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It is an adventure that surpasses any fairy tale. Long, long ago a Venetian merchant named Marco Polo journeyed deep into Asia, following caravan routes and the Silk Road to the mythical kingdom of Kublai Khan He visited mighty capitals, with untold treasures in jewels and silks, spices and ivory. Yet what impressed him most were the great civilizations and religions that he saw, already ancient when Christianity was born. Asia is just as much a land of superlatives today: the largest continent, the tallest mountains and longest coastline, the most wildly varied plants and animals, and three-fifths of the world's population. The riches of Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei still defy description. And the cultural bounty of the Orient is limitless. Wandering among jungle temples in Thailand, watching the mesmeric grace of a Japanese tea ceremony or a Indian shadow theater, meeting the mystical gaze of the Sphinx, or looking into the wise old eyes of a Buddha in Vietnam, a country newly opened to the West…each scene is a window on the Asian Soul. .
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