Page 124 - Travel + Leisure India & South Asia (January 2020)

‘OH NO! THE Fortunately, our dinner that night was at Kooljaman’s
in-house restaurant called Raugis. I was quite stunned,
ROAD’S FLOODED!’ because for a place whose airport terminal can be
dismantled in an hour by a team of four, the food was far
Word reached us on the seaplane’s radio that the truck better than what I’ve eaten at some sparkling international
carrying our luggage to Kooljaman had turned back airports. The pork belly was done to perfection, with
towards Broome because the road was flooded, thanks crackling fat and meat perfectly complementing each other.
to overnight downpour. The oysters were fresh off the boat, with the delicious taste
So, instead of going forward, the pilot flew us back of the Indian Ocean still lingering in them. And the tiramisu
to Broome, where we chartered another Cessna and was so exquisite that Rome could take lessons from it.
flew to Kooljaman—this time along with our luggage. Our digs for that night were at Cygnet Bay Pearl
The landing strip at Cape Leveque reminded me of Farm, a 30-minute drive away. Fenn from the Pearl
Jurassic Park. There was an unsealed runway and a hut Farm drove us there in what was essentially a truck

with a corrugated roof—these two structures make up modified to serve as a bus. The accommodation was
the airport. Of course, there are no dinosaurs waiting to basic—in tents with attached bathrooms. But the
devour the new arrivals. Instead, there’s Fenn with an location was fantastic and offered refreshing sea views.
icebox, filled with cold beer, in his bus. By this time, I had come to realise that it was difficult

Kooljaman at Cape Leveque is a remote wilderness to have a bad meal on the continent. Food is revered in
camp owned and run by the indigenous Bardi Jawi Australia, and serving anything less than spectacular is
communities. We were shown around by Bundi, sacrilege. The nasi goreng topped with a fried egg, sunny
whose family have been living on this land since side up, that I had for breakfast was lip-smacking.
time immemorial. It was fascinating to hear him talk That morning, we hopped onto a boat at Cygnet
about how nature and spirituality are so harmoniously Bay and roared off to another waterfall—this one right
entwined in local folklore, and how the land gives in in the middle of the ocean! The tides are instrumental
abundance if it is respected and not violated. His talk of in creating this unique waterfall as well. But before
local food (fish, crabs, and meat) and the aboriginal art that, the skipper took us on a joyride, pointing out
of slow cooking using natural fuel had me salivating. the abundance of islands that form the Buccaneer

From left: Kooljaman’s in-house restaurant called Raugis serves oysters fresh from the boat;
the writer observes tawny sharks from within the safety of a cage.

RISHAD SAAM MEHTA (2)

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