"If I am not transferred to Singapore I will have no alternative but to resign" - Rolf to senior management after returning from his first Asian visit, gambling to achieve his personal goals.
Chapter VIII - The Asian Years
Finally, Rolf is on the road to success. Achievement of his goals now is in reach. Over the next ten years he will take full advantge of his opportunities.
To those who had known and worked with Rolf he was a totally transformed person. He was determined, focused and driven. His natural abilities now being fully utilized, he quickly made a mark in his new position. Being totally sure of himself he ruthlessly gambled to get what he wanted and could not be deterred.
His travels to the far corners of the world and the rapid progression through the accomplishment of his goals were now transcending anything else.
Although he did not consciously realize this at the time, he was trying to escape from the past.
Click on the scroll link on the bottom of this page to read the whole story
Chang Mai, Thailand - Annual Elephant Roundup
A one week festival that is a tradition in northern Thailand. It is used to train young elephants in the art of logging.
Saigon - April 1975
Central Saigon still bustling with activity just around the corner from the Metropole Hotel where Rolf stayed. Shortly after he got out of Saigon the top floor was hit by mortar fire taking out the pool and nightclub.
Rolf had arrived in Saigon from Karachi where a news black-out prevented him from being aware of the rapid deterioration of the military situation in Vietnam. Neither could he be reached by anyone from outside the country.
Rolf had arrived in Saigon from Karachi where a news black-out prevented him from being aware of the rapid deterioration of the military situation in Vietnam. Neither could he be reached by anyone from outside the country.
Cholon, Saigon - April 27, 1975
The Chinese quarter had been under heavy mortar attack for a few days. Heavily sandbagged restaurants were still serving meals, while the government controlled television blared about the defense of Saigon and impending victory over the Viet Cong.
Rolf got out of the country on April 28, 1975 and two days later Communist tanks rolled into the presidental palace grounds reunifying the country under their control.
Saigon - April 27, 1975
The general manager in Saigon poses in front of the statue of liberation. It will be toppled by the conquering North Vietnamese within 72 hours. Rolf took the picture while doing some last minute shopping before heading to the airport..
The final days in Saigon - Click on the following story for details
Pakistan 1976 - The Khyber Pass
Like a story straight out of a James Bond movie, Rolf got himself involved in a fraud investigation at the American Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, where close to half a million dollars had been embezzled. Following the fleeing perpetrators with a security officer into the Khyber Pass, Rolf was armed and dressed in local garb. He was scared and for the second time in less than two years feared for his life. The full story is told in the link below.
Pakistan 1973 - The old Palace in Lahore
Afghanistan - The Khyber Pass highest point
Remote and mostly under tribal control for centuries the unforgiving countryside has never been conquered.
Random Images of Asia
- The Star Ferry connecting Kowloon and Hong Kong Island
- Nassau Street (Kowloon) shopping district
- Entrance to the Baku Caves in Malaysia
- Inside the Baku Caves
- View of Hong Kong Island from the Peak
- Rolf's friend at the beach cottages in Phuket taking his morning swim
- An inlet on Phuket Island
- On the boat with Sharon looking at Bora Bora, Tahiti
- Giant turtles laying their eggs on the Malaysian east coast
Tahiti - The most beautiful place on Earth
A luxury hotel in Bora Bora with their top of the water cabins. It was like living in a dream. Rolf spent a lot of time in the islands and loved to go exploring in this charming French territory. During one of his visits Rolf had chartered a boat to sail around the Islands. Unbeknown to Rolf the owner had taken on another passenger, a young Australian girl, who was spending the summer in Tahiti. It turned out to be an enchanting week, a beautiful escape from reality, Read the story below "Tahiti",
Tahiti - Living in Paradise
Bora Bora, Tahiti
Rolf on the boat helping out
Picture taken by Sharon
The Philippine Connection - 1972 to 1982
"You seem to be afraid of me - I can tell that you want to make love to me - what are you waiting for?" Marlene to Rolf during his first visit to Manila.
It became a beautiful friendship that would last through the many years of Rolf's business visits to the Philippines.
Manila - The famous Jeepneys
Lacking public transportation the Filipinos took left over American equipment such as the jeeps and turned them into individually designed mini buses. The colorful fleets became a trademark of most Filipino cities for many years.
Makati - The Philippines
The huge, beautiful war Cemetery in Desmarinas is the final resting place for over 10,000 American Soldiers.
The Philippines - Marlene (at right) and Gumer's Girlfriend at Pagsanjan Falls
A favourite weekend destination during the many long stays in that country it was all fun shooting the rapids, exploring the countryside and spending the nights sitting by the river or the pool eating the great food and drinking San Miguel. Accompanied by his Filipino assistant most of the time, there never was a lack of female companions. Marlene was a hot blooded Filipina with Spanish and American blood in her. She was with Rolf for most of his travels within the country over a nine year period and accompanied him on his climb of Mount Apo. They met one last time when Gumer arranged to have her come to Guam to stay with Rolf for a week, going on to Manila for an additional week. It was an emotional reunion and a tearful good bye. They had gone into the jungles of Mindenao together, explored outlying islands and spent many days and nights in some of the most remote areas of the country, sometimes being completely out of touch with anyone for long stretches of time.
In 1983 Rolf came very close to making a major decision after his divorce became final. He was going to accept the offer of Marlene's father to work for his company in Manila and become a permanent resident of the Philippines. It would provide him with an executive position with a substantial income and the opportunity to be re-united with Marlene, becoming part of a prominent family in a country he loved.
In 1983 Rolf came very close to making a major decision after his divorce became final. He was going to accept the offer of Marlene's father to work for his company in Manila and become a permanent resident of the Philippines. It would provide him with an executive position with a substantial income and the opportunity to be re-united with Marlene, becoming part of a prominent family in a country he loved.
Into the Jungles of Mindanao - The Philippines
Wild Orchids in Rain Forrest
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Monkey on the Trail (Left low corner)
It was impossible to tell direction or location. The guides knew exactly where we were going, by what criteria we never knew
Santa Cruz Falls - Mindanao
The cool waters of these falls were a refreshing break from the steaming heat during the day. Their natural untouched beauty a sight to behold.
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At the Pelota Court - Makati
Rolf played three times a week here during his stays in the Philippines. It was here that he met Marlene for the first time, who become a factor in his life for the next eight years.
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Village departure for the Island
On the boat with Marlene leaving the little village to go to the island for a week.
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Scuba Diving on Truk - The Wreck of the "Nippo Maru"
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Gumer and Rolf - Cagayan de Oro - The Dole Plantation
A visit to the giant pineapple plantation was an interesting glimpse into the plantation life as had been in the south and in Hawaii. A totally self sufficient town for the 5,000 employees and their families was part of the complex.
Rolf, Marlene (who took the picture) and Gumer were invited to spend time in the guest house, which was a luxurious villa fully staffed to provide services equal to those in a top flight hotel.
Rolf, Marlene (who took the picture) and Gumer were invited to spend time in the guest house, which was a luxurious villa fully staffed to provide services equal to those in a top flight hotel.
Mount Apo, Davao, Philippines
Marlene on the very top of Mount Apo. It was a three day hike trough jungles and rough terrain with her and two local guides. Sleeping in a tent in the wilderness was an interesting experience. Rolf's insatiable appetite for adventure and excitement by that time had almost become legendary. His Filipino assistant, Gumersindo, repeatedly told him "You should not do that!" but was ignored, along with any concerns for his personal safety.
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Mount Apo - As seen from Davao
In 1974 Rolf started to bug Gumersindo to make plans for an excursion up the mountain during one of their repeated visits to the south of the country. Gumer was worried and did not really want to do that. So Rolf went up with the girl, leaving Gumer with his girl friend in their luxury hotel room at the Intercontinental Hotel. It turned out to be challenging but a beautiful experience.
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Pagsanjan Falls - The first Visit 1972
The beginning of the climb - When the going got rough the 2 Filipino boatman lifted the boat up and carried it past the obstacle. It took about 2 hours to go up to the falls and 12 minutes to shoot the rapids down to the starting point.
Head Office Visitor at Pagsanjan
It was traditional procedure that head office visitors were kept busy sightseeing and and entertained so they would not get much accomplished at the office. Expatriate staff generally did not like interference and was expert in keeping their privacy. Rolf had gone through this in the early stages of his international travel days and gained a reputation of not being distracted by lavish entertainment, all night drinking parties and nightclubbing. He would always be in the office early, much to the consternation of the local staff. When Rolf himself became an expatriate it was easy for him to change sides. This unsuspecting financial Vice President pictured here was on his first foreign trip, had been taken up the falls and was sort of terrorized by the wild ride down. It was rainy season and the water level was high. He had been told to come in swimsuit and t-shirt, but showed up in business wear. The Filipino boatmen had to help him to his room where he remained for the next two days, when he departed the Philipines. During the next staff meeting we all joked that we should have taken him into the jungle in Mindenao instead.
Bagio City, The Philippines
The Highway to Bagio high up in the Luzon Mountains is a beautiful drive to the resort city, which offers a cool reprieve from the tropical heat in Manila
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Living Quarters on private Island - The Philippines
The Island was owned by the local manager and Rolf had the opportunity to spend some time on this remote outpost. Thee were some natives, a bunch of pigs, chicken, dogs and extensive vegetable and fruit gardens. One could wade into the water and just pick a spine lobster and bring it in for a BBQ. Some of those could weigh up to 20 lb. There was no communication and it was total paradise. The only clothing brought were swim trunks and some t-shirts. Sleeping was done in a hammock or on the ground. Rolf once spend a week with Marlene on the island and they would take a little boat to close-by uninhabited islands, go fishing for dinner and lived the life of natives. It was beautiful.
You can read the full story in the section with the Name "Bagio - The Philippines" - It details of the adventures of Marlene and Rolf in that beautiful country.
You can read the full story in the section with the Name "Bagio - The Philippines" - It details of the adventures of Marlene and Rolf in that beautiful country.
The Hilton Hotel and Resort - Guam
A frequent stop-over during Rolf's many trips across the Pacific, a welcome little piece of home when he came for extended business visits during his residency in Singapore; he spent many weeks in this beautiful Resort hotel.
One hundred and eleven times Rolf landed at the old Kai Tak Airport in the Harbor
Hong Kong Harbor as seen from the Peak on Hong Kong Island
Korea - The DMZ
For almost 60 years the divide between the two Koreas has seen the greatest concentration of military force of any border in the world. Now one of the few remaining flashpoints is a constant reminder of the Cold War days.
Torii Gate, Hiroshima, Japan
Mijajima Island and park in Hiroshima is a very beautiful place. Rolf went to the city for a week on business and had a hard time dealing with it's history. Visions of what was planned for Berlin and other German Cities if the country had not capitulated ran through Rolf's mind. The still very noticable lingering effect of the radiation damage to the people and animals of the area was very disturbing to see.
Phao River, Bangkok, Thailand
Of all the places under his jurisdiction during his Asian Years, Thailand was the one he loved most. It's natural beauty, the lovely people, rich history and gentle life style mesmerized Rolf. He would make it a ritual to go up the river to the old imperial capital and tour the ruins. Only the Amazon would hold more fascination for Rolf when he finally made there.
Jakarta, Indonesia
Rolf with his regional assistant (center) on an official visit to the Office. Local Managers are flanking the two.
Palace Hotel - Tokyo, Japan
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Tokyo, Japan
Rolf with Ayima, his translator, his Japanese assistant and Tokyo management at the traditional Friday night Tatami Room dinner with a lot of Sake being passed around for hours on end, followed by a visit to a nightclub or Disco.
Rolf had a reputation for always being the first in the office, regardless of how late he was entertained, much to the astonishment of local management, who were used to visitors hardly showing up at all. It was difficult to build any rapport with local management and staff and Rolf's ability to do so gained him immense respect. He was one of the very few visitors to have the honors to be invited to a local home for a dinner. Hiroshima, Japan
Rolf's Japanese assistant on left, local branch managers on right. Rolf spent an emotional week in the city. The story is told in this chapter.
Rolf with Baby Elephant in Bangkok
Rolf loved the stubbly gentle creatures who always were mischevious and playful.
The famed Beaches of Sydney. Australia Murree, Pakistan - Johnny Fung
On assignment to Islamabad with Johnny, Rolf spent a few days in this mountain resort high in the Himalayas, prior to heading into the Khyber Pass. Below Erik on trail heading down the mountain.
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 New Zealand - The beautiful islands
The North Island with it's endless beaches. Singapore Regional Systems Operations
All Southeast Asian financial reporting was consolidated in the Singapore regional office with it's competent staff and state-of-the-art systems center. The problem came with antiquated country operations, manual reporting and at times inadequately trained staff. In addition political upheavals in some countries, the Vietnam War, the tendancies to nationalize operations and rapidly increasing operating expenses ultimately proved to be insurmountable.
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Worldwide Staff Conference in New Jersey 1981
Rolf as Administrative Vice President for internatinal operations had called the conference for all regional and country executives to drive his agenda home. Foreign operations were losing huge amounts of revenue to agressive German, Swiss, French and English companies. As it turned out it was too little too late. Outdated and ultra conservative attitudes were difficult to change..
Hobart, Tasmanian Capital
The big Island, still pretty much untouched, rugged and beautiful. Like the Australian mainland it is populated by some very unique animals. |
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - The Petronas Towers
Malaysia;s capitol, only a short hop from Singapore was a sleepy little city when Rolf first arrived there on one of the many business trips he was to make through the country, which had twelve branches spread out over both West and East Malaysia. Now host to the worlds tallest building it is the commercial hub of the country.