26 Contributors Stephanie Zubiri The Filipino journalist has long been fascinated by the spellbinding power of gold. “Capable of launching civilisations into war or peace, gold is full of potent symbolism,” notes the Manila-based author, who explores her homeland’s 3,000-year relationship with the coveted metal and jewellery-making in Heart of Gold (p60). “It was wonderful to witness these unique characters and their passion for collecting pre-colonial pieces and creating contemporary ones, forging our rich heritage into a tangible reality.” Mark Ellwood “I was intrigued – but not surprised – to learn that private islands have become such a lucrative niche that consultants have sprung up to help with every aspect of the process,” says the NYC-based Robb Report editor-at-large and author of An Island of One’s Own (p112). “They don’t just wrangle the sale but will write feasibility reports and smooth ruffled local feathers. And, of course, most of them learned their craft from the ultimate private-island maestro, Richard Branson: all roads, or at least all shipping lanes, lead to him.” Larry Olmsted “I’ve been blessed that part of my job description has been to chase an addictive little white ball all around the globe,” explains award-winning Vermont-based writer of What’s New in Golf’s Oldest Destination? (p77). “But at the end of the day, to me, links golf is the very best golf, and links golf is synonymous with Scotland. But because of the rich history it’s easy to get wrapped up in the old and forget that, even in Scotland, there is always room for improvement – or at least for new adventures.” Martin Kreuzer “Ernst Gamperl greeted me with buttered pretzel and jazz music by Nik Bärtsch – two things which could hardly characterise the artist more aptly,” says Centurion’s photography director, who captured the renowned woodworker in his studio for The Wood Whisperer (p55). “On the one hand, Gamperl is rooted in the foothills of the Allgäu Alps; on the other, his work is cosmopolitan and enlivened by the principle of repetition, not unlike the monolithic sound patterns of the Swiss musician who scores his studio.” I was intrigued – but not surprised – to learn that private islands have become such a lucrative niche Prasad Ramamurthy The Mumbai-based author of Rajasthan, Five Ways (p36) takes photographs instead of notes. “I rarely look at them again once I’ve finished writing a story,” says Ramamurthy, who was among the founding team at Condé Nast Traveller India 14 years ago. “But to report this piece, I had to dig into my archives and I was reminded of all the great experiences I’ve had and interesting people I’ve met in Rajasthan. Whoever coined the phrase ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ clearly knew what they were talking about.” ILLUSTRATIONS JÖRN KASPUHL CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
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