This non-fiction book is about traveling and reflections about those travels. It takes you on a journey to many different places in the world, some strange, some exotic, some dangerous, but always interesting places. I am a distinguished emeritus professor of Statistics. I attended many conferences all over the civilized world to give talks. Often I would take members of my family along with me. The places I visited were places also visited by parts of my family, at various times over the years during our private and professional lives. Sometimes I traveled with Grace, my wife, other times with one or more of my kids (Daryl, Jamie, or Julie). My impressions and experiences at the places visited are fascinating and sometimes breathtaking. I will tell you about places where I was mugged, places where I was chased, some unsafe places, and some wonderful experiences we had.
Perhaps our experiences will be interesting for others too. And when what I saw inspired me to reflect on my impressions, and even to do some research on the background of people, places, and objects; such reflections make up a large part of this work.
This is not a book about where to stay and how to get there. It is more a book about the kinds of strange and unusual events that may take place once you get there. I make no claim that the places visited cover most places in the world, just the ones that we visited. They are subdivided by continent, and sometimes by sub-continent, or country. Sometimes there are several segments about specific places. I even take the opportunity to display the most famous western paintings that visitors might see displayed. But near the end of the book, there are a few more lengthy articles for readers who would like more background about particular issues.
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