Inspiring Travel Writing from Graham Simmons
Graham Simmons is a freelance travel writer/photographer based in Byron Bay, Australia, and a full member of the Australian Society of Travel Writers. Graham is also a founding member, of the Global Travel Writers Syndicate www.globaltravelwriters.com.
He first started travelling independently on a trip through the vast Australian outback to Darwin. Darwin at that time was the 'great frontier', a gateway to the then Portuguese Timor (now East Timor and soon to be Timor Lorosae), thence the Thai peninsula, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and Europe.
The travel bug had bitten deeply. He soon realised that the only cure was to keep travelling until the disease had run its course - which hasn't happened yet! His travels have since taken him to places as diverse as the Amazon, the Norwegian Arctic and Ethiopia.
Graham now has something over 1,200 published credits. Regular outlets include The Sun-Herald (Sydney), Destinations Magazine, Time Asia Global Adviser and Open Skies (Emirates inflight).
He first started travelling independently on a trip through the vast Australian outback to Darwin. Darwin at that time was the 'great frontier', a gateway to the then Portuguese Timor (now East Timor and soon to be Timor Lorosae), thence the Thai peninsula, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and Europe.
The travel bug had bitten deeply. He soon realised that the only cure was to keep travelling until the disease had run its course - which hasn't happened yet! His travels have since taken him to places as diverse as the Amazon, the Norwegian Arctic and Ethiopia.
Graham now has something over 1,200 published credits. Regular outlets include The Sun-Herald (Sydney), Destinations Magazine, Time Asia Global Adviser and Open Skies (Emirates inflight).
Articles by Graham Simmons
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A Beach Less Travelled: Undiscovered Beaches of Cambodia
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Graham Simmons
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Cambodia
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Phnom Penh Region
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Phnom Penh
Back in the early 90s, when Ray Zepp in his trailblazing book "Cambodia Less Travelled" suggested that the Cambodian countryside was worthy of exploration, people thought he was crazy. At that time, venturing off the beaten track in Cambodia was a...
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Before You Die: Sunset Over Uluru (Ayers Rock)
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Graham Simmons
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Australia
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Northern Territories
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Uluru
In Central Australia Ayers Rock is one of the most sublimely surreal experiences on the planet. Sadly most people nowadays arrive at Uluru by air; a more tantalizing approach is to drive to the foot of the monolith. Graham Simmons
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Before You Die: Taj Mahal
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Graham Simmons
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India
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Uttar Pradesh
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Agra
Everyone’s favourite the Taj Mahal in Agra, India - is justifiably so. Arguably the world’s most perfect structure, the Taj evokes experiences that a travel writer can’t begin to describe. Graham Simmons
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Before You Die: Angkor Wat (Cambodia)
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Graham Simmons
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Cambodia
Sunrise over Angkor Wat (Cambodia) is not just an experience, but a total revelation.
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12,001 Miracles
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Graham Simmons
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North Korea
North Korea has always sent shivers in both directions along my spine. The “hermit country” shrouds itself in such a chilling cloak of dark mystique that one is tempted to question the sanity of any person who goes so far as to visit...
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Waters of Life: Bali Goes World Heritage
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Graham Simmons
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Indonesia
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Nusa Tenggara/ Southeast Islands
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Bali
“These steps were built over 700 years ago by a race of giants”, said Ngakan Madé Dana, an expert on the ancient heritage of Bali. “They were nearly four metres tall – and you can still see one of their footprints embedded in this rock”, he added,...
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Those Other Pyramids of Egypt
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Graham Simmons
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Egypt
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Cairo & Giza
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Cairo
"Baksheesh!" demands the guide at the Tomb of the Doctors, after leading me up a spiral staircase from the catacombs far below the ground. On the way back up we climb no fewer than 119 steps, seemingly twice the number as on the way down. We’re at...
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Vatukacevaceva: Encounters with the Gods
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Graham Simmons
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Fiji
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Viti Levu
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Vatuka
We’re in the rugged Nakauvadra Ranges of Fiji, a place where four-wheel drive has never before ventured. Suddenly the track gives way, and we lurch over the edge. For a moment we hover between disaster and salvation, before the goddess of mercy...
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South to Sur, home of the Dhow builders
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Graham Simmons
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Oman
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Muscat Region
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Muscat
The Middle East has acquired a sinister reputation lately. Saddam’s antics have been compounded by the insane acts of Hezbollah and right-wing Israeli terrorists, and the Bin Laden gang still appears to be hell-bent on creating havoc. To a casual...
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Tibet's Wild East
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Graham Simmons
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China
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Sichuan
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Ganzi
The railway service between Qinghai (western China) and Lhasa that started in mid 2006 could be just what the Tibetan people were hoping to avoid. Sim Kwan Wah, a Singaporean just back from a return trip to Lhasa, is saddened by what he sees there...