...away on business. Peter Weiermann

      Prolog

      It so happened that one day my boss was of the opinion that I would do less harm to the company if he sent me on business trips, preferably as far away as possible, maybe even to Asia.

      In fact, I am still amazed at how it is possible to get anywhere with limited English language skills, an even more limited sense of direction and a small credit card. Incidentally, my language skills are really not that much of a problem because most Asians with whom I'm deal are not language experts either. Ironically, I do not know how many times I have traveled around the world over the past 20 years, but it has been several times. Some moments and impressions are actually trivial things that just belong to traveling, but they can also be things a west European would just like to ignore by laughing it away. They can make you smile or be amazed or even make you stop and think. They are simply snapshots that are rarely consciously perceived because other things are of course in focus. You want to get from A to B to do your job there. These impressions are just side effects, but in and of themselves they often look very strange to a so-called foreigner. Also, I notice that the tiny spot on the map called Germany is not necessarily the center of the world, or is it?

      As long as one or the other of these impressions is still in my memory, I would like to capture and pass on these moments to you, dear reader, with the aim of giving you a little something to do in your leisure time. Maybe you're on a journey of your own as you read these lines, maybe even on a business trip or on vacation, or wherever, but nonetheless on the go. It may be that you will discover yourself here within this journal because you have just experienced something similar or have already experienced it in the past. Just one more thing before we start, however. If my opinions, which are subjectively expressed, are met with any displeasure, I beg your pardon. No one should accuse me of a deliberate aversion to persons, groups or things because this is definitely not intended. Quite the contrary, we should all respect each other’s cultural background and habits. I have not included my comments in a chronological order because, in my opinion, this does not detract from the contents in any way. At any rate, I sincerely hope you will enjoy reading the following.