TRAVELS TO THE FAR EAST AND THE PACIFIC

Abstract

I embark on this historical travelogue from Bangkok, Thailand, journeying south to Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, then further east and north to Fiji, Tahiti, Hawaii, before turning west towards Japan and Korea, and finally to Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, and India. With the exception of the Himalayas, I have visited all the locations I write about, most of them several times since my first trip around the world in 1983. My most recent visit was in 2018 when I flew from Vienna to Taiwan. These visits were part of my activities as a university professor, researcher, lecturer, and industry consultant. I have been to Japan 15 times, Australia 5 times, Thailand, Taipei, Korea 3 times each, and China and India twice each. I've visited Hawaii 3 times for conferences and 4 other times as stopovers on my way to or from destinations in the Far East., I have attempted to condense and distill the information I have gathered from reading and combine it with a few personal observations, experiences, and photos.