Namsan Park, Seoul, South Korea 

Hong Kong - January 2011

Asia

 

I first saw Asia through the cockpit of an F-4 where my job was to defend South Korea against the North Koreans and the Chinese.  In 1977, my travels were limited to Korea, Japan, Okinawa, Taiwan, and the Philippines.  Three decades later, I find myself flying the MD-11 deep into China as well as Malaysia, India, and the Middle East.  Even so, to claim I have seen this part of the world is as ludicrous as saying I saw the Nile while dining in an Egyptian restaurant.  Asia’s diversity is so immense, it would take a lifetime to know it, and even then, I would challenge the statement.  Wherever I go, I travel with an open heart, and take every opportunity to explore new cultures.  For those choosing to travel to Asia, I recommend visiting as many countries as possible, and don’t base your experience on any one location.  I wish every citizen could travel as I do, for traveling outside the United States is the only means of understanding what our place is with the rest of the world.

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