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travel AS you drive past wild Pottok horses, rolling hills and higgledy-piggledy farm houses aflame with bougainvillea, there is the earthy smell of farm animals and hay in the air and the muted sound of sheep bells. This tiny town of less than two thousand denizens in the picturesque Pays Basque region of France has a celebrity: one who has a special status of being called 'Red Gold'. They say that this oblong, Ferrari-red chilli was brought to Espelette from South America, by a Basque navigator and sailor who sailed with Christopher Columbus. As you drive through the pretty-as-a-picture village with sloping streets, on a rocky knoll, one can see the plump chillies in burgundy garlands, left to dry, draped around traditional Basque houses with whitewashed walls and deep, russet-red shutters. They match the colour palette perfectly and double up as decoration. Once oxblood was used to paint these doors and shutters. Carine Chambres, our local guide, takes us to L' Atelier du Piment, owned by charismatic Ramuntxo Pochelu, a Basque farmer who has wrought magic with the pepper. His tiny shop is lined with a tempting array of preserves, flavoured meats, jams and oils, all infused with the local chilli. The ceiling is festooned with strings of chillies. The guide tells about a Basque proverb that says 'you can eat this pepper only if you have a powerful throat formed by the Midi sun'. The palate of Indian tourists can appreciate the mild gelee that goes perfectly well with fromage de brebis or goat's cheese. People can taste the various versions of the versatile piquant chilli- ranging from a tangy confiture that goes well with cheese to a dark chocolate with chillies and salt. The chilli is used to add a depth of flavour to dishes like piperade - a mixture of peppers and tomatoes and Bayonne ham. One can taste honey, oils, salt and even liqueurs infused with the chillies leaving eyes streaming.
The fields of green pepper bushes adjoining the shop are inviting enough to go for a walk. In August these peppers will be lovingly sorted and tied into long strings. Long ago these used to be dried for a full year which became a kind of local symbol, a process that is not followed any more. Nowadays chillies are harvested by hand, strung together in the traditional cordes or garlands and dried in the sun for 15 days till these change from bright red to dark crimson; these are then grilled in a hot oven and powdered. There is the peppy festival of Chillies called the Fete du piment held in October coinciding with the harvest, when the village is a riot of red. A special Mass is held for blessing the chillies and appointing a new member of the Guild. The village explodes with merrymaking, dancing, music and stalls selling foods laced with chillies. Visitors can explore the cobbled streets of the quaint village filled with boutiques selling souvenirs in every form imaginable, from fridge magnets, jewellery and clocks to salt and pepper containers, all with the omnipresent chilli motif. The chilli is emblazoned on T shirts, coffee cups and oven mitts. To top it all, there is even a quirky chilli -themed rest room. This small village has another celebrity - it is also the resting place of beautiful Agnes Souret, the first Miss France. Then there is the atmospheric 16th century church with tiered wooden stalls and a stunning Baroque altar. In olden times, Basque men stood on the wooden galleries and the women and kids on the nave, being in a position to guard the family graves. Lunch is alfresco, at the charming Hotel Chez Chilhar's restaurant under a cherry tree, with the towering Pyrenees in the background. Michele and Francis, a husband and wife team run the hotel and the restaurant. The meal consists of the local cheese with black cherry jam, followed by a piperade — a tasty concoction made from tomatoes, onions, green peppers and the local chillies with Irouléguy, the local wine which was planted by monks to provide wine for pilgrims on the route to Santiago de Compsotela. Much later, when you are back home, dab some tangy confiture on to bread and be instantly transported to the sleepy village with a fiery palate and blood red chillies draped on walls and windows like Christmas garlands. Fact file HOW TO GET THERE: Fly Air France from Mumbai to Paris and connect to Bordeaux. Hire a car and drive through the Pays Basque region to Espelette and Biarritz. Alternatively fly into Biarritz-Anglet-Bayonne airport, 5 km southwest of central Bayonne from Paris. You can also take the TGV train from Paris to Bayonne (5 hours). GETTING AROUND: The best way to see the Basque region is to drive around. You can check out http://www.64ways.com. This local company has guided tours, including gourmet and wine tours of the Pays Basque region. WHEN TO VISIT: Early autumn from September to early October is a great time to visit. What TO BUY: Espelette chillies of course! Also pick up macaroons, Bayonne ham, Linge basque, espadrilles, preserves and jams.
Globetrotting The Carnival or Carnaval, as it is called, is celebrated throughout Latin America, the most renowned being Rio de Janeiro`s Mardi Gras. The Carnival celebrations have been recognised as part of the patrimony of humanity by Unesco. In Bolivia, Carnaval or Anata Andina (Andean carnival) is a lavish affair with the biggest festivities taking place in Oruro, a sleepy mining town that bursts into life every February to host thousands of dancers and spectators. The Carnival celebrations in this Andean mining city rival Rio de Janeiro for colour and culture, if not for size. This year, Oruro had erected a huge statue of the Virgin Mary that's a little taller than Rio's famed Christ the Redeemer. The Virgin of Socavon is almost 150 feet (45 meters) high — a shade shorter than New York's Statue of Liberty and 23 feet (seven meters) higher than Rio's image of Christ. It's built of cement, iron and fibreglass to withstand the fierce winds of the high plain. Virginia Barrios, a neighbourhood leader, said construction of the statue cost $1.2 million and took four years. During Carnival each year, more than 30,000 people dance in procession through the streets, some in elaborate costumes, and brass bands blare. They honour the Virgin of Socavon, the patron saint of the city of roughly 250,000 people.
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Long ago chillies were used as medicines, and then as a preservative for meat. Today this chilli replaces black pepper in local Basque cuisine. These scarlet peppers called Piment d'espelette are so valued in Basque cuisine that these have a coveted AOC status (Controlled Designation of Origin) - which means that to be called Espelette pepper it must be grown in the tightly controlled area of one of the 10 small villages listed in the valley. The name Espelette came from the family name of the barons who settled here and built a castle around 1000 AD.
