In the early 1980s, the lure of travel drew Bruce Whipperman away from a 20-year career of teaching physics. The occasion was a trip to Kenya, which included a total solar eclipse and a safari. He hasn't stopped traveling since.

With his family grown, he has been free to let the world's wild, beautiful corners draw him onward: the ice-clawed Karakoram, the Gobi Desert's trellised oases, Rajasthan's pink palaces, Japan's green wine country, Bali's emerald terraces, and Oaxaca's vibrant marketplaces.

Bruce has always pursued his travel career for the fun of it. He started with slide shows and photo gifts for friends. Others wanted his photos, so he began selling them. Once, stranded in Ethiopia, he began to write. A dozen years later, after scores of magazine and newspaper feature stories, Moon Pacific Mexico became his first book, and Moon Handbooks to Oaxaca, Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, and Ixtapa & Zihuatanejo followed.

For Bruce, travel writing heightens his awareness of the places he visits and helps him focus his own travel experiences. He'll always remember what a Nepali Sherpa once said: Many people come, looking, looking; few people come, see.