The easy life

Before the launch of the new Aman hotel in Delhi comes a book celebrating the group’s 20th birthday.

They ought to parade Basil Pao at careers fairs. A fifty-something photographer from Hong Kong, he didn’t pick the classic “doctor” or “accountant” options—oh no, he went straight for “travel photographer”. And his latest coffee table book proves just how well he chose.

Aman2 is a wonderful extravagance, and utterly fitting for its subject, Aman Resorts, which launches a new hotel in Delhi this month. The group began 20 years ago, by accident, when hotel genius Adrian Zecha bought a piece of land off Phuket as a venue for personal entertaining, family gatherings, that sort of thing. That land became his first hotel, Amanpuri in Phuket. And now Zecha has 19 boutique hotels across the world, each a pinnacle of luxury, simplicity and stunning natural beauty. It’s a grand achievement by any stretch, so the 20th anniversary called for a special memento. Which is where Pao comes in.

{mosimage} Some of us work in offices in cities, immersed in the stench and racket of urban life. Pao gets paid to stay at all 19 Aman Resorts, spending a few days at each, capturing the beauty all around him. It took a year-and-ahalf to complete because, at the time, he was also busy making travel books with the prodigious BBC travel show presenter, Michael Palin, with whom he’s worked from day one.

“It’s harder work than you think,” he protests. But you’ve only got to flick through the book to see through that one—264 pages of pools, beaches, mountains, temples, wildlife and sunsets, from Beijing to Bali, Indonesia to Wyoming. It’s a book for city folk who dream of escape. It’s also proof that Basil Pao may have the best job in the world. Did I mention that this is his 2nd Aman Resorts book (he did one for the 10th anniversary, too)?