05/27/2026
Around the World the Summer of 1999 — As I Recall, V2, No. 13:
The year was 1999, and I was working for a large technology company as an international vice president, making client visits and giving speeches all over the world.
The trip began in Calgary, Canada, at the Calgary Stampede, just before the Fourth of July. From there, I flew back to Dallas and then on to Paris, where I was met at the plane door by the American Airlines concierge service and shuttled across the tarmac to the Admirals Club. I freshened up there and met my guide, who would accompany me through much of the journey.
That evening, at the Hilton near the Eiffel Tower, we reviewed the itinerary. It would be a long swing through Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
The next morning, we were off to Milan, Italy, where we spent the night and met with our representatives over breakfast the following morning. As soon as breakfast ended, we were back in the air, this time bound for Amsterdam, where I had a lunch meeting and gave a brief speech. Into a rental car my guide had arranged and drove on to Brussels for an afternoon meeting with our representatives there, a difficult meeting, to say the least.
When that meeting ended, we caught the train back to Paris, where a dinner meeting had been arranged for that evening.
The next morning, we were back in the air again, this time heading to Tel Aviv. I remember being met by our driver, who took us toward the hotel while pointing out places in the city where shootings and killings had happened in the past. Even then, it made an impression on me. Of course, this was 1999, a very different time from today.
After meetings in Tel Aviv the next morning, it was back to the airport once more, where security screening was intense for our Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul.
Getting into Istanbul was not easy. Apparently, a bribe to the passport official was the difference between getting through and being delayed, and it cost each of us $100. What a rip-off. We made our way to the Hilton in Istanbul, where security was tight. You had to pass through a metal detector to enter the hotel, and armed guards patrolled the halls.
The next morning, before meeting with our representatives, I could hear the Muslim calls to prayer, a sound that was both unfamiliar and memorable, offering a unique perspective on how many different cultures this world has.
Breakfast with the representatives went well, and the meeting was productive. They invited us to join them and their CEO for lunch at their headquarters, and we accepted.
When we arrived, we were escorted to a top-floor penthouse suite with a sweeping view of the city. From there, we were taken to a patio under a domed canopy, where a long table had been set. We could see the city of Istanbul. I was seated at the end nearest where our host would appear. About ten minutes later, out walked a striking and sophisticated woman dressed in a way that reminded me of I Dream of Jeannie. At first, I assumed she was part of the serving staff, but she was, in fact, the CEO.
She was impressive, highly educated, well-informed on world affairs, and entirely comfortable discussing topics ranging from business to sailboat races involving Israelis. Any assumptions I might have made disappeared almost immediately. Strange things do indeed happen. A wake-up call happened.
As a side note, the Hilton Hotel where I stayed was blown up in a terrorist bombing just two weeks later. My family was traumatized, as this was the first of several disasters that seemed to follow me that year.
From there it was on to Warsaw, Poland. Warsaw struck me as a city divided between two eras: one half still clinging to the gray, heavy look of communist rule, the other vibrant, modern, and full of young people.
The next morning, we went through the same routine and met with the colleagues we had come to see. Once that meeting ended, it was back to the airport, this time for Frankfurt, and then the same drill again the next day.
Our next stop was London, followed by a flight to South Africa; It was an extremely long flight. When we arrived, we were met by a guard who escorted us through Cape Town, which at the time could be rough, especially around the airport, where container cities lined the area.
People ran red lights there to avoid being mugged or worse. One of the worries I carried throughout those years was the possibility of being kidnapped for ransom because of my position and the kind of work I was doing. It had already happened to several colleagues, so it was not an idle concern.
We completed our meeting in Cape Town and then headed to what everyone there called Joburg, or Johannesburg, as the map would have it. Our colleagues there were gracious, showed us around, and later agreed to come to the United States for a function in New Orleans. In time, all three of them ended up staying at my home for a long weekend out on the boat.
The flight back from South Africa was one of the worst I have ever endured. I was supposed to be upgraded to business class or even first class. Still, hunters and diamond brokers had taken all the premium seats, and I ended up in the back section of a completely full 747 with a cabin full of people trying to get to the United States. It was roughly a 16- or 17-hour flight, and about 90 percent of the way through, all the lavatories in the back of the plane had to be closed because the holding tanks were full. It was a miserable experience, especially after years of first-class travel from my days as an airline executive and all the frequent-flyer miles I had accumulated.
Even so, South Africa was absolutely beautiful, though I am not sure I would make that trip again now, given the length of the flight. I arrived in Miami, caught a flight back to Dallas, and stayed home for about a week.
Then it was a quick trip to Mexico, where I often traveled to confer with our representatives and always enjoyed the camaraderie. At that time, Mexico could be dangerous; even the hotels were heavily guarded. We had executives kidnapped there. My Spanish was limited, but I had Edgar, my colleague in Mexico, as a translator and a gracious host.
The next week, I was off to Asia: Tokyo first, then Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangkok, Thailand. From there it was on to Malaysia and its largest city, Kuala Lumpur.
From there it was on to the Philippines and Manila, then to Australia, including Sydney and Melbourne, both great cities.
After a quick stop in Auckland, New Zealand, I headed back to Los Angeles, stayed home only a few days, and then left for South America: first Santiago, Chile, then São Paulo and Rio, Brazil. On the way back to DFW, a medical emergency occurred on the plane, and we had to return to Rio. By the time I got back to DFW, I was tired beyond words.
I had been to every continent except Antarctica. On top of that, during that same year, I passed through Greenland and made several trips to Canada, not to mention all the stops around the United States. All of this came after major back surgery the year before, and I was pushing fifty.
The air miles alone that I piled up in the American Airlines AAdvantage program were well over 250,000, not counting the other programs.
I can say I set foot in many places across the world, but I am not sure I stayed in any of them long enough to understand what life there was really like in that geo. Most of what I remember is riding in cars, often with a bodyguard or two, being rushed from one speech or meeting to the next, and then being whisked away again.
There were meetings where I met dignitaries, government officials, and some people I was never quite sure how to describe—or whether I should.
Speeches everywhere, meetings everywhere, and very little time to truly experience the cities and countries where I briefly planted my feet.
Still, I gathered a great deal that I later used in my novels. My background in political science (of the research type; apolitical for sure), years running think tanks, and experience in logistics, hospitality, economics, banking, and other fields helped me understand business, cultures/customs, and regional concerns. It is indeed a small world after all!
Today, I am just an old man in his mid-seventies with a sweet wife who doesn’t cut me any slack, a dog, a cat, and a boatload of grandkids and great-grandkids.
As I recall...
