Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com | 3 沈阳 • 辽阳 • 营口 • 赤峰 • 承德 • 秦皇岛 • 北京 • 威海 • 青岛 • 济宁 • 侯马 • 运城 • 西安 • 邳州 • 徐州 • 合肥 • 无锡 • 苏州 • 上海 • 巴中 • 成都 • 巴南 • 万州 • 林芝 • 罗田 九华山 • 庐山 • 景德镇 • 南昌 • 井冈山 • 长沙 • 宁乡 • 新昌 • 吉首 • 湘潭 • 贵阳 • 昆明 • 厦门 • 韶关 • 汕头 • 广州 • 三亚 • 马六甲 • 红土坎 • 札幌 • 东京 • 冲绳 • 宫古岛 Shenyang • Liaoyang • Yingkou • Chifeng • Chengde • Qinhuangdao • Beijing • Weihai • Qingdao • Jining • Houma • Yuncheng • Xi'an • Pizhou • Xuzhou • Hefei • Wuxi • Suzhou • Shanghai Bazhong • Chengdu • Banan • Wanzhou • Nyingchi • Luotian • Jiuhuashan • Lushan • Jingdezhen • Nanchang • Jinggangshan • Changsha • Ningxiang • Xinchang • Jishou • Xiangtan • Guiyang Kunming • Xiamen • Shaoguan • Shantou • Guangzhou • Sanya • Melaka • Lumut • Sapporo • Tokyo • Okinawa • Miyakojima NEW PLACES 留恋他乡 感 悉 熟 的 Find familiarity in www.gloriahotels.com 400-810-8855 / 800-810-8855 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K GHR AD244X152.pdf 1 15-5-5 下午5:36 THE MILLENNIAL TRAVELLER NOTHING BUT TWO FEET & A HEARTBEAT Marissa Trew is an MA Psychology graduate from the University of Edinburgh, who is pursuing her passions for food and health through a career in travel and lifestyle jour- nalism. Her love of exploration stems from summers spent marching on her stomach across Europe, Asia and North America, with every destination having a profound influence in shaping her outlook and inter- ests in life. VOICES It seems that I am not the only one that feels the way I do about sightseeing tours. Being dragged exhaustingly from one landmark to another to 'appreciate' each one's 'significance', while a guide relays a script of bland facts (that many of us probably already read in the guidebooks) and speaks in an over- zealous tone to hide their fading passion, simply isn't my idea of a vacation. I love history and understanding how and why things came to be the way they are… but conventional city tours never seem to quite channel how interesting they can be. There is a disconnection between what a monument represents and its link into a city's story and how it actually impacts (and still influences) the way things are today. On a recent trip to Perth, I joined the founder of Two Feet & A Heartbeat on a mini adventure around the city. Within minutes of our introduction, it was clear to see that every reservation I had about being herded around like a tourist sheep would be wrong. It surpassed all of my expectations… from the incredibly personable tour guide, who was just as keen to hear about my perspectives as he was to tell me his, to the things I learned about the city's past and potential future. The very first question he asked was "what angle of the city are you really trying to get at?" If I had said I wanted to visit the oldest to the newest monument in chronological order, I have a feeling he would have done so. Instead, I asked to see "what Perth was really all about" I wanted to see the city's character, what it was like not only as a place to visit but also as a lifestyle destination. Then, we were off. Reflecting back on it, the places we went to and the things we saw were not particularly special nor were they defining areas of Perth in the traditional sense (not in the way that the White House characterises Washington DC or the Eiffel Tower symbolises Paris (or, for some, Las Vegas!). The buildings we passed and the streets we walked through were the everyday places that any resident would hardly glance twice at but at the same time, were a massive part of what made Perth cool. We wandered through the business district, discussing everything from the size of the pavement and how it influenced the number of alfresco coffee joints on the street to the fact that Perth (thankfully) didn't have a Starbucks. We discussed how the location of the train station essentially divided the city into a wealthier neighbourhood and (what used to be) the red light district that found itself poetically on the 'wrong side of the tracks'. It allowed us to witness first-hand how this neighbourhood (that tourists would usually be warned against) is now transforming into a thriving and vibrant arts scene. Soon enough, we stopped off for coffee at one of the guide's favourite java joints, Cheeky Sparrow. It was not unlike many of the world's hipster cafes with its industrial, stripped-back interiors and body piercing-laden barista. Located in the backstreets of a shopping arcade and decorated with creative and colourful graffiti art, it was very much more of a local haunt than a tourist hotspot. If you were curious to know, the coffee was great and I'd recommend it for a long black but that wasn't what made it important. Coming to this specific café was nothing to do with getting CONTINUED ON PAGE 4.

• Cover