Dust Tea, Dingoes & Dragons: Adventures in culture, cuisine & commerce from a globe-trekking executive.

Jet lag, boardrooms, and high-pressure deals.

That's what international business brings to mind.

But R.F. Hemphill makes us think again.

Sharing a series of letters sent to his father during his decade of traveling the world building a billion-dollar company, Hemphill illuminates the always practical, sometimes poignant, and often funny ways we must connect if business is to be done.

"If they served you camel hooves for dinner, and you didn't know it until you asked, what part of the camel did you have for breakfast?"

"In Islamabad hotels, you must sign a form certifying that you are an infidel and will assuredly go to hell, in order to get room service to bring you a drink. Is this form binding if you die outside of Pakistan?"

"Can you really claim to be in the movie industry if you don't dress all in black, have a small pony tail, wear an earring, have an idea for a screen play, and harbor a desire to meet Meryl Streep?"

"Cinemas in the Czech Republic serve bacon-flavored popcorn. Why can't we get that in the US? It's even better than cheese-flavored popcorn. The whole movie theater smells like breakfast."

Millions of people around the world travel for business. But how many of us take the time to truly appreciate what we observe and experience? dust tea, dingoes, & dragons is a lesson in the meshing of cultures, the diplomacy of building business relationships, and, ultimately, of living life to the fullest.

About the Author
Hemphill, Rf: - Mr. Hemphill for much of his career was employed at AES, a global electric power generating and distribution company, where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff to the CEO. Hemphill was one of the three executives who began the company in 1981, growing it from a million dollar six person start up. AES owns and operates 38,000 MW of power plants in 21 countries around the globe, is publicly listed on the NYSE, and had approximately $18 billion of revenues in 2013. Recently, Hemphill was the founder and CEO of AES Solar Power Ltd from its inception until his retirement in December 2013. The company, formed in March 2008, is a joint venture of the AES Corporation and Riverstone LLC, an energy focused private equity fund. AES Solar is a leading developer, owner and operator of utility-scale photovoltaic solar plants connected to the electric power grid. These installations, ranging in size from less than 2 MW to more than 250 MW, consist of large arrays of land-based solar photovoltaic panels that directly convert sunlight to electricity. Under his leadership, the company designed, permitted and constructed fifty-one solar plants (526 MW) in seven countries: Spain, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, India and the US. He has also been a senior policy official at the Department of Energy and Deputy Manager of Power at the Tennessee Valley Authority. Mr. Hemphill graduated Magna Cum Laude from Yale University and earned an MA from UCLA and an MBA from George Washington University. He served as an airborne infantry officer in the US Army in Vietnam, and in the Special Forces. His interests include geraniums, unsuccessful participation in Final Four pools, sporadic exercise, competitive duck cooking and tribal art.