In 2010 when Myanmar’s repressive military government freed Aung San Suu Kyi from years of unjustified incarceration, the world took notice.
Suddenly, closed doors opened.
Strict visa laws applied to foreign tourists were relaxed.
Interested bystanders bent on visiting Myanmar soon as possible welcomed the change with open arms and wallets.
Almost overnight, Myanmar became the go-to country for all serious travellers.
You simply have to go there before everyone else does.
There is no other country more suited to a road trip than America.
I put my foot down hard on the accelerator of opinion driving here I know.
Counter claims? Park them by the wayside while I elaborate.
Two lanes linking small towns all across America is the way to go.
Avoid the interstate system at all cost.
Kaikoura, the town where the mountains meet the sea on the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island has attained a well-deserved reputation for eco-tourism.
Tua Pittman rides the tiller with stern command. Steering the Marumaru Atua northwards into the night, he scopes the greying horizon like it’s a familiar friend. As one of the few contemporary Master Navigators trained in the ancient ways of sailing by stars, moon, ocean currents and migrating birds, on this short voyage from Rarotonga towards Aitutaki, Pittman is recreating a past almost forgot to modern travellers.