Lost in the World: Bangkok to Bulgaria and back! (Without a Guidebook)

World Travel in the 80's and 90's! In the 1980's there was no Global Community. There were mostly independent countries. Each very strongly nationalistic and with their own specific languages and culture. The United State was much the same, as few of us traveled outside of our country. Like the rest of the countries in the world, the only culture we knew was the one we were raised in. My travels as a businessman thrust me into the heart of these countries and their cultures. The differences in cultures from country to country varied significantly. In many cases the clash in cultures was quite a shock, especially to a novice American traveler. Which is why I refer to my travels as being "Lost in the World". During the years I traveled internationally, it was rare to have American businessmen in many of the countries I worked. There was no “Google”, no “Wikipedia” or ”Internet” to tell me what to expect, how to behave or what the consequences of getting in trouble could be in these countries. I tried to walk a straight line, but the world kept throwing me curves.