Irene Ortiz

This tiny sliver of a country has many superb places to visit, offering scenic diversity, from the vast, idyllic Lake Malawi and the zebra-dotted high plains to the epic heights of Mt Mulanje and the escarpment views at Livingstonia. Accounts of the legendary Malawian friendliness are not overexaggerated, and once there, you will find there are ways to experience this welcoming country while keeping your costs down.

The news of the noma closure comes on the heels of another esteemed culinary institution’s closure. Manresa in Los Gatos, California, announced it permanently extinguished its stove burners on January 1, 2023.

Toward the beginning of the recently released horror-comedy film The Menu – about a dreamy fine-dining experience turned nightmare – chef Julian Slowik, played by Ralph Fiennes, announces to the 12 privileged diners his one directive for the four-hour meal to come.

The weather is still pleasantly mild, with a good chance of rain. Film buffs won’t want to miss the independent film festival BAFICI, with screenings held in cinemas across the city.

Carnival rides can’t compare to the time-traveling thrills of the cable car, San Francisco’s steampunk mode of public transport. As the rickety wagons ascend notoriously steep streets, first-timers slide into strangers’ laps – cable cars were invented in 1873, long before seat belts – as regulars just grip the leather hand straps, leaning back and riding the downhill plunges like pro surfers. Follow their lead, and you’ll soon master the San Francisco stance and find yourself conquering the city’s hills without even breaking a sweat.

Love changed the course of art history in the 1930s when modern-art power couple Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo honeymooned in San Francisco. Kahlo completed her first portrait commissions during her time in the city, while Rivera created public masterpieces that inspired generations of San Francisco muralists. Today San Francisco’s Mission District is an urban-art showstopper, featuring more than 400 murals throughout the neighborhood.

An enormous area of nearly two million acres of dense forests, high peaks and lakes, as well as nine wilderness areas, Inyo covers a good chunk of California’s Eastern Sierra and White Mountains. It encompasses a vast network of trails and campgrounds, with ranger stations in Lone Pine, Bishop, Mammoth Lakes and Mono Basin. One unit of the Inyo National Forest is the Hoover Wilderness Area, which constitutes 128,000 acres of backcountry paradise, including Virginia Lakes, Lundy Lake and high peaks to the west bordering Yosemite.