Along with General Claire Chennault's "Flying Tigers," the men and planes of the 490th Bomb Squadron became famous as the "Burma Bridge Busters." From late 1942 to the end of the war, their incredible feats of low-level bombing and strafing of Japanese-held bridges, airfields, and troop facilities in occupied Burma hindered the Japanese advance in Asia, and provided critical air support for the allies fighting on the ground. The author's uncle, a radioman/waist gunner in the 490th, was killed on a mission in the waning days of the war. This book is both a search for his memory, and a tribute to the squadron in which he proudly served and sacrificed his life—the "Burma Bridge Busters." The author was born and raised in Chicago. In addition to writing and traveling, he is an avid fisherman, hunter, and scuba diver. He has published Seasons of Harvest, a three-volume historical novel, and is at work on a second novel titled Cumberland Road. This book is his first nonfiction work.

Burma (or Myanmar as it is now called) is in the news for all the wrong reasons. It has been ruled for many years by a ruthless, repressive junta, it suffers regular earthquakes and the cyclone of May 2008 left more than a hundred thousand people injured, homeless or dead.Yet this is a magical place: a country of contrasts with a rambunctious history and a culture that is both awesome and fascinating. Largely on a whim, prompted by sitting next to the "neighbour from hell" on a long-haul flight, the author decides to visit Mandalay, the "Golden City" foreseen by ancient Buddhist prophesies. Despite controversy there are campaigns suggesting you do not travel to Burma on the grounds that doing so supports the government - he makes a trip, flying to Bangkok and on to Yangon (previously Rangoon) and makes much of the journey on the river cruiser Road to Mandalay sailing along the famous Ayeyarwady.Along the way he encounters taxis pulled by oxen; rings the largest bell in the world; learns how to wear a skirt, the difference between a stupa and a pagoda and why florescent pink tiles are used in temples.In this lively and light-hearted account of his journey he watches the best sunset in the world on the plains of Bagan, and as the sun sinks behind the towers of pagodas stretching in countless numbers to the horizon, concludes that this wonderful country is worthy of everyone's attention, and perhaps help too.

The author, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, explores his life, the lessons that he has learned, how he has worked to achieve his childhood dreams, and the effect of his diagnosis on him and his family.