Countries Visited

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Introduction
Memories fade and the travel stories become more and more inaccurate as the years go by. This
is an attempt to get the facts straight. I actually haven’t been to that many countries but I think I
have lived in more countries than most. I have lived in Venezuela, Argentina, Peru, China,
Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Thailand and of course the US. The UN defines "lived" as at least
six continuous months in a country.

1) Not that many people have lived in nine countries!

2) I have spent over 20 years living in foreign countries!
3) This is almost one-fourth of my life!
4) I think this background has shaped me more than any other experience!

I do have a permanent subprogram that automatically and immediately compares all experiential
input related to human behavior with other human behavior cross-culturally.

Not everyone has this subprogram.

I have a wide range of interests that affect how I travel. Unlike most men I do enjoy shopping
and I might be a sort of expert on shopping in Asia. I generally shop for books, comic books,
and miniatures. I am also a big time window shopper and remember where things are even if I
would not buy anything in the shop. A female friend of mine in Taiwan wanted to buy punk type
clothes and black lipstick in particular in Taipei. There are exactly three stores in Taipei that sell
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punk clothes and I took her to all three stores. I also knew where the largest make up store in
Taipei was and they had black lipstick. I personally have no interest in punk clothing much less
make up but remembered these stores anyway. I generally shop in the day and hit the pubs at
night in a place I am visiting. I generally take a local tour to check out stuff like museums and
temples during the day.

I am absolutely not a back packer and prefer cheap hotels to hostels and will only stay in a hostel
in very expensive countries. I will generally pick a major city as a home base and do day trips
around the major city. I have no interest in seeing places that are not noteworthy. I rather
explore one interesting city backwards and forwards than see a bunch of mediocre cities that no
one has ever heard of and generally for good reason. I am not a big fan of hiking and will only
check out a natural wonder of the world if in fact it is listed as a natural wonder of the world. I
also am different from most travelers in that I have traveled throughout Latin America and Asia
but not Europe. I do eventually want to do a grand tour of Europe.

In addition to having lived in nine countries, I have lived in over 20 different cities during my
life!
City to City Moves

1) I moved from​ ​Champagne, IL ​to​ ​Westchester, CA​ in 1957

2) I moved from Westchester, CA to​ ​Hermosillo, Mexico​ in 1961
3) I moved from Hermosillo, Mexico back to Westchester, CA in 1962
4) I moved from Westchester, CA to​ ​Caracas, Venezuela​ in 1964
5) I moved from Caracas, Venezuela back to Westchester, CA in 1966
6) I moved from Westchester to​ ​San Fernando, CA​ in 1966
7) I moved from San Fernando to​ ​East Lansing, MI​ in 1968
8) I moved from East Lansing to​ ​Buenos Aires, Argentina​ in 1971
9) I moved from Buenos Aires back to East Lansing, MI in 1972
10) I moved from East Lansing, MI to​ ​Saginaw, MI​ in 1981
11) I moved from Saginaw, MI to​ ​Houston, TX​ in 1981
12) I moved from Houston, TX to​ ​College Station, TX​ in 1985
13) I moved from College Station, TX to​ ​Lubbock, TX​ in 1988
14) I moved from Lubbock, TX to​ ​San Antonio, TX​ in 1992
15) I moved from San Antonio, TX to​ ​Suzhou, China​ in 1999
16) I moved from Suzhou, China to​ ​Taichung, Taiwan​ in 2,000
18) I moved from Taichung, Taiwan to​ ​Taipei, Taiwan​ in 2,001
19) I moved from Taipei, Taiwan to​ ​Daejeon, South Korea​ in 2007
21) I moved from Daejeon, South Korea to​ ​Nagoya, Japan​ in 2008
22) I moved from Nagoya, Japan to​ ​Samut Sakhon​, Thailand in 2009
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23) I moved from Samut Sakhon, Thailand to​ ​Bangkok, Thailand​ in 2009
24) I moved from Bangkok, Thailand to​ ​Bangsean​, Thailand in 2010
​Argentina

I was in Argentina from 1969 to 1970. I spent seventh grade in an Argentinean public school.
The public school in Buenos Aires I attended was on the Santa Fe Avenue. The school was
within walking distance from our apartment on Montevideo Street. This was my second stint in
a foreign school. I had gone to a private school in Venezuela fourth and fifth grade. I belonged
to​ ​Club Ateneo​ ​and learned wrestling and got a belt in Judo. The wrestling coach introduced me
to weights and I really bulked up that year. I made some good buddies at Club Ateneo and we
would wander the streets of Buenos Aires together. I learned how to use the bus system on my
own as well. I matured a lot that year and returned to East Lansing, Michigan a very different
person.
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​ ustralia
A
I was in Australia September 2002. Part of a tour package from Taiwan. I visited the Gold
Coast of Australia and Brisbane. This is one of three package tours I took from Taiwan.
Taiwanese package tours are an incredible bargain. The Taiwanese are thrifty and to get their
business the tour operators have to cut their costs to the bone. You basically get a four star
experience for the same amount of money it would cost you to get a two star travel experience.
You are staying at nice hotels and great buffets for the same amount of money as a hostel and
noodles. The Taiwanese are the most boring people in the world and at night would retire to
their hotel rooms despite the fact they didn’t know English and all the channels had English
programming. I hit the bars of the Gold Coast on my own despite inviting some of the younger
Taiwanese gals to come with me. Taiwanese gals often take tours with their best female friend
and two or three of these groups in turn become a larger gal band. I do have a soft spot for
Taiwanese gals though. I really liked Australia and the Australians!

The gals are a bit fitter than their US counterparts. Aussie gals also dress in a sexier manner than
their US counterparts. Last but not least they noticed my Yankee accent and of course the first
part of getting to know a gal is to get noticed. Despite being next door to Asia, many Sheila’s
have not been to Asia and did “oh” and “ah” at my Asia stories. I think I would do alright if I
lived in Australia. The proximity of Australia to Asia is attractive. Aussies produce great beer
and great steaks and who can argue with that? Australians are rarity back in the US but all over
Asia and generally my drinking sessions with Australian guys all over Asia have been a lot of
fun. One of my friends in Taiwan was an Australian and I can comprehend a lot of Australian
slang even if I can’t produce it. Australia is expensive compared to SE Asia and this is one
reason I haven’t returned.
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​ ahamas
B
I visited the Bahamas in​ ​2009​ and​ 2016​. 2009 was my first cruise. If you absolutely do not want
to have anything to do with the people of a country and eat yourself silly then this is the way to
go. Its all you can eat all day and all night and the food wasn't bad. I was pretty bored with the
ship by the third day. I do have to say the cruise was good value for the money. It worked out to
about a hundred bucks a day and a beachside hotel is going to run you fifty bucks a day at least.
You toss in six meals a day, I confess, and the trip to the Bahamas itself is practically free. I
went with my uncle on the second cruise in 2016 and had ten times more fun! Never cruise
alone!
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4)​ ​Bali
I was in Bali for about a week on August 2002. I went with Polly my Taiwanese girlfriend at the
time. This was only Polly’s second trip out of Taiwan and she was super impressed. Bali has an
almost other worldly beauty. This was my second exposure to a Hindu culture after India. Thai
Buddhism also has Hindu elements to a much greater extent than East Asian Buddhism​.

I am a Buddhist and find different expressions of Buddhism at the cultural and national
level interesting but I prefer an experimental view of spirituality to faith based views of
spirituality.

I also have a general interest in religion and philosophy that shapes my travels. I will go out of
my way to find an interesting temple/church.
Bolivia
I was in Bolivia in 1970. On the way home from Peru my family stopped in Bolivia. I was 13 at
the time and in good shape but I could still feel the effects of the thin air. You literally feel a
little dizzy. At the time the natives did often wear traditional garb. I have only been to two
countries were none Western clothes are the norm, India being the other country like that, and
this does make a country seem much more exotic than any other factor. My father has shown
linguistic similarities between Quechua, the native language of Bolivia and Phoenician and
theorizes a historical connection.
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Brunei
I was in Brunei for a couple of days on my way to Australia in 2000. I was part of a package
tour from Taiwan that included Australia. Brunei is not worth a trip on its own but is an ok stop
over. The Grand Mosque is incredible and you can’t believe you are in SE Asia as opposed to
the Middle East. The Sultan has a museum with life sized replicas of various events of his
coronation that is an interesting display concept and other museums should consider copying this
idea rather than putting artifacts associated with a famous event in a glass case.
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Cambodia
I visited Siem Reap and Phnom Penh in March of 2002. Angkor Wat is one of those tourist spots
that is better than its rep and well worth the trip. Cambodia is far poorer than the Phils or
Thailand and many of the streets in the capital city are unpaved. You need to be a little careful
at night in Phnon Penh and are better off staying in the more well lit tourist areas.

Canada
In 1973 hitchhiked in Canada. I visited Toronto and Montreal. I often crossed the border when I
lived in Michigan. Canadians outnumber Americans at least two to one in both Taiwan and
South Korea. Canadians themselves mention economics. I also think that Canadians appreciate
the warmth of SE Asia a lot more than Americans since they have no equivalent to Florida in
Canada. If you live and work in East Asia then SE Asia is an easy and cheap holiday
destination. Playing in SE Asia is a major reason people do live and work in East Asia. The
provincials back home that have never been to Asia have no idea and think of Asia as one big
monolithic block. Idiots! No I need to be more forgiving because a decade ago I was like them.
There is an expat Canadian bar in Itawhon in South Korea. My two best friends in East Asia are
Canadians. Interestingly I didn’t become close to any Americans while in Taiwan and mostly
hung out with my British office mate and my two Canadian friends. My best friend in Daejeon,
South Korea was also a Canadian. I think one of the reasons I made Canadian friends instead of
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American friends in East Asia is just numbers. There are more Canadians that you can choose
from than Americans in East Asia.

I was very amused by the section of the movie ​Bowling in Columbine​ were the Michael Moore
tries to figure out why the US is so much more violent than Canada despite almost the same
popular culture and similar availability of firearms. I have my own theories and think the movie
does a better job at bringing up questions than answering them.

China

I taught in​ ​Suzhou​ ​from 1999 to 2,000. This was my first visit to Asia. I had traveled a great
deal as a kid. I had been to Europe been all over Latina America, lived in Venezuela and lived in
Argentina, by the time I was in 13. I had taken a long hiatus from international travel except for
a few trips to Mexico and one jaunt to England. I turned 39 and something kicked in! I needed
to travel again and I haven’t looked back since then. I visited Shanghai, Nanjing, Beijing and
Xian and all sorts of cities around Suzhou. This was the beginning of my long stay in Asia that
continues to this day. I do have a soft spot for China and the Chinese because of my childhood
in Latin America. The Chinese have done a great deal with very little. China has almost no
natural resources and occupies a land area similar to the US but has six times the population.
China is much safer than the US in terms of crime despite having less than one tenth of our
income!

I think there is an often overlooked difference between US and China government besides the
very obvious ones:
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1) The US is run by lawyers.

2) China is run by engineers.
3) Lawyers do human software better.
4) Engineers do human hardware better.

China needs a lot more lawyers in their government but the US also needs more engineers in
their government!

France
I was in Paris in the summer of 1963 as part of four country European tour as a kid. My most
vivid memory was trying to touch the fish in a fountain in the Louvre and falling in.

Germany
I was in Germany in 1963 as part of a four country European tour as a kid.

​ uam
G
I was in Guam for about a week during winter holiday in 2004. Guam is probably a good place
to live in but not necessarily a good place to visit. Guam is more expensive and less interesting
than other tropical paradises such as Thailand and the Phils. There are so many Japanese tourists
that tours of the island are in Japanese not English. There is a giant outlet mall where I did a
great deal of shopping for US stuff but you can do the same thing in the Phils if not Thailand.
US stuff is more expensive in Guam than in the US because of the cost of shipping it in but given
that Guam is a lot closer to most people living in Asia, going to Guam to shop for US stuff
makes some sense. Guam is a territory of the US so if you are an American you don’t have to
get a visa and you enjoy the full protection of US law. For this reason many Americans,
ex-military mostly, retire to Guam but I wouldn’t go this route and would prefer to retire in the
Phils.

In terms of overall shopping, Thailand is probably the best country in Asia. Prices are really
good unlike Hong Kong and there is a wide selection of goods from cheap rip offs to expensive
luxury goods from all over the world.

Hong Kong
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I have been in Hong Kong several times including in 2000, 2001 and 2013. Anyone who
describes Hong Kong as a shopping paradise has never been to Taipei! You can get anything
Chinese in Taipei for a lot less money than Hong Kong. Taipei has anything you can buy in
Japan for one third of the Hong Kong prize. Hong Kong quite simply does not have all the
Japanese goods and services that Taipei has because Taipei was part of Japan at one point. Hong
Kong has more Western goods but the prices are much higher than in Taipei. Hong Kong has
night life unlike Taipei and is visually ten times more interesting than Taipei. The mountains
and ocean give Hong Kong a natural advantage over every other city in Asia period.
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]
India
I did the Golden Triangle in 2002 that includes New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. India, along with
Bolivia, is a place where many do not wear Western clothing. Women generally wear saris.
Men often wear turbans. This gives India an exoticism that even places like Thailand do not
have. India is not an easy place to travel in compared to SE Asia. Beggars will chase you. India
is extremely dirty even compared to other poor countries. Monkeys and oxen do wander
downtown streets and that is interesting but later you realize is part of the overall chaos that is
India. Malls are a novelty in India. Pubs are few and far between. Food sickness is quite
common. However, India is really interesting and I want to go back! The Taj Mahal may very
well be the most incredible palace I have ever been to and I have been to a lot of palaces
including the palaces of the King of Thailand and the Forbidden City in Beijing.
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[caption id="attachment_1869" align="alignnone" width="300"]

Japan
I was in​ ​Hokkaido​ as part of a tour from Taiwan in February of 2002 and ran into a wild fox and
that is the picture of the fox above. I visited several Ice shows around the island and the big one
in Sapparo. I also bought two excellent fox masks one of which I use in my travels to create
surrealistic photos using a fox motif in a manner similar to how Margrite used apples or so I
think.
I also did a visa run to​ ​Fukuoka​ from South Korea in 2005. After Korea I lived in​ ​Nagoya​ for
around six months. I visited Tokyo in​ ​2008​,​ ​2009​ and​ ​2010​.

Laos
I visited Luang Prabang and Vientine during February of​ ​2005​. The Laotians are similar
culturally to Cambodians and Thais. As you go from Thailand to Cambodia you move from a
more modern country to a less modern and developed country and Laos is even less developed
than Cambodia. The people are incredibly laid back and friendly. Laos is ruled by a communist
government that is closely allied to Vietnam and views China with suspicion but does accept
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development money from China on a large scale. Laos Beer is probably the cheapest beer in the
world and quite good. There are also restaurants with excellent French cuisine, a legacy of their
colonial past, and some French tourists go to Laos specifically for French food. The pubs shut
down around 12pm and if you want to continue drinking then you take a taxi to a giant bowling
alley. There you will find an odd mix of Westerners who are there to drink and Laotians who are
there to bowl.

The Laotian gals at the bowling alley may be curious about you but be warned, a liason with a
Laotian lady is illegal and the law is occasionally enforced. Laotian jails are supposed to make
Thai jails seems comfortable. There are plenty of Laotian gals in Cambodia and Thailand so
why would you break the law in Laos or anywhere for that matter? Laotian women are not as
pretty as Thai gals anyway. This is probably due to their poverty. Make up costs money. Nice
clothes cost money. Good nutrition that affects beauty costs money. The cultural distance
between a Westerner and a Laotian is huge. I would say Laotians are not quite as money hungry
as Thais but this may change as tourism increases. I actually used film until 2008! I had my
pictures digitized at the photo shop. The pictures of Laos suffered from double exposure and in
my view are some of the most interesting photos I have ever taken. I visited​ ​Vientiane​, ​4k
Islands ​ and ​ ​Vang Vieng​ ​in 2009.
Macau
I was in Macau in February of 2000. This was before the Vegas casinos move in. I have been to
Vegas several times despite the fact I don’t gamble. I go for the buffets, the best in the world
period, the free stuff you get for just entering a casino, and the shows. After Vegas, Macau
seemed downright shoddy. Casinos outside of Vegas and throughout Asia don’t generally have a
theme. People in Asia go to casinos to gamble period. Since I don’t gamble this isn’t much of a
turn on for me. I do like the Disney side to the casinos in Vegas that is lacking in most casinos
around Asia.

Malaysia
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I visited Kuala Lumpur​ ​2000​ and​ ​2011​. The first visit was part of a five country tour from
China. I visited Malaysia a second time in 2011. The second tour took me to many of the same
places.

​Mexico
I was in Mexico in 1963 as a kid. My family stayed in the Sierra Madre region that literally had
bandits back then. Another kid threw a gasoline can at my head because I was an American.
Getting stitches in the hospital in Mexico is one of my earliest memories and to this day I have
very little tolerance for Anti-Americanism especially on the part of Americans.

I visited Monterey in 1997 and 1998 because I have a British friend that lives there with his
Mexican wife and children. Later they got a cat and that made visits to his house impossible due
to my allergies. I also stayed at a resort in Cozumel (2,000) and a resort in Puerto Vallarta
(2,001) with my second wife Cecilia. The resorts are great and I definitely recommend them for
a short honeymoon. You pay a set price for a few days and its all you can eat and all you can
drink. There are also tons of activities and I recommend a scuba lesson or two. I crossed the
border into Nuevo Laredo for cheap Mexican food and am always amazed how a simple line in
the sand can change so much. Nuevo Laredo is totally different than its US counterpart Laredo.

Peru
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I was in Peru in 1964 on the way back from Venezuela. I was in Peru for six months in 1970 on
the way back from Argentina. I stayed with family, my mother is from Peru originally, and had
a lot of fun playing with my numerous cousins that now all live in Florida!

​ hilippines
P
My first visit to the Philippines was in March of 2001. I have returned to the Phils many times
after that and have been to​ ​Angeles City​,​ ​Cebu​ and​ ​Manila​. The Phils are by far my favorite
country in the world for so many reasons and I plan to retire there. I compare the Phils and
Thailand in the section about Thailand.

​Singapore

I was in Singapore in January of​ ​2000​ ​as part of a five-country tour from China. Like everyone
that visits Singapore, I was impressed how clean Singapore was compared to other countries in
SE Asia and Asia period. I also taught business English at the Suzhou Singapore Industrial Park
in Suzhou, China and was very impressed by my Singaporean boss. I visited Singapore again in
2011​.
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South Korea
I lived in​ ​Daejeon​, South Korea for a year between August, 2007 to August 2008. I moved there
from Taiwan. I had lived in Taiwan for eight years before moving to South Korea. South Korea
and Taiwan are similar enough that a comparison is comparing apples to apples. You can make
a lot more money in South Korea than in Taiwan. South Koreas can appear to be ruder than
Taiwanese but I actually appreciate their being more up front about not liking something.
Taiwanese are always smiling even when they don’t like you. Taipei actually is a better place to
shop than Seoul despite the fact that Seoul is much bigger than Seoul. Taipei prices are much
better than Seoul prices for any number of goods. Japanese actually go to Taipei to buy Japanese
stuff at better prices than in Japan. Anything made in China is available in Taipei. Tons of stuff
made in China is not available in China itself since the stuff goes from the factory and straight to
a box exported to the US or some other country.

Seoul beats Taipei in terms of number and quality of pubs by a factor of 10,000 to one. Pubs in
Taipei are overpriced and pretty dead and there are maybe five good expats pubs in the whole
city. Seoul literally has a whole bar district filled with expat pubs called Itawhon and there is
nothing comparable in Taiwan. There is an area called Tien Mu in Taipei that Taiwanese might
compare with Itawhon but Tien Mu is pretty pathetic compared to Itawhon. There are about
three expats bars within walking distance of each other in Tienmu but only The Pig is any good.
There is only one bar district in Taipei called the combat zone versus several bar districts in
Seoul besides Itawhon.

The combat zone is where the US troops used to do R&R back when they were stationed in
Taipei in the seventies. The combat zone is dying and bar hopping there is interesting in a
depressing sort of way. There is one bar in the combat zone filled with about thirty cats from all
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over the neighborhood that is kind of interesting. You can easily do bar hopping in any of the
bar districts in Seoul.

Taipei does have a ton of Chinese and Japanese restaurants and beats Seoul in these two cuisine
types but in terms of every other cuisine Seoul is better. Itawhon has every international cuisine
imaginable. There is a non-Western international section of Itawhon near a mosque in Itawhon
with Kenyan, South West Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants. Mexican food is available
throughout Seoul. Tequila Sunrise has two restaurants in Taipei and is considered the best
Mexican food in Taipei and is not very good compared to even so-so Mexican restaurants in
Seoul. Taipei bars all shut down around 2 am while Korean bars shut down around 6 am. Seoul
has an electricity that Taipei doesn’t have.

One big difference between Koreans and Taiwanese is that Koreans are much more passionate
and emotionally expressive than Taiwanese. This can be good or bad. Koreans show their
appreciation to a greater extent than Taiwanese which I like. Koreans are not extroverted by
Western standards but are the extroverts of East Asia. Being an extreme extrovert myself I
appreciate this quality in the Koreans. All in all I have more fun with Koreans than Taiwanese.
The​ ​DMZ​ ​is too close to Seoul!

​ pain
S
I was in Spain in 1963 as a kid as part of a four-country journey.
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Kuwait
I stayed in Kuwait from April 16 until April 21, 2018
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25)​ ​Taiwan
I lived in Taiwan from 2,000 until August of 2,007. Taiwan is of course a renegade province of
China and is put on this list as a de facto country rather than as de jure country.
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Thailand
The first time I was in Thailand was in 2,000 as part of five-country tour from China. Our tour
visited Bangkok and Pattaya. I visited Pattaya and Bangkok again in 2003. I visited Phuket in
2004. I visited Chiang Mai in 2005. Travelers often compare Thailand and the Philippines and I
think this is a fair comparison. Both are cheap tropical paradises. Thailand is much more exotic
than the Phils and long ago won the tourist wars of Asia. More tourists go to Thailand than any
other country in Asia and because of this Thailand has one of the more developed tourist
infrastructures in the world. There are tons of touristy things to do in Thailand compared to the
Phils.

In many ways the Phils are a Latin American country that happens to be in Asia. The local
language, Tagalog, is ten percent Spanish so I always end up picking up a little Tagalog when I
visit the Phils. I never ever pick up any other Asian language without actually studying. I go to
the Phils from East Asia to have a US experience more cheaply than in the US. I eat American
food more cheaply than in the US and get out of the cold of East Asia. All in all East Asians are
more introverted than most Westerners much less Latinos.

English is more widely spoken than in any other country in Asia and this makes interaction easy.
US pop culture dominates the cultural landscape more than in any other Asian culture. The mall
culture is almost identical to that of the US. Food chains that are not even all over the US, like
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Pollo Loco, and Shakeys, are in every mall in the Phils. East Asians prefer overpriced
department stores to malls. I do miss the malls of the US while living in East Asia. Any mall in
the Phils will have at least one National bookstore (a chain of bookstores in the Phils) that will
have more books in English than all the bookstores in Seoul and Taipei put together! I generally
buy a lot of comic books in the form of graphic novels in the Phils. There will also be a used
bookstore in the mall and you can get all sorts of used books for under five bucks. English books
always sell for cover price in any other country in Asia so I also stock up on cheap books in
English as well.

There is a chain of game stores, in many of the malls in Manila, called Neutral Ground where I
buy D&D and Star Wars minis. Toy R US is in almost all the malls and they also sell minis but
at a higher price and no discount for larger purchases. The owners of Neutral Ground are
Chinoys. Chinoy is a play on Pinoy. A Chinoy is a person from the Phils of Chinese descent.
Most of the Chinese in the Phils come from the same part of China, Fukien, as the Taiwanese
and this is one of the few places in Asia besides Fukien were knowing Taiwanese/Fukienese
would be useful. I would descend to his store once a year to make large purchases and he
generally took pretty good care of me and gave me freebies like promotional posters. I hope a
little free publicity on this page helps the guy out.

The bigger malls will also have a comic book store or two and this is unheard of in the rest of
Asia. TV in the Phils is pretty similar to TV in the US and I also catch up on a lot of my
American TV shows. All in all I like the people of the Phils a lot more than the Thais and the
fact that the Phils are of the tourist track is a good thing for me. Guns are legal in the Phils
unlike the rest of Asia and this is the single biggest drawback of the Phils. You really should
stay on the beaten track in the Phils. You can wander all over Thailand and be perfectly safe.
The same cannot be said of the Phils.
I moved to​ ​Bangsaen​, Thailand to work at​ ​Burapha​ in 2010.
​United Kingdom
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I was in England twice. England was one of those European countries I visited in 1963. I went
again in 1997. The 1997 trip was my reward to myself for finishing my master’s and doctoral
coursework. I am an unabashed Anglophile! I love BBC, Dr. Who, British comic books, Alan
Moore, English pub culture and on and on. My office mate for years and years in Taiwan is
from Brighton and I learned how to translate British English into American English when we
would go out with a Yankee in tow. The English are more introverted than Americans and I am
very extroverted even by US standards. Strangely, my extroversion is often seen as a good
quality by my English friends since they do like a good show. Opposites do attract.

Venezuela
I spent two years living in Venezuela between the years1964 to 1966. I attended​ ​Colegio
Schönthal​ my first years in Caracas. I went to a Venezuelan Catholic school named during my
second year​ ​Colegio Claret​. I learned Spanish due to this experience. This was a classic sink or
swim situation. I started an insect collection. Venezuela is a tropical country and produces some
truly awesome bugs! I had a grasshopper in the collection that was over 12 inches long. On my
way back to the US I mentioned my insect collection to the stewardess and it ended up being
confiscated and presumably burned upon arrival.
​ ​Vietnam
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I was in ​Saigon​ from January 26 to February 2, 2002. I was really impressed by the Vietnamese
attitude to the Vietnam War. The past is the past and they want to focus on the future and
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making money. I did see the Cuchi Tunnels and the War Museum and they remember their
history but they don’t obsesses about their history unlike other Asians. This is in contrast with
the Chinese and especially the South Koreans that obsess about historical humiliations. I think
this obsession is basically unhealthy. There is a firing range attached to the Cuchi Tunnels. I
fooled around with an AK-47 and a Soviet style submachine gun at the range. The kick of both
weapons was much greater than I anticipated.

I visited​ Hanoi​ ​on April 18-20th of 2010 and Hanoi and Saigon are not as different as I had been
led to believe. I visited​ ​Danang​ ​in 2014.

My current country total is 30.