What businesses are doing to cut their travel costs - Financial Times ...

6 FINANCIALTIMESMONDAYNOVEMBER 10 2008
Global Traveller
Ancient cities
still tantalise
modern guests
BUSINESSHUBS
FT writers offer
their tips on three
key destinations
Lima
How to get there
Most visitors arrive at Lima’s
sparkling Jorge Chavez terminal
in Callao, which in
good traffic is a 40-minute
drive from the seaside district
of Miraflores (more than
an hour at peak times). Travellers
from Europe will have
to connect in the US, where
LAN and American Airlines
have direct flights. It’s not
advisable to take taxis from
touts, but taxi remisse services
within the terminal are
good, though expensive. If
you can ring ahead, local
companies such as Taxi Full
Service (+511 0125711311) and
Taxi Seguro (+511 415 2525)
are reliable. A hint for travellers
returning home: get to
your departure gate as soon
as possible after checking in.
You will need to queue three
times – once to pay a departure
tax, a second time for
security checks, and a third
for immigration.
Where to stay
While Lima’s colonial centre
has some lovely squares and
grand façades, many choose
to base themselves by the
ocean in Miraflores or San
Isidro. Miraflores Park Hotel
and the Marriott offer fivestar
service and rooftop
pools, as well as unbroken
views of the Pacific and of
the colourful flocks of parasailors.
In San Isidro, Swissotel
Lima and Sonesta Posada
del Inca El Olivar are conveniently
located.
Where to eat
This is the key question in
Lima, a city rightly proud of
its cuisine – a melange of
Peruvian, Spanish, African,
Chinese, Japanese and Moorish
influences. If you learn
only one Spanish phrase during
your visit, make it “Que
rico!” or “How delicious!”
The city has thousands of
hole-in-the-wall eateries
where it is possible to get a
menu of the day for 10 new
sol ($3.30) or less, which will
normally include a glass of
chicha morada (sweet juice of
purple maize), ceviche (fish
marinated in lime juice and
spices with a garnish of
sweet potato, corn and sliced
Spanish onions), a main dish
such as aji de gallina (a type
of chicken stew with yellow
pepper) or arroz con pato
(roast duck in a coriander
sauce with rice) and a pudding.
For the best criollo
cooking, head to El Rincón
que no Conoces, where Ter-
ExplorethecatacombsofLima’sSanFranciscoChurch Alamy
esa Izquierdo has been presiding
over the kitchen for 31
years. To hang with Lima’s
smart set, book a lunchtime
table (many of the best seafood
restaurants are not open
for dinner) at La Mar, the
excellent cevicheria founded
by celebrity chef Gastón Acurio,
or the nearby Pescados
Capitales. Its dishes are
named after various deadly
sins, including – aptly – gluttony,
and if you pay close
attention to the menu of the
day you may find evidence of
the latest political scandal –
a recent menu featured “Los
Aceitados” (the bribes) and
“Yehude”, a tribute to the
newly sworn-in prime minister,
Yehude Simon, after a
hasty cabinet reshuffle.
For top Peruvian modern
“fusion” food, try Astrid y
Gastón or relative newcomer
Hervé – a chic bistro that
blends French technique
with local ingredients. For a
passionfruit pisco sour or a
meal with a view, try La
Rosa Nautica, which sits on
a lovely wooden pier over the
Pacific amid the breaking
waves, or Huaca Pucllana, at
the base of a centuries-old
pyramid in the heart of Miraflores.
What to do
Lima was the Spanish centre
of the Americas from 1535 to
the early 19th century. It was
levelled by an earthquake in
1746, but nine years later, the
cathedral that now stands in
the World Heritage listed
Plaza de Armas in central
Lima rose from the rubble –
a reconstruction of the original.
Combine a visit to the
cathedral to see the chapel
said to house the remains of
the explorer Francisco Pizarro
with a trip to the nearby
San Francisco Church for a
guided tour of catacombs
where thousands of skeletal
remains are laid out.
The legacy of the Inca and
Moche civilisations can be
felt everywhere in Peru, but
the presence of the Huaca
Pucllana pyramid amid the
suburban homes of Miraflores
is especially arresting.
If you have a day to spare,
you might also consider a
trip to Pachacmac, a vast
ancient ceremonial complex
south of Lima, or Caral, a
valley of pyramids linked to
a pre-Incan society from 5,000
years ago (a three-and-a-halfhour
drive from Lima each
way).
Back in Miraflores, take a
Reservedaseat?CommutertrainsarriveatChurchgatestationinMumbaiduringrush­hour
walk along the cliff-tops to
the Love Park. If you’re not
scared of heights, strap yourself
in with a parapente
instructor at the park next
door and fly along the
clifftops in either direction.
On the beach below, you can
rent boards and wetsuits and
take a surfing lesson for 50
new sols.
The markets in Petit
Thoars, Miraflores, offer
goods from all over the country
– alpaca scarves and ponchos,
textiles, ceramics and
paintings.
A smaller night market in
Parque Central de Miraflores
offers a similar selection,
with the added benefit of
being close to good cafes and
regular free evening concerts
of Afro-Peruvian and other
local music.
Naomi Mapstone
Mumbai
How to get there
Mumbai may be India’s
financial capital but Chhatrapati
Shivaji International
Airport (CSIA) will not
impress you: it’s dirty, congested,
and still under construction.
CSIA is in north Mumbai,
about 35km from the south,
where most business meetings
and conferences are
held. Travelling by taxi can
be extremely challenging, as
roads are constantly jammed
and full of potholes – a sign
of the cities dire infrastructural
conditions. A trip from
CSIA to the south can take
anywhere between 45 minutes
and 3 hours. To avoid
the onslaught of taxi drivers
offering their services, organise
someone to pick you up
at the airport. All big fivestar
hotels can arrange for a
driver with an air-conditioned
car, which is a must
for any business traveller.
Although local cab drivers
are very friendly and they
tend to stick to the meter,
the black and yellow 1950s
Fiat cabs tend to flood the
senses with pollution, stifling
heat and pungent smells.
Where to stay
You can find a good selection
of luxury hotels close to the
financial district in Nariman
point, south Mumbai. A
favourite is the charming
100-year-old Taj Mahal,
which overlooks the harbour
and the Gateway of India –
one of the city’s most popular
tourist sites. If it is fully
booked, try the Oberoi or the
Intercontinental on Marine
Drive, where you will find
breathtaking views of the
Arabian Sea.
In the north, around Bandra
Kurla, which is Mumbai’s
version of London’s
Canary Wharf, you can stay
in the characteristic ITC
Grand Maratha Sheraton, or
there is the more standard-
Hayatt and the Marriott fivestar
hotels. However, if you
are staying here, do not
expect to go for a walk after
dinner – you will be surrounded
by construction
sites and stray dogs.
If you plan to stay for long
periods you can opt for a
serviced apartment at the
Taj Mews Luxury Residence
in south Mumbai, next door
to the Anil Ambani, the
world’s sixth richest man,
according to Forbes.
Where to eat
Mumbai offers the best selection
of international food in
India. Top of the list is
Indigo, in Colaba, behind the
Taj Mahal hotel, which
serves a great Italian champagne
risotto and seafood
spaghetti. If you are in town
over the weekend, try the
Sunday brunch, which offers
a mixture of continental
starters, one main course, a
selection of desserts and a
“drink as much as you can”
offer, which includes local
champagne (or sparkling
wine) Sulla and cocktails, all
for Rs2000 (about $40).
For seafood go to Trishna
in Kala Ghoda, in the Fort
area of South Mumbai. The
fish is fresh and when it
comes to lobster you can
pick what you eat. Avoid fish
during the monsoon season
(mid-June to the end of September),
as fishing boats
remain docked in the har-