Robert Michael Poole has written for a wide variety of magazines, newspaper and new media sources such as: AP, CNN, MTV, Interview, the Wall Street Journal, and global inflight travel magazines. He is currently Editor-in-Chief of Culture+Travel and Head of Asia at Blouin Artinfo.
Hitting some of the hardest countries to reach next!
An atmosphere of excitement and nervousness rose with the early morning sun on the Micronesian island of Yap.
It is March 1 and the smell of hibiscus drifts through the tibnaw huts. Entire families sit on dried palm fronds, as all ages prepare to perform on behalf of their village in front of the still-powerful tribal chiefs.
The Micronesian island of Yap has a famously unusual currency: hundreds of giant discs of rocks scattered all over the island, many of them too heavy to move.
After falling in love with Africa, world traveller and photographer Robert Michael Poole set his sights on China. “I wanted to explore its diversity,” he says, “and better understand what each region had to offer.” Exploring nine destinations across the country, he discovered dynamic cities and remote hideaways made for business, entertainment and relaxation.
Situated among famous surroundings, NAIROBI is often overlooked. But this city’s BEATING HEART is kicking up dust, and people are taking notice.
IT’S EARLY MORNING. As sunlight glitters across the glass façades that puncture the sky from downtown, a light breeze strokes the city streets before disappearing into a wide blue sky that opens onto the Great Rift Valley and Maasai Mara. Nairobi is a city in its element, snug in its multi-cultural complexity and teeming with the sort of treasures many only associate with the better-known urban meccas like Dubai, Tokyo and New York. (Full article in print-only mSafari (Kenya Airways)
Every year in the Gobi desert, nomads from hundreds of miles gather for their traditional festival of Naadam, which has been on Unesco’s intangible cultural heritage list since 2010.
Inspired by French-Vietnamese Director Tran Anh Hung’s masterpiece "The Vertical Ray of the Sun," my works have appeared across international media and are available upon request or assignment.
Follow a personal account of my escapades around Asia and the world via images, tales and anecdotes.
Taking Druk Air from Bangkok via India and on past the Himalayas as I head to the Land of the Thunder Dragon – Bhutan!
“There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.” ― Socrates
A short hike around the north peninsula of Saint Barthelemy leads to two lovely crystal clear pools, constantly filled and refilled by the crashing waves of the Atlantic.
Went to the World Premiere of “As You Were” by Singapore’s Liao Jiekai at Tokyo International Film Festival. The film explored the failing relationship of childhood sweetheart’s as they discover that time apart during their formative years, during which they are separated, has seen them develop in to different people that can no longer connect.
Though almost a silent film, the tale had a lot to say about how shared memories construct false realities that don’t always empower the here & now with the weight or meaning that they appear they should. Thus, we must always communicate with people from the past with respect and honesty, but never be afraid to live for the present.
A flawed film narratively, but it struck a chord.
An Indian summer in Montreal means a chance to wander and explore on foot, and I couldn’t resist a stop by Moshe Safdie’s Habitat.
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Safekeeping feelings at the Distillery District, Toronto…
Lining up the skylines of 1892 and 2014 on Front Street in downtown Toronto, where the Gooderham Building stands as testament to the era of Flatiron buildings.
While in search of the Saigon’s Independence Palace, I felt like a small bite in a local eatery. The bright colors pulled me in to this charmer, where a mural celebrating the communist ideal of rural life adorns the walls. It’s suitably named – Propaganda Cafe.
Found fresh food at a restaurant on stilts above a lake on the way to Danang in central Vietnam (#73). The procedure was simple, point at various creatures swimming in randomly spread buckets on the floor, and eat them a few minutes later.
It was the first stop on my adventure across Vietnam, the UNESCO-listed town of Hoi An. Its tiny size enhances the feeling of it being clustered with tourists, but down by the river, its possible to find calm and quiet to imagine its heyday as a trading port.
After meeting a local Cambodian, took an adventure to visit their family in Kong Stueng Saen, central Cambodia. With uncles, aunts, nephews and nieces, we went for a picnic in the forest, and found Prasat Tao of the Pre-Angkorian temple complex of Sambor Prei Kuk sitting peacefully, with no-one else around.
At 15,410 sq km, East Timor is itself one of the world’s smallest countries. The temptation to make one more step over water to an even smaller island is strong though, and so on my third day exploring, I got up at 5 a.m. and prepared for a morning “ferry” over a crevasse that dips 3500 meters below sea level, to Atauro.
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Timor Leste, as it is known locally, has become a major producer of coffee. Yet the people who grow it live in extreme poverty. I went to explore the mountainous regions to see for myself the life of coffee bean pickers.
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Spent a week on the lowest lying country in the world for a spot of diving and relaxation. Have uploaded some of the images I managed to capture in “Photography.”
I discovered the vibrant 798 Art Zone in Beijing in January, between 50-year-old military factory buildings. As well as galleries and cafes I stumbled across a 3-D trick art museum, ideal for those with aspirations to become heavenly creatures!
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Oh Kyoto… My favorite city. Beautiful blue sky over Kamo river right now.
The Independent’s Arts section interviewed me about Japan’s declining music market bringing down global sales. I let them know, things aren’t exactly as they appear…
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The enormous Fox Glacier in Westland national park after a morning hike.
The UNESCO-listed town of Shirakawa-go in the Japanese Alps.
Discovered an upside down shop and building in Southwark, London. Impressive detail.