Why Jacques Cousteau's Grandson Always Packs Truffle Salt on His Action-packed Trips

Courtesy of The Travel Channel

Philippe Cousteau, the grandson of the famed conservationist Jacques, shares his grandfather's passion for adventure. With his wife, journalist Ashlan Cousteau, Philippe has traversed the globe, exploring the jungle of Sumatra, the underwater caves of Dominica, and other exotic destinations. Here, the intrepid couple highlight their favorite gear for action-packed trips. 

Photo Equipment Case

Courtesy of Pelican Products, Inc.

Philippe Cousteau: “My Sony camera and underwater photography gear are precious to me. So whenever I go on a dive trip, I pack everything in my watertight 1535 Air Carry-On Case by Pelican. Their products are bomb-proof.”

Hiking Sneakers

Courtesy of The North Face

Ashlan Cousteau: “North Face Ultra Fastpack III sneakers are lightweight, breathable, and good-looking enough to be worn at the airport. And thanks to their sturdy Gore-Tex uppers, they can also endure long hiking trips through the jungle.”

Water Purifier

Courtesy of GRAYL

AC: “Grayl purifiers were created by a group of globetrotters who didn’t want to stock up on plastic water bottles everywhere they went. The purifiers work like a French press, forcing water through a carbon filter and ridding it of 99 percent of viruses and bacteria. They’re great for camping trips and in destinations—the airport included—where the drinking water doesn’t quite taste right.”

Vest

Courtesy of Dubarry of Ireland

AC: “I discovered Dubarry, an Irish equestrian brand, while traveling in Dublin. Their clothing is rugged but also chic. I’m a big fan of their waxed-cotton Oranmore vest.”

Sturdy-Chic Luggage

Courtesy of The RealReal

AC: “Not a lot of people know this, but I’m told Louis Vuitton was the first travel-expedition brand. Their leather goods had compartments for whiskey beakers and champagne flutes and basically functioned as traveling bars. Sadly, I don’t own one of those, but my vintage weekender, which I bought from the luxury consignment company the RealReal eight years ago, evokes the romance of that bygone era. It lived a life before me, and I hope to give it to my daughter when she’s older.”

Ginger Candy

Courtesy of Ginger People Group

AC: “Nothing calms an upset stomach like Gin-Gins ginger chews. I’ll bring them with me if I know I’ll be on a rocky boat
or in an airplane.”

Truffle Salt

Courtesy of Hepp's Salt Co.

PC: “Napoleon supposedly said that an army marches on its stomach, and I’d argue that expeditions do, too. From the jungles of Sumatra to the Arctic Circle, I have found that a little culinary treat like truffle salt can make all the difference.

The Saturday City: Kampot

When I first came to Cambodia in February 2007, I sped through it like The Flash because I had to reach Bangkok by March 1 to start my Thai classes. I missed a number of places, including Kampot, a tiny quiet town on the coast, south of Sihanoukville. I vowed to make it there on this trip.

Kampot is a small riverside town that is mostly in bed by 11pm. It’s in stark contrast to the loud and late-night party destination that its neighbor Sihanoukville is. Before the Khmer Rouge, this region of Cambodia used to be the getaway area for the French, and you still find decaying French villas throughout this region. On Kampot’s river promenade, you’ll see the heavy French influence of wide boulevards, trees, and (decaying) French architecture.

Modern Kampot might not be the happening destination it once was (it’s small, quiet, and run down), but it attracts a lot of people because of the surrounding Bokor Mountains and relaxing atmosphere.

Kampot is a black hole — life moves so slowly here that you get caught in its gravitational pull and find that your two-day trip has suddenly turned into six. It’s hard to leave.

Luckily, there are a few activities here to keep you entertained during your visit:

Bokor Hill Station – Most people come to Kampot to visit Bokor, the old French hillside villa, palace, and casino. I missed it in 2007 and I am very sad I did. What was once beautiful ruins only accessible by a dirt road is now a construction site for casinos and luxury villas easily visited by a paved road. This place has become Disneyland, its former historic value ruined. I list it here only so I can tell you to skip it. It’s no longer the place it once was.

Pepper farms – Kampot pepper is considered some of the best in the world because of its strong taste. Kampot was once one of the biggest pepper-growing regions in the world (the area is slowly rebuilding from time of the Khmer Rouge), and a day trip to a farm is a common activity. It was my most interesting trip, because before my visit I knew nothing of pepper except that it improved the taste of my food. But after standing beside the tall vines, learning about how different types of pepper are made (pepper is picked at different levels of ripeness to obtain different colors), I have a new appreciation for the spice.

Day trip to Kep – The next big city in the region, Kep is a small fishing village with a very nice beach. There’s really nothing to do in this tiny town besides eat. Kep is famous for its seafood, and the cracked pepper crab is the local dish of choice. It makes for a good day trip: walk the markets, eat some food, chill on the beach. But if the “hustle and bustle” of Kampot is too much for you, come stay in quieter Kep.

Cave trip – There are a number of caves in the region, including one with a religious shrine. You can hire a tuk-tuk from Kampot and explore them for the day.

River cruise – With a river flowing through the city, it’s not hard to imagine this being on the list. If you take the Bokor trip, a sunset river cruise is included. If you don’t take the trip, you can still find a river cruise or rent a boat on your own from either one of the tourist offices or fisherman on the river.

Eat some BBQ ribs – I would never have expected to find some of the best BBQ ribs in Cambodia, but I did. Spend one dinner at The Rusty Keyhole eating a rack or half rack of BBQ pork ribs. You’ll be able to enjoy a healthy side of mashed potatoes and coleslaw too.

Eat durian – Kampot is the durian capital of Cambodia. Durian is a fruit with a very pungent smell found throughout Southeast Asia. Its smell is so strong that it is often banned from hotels. Many of the pepper farms also grow durian, and there’s a big monument to the stinky fruit in the center of Kampot. Personally, I don’t mind the fruit. The smell doesn’t bother me too much, and while it’s not the best tasting fruit in the world, it’s completely edible.

See salt areas – On the road to Kep, you’ll find numerous old rice paddies that have been converted into salt fields. Workers bring in sea water from the coast (by hand) and dry it in the fields to create sea salt. After the water is gone, the salt is packed down, scooped up, and sold off.

Drink a fruit shake – At night, the street near the old bridge becomes lined with fruit shake vendors. You can move from vendor to vendor, trying different fruit shake concoctions, sit down at the stalls, and people-watch.

I really loved Kampot and its atmosphere. It was a complete 180 from busy Sihanoukville. I was surprised to find that even with so few places to stay (personal favorite: The Magic Sponge), there were still plenty of rooms available. Even though a lot of people get stuck here, not a lot of people bother to venture here in the first place.

Which, while a shame — because they miss out on such a great place — is fine by me. It keeps Kampot quiet and wonderful.

Photo credit: 1

Trekker found 47 days after going missing in Nepal survived on salt and water

PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP/Getty Images

Originally published on April 28th, 2017.

Taiwanese hiker Liang Sheng-yueh had been missing on a mountain in Nepal for 47 days before rescuers were able to locate him, the Associated Press reported.

The 21-year-old was on a trekking trip with his girlfriend, Liu-Chen-chun, in early March on the remote Ganesh Himal trail when they were caught in a snowstorm. Lui-Chen-chun died three days before rescuers located them.

A trekking agency official told the AP that they spotted Liang Sheng-yueh on a ledge underneath of a waterfall in the area. The hikers appeared to have followed a river in search of a village, but ended up slipping and falling over the waterfall, leading them to a ledge where they were unable to climb in either direction.

The two had been carrying food, a tent, and sleeping bags, and were able to survive on the food they had with them for the first two weeks. After that ran out, they only had salt and water.

Liang Sheng-yueh, who has been recovering in a hospital at the capital of Kathmandu after being transferred by helicopter, has started walking gain, a medical director at the hospital told Reuters. When he first arrived, he was disheveled and had been dealing with maggots on his feet and lice in his hair.

“I feel very happy now,” he told reporters as he cut a birthday cake in the hospital.

The two had been traveling without any local guides or porters, but rescuers were able to spot the man’s red tent during their search.

Offbeat

Politics, health, sports, and breaking stories are all topics that affect our daily lives in significant ways, but nothing sparks our interest like weird news. Our brains often need enjoyable pauses to get through the daily grind, and reading or learning about something funny, odd, or completely bizarre is an easy, seductive outlet. Of course, offbeat news is not necessarily need-to-know information, or information we even thought we wanted to know. In fact, bizarre news doesn’t quite fit anywhere else—it’s just too fascinating to pass by. As a trusted travel news resource, Travel + Leisure stays on the pulse of even the oddest stories.

The strange and the beautiful

Ever wondered about America’s strangest roadside attractions, or quirkiest cities? How about the world’s most unique holiday traditions, from covering Christmas trees in spider webs in Ukraine to leaving a plate of food by an unoccupied chair overnight for the ghosts of dead relatives in Portugal? Did you know that, among the world’s craziest airport attractions, you’d find a station for inhaling cinnamon-scented oxygen in Tokyo and an in-house dentist in São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport? Speaking of air travel, themed airplanes are becoming more prevalent, from Star Wars to Hello Kitty to the Northern Lights.

Meanwhile, unusual hotels—made out of salt, ice, or railway cars, built underground or on a fire watchtower—prove that guests will stay anywhere. And, when it comes to museums, if you can dream it, you can believe it. There are museums dedicated to the oddest of collections, from barbed wire to human hair to a house of some 80,000 salt and pepper shakers to art “too bad to be ignored.” There’s even one dedicated to items washed up on a beach, including two tombstones from the 19th century and an entire Harley Davidson motorcycle.

The world is a crazy, confusing, and inspiring place. Travel + Leisure’s coverage on funny, odd, and bizarre travel stories serves as a simple reminder that we are all, in fact, human, and that someone, somewhere, is interested.