The Road to Mandalay By Mike Smith There was no “road to Mandalay” from Rangoon when Kipling immortalized the city in his famous poem; there is now but I still opted to fly to meet Nora my guide from Myanmar Shalom Travel. Mandalay is a rather pleasant laid-back city and is the center of culture […]
The Road Less Travelled – Yangon and Beyond, Myanmar By Mike Smith When I mentioned to friends that I was going to Myanmar I got at least one of these three reactions. 1) “Wow, amazing!” 2) “Is it safe?” 3) “What about the humanitarian issues?” Having returned I can confirm that Myanmar is an amazing […]
Central Java has a rich culture & spectacular ancient temples. Add in smoking volcanoes, spicy food & charming locals & you have all the ingredients for a great place to visit By Mike Smith Central Java Central Java has active volcanoes, rice fields, and the beautiful t temples of Borobudur & Prambana. However, there are […]
War and Peace in Kranji, Singapore, Where History, Nature & Farmers Converge
Aceh, North Sumatra: Time for Disaster Tourism? By Mike Smith Let me be brutally honest. Aceh, in North Sumatra at the western tip of Indonesia, was not on my bucket list. In fact it didn’t even feature on the radar despite being very accessible from Singapore and only a 45 minute flight from Medan. Chances are […]
By Mike Smith [Mike Smith went in search of culture and spice in Central Java and found both.] Central Java Central Java has a mystical landscape of active volcanoes, rice fields and sugar cane plantations as well as an abundance of enchanting, ancient temples. It boasts a rich culture with a long history of arts, […]
Banaue Imbayah Festival is All About the Ifugao Culture By Mike Smith The US government advises caution when traveling in the Philippines. Banaue is generally safe with few tourists reporting problems but in the event of illness, accidents etc it’s a long way back by road to Manila. Accepting the risks I decided to visit […]
GoNOMAD Photo Gallery Banaue, Philippines: The Imbayah Festival Photographs by Mike Smith, Asia Photo Stock A young dancer with a hornbill headdress A young drummer The rice pounding competition The piggyback race Planting rice Ifuago women Ifuago tribesman View Mike Smith’s story about the Imbayah Festival. Mike SmithMike Smith is a freelance photographer-writer & permanent […]
By Mike Smith I had been to Thailand many times before but had yet to visit Koh Samui. I put that right after friends said that they loved the place so much they had bought a house there and invited me to stay. They loved the people, beaches, the spicy food, phallic rock formations, culture […]
By Mike Smith I had been to the Philippines before but had yet to visit the Visayas. I was tempted after hearing friends say that they had stayed at one of the world’s best beaches, seen the world’s smallest primate, eaten the world’s sweetest mangoes and dived with thresher sharks. Being a photographer I planned […]
