14 TRAVEL + INDULGENCE THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, OCTOBER 28-29, 2017 theaustralian.com.au/travel AUSE01Z70TR - V1 SNAP DECISIONS Strike a pose with your happy feet SUSAN KUROSAWA Hey, another survey. Research by Hotels.com shows that “getting a selfie in a waterfall” ap- pears on 26 per cent of respondents’ most de- sirable social media shares. That would be a bucket (and towel) list, no doubt. Next most popular pose is at the top of a mountain. Hello, photoshopping. The world of Instagram is polluted with selfies, from weirdo poses to gobsmacking snaps of people with their mouths full. You’ll wait a long time to see a selfie of me and my wrinkles and folds, although you might see a shelfie (of favourite books) and a spot of tablescaping of odd treasures. There’s no such reticence from the fabu- lously eccentric @baddiewinkle, who’s 89 years old, wears bikinis and bad-girl dresses, and has millions of followers. Pet pics are a reliable prospect and I follow a west highlands terrier in Japan who wears polka-dot dresses and has outings in prams, plus a supermodel of a squirrel that poses so expertly I do wonder if it’s stuffed or on drugs. Footsies are my thing, mainly to do with an obsession with tiles. This pic was taken at Villa Carlotta beside Lake Como, and the shoes are rubbery flats by a Malaysian de- signer that fold like bendy toys, are water- proof and impossible to scuff. I mention this only because if you plan to pop footsies on your Insta feed, you need to have a perfect manicure or be well shod. Which in the case of a Westie girl in Tokyo, means knitted booties or kitten heels. Follow on Instagram: @susankurosawa ON THE ROAD THE INSIDER FAVOURITE DESTINATION? Paris. When I first visited at age 15, I was scared of its dark gothic-ness. On my last visit I spent my time looking for coffee and the best croissants, wandering in and out of shops, drinking wine and simply being in the city without the pressure of “how many icons can I cram into one day?”. ACTRESS JENNI BAIRD FAVOURITE HOTEL? Mandarin Oriental, New York. It was the first place I went to with my now husband; right on Central Park, the hotel serves the best tomato salad I have tasted. I love photo- graphs of me on a seat by the floor- to-ceiling guestroom windows watching the sun go down on the city skyline. FAVOURITE SHOP? Astier de Villatte, Rue Saint- Honore, Paris. The ceramics in this old shop are exquisite and quirky, such as an incense holder in the shape of Marie Antoinette’s head. I bought a scented candle poured into Astier de Villatte’s signature white ceramic, which evokes Paris when I am home in Sydney. BEST TIP? Don’t travel with a separate hand- bag and carry-on. Take it all in a well-designed backpack with com- partments for your laptop and pro- viding easy access to your passport. Jenni Baird stars as Regina Bligh in A Place to Call Home; Sundays at 7.30pm on Showcase and Foxtel Now. HOME + AWAY Soaring 314m, a smidge below the height of the Queensland Gold Coast’s Q1, the futuristic Maha- Nakhon skyscraper is Thailand’s tallest building and an avant-garde addition to the Bangkok skyline. The Pullman Bangkok Hotel G, on cosmopolitan Silom Road, offers an up-close view of this striking landmark. It’s an appropriate out- look, given the property’s billing as a designer hotel. That vibe is front and centre upon check-in, with youthful staff in pinstripe blazers, white T-shirts and dark trousers. The pared-back look continues to guestrooms and suites featuring so much dazzling white (walls, floors and furniture) it’s tempting to don the sunglasses. You could hold a party in the capacious G Suites; in fact, book a hotel bartender to mix your drinks. And, if things get a lit- tle wild, consult the goodies stashed in the G Box. Need a lift to the nearest BTS Skytrain station? Hail the G Mobile, the hotel’s tuk- tuk service. If it all feels too screamingly hip, head to a nearby foot massage salon to be reminded that Bangkok’s pleasures include those of the more grounded kind. ■ pullmanbangkokhotelg.com. KATRINA LOBLEY VICTORINOX SKY HIGH WATCH, $1350 This limited-edition timepiece functions at altitudes up to 21,300m, has a hypo-allergenic and ultralight titanium case and a space-industry paracord band eight-times stronger than steel. It’s housed in a shockproof box, with a matching Swiss Army knife, key ring and additional wristband. ■ victorinox.com. SHARON FOWLER GOLDFIELD & BANKS DESERT ROSEWOOD PERFUME, 100ML SPRAY, $229 Dimitri Weber’s Australian- inspired quartet of fragrances celebrates the legacy of botanist Joseph Banks and features concentrated aromatics derived from landscapes including deserts, mountains and coastlines. T+I’s pick is Desert Rosewood, inspired by Victoria’s central highlands, with notes of mandarin, cardamom and vanilla. Beautifully packaged for festive giving. ■ goldfieldandbanks.com. SUSAN KUROSAWA WHAT IN THE WORLD A decade in the making, and plagued by delays, the Jean Nouvel-designed outpost of the Louvre opens in Abu Dhabi on November 11 ■ A summer concert series, Twilights at Melbourne Zoo, will be held on weekends from January 26 to March 10; star acts include The Preatures and Neil and Liam Finn, with proceeds to at-risk animal programs ■ Palm Beach Collection’s Christmas range of candles features travel-ready miniatures (90g; $16.95) in blends such as rosewood and balsam ■ DriveAway Holidays has specials for bookings by January 31 for rental vehicle collection, including motorhomes, from April 1 through to end of March, 2019; destinations include Britain, Europe, US, Canada and Australia ■ Pukka, T+I’s favourite matcha- maker, has a new Green Collection of tea bags with ginseng and mint added to the green-leaf mix (20 bags; $7.45) ■ Marriott International will open The Westin Darwin in 2020; the eight-storey property is being built at the Waterfront Precinct, close to Darwin Convention Centre and the city centre. TASTE Anyone who has been drawn by sweet aromas into Paris’s many chocolate shops knows the French love their chocolate. So perhaps it’s no surprise the City of Light has a themed festival. The 23rd annual Salon du Chocolat festival kicked off last night at the Paris Porte de Versailles exhibi- tion centre with its much-antici- pated fashion show, where chocolatiers team up with fashion designers to create dresses crafted from the sweet stuff. The festival attracts the biggest names in chocolate, pastry and sweets from around the world and runs until November 1, with highlights in- cluding chocolate sculptures, cooking demonstrations, work- shops and live performances. This year French artist Richard Orlin- ski has returned to create a giant chocolate sculpture with chef Yann Couvreur, whose patisserie in the 11th arrondisement is fa- mous for its Madagascar-vanilla buckwheat millefeuille. Don’t happen to be in Paris? That’s OK. Chocolate is a cause for celebra- tion around the globe, with salons held in the likes of Moscow (No- vember), Tokyo (January), Milan (February) and Brussels (March). ■ salon-du-chocolat.com PENNY HUNTER