RICK BAY
Sports Executive and Author
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Sports Executive and Author
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Book: FORBIDDEN TRAVEL: WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT THE WORLD
The U.S. State Department said, "Don't Go" -- I Went
The U.S. State Department said, "Don't Go" -- I Went
After the publication of his first two books that gave readers a fascinating look behind the scenes of professional and college sports in America, Rick has turned his attention to one of his other passions: Travel.
Travel was not a part of Rick's early life but when he became Director of Club Activities for the University of Michigan's Alumni Association, often serving as a leader for its travel programs, his wanderlust kicked in.
From then and through today, Rick has made it a mission to visit the world, including countries that the U.S. State Department has included on its Warning List. Forbidden Travel: What I Learned About the World takes readers from Rick's early traveling days through these later journeys to the far more adventurous and potentially dangerous locations.
Countries that dominate the headlines today - Syria, Pakistan, Iran and Cuba - were some of the author's destinations, where he went to explore the old and the new, and to find out how their citizens viewed the United States. He relied on local guides as he traveled, engaging them in discussions about government, politics and life in their world. According to Rick, "I was most interested in how these people perceived the world around them, their reality."
Forbidden Travel: What I Learned About the World takes readers to Rwanda on a trek to see the famous gorillas; to Moscow in 1980 amid the controversial Olympics; and to North Korea where the author toured the USS Pueblo, the only US Naval Ship still held by another nation.
Travel was not a part of Rick's early life but when he became Director of Club Activities for the University of Michigan's Alumni Association, often serving as a leader for its travel programs, his wanderlust kicked in.
From then and through today, Rick has made it a mission to visit the world, including countries that the U.S. State Department has included on its Warning List. Forbidden Travel: What I Learned About the World takes readers from Rick's early traveling days through these later journeys to the far more adventurous and potentially dangerous locations.
Countries that dominate the headlines today - Syria, Pakistan, Iran and Cuba - were some of the author's destinations, where he went to explore the old and the new, and to find out how their citizens viewed the United States. He relied on local guides as he traveled, engaging them in discussions about government, politics and life in their world. According to Rick, "I was most interested in how these people perceived the world around them, their reality."
Forbidden Travel: What I Learned About the World takes readers to Rwanda on a trek to see the famous gorillas; to Moscow in 1980 amid the controversial Olympics; and to North Korea where the author toured the USS Pueblo, the only US Naval Ship still held by another nation.
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The author jogged in the hot Egyptian sun in Cairo; walked the exquisite landscape of Petra in Jordan; survived the midnight boarding by soldiers of a cruise ship on the way from Budapest to Odessa (Soviet Union); and watched the solders of India and Pakistan try to outdo each other in the ritual flag exchange.
And, in a touching tribute to the author's late wife, Denice, readers join Rick as he climbs Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to take her ashes "as close to God as he could get her."
And, in a touching tribute to the author's late wife, Denice, readers join Rick as he climbs Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to take her ashes "as close to God as he could get her."
