. Da 5 Bloods tells us the story of 4 black war veterans from Vietnam, who go back to the country they once fought against, in search of hidden treasure. The trip is also special to them as a tribute to their best friend and platoon leader, Norman, who passed away in Vietnam while in battle. The tale gets ugly from here on, as old rivalries, a case of PTSD and Vietnamese contempt for Americans emerges, even as the Bloods deal with racism themselves in America. Da 5 Bloods is a gritty dramatical flick that makes for a good one time watch. Do be warned, it gets gory in some scenes.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

05 Improbable Places

The land of a 1000 statues, land of the Rapa Nui, and many more intricacies.

Easter Island
aka Rapa Nui

Polynesia throws up images of an azure ocean with white sandy beaches, small, beautiful islands in the middle of nowhere, volcanic and coral atolls, hundreds of them, with lively people and culture. Polynesia is not a country, it is a collection of many countries and islands that fall within a triangle called the Polynesian Triangle. Hawaii on one vertex, New Zealand on the other, Easter Island or Rapa Nui on the Southernmost tip

Unlike the other two corners, Rapa Nui of Easter Island is the least explored by travellers.
With 887 giant heads popping up out of nowhere all over the islands, looking in different directions, the Moai monolithic sculptures are the most ubiquitous and signature elements on Easter Islands.

The legends, lore and theories behind these are as many as the orientation of the heads, some looking skyward, others inland. Legend has it that Moai are clan ancestors crystallised to protect the clans. Whatever be the reason for their existence they are a fascinating artefact of Rapa Nui, one that will keep you mesmerised for the entirety of your travel and beyond.

Easter Island is located 3500 km off the coast of Chile in the Pacific Ocean, yet the connectivity is great with many flights from Santiago. To get a stamp on the passport, head to the Post office and demand a charming little Easter Island stamp! Kicking-off, the must-do thing on Easter Island is to watch the sunrise and sunsets. We recommend trekking to Tongariki and witness the golden hues behind the black silhouettes of 15 Moai statues on Ahu, a ceremonial platform. The Moais are everywhere on Easter Island, an experience, free of them is a near impossibility.

Best way to make the most of Easter Island is to bike around the island. Being a tiny place the entire island can be lapped in a day with visits to many places of interest including Rano Raraku, a national park with the highest density of Moai monoliths. End the biking trip at Anakena Beach, one of the world’s most beautiful beaches and swim in the cold waters of the ocean. You could even go scuba diving to explore the underwater Moais!

As impressive as the Moais are the petroglyphs, history, literally carved into the stones giving a glimpse of the lives of Rapa Nuis. Although the traditions and culture of this ancient civilization is now relegated to these stones structures and carvings, some of it still exists amidst the people. Vaitemiki in Hanga Roa showcases traditional Rapa Nui dance forms and the locals still have influences of the ancient tongue.

Most importantly an ancient Olympic-like competition, a time-honoured tradition, is still celebrated. The birdman competition of Orongo village. All the villages would gather at the cliff village of Orongo once a year, as the birds start laying eggs. The game is to swim, climb, fetch the first egg of the season and come back to Orongo village. The village that won would have dominion over the island for the entire year.

Rapa Nui Moai stamp on your passport is one thing you will cherish forever, having experienced an almost improbable place with impossible feats.

06 The Thinking Owl

Being able to tolerate the sound of your own voice
in a video is probably the highest
form of self acceptance.

07 Food for Thought

Learn about Pretzels, the ever present bar snack in Europe, and then make a fresh batch of these treats for yourself!

The Pretzel

By Niamh Larkin, the Executive Pastry Chef at 45 Park Lane, Dorchester Collection

One of our valued partners, shares her recipe for this timeless classic with us. You can catch the entire thing on video too on Instagram.

For the connoisseurs of beer, the go-to eats along with beer in the Bavarian land is the simple, soft, salted Pretzel. The history of pretzel is as varied as their shape and sizes. With records dating back to more than 1500 years, the Pretzel is one of the oldest bread in circulation undergoing hardly any change. From pretiola or little rewards for students learning their prayers to the three-part noose to please the Celtic goddess Sirona.

The German bakers are so proud of this simple invention that many ancient bakehouses have pretzels fashioned into their emblems. Even today in the old Brauhaus which serve divine beer, bawdy and bodacious German maidens go around from table to table selling pretzels to soak up the gargantuan jugs of excellent beer you chug down.

Let’s get baking quick!

the recipe...

The Ingredients

Yeast 5g
Warm Water 210g
Brown Sugar 70g
Buttermilk 120g
Oil 15g
Strong Flour 540g
Salt 15g

For the Poaching liquid

Brown Sugar 220g
Baking Soda 220g
Guinness 1 bottle
Water 4 litres

Directions

Take a large bowl, add the yeast and mix it with warm water. Stir it well. Next, add the oil and the buttermilk. The sugar, flour and salt are added
Mixed slowly for a minute and at a higher speed for 8 minutes. A soft yet firm consistency dough is the goal.
Gently knead the dough in by hand to smoothen it further. Put it into a lightly greased surface. Add some oil on top so that the dough does not dry out. Leave the dough to rest for 4-5 hours until it rises.
Take the well-rested dough and cut the dough into 60g pieces, ready to roll. The whole beauty of the pretzel is in the rolling and we suggest you better watch the video to get a hang of it rather than read about it. After rolling into pretty pretzel shapes, leave the dough to rest for a couple of hours before poaching.
Take 4 litres of water, add the Guinness, sugar and baking soda. Poach the rolls in the poaching liquid for about 20 seconds. Drain the rolls and put them on a tray. Spray with oil and sprinkle sea salt.
Bake the pretzel in the oven at 190C for 15 minutes. Prost! Your pretzel is ready, now go grab that chilled beer and reward yourself on a job well done.

08 The Travel Record

This playlist of 10 hit songs consisting entirely of women singers and women bands. Go female power!

Curated by Brooke Hall, Director of Sales & Marketing for Capella Ubud, Bali