Reviewed by: Ajita Kadirgamar
A must have for any travel enthusiast and an inspirational guide for those planning unforgettable trips. There are coffee table books that adorn coffee tables but never get read. Hidden Gems and a Traveler’s Tales is not one of them. This book beckons you to explore its 200 pages from cover to cover. I say this with confident certitude because I had the pleasant task of editing and proofreading the book and at no point did it ever become a tedious chore. Instead, I found it thrilling to piggyback along as an armchair traveler on Nawaz’ global travels, knowing full well I myself will never be able to visit the majority of the destinations covered in the book.
This is Nawaz Vilcassim’s fourth publication and in this book alone he recounts his travels to 24 countries, namely, Australia, Brazil/Argentina, Jordan, the Isle of Wight, South Africa, Pakistan, Oman, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mexico, Taiwan, Iran, New Zealand, Morocco, Hawaii, Macau, Vietnam, Albania, Montenegro, South Korea, Uzbekistan and the Golden Triangle (Burma, Laos and Thailand).
The author sums up his intention when he states in his preface, “In the course of my travels around
the world, whenever I stumbled across a ‘hidden gem’, the thought that often came to mind was,
I wish more people could see it too!”
The attractively laid out coffee table book with its captivating text and accompanying photos taken by Nawaz, truly reveals ‘hidden gems’ in far flung countries that the usual tourist would not typically include in their travel agenda. In many of the travel stories presented, Nawaz’ itinerary has included off the beaten track locations, sometimes involving long hours of travel by air, road and rail.
‘Coober Pedy, the Australian Outback town that lives underground’ is a fascinating look at a settlement where, due to the extreme heat of the outback, all buildings are located underground. Historically, Coober Pedy had its origins in 1915, when it became an opal mining town.
‘Before it’s too late – an expedition into the endangered Arctic, Svalbard’ is the longest and most fascinating chapter, in my opinion, for it documents an expedition that very few of us will be able to undertake during our lifetime. The 10-day trip, undertaken with family members, is described in diary-style, accompanied by spectacular photos of polar bears and other arctic wildlife encountered along the way.
Nawaz concludes this chapter stating, “We were most glad that we saw this part of the planet before it was too late, as due to climate change, things may never be the same again.” A sad and sobering thought for humanity, but what a precious experience for the writer.
The many visits to historical cities and sites of ancient civilisations presented in the book are well documented by Vilcassim, a history buff. For instance, the Vietnam war was a topic of great interest to him in the 70s: “Being a war that I had followed closely during my law school days, I was interested in visiting Vietnam. Thus, in 1996, following the end of communism, accompanied by my son Nabeel, I traveled to Saigon, the capital, which meanwhile had been renamed Ho Chi Minh City. Our main interest was to see the Cu Chi Tunnels which had played such a significant role in the defeat of the Americans.”
After recounting the circumstances that led to the war, Nawaz takes us on a walk through the Cu
Chi tunnels, an incredibly claustrophobic experience even for the reader.
While it is near impossible to pick my favourite chapters, ranked high on the list are the visit to the Iguazu Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world, located on the Brazil-Argentina border; the Cango Caves, magnificent limestone formations, located off the southern tip of South Africa and the family trip to the Sahara Desert in Morocco with a night spent ‘glamping’.
Nawaz Vilcassim’s career trajectory is no less fascinating that his passion for travel. Hailing from Galle, Sri Lanka, he was initially a Public Prosecutor attached to the Sri Lanka Attorney-General’s department. He then migrated to Singapore as head of the Insurance and Legal division of a large German multinational manufacturing company, following which, he worked for South-East Asia’s largest bank until his retirement.
Abandoning plans to return to law practice post-retirement, Nawaz devoted his time in Sydney to community work, helping in a project for the care of the elderly. ‘Hidden Gems and a Traveler’s Tales’ is his fourth book after ‘The Heart of the Wild’, ‘Memorable Train Journeys’ and ‘On Safari in Africa – A Diary, all not-for-profit publications.
All proceeds from the sale of this book will go to OrphanCare, an independent Trust committed to serving orphaned children, irrespective of gender, race or religion, once they reach the age of 18, when they have to leave their care-homes and fend for themselves, facing their ‘second abandonment’. This noble gesture is made possible by Amana Bank Plc through their generous founding sponsorship which covers all administrative costs of the Trust.
As Nawaz says in his preface, in looking for a worthy cause to donate the sale proceeds of his book, he found an ideal candidate in OrphanCare Trust!
The book is available at Amana Bank Prestige Center, 365 Galle Road, Colombo 3 and can be
reserved via the Amana Bank Prestige Hotline 0117756222.
