Asia:

Hong Kong:

the International City of China this accident of history has become a key metropolis in commerce and the future of China. Will Hong Kong change China more than China changes the life of Hong Kong?

Shanghai & Wuxi:

China New and Old The contrast between Wuxi, a classical city of the Grand Canal, and Shanghai, China’s most modern city, with its dramatic new architecture and extensive greening for Expo 2010 is a view into the living contradictions of China.

Dalian – Gateway to Northeast China

This port, with its fine harbor, has been contested between Manchuria, Russia, and Japan for centuries and is now a booming industrial powerhouse, while still retaining a Russian teahouse.

Beijing: the Imperial City of China

Since the building of the Forbidden City Palace in the Ming Dynasty, Beijing has been the epicenter of political life in China, today boasting vast new construction to rival its Imperial past.

Qingdao: China’s Riveria

This former German colony retains a European flavor along beach resorts and beer gardens near the ancestral home of Confucius.
Xiamen and the China Coast Xiamen, once known as Amoy, is a modern booming port along the Fujian coast across from Taiwan with a maritime heritage that dates to ancient times.

Yangzi River & the Three Gorges:

the deep history and the future of the world’s busiest river now in transformation by the construction of the world’s largest hydro-electrical project.

Working in the Belly of the Dragon:

My life and business in modern China from personal experience – from expeditions to jail to teaching to boardrooms and much in between.

Japan:  Tradition in Dynamic Change:

a discussion of contemporary issues in the historic context of Japan’s traditional isolation, industrialization, destruction and reconstruction.

Northern Japan: Hakodate & Kushiro

The small ports of Hokkaido are gateways into the mountains and forests with a remnant Ainu aboriginal culture that make this island one of Japan’s scenic attractions.

Kamchatka: Russia’s Province in the Pacific

The dramatic peninsula of Kamchatka is built of active volcanos and ice fields with deep forests and wildlife. The port of Petropavlosk is a small city with a major Russian Navy base, with parks and cafes overlooking the sea, surrounded by snowy peaks.

Tokyo: Capital City of Modern Japan:

The major megalopolis by the bay that is the center of contemporary Japanese business and culture. The city of numerous districts has had a long cycle of destruction and rebuilding, and is now faced with the threat of more earthquakes and nuclear radiation.

Osaka and Kyoto-Nara:

Japan’s most Ancient and Modern Cities These business and cultural centers of Japan’s Kansai region hold many treasured temples amidst busy modern industry.

Kagoshima, Hiroshima and Nagasaki:

Southern Japan’s Gateways to the World These small cities are distinguished by early contact with foreign trade, wars, and now the launch base of the Japanese Space Agency.

Korea:

the Contested Peninsula History of this conflicted land and still divided nation of surprising abilities and ancient impulses.

Korean Port Cities:

Busan, Yeosu, Jeju and Inchon Seascapes meet modern cities and historic remnants of past dynasties along the isle-strewn Korean coast.  Each port has its unique interest and charms to be discovered.

Hanoi:

capital of Vietnam This elegant city of French architecture and Communist monuments includes new office towers and the preserved national icon Ho Chi Min.
Danang: Central city of Vietnam with a vast harbor, near Hue, the former center of the royal regime of centuries past, recently deposed with its vast palace to scene of devastating battles.

Ho Chi Min City:

the former capital of the South, formerly Saigon, still the largest city of Vietnam and a vibrant city of commerce and a youthful culture.

Bangkok:

the expansive yet still charming capital of Thailand, once a city of languid canals and palaces, which remain amidst tumultuous modernity and upheavals.

Port Blair & Indian Isles in the Andaman Sea

Port Blair is capital of the Nicobar & Andaman islands, a far province of India once a prison colony and home to a remnant population of ancient sea peoples on reserved isles.

Sumatra – Palua Weh & Belawan:

The myriad islands of Indonesia have a lush habitat and millennia of human cultural development. Recent economic development and recovery from the tragic tsunami of 2005 are a continuing struggle in a beautiful setting.

Malaysia – Palau Pangkor & Kuala Lumpur:

This peninsular nation of placid beaches and lush tropical mountains is rapidly developing into a prosperous nation symbolized by the skyscrapers of the capital Kuala Lumpur.

Serendipitous Sri Lanka

the enchanted island nation of Ceylon and its capital Colombo, a very peaceable kingdom until the recent civil war and tsunami, now enjoying a revival of its traditional hospitality

‘Arabia Felix’ & Muscat:

introduction to Oman’s capital of traditional markets and palaces, alongside the development of international business in the Persian Gulf.

Mumbai of Marvels:

the vibrant centre of business in India, an ancient city in wrenching modern transformation from poverty to exuberant temple life to Bollywood films.      

Cochin:  the Perfumed City This lovely city is set in tranquil waterways in the heart of Kerala and Kathakali culture of South India, long host to traders from around the world.

The Alluring Islands of Phuket & Penang:

contrasting communities on the Andaman Sea of Thailand and Malaysia, each with a dramatic cultural history and contemporary resort charms

Striking Singapore:  the Lion City established as a British trading post, now the prosperous and architecturally remarkable city-state at the strategic heart of Southeast Asia

Aqaba & Petra:

a view of the historic port of Sinai and the City of Stone, sites of cultural mix and conflicts for centuries. The hidden city of Petra is a remarkable survivor of the ages.

Luxor & Karnak:

the well known wonders of Pharoahs and the newly found treasures that have revised our understanding of the legacy of ancient Egypt.

Salalah:

the “perfume city” of Oman, famous for frankencense and African wildlife on the edge of the Arabian desert and the sea.

Khasab:

the ancient Arabian port amidst a fjord, called the ‘Norway of Arabia’, with scenic mountains and clear seas.  A town of respite in a land of troubles.

Dubai:

the wonder city of the United Arab Emirates with striking modern architecture and surprising wildlife nearby.  The epicentre of the contemporary dilemmas of the Persian Gulf.