5 charming businesses to visit in Edge Hill, Cairns

Tucked up against the rainforests of Mount Whitfield Conservation Park, Edge Hill moves at a slower pace than the rest of Cairns. Locals love the neighbourhood for its wide, tree-lined streets and village vibe. Visitors, too, will be charmed by the mix of cuisines, speciality coffee and socially conscious businesses.

The quirky decor of Ten One Twenty Café

1. Ten One Twenty Café

This rustic-chic café serves locally grown dishes such as Dead Ringer, featuring eggs from the Atherton Tablelands served on sourdough and jazzed up with chillies from their own garden. Another favourite is Pink Bitz – a take on avocado toast with pink citrus ricotta and beetroot dust. Don’t miss the Bloody Mary, made with house-made fermented hot sauce.

Attendees at a yoga session

2. Wild Heart Yoga

Offering over 45 weekly classes for all abilities, co-owner Jay Horton says the studio’s main goal is to “promote a more positive and impactful life”. Profits go into wildlife conservation, including animals affected in the recent bush fires. Wild Heart also sells yoga pants made from recycled plastic.

An exhibit at Tanks Arts Centre

3. Tanks Arts Centre

Camouflaged in the rainforest, giant cylindrical concrete tanks, used to store fuel during World War II, have been transformed into art spaces. Find exhibitions by local artists, world and Australian live music and events like the African Festival and Children’s Festival. The centre is next to the Cairns Botanic Gardens and Mount Whitfield walking trails.

Entrance to the resort

4. The Lakes Resort

Beyond the bustle of the Cairns Esplanade, nearly five hectares of lush tropical gardens surround one, two and three-bedroom apartments for short- or long-term rental. Rooms offer an understated beach vibe, with most overlooking one of the resort’s many naturally landscaped pools.

A unique wall mural

5. Ozmosis

It was Lauren Vico’s mission to put creativity back into vegan fare when she took over this open-air café. Tuck into a nourishing bowl bursting with superfoods or try the Korean burger with barbecue pulled jackfruit and kimchi on an activated charcoal bun. From Wednesday to Sunday, enjoy authentic Italian dinners with porcini mushroom and truffle tagliatelle — a signature item.

SilkAir flies daily between Singapore and Cairns. To book a flight, visit singaporeair.com

SEE ALSO: Journey to the North: A scenic road trip from Cairns

This article was originally published in the March 2020 issue of Silkwinds magazine

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6 fantastic travel podcasts to whisk you away

Travel might be off the cards for the moment, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t invest some time in learning about new places, dreaming about future trips or even planning those bucket list adventures. With that in mind, Lonely Planet has rounded up some of the most informative and inspiring podcasts on all things travel that will be sure to help.

Listening to a podcast can be great entertaining or educational distraction while at home. Here are some of the best travel-themed ones we’ve found.

The Trip That Changed Me

Featuring conversations and interviews with people whose lives were quite literally changed by travel, The Trip That Changed Me covers everything from the beginnings of long-term romances to the foundation of businesses, and includes authors, entrepreneurs, creatives and activists.

The Travel Diaries

This weekly interview series sees entertainment and travel journalist Holly Rubenstein chatting to a special guest about their adventures around the world and the travel experiences and destinations that shaped their lives. Previous guests have included Poppy Delevingne, Jo Malone, Dan Snow, Dev Patel and Sir Richard Branson.

The perfect place to start is the most recent episode featuring an interview with Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler about how the company got started back in the 1970s.

Zero to Travel

While traveling and living nomadically for over a decade, Zero to Travel’s Jason Moore was continually amazed and inspired by people from all walks of life who found a way to see the world despite personal obstacles. He felt that sharing their stories and advice would be a good way to help others achieve their travel dreams, so in 2013 his podcast was born.

Episodes range from “How to Surround Yourself With What You Love” to “How to Overcome Travel Anxiety and Fear of Flying”.

JUMP with Traveling Jackie

Host Traveling Jackie explores lifestyle, adventure and travel in a way that aims to inspire listeners to get out and explore the world.

The episode Don’t forget to pack these five things is broken up into five categories (so 25 items in total) and has suggestions for adventure travellers (batting gloves for horseback riding, kayaking and paddle boarding, for instance), digital nomads (privacy screen and a portable charger), health-conscious people on the move (nutritional supplements) and the every-day traveller (reusable water bottles and earplugs).

As a frequent traveller, Jackie draws on her own experiences and knowledge to inform in a conversational way. Other episode themes include “How to Become Fluent in Any Language with Polyglot Benny Lewis”, “Walking the Camino de Santiago” and “How to Plan a Trip to Patagonia”.

Flight of Fancy

Hosted by Ben Groundwater, this podcast prides itself on being fun, funny and wise, and looks at and discusses travel under a diverse range of topics. Episodes include “Things That Surprise First-Time Visitors to Antarctica”, “How to Travel Without Ruining the Planet”, “Australia’s Amazing, Undisturbed, Outback” and “The Best Destinations for Solo Travellers”.

The Thought Card: A Travel Finance Podcast

A podcast with the budget traveller in mind, The Thought Card offers helpful advice on how to have a great time while spending less money in diverse destinations all over the world.

Each episode, Danielle Desir tackles a different topic, whether it’s giving “Practical Tips for Saving Money in Iceland” or “Exploring the Racial Wealth Gap”. Guests provide further insight on specialist subjects and destinations.

This article was first published on www.lonelyplanet.com.

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6 conservation projects in Africa that protect wildlife

A male lion resting in the tall grass. Photo credit: Susan McConnell

1. The Lionscape Coalition

A collaboration between the Lion Recovery Fund and five luxury eco-tourism operators, the Lionscape Coalition raises money to help protect and preserve areas across Africa where lions (a vulnerable species) are under threat due to human impact. 

2. Desert Elephant Conservation

The project, run by non-profit organisation Frontier, aims to minimise conflict and encourage co-existence between animals and humans. With the desert elephant’s population on the rise, there has been fierce competition for water sources in the area. To overcome this issue, volunteers are asked to help identify and secure new water bodies for the elephants, and track their movements across the desert to learn about their behaviour.

The Waterburg Wild Dogs are able to wander freely to encourage co-existence between their species and humans

3. Waterberg Wild Dogs

A conservation project run by the Endangered Wildlife Trust, Waterberg Wild Dogs aims to protect the remaining free-roaming African wild dogs outside protected areas by negotiating their safe passage with local landowners – a privilege no other pack in South Africa enjoys.

4. The Balule Conservation Project

This volunteer-funded project gives participants the chance to assist with wildlife research, including collecting data on wildlife and vegetation while focusing primarily on elephants and predators, at the Balule Game Reserve within the Greater Kruger National Park.

Lion cubs playing amongst themselves. Photo credit: Jeremy Goss

5. Predator Conservation Fund

This project works to protect lions as well as other persecuted species such as hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, wild dogs and jackals on the Maasai lands of Kenya. These predators are under constant threat from livestock owners, who see them as a danger, and are often killed in retaliation for livestock losses. With this fund, ranchers receive compensation for the livestock they’ve lost. As a result, retaliatory lion killing has drastically dropped. 

6. Seabird Rehabilitation

From oil spills to abandoned and injured chicks, the seabirds of South Africa are in constant need of protection and rescue. This project aims to rehabilitate and treat seabirds as well as conduct research to help benefit South African marine life. Volunteers will be tasked with the handling and feeding of the birds.
Singapore Airlines flies directly to Johannesburg 10 times weekly. To book a flight, visit singaporeairlines.com
SEE ALSO: From tigers to gorillas: Where to see animals in the wild
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5 local businesses in Guangzhou to make a pit stop at

Inside 1200 Bookshop. Photo credit: Zhong Zhenbin ImagineChina

1. 1200 Bookshop

Launched by avid biker Liu Erxi, Guangzhou’s only 24-hour bookstore also doubles as a hostel. It’s located in the Tianhe district, and is the perfect spot to unwind after a long day of exploration. In addition to an impressive selection of Chinese-language books, there are drinks and desserts in the café, and even basic lodgings in private rooms for those looking for a unique experience – at night, the sofa beds in the reading room are folded out and are available upon reservation.
27 Tiyu East Road, Tianhe District

Copperware at Bai Yi Xuan Antique Shop. Photo credit: Zhong Zhenbin ImagineChina

2. Bai Yi Xuan Antique Shop

Xiguan copperware pots or teapots are quite possibly the best souvenirs to bring back from Guangzhou. They are also often seen as representative of the old city of Canton and have been officially recognised as a symbol of local cultural heritage. This small, unassuming shop has been run and curated by four generations of craftsmen, each selling skilfully handcrafted wares known for their quality and stunning designs. It offers an outstanding selection of teapots, as well as other copperware kitchen items, such as bowls, cooking pots, water jugs and mugs. You can even find a large copper statue of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong near the store’s entrance.
218 Enning Rd, Liwan District

“Guangzhou is such a vibrant and lively city, with many hidden gems and trendy areas. People should definitely visit with a sense of adventure and curiosity” — Kara Schroeder, founder and CEO of lifestyle website Bunga Monkey

Kui Yuan Gallery is one of the top places to view art in the city. Photo credit: Zhong Zhenbin ImagineChina

3. Kui Yuan Gallery

This art-gallery-slash-café is located in a 1920s building within Guangzhou’s historic Dongshankou. You can view ever-changing exhibitions from both foreign and local names – such as popular young Guangzhou artist Liu Bin – sip on absinthe or enjoy a cup of joe on one of the balconies or at a ground-level patio area. With the closure of the city’s iconic art district Redtory in late 2019, Kui Yuan Gallery is now among the top places to view art in the city. In early February, visitors can check out “The Echo of Clay”, an exhibition of ceramic works by six artists who have all utilised their differing educational backgrounds to explore an impressive array of methods.
9 Xuguyuan Rd, Yuexiu District

Gorgeous mood lighting at the city’s first gin-focused bar. Photo credit: Zhong Zhenbin ImagineChina

4. Evening Standard

Yangji neighbourhood is now home to what is arguably the city’s first gin-focused bar. In addition to an excellent gin selection, there is also a range of outstanding craft cocktails – strongly recommended is the Manor House, which is made with olive-oil-infused gin, Mediterranean cordial, Mancino Secco vermouth, Capri dry tonic and olive brine. The establishment has a chic, elegantly designed interior, with three seating areas – one being upstairs – and a well-curated playlist.

Assortment of dim sum favourites. Photo credit: Zhong Zhenbin ImagineChina

5. Qiuda 6 Zaiji

With a jovial and boisterous atmosphere characteristic of popular dim sum shops, this is one of the best spots in the city to indulge in this famous cuisine. Chef Qiu Weiguo serves up an array of dishes that run the gamut from traditional to experimental. The xiaolongbao (steamed dumpling filled with pork and soup) are exemplary, as are the xiajiao (steamed shrimp and pork dumpling) and the more unusual lamb-filled shaomai (dumpling traditionally made with pork, shrimp and mushrooms). The stellar danmai chashao bao sees the traditional mantou (steamed bun) shell replaced with a crisp, flaky bread similar to a croissant – a quirky Paris-meets-Canton fusion dish that is a must-order. The restaurant’s newest location in Yuexiu district offers diners incredible river views too.
Yangguangcheng, 7/F, Jiangwan Commercial Center, 298 Yanjiang Zhong Lu, Yuexiu District

What’s going on in February

Lantern Festival (8 February)

As the climax of the Chinese New Year festivities, friends and family gather to light lanterns, moongaze and eat sweet rice balls. Visit Yuexiu Park to witness cultural performances and wander among the art installations that are illuminated come nightfall.

The Past of Shawan (6 to 7 March)

Set in 1930s Shawan, a village in Guangzhou’s Panyu district, this show interprets legendary tales through dance routines. It is a vivid artistic introduction to times long past in the region.

Singapore Airlines flies to Guangzhou daily. To book a flight, visit singaporeair.com
SEE ALSO: The best of Guangzhou’s ancient attractions and trendy spots
This article was originally published in the February 2020 issue of SilverKris magazine

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Café With a View

 On a warmer day, we would have been right up front enjoying the view of Saint-Sulpice.

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