Return to Oz

Last week, a few of you wonderful readers asked us for more information about the Australian lockdown situation. 

So for today’s newsflash, we’re rolling up our sleeves to give you a focused report on the likelihood of a return to Oz before Christmas:

What’s the situation right now?

• Australia currently has both foreign and federal travel restrictions in place. In other words, overseas travel is banned (with a few exceptions), but there are also restrictions in place between different states.
• The Australian Government’s plan is to lift restrictions between states when 70% of the adult population is fully vaccinated, and then lift the overseas travel ban once that number hits 80%.
• However, right now there’s a big gap between progress made by the different states, which could complicate matters. Queensland and Western Australia are currently the furthest behind, with about 45% of their population completely vaxxed.

So when can we travel?

• Rather than waiting for the entire country to hit the target, the Australian PM has previously suggested that individual states could allow international travel once their adult vaccination rates reach 80%.
• If that happens, we may see travel opening up early for the states that are predicted to hit that crucial 80% target by November, such as Victoria and New South Wales. 
• Alternatively, if it proves too complicated or risky to open up individual states early, the Australian tourist minister has promised that the entire country should at least be open for travel by Christmas.
• Several Australian airline bosses have predicted that the UK will be the first flight corridor to open up, followed by the US, Singapore, Japan and New Zealand.

Sounds like good news!

• It most definitely does - but there are still a couple of question marks. For example, we know that international travellers will need a vaccine passport to enter Australia (as well as to visit restaurants, bars, events, etc), but states will need to work hard and fast to make sure that technology’s in place by the time November comes around.
• You also won’t be able to grab a Qantas flight just yet. Oz’s biggest airline was planning to reopen international travel in October, but they’ve now pushed back that relaunch to 18 December.

Our pick of the clicks:

• Google has hired a new team to help promote sustainability in travel. Now when you’re searching on Google for places to stay, you should see a special ‘eco-certified’ badge next to hotels that are doing a brilliant job around waste reduction, energy efficiency, and water conservation.
  
• Ireland has just dropped its two-week hotel quarantine rules for travellers (however, you’ll still need to spend those 14 days at home).
• Clearly eager for angry arguments to break out in their Twitter mentions, tourism group Resonance have announced their rankings of the ‘World’s Best Cities’ for 2022. 
• Meanwhile, and perhaps far more entertainingly, Chinese citizens have been voting on the nation’s ugliest buildings.
• SpaceX’s recent 72-hour ‘space tourist’ flight into orbit has returned safely to earth. But before you shell out for your own astronaut suit, here’s an eye-opening CNN report on the bathroom situation.
• As restaurants remain shut in Auckland, the police have arrested two suspected gang members attempting to smuggle a hefty KFC order into the New Zealand city - along with about $70,000 in cash.

The A-Z Of Amazing Cities: Amsterdam

What’s the COVID situation? Mostly sunshine! As of 25th September, Amsterdam has relaxed its coronavirus measures:

• You can now visit bars, restaurants, events, cinemas and theatres, so long as you have a valid ‘CoronaCheck’ pass showing that you’re fully vaccinated or have tested negative in the past 24 hours. You can get it on your phone right here.
• Previous 1.5-metre social distancing rules have now been dropped.
• Masks must still be worn at the airport and on other forms of transportation - but you can take them off on platforms or while in train stations.

Artsy Town or Party Town? Amsterdam has plenty of both, of course, but its wild side is finally beginning to reawaken. While an all-night rave isn’t on the cards until November, discos and nightclubs are now open again, earlier than expected - allowing you to dance your cares away until midnight. (Just pretend you’re Cinderella.)

And if you’d rather avoid the crowds and cramped venues altogether, here’s a couple of our favourite outdoor hotspots:

• SAMA, or the Street Art Museum Amsterdam - offering open-air walking tours of some of the city’s boldest and most breathtaking graffiti art.
• Pllek - occupying an entire beach on the northern edge of the IJ canal, this trendy bar and restaurant offers regular live entertainment as well as morning yoga (the perfect way to work off that hangover).

Who are the local experts? Check out the massive amsterdamfoodie blog, lovingly curated by journalist and cook Vicky Hampton since 2007, which comes closer than anyone else to capturing the astonishing variety of Amsterdam’s 4,000+ eateries. The site is simple to navigate, and it comes with a handy ‘restaurant finder’ to help you satisfy those super-specific cravings.

It's Always A Party Somewhere

Getting your calendar ready for 2022? In this column, we give you the lowdown on all the biggest bashes, celebrations, events and festivals taking place across the world every week.

Mongolian Golden Eagle Festival

This Saturday 2nd October, the Burkitshi - horse-riding Kazakh hunters who tame and command golden eagles - will gather in Mongolia’s Bayan-Ölgii province for the yearly Golden Eagle Festival.

It’s a colourful, good-vibes party, with parades in traditional costumes and displays of riding skill (along with what we imagine is a pretty epic tug-of-war on horseback.)

According to the good folks at Responsible Travel, who also have some helpful information about how the birds are cared for, the Festival is a lot funnier than you might expect. 

As the hunting season takes place during the winter, the eagles won’t have received much training over the summer months - which means they may just ignore their handlers completely and fly about doing their own thing, to the hilarity of local onlookers. (Look, you try saying ‘heel’ to a fourteen-pound bird with a fistful of razor-sharp talons.)

• Where? Bayan-Ölgii, Mongolia.
• When? Two days in the first week of October each year. But if you’re struggling to find time in your calendar, two smaller events typically take place in September.
• How do I get there? This one’s a bit of an adventure, but that bothered you, you wouldn’t be here, would you?  First you’ll need to get to the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar (direct flights are available from major airports such as Berlin, Beijing, Hong Kong, Moscow and Tokyo; from the UK, a connecting flight with Turkish Airlines is your best bet.) From there, it’s a domestic flight to the city of Ölgii itself.

If you’re feeling particularly brave, you can also pay a visit to the province’s Tsambagarav Uul and Altai Tavan Bogd national parks. Expect sweeping, mountainous landscapes, traditional yurt campsites, and if you’re very lucky, the occasional snow leopard sighting.

What else is on?

New Orleans’ annual Jazzfest was due to take place this week, with an epic lineup of classic and contemporary musical legends alike (Stevie Nicks and Elvis Costello, Lizzo, the Foo Fighters, H.E.R., Norah Jones, the Wu-Tang Clan...), but it’s been sadly cancelled due to COVID rates in the US.

The new dates are April 29 - May 8 2022, and with the US opening up, it’s a great time to get your tickets to the Big Easy booked in.

That's Quite The Bar Tab You've Rung Up, Mr Bond

We’re lifelong fans of the James Bond movies here at JFC. Why? Because even when the quality has dipped (sorry, Roger), they’ve remained the absolute peak of traveller’s cinema, showing off epic Japanese volcano lairs, remote Thai islands and snowcapped Russian dams alike.

However, there’s a downside - because wherever Bond goes, overpriced cocktails and irritating tourists posing with finger-guns are sure to follow.

So to mark today’s much-delayed release of No Time To Die, we’ve been scouting around the sets of Daniel Craig’s movies, offering you our thoughts around the coolest locations (and where you might want to head to avoid the tourist traps):

Grandhotel Pupp, Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic

What is it? The Casino Royale in Montenegro, out of, uh, Casino Royale (2006). In reality, a stunning 400-year-old hotel in the Czech Republic.

What happens there? Most of the movie. Bond fights baddies in a stairwell, plays a very long game of poker with Mads Mikkelsen, and (surprisingly, for the very first time) gets a bad case of alcohol poisoning.

Is it a trap? Surprisingly not. The hotel’s sumptuous Bescher’s Bar is one of the best-reviewed places in town, and while the menu does include some gimmicky Bond cocktails, a small Pilsner will set you back about £2.30. Not super-cheap by Czech standards, but not too much pricier than you’d find in an upmarket Prague bar.

Anywhere nearby I should visit? Karlovy Vary is a spa town, so definitely grab a towel and fight it out for a space at one of the many hot springs. But we’d probably stop off at the Jan Becher Museum, where you can sip a glass of Becherovka, the nation’s beloved (and very strong) liqueur.

Hashima Island, Japan

What is it? The Macau-based lair of Javier Bardem’s blonde-bleached baddie in Skyfall (2012).

In reality, Hashima is an abandoned coal-mining facility 15km off the coast of Nagasaki, and its eerie atmosphere and desolate concrete ruins (I mean, just look at it) have made it an unexpectedly popular tourist destination.

What happens there in the movie? A very scary game of William Tell.

Is it a trap? Depends. You can’t visit Hashima on your own, so you’ll need to book with one of the five approved tour operators. Definitely check out the reviews ahead of time to make sure you’re getting value for money (and be aware that rough seas may lead to unexpected cancellations).

Anywhere nearby I should visit? The city of Nagasaki itself is a must-see, but you can also take a two-hour ferry across to the volcanic Goto Islands, famed for their craggy beauty and ridiculously quaint fishing villages.

Ice Q, Sölden, Austria

What is it? A very picturesque Alpine health clinic where Bond’s love interest Madeleine Swann is hiding out in Spectre (2015).

The real-life location, however, is the aptly-named Ice Q, a swanky mountaintop restaurant in the five-star Das Central hotel.

What happens there? Bond complains about smoothies. Then he chases a car down a mountain while driving a plane.

Is it a trap? The resort is definitely making the most of its Hollywood connections, put it that way. After sipping on a £12 martini at Ice Q, you can spend an eye-watering 22 Euros per adult to wander around the nearby 007 Exhibits installation. 

In general, Sölden is one of the pricier Austrian ski destinations, with a daily adult pass on the slopes coming out at about 60 Euros during the high season.

Anywhere nearby I should visit? Our advice - rent a car during the cheaper off-season and drive up to the spectacular Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road, which finishes up across the border in Italy. 

The views are epic, of course, but the real draw comes from the vast, futuristic sculptures that pock the landscape like abandoned Daft Punk helmets.

The Internet has united in a collective crush on one muscular Australian man, and his heartwarming ability to firmly but gently rescue terrified sheep from barbed-wire fences.

Thanks for reading!