Kaleidoscope

Personal adventures in exciting faraway places. The book is replete with accounts of inter-cultural exchange, of fascinating history, of natural and man made beauty, and my appraisal of these adventures. Over 200 color photographs by my husband and me are directly related to the text. When I had completed drafts of the seven sections of the book, my husband prepared a map for each. The map boundaries and the included place names were carefully selected to compliment the narration.

This is a book about encounters, some comfortable, some challenging. Some locations were barely accessible or inhospitable, such as Arctowski, Swat, Plitvicka, Shiraz, Thimpu and Mazri-I-Sharif. Each provided a different experience and enrichment opportunity. I have given more comprehensive coverage to those countries we visited several times. My personal Journals cover a quarter-century of travel from 1970 through 1996. From these journals I hope to share with you the excitement and education we made a part of our lives through our acquaintance with peoples and places in this world. The Table of Contents as listed below by SECTION and Chapter reflects the where, what, and why of my selections: CANNIBALS AND DRAGONS - Circle of Fire, Huli Wigmen of Tari, Singa-Pura Singapore, Cous-Cous and Carpets. ENDS OF THE EARTH - Ninety Degrees North, At the Bottom of the World. MIDDLE KINGDOM AND NORTH - Journey Across Russia, Siberia, Fermented Mare's Milk and Wild Horses, Fire-Breathing Dragon, Kashgar, East on the Traders Trail. GODS AND GODDESSES - Monastaries and Yak Butter, Pagoda Bells,Eternal Melody, Xishuangbana. JOYS AND PAIN - A Country that Was, In the Transylvanian Alps-Dracula Country. PLAYGROUND OF CONQUERORS - Mysteriuos India-Land of Many Facets, Rajpath-Road Leading to the Kingdom, In Nanga Parbat's Shadow, Three Seas of Kanya Kumari, Inside a Cauldron, Land of the Thunder Dragon, Arabian Nights Redux, Traveling With a Hunzakut, Yeti and Shiva, Fabled Island of Spice, Moscow Revisited, Slow Sunday Stroll in Addis Ababa. PLANET - Circling Our Planet.