John Dessauer travels the globe in search of the world's best stocks for his Investor's World service. To see what John can do for you click here for a six-month, risk-free subscription to Investor's World.

John's Photos from Asia

This is Li An Lodge, where about 20 Investor's World subscribers joined Marilynn and me in mid-April, 2008. The Li An Lodge was built by our guide Keren Su, near Ping An Village, LongSheng, Guilin, China. It is about 4,000 feet above sea level and near the top of a mountain.To get there, we took a two-hour bus ride from Guilin and then walked up stone steps to the lodge. For those who can't make the final climb on foot there are sedan chairs, in which two rather small Chinese men carry some of our older subscribers up the mountain.

I took this photo from the window of our room, from which we can see endless acres of terraces, carved out of the mountain side over 400 years ago. The clay soil is excellent for building up short walls or dams to hold the water that is essential for growing rice. At the time I took the picture, farmers were preparing the terraces for the planting of rice seedlings.

The Great Wall of China, photographed March 30, 2008, at Badaling near Beijing. We were there with a group of subscribers and had a wonderful day walking the Wall and talking global economics!

This is the primary Olympic stadium for the summer 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The locals call it "The Bird's Nest." There are several other stadiums being prepared for the various events, including one for horse showing in Hong Kong!

The following four pictures were taken April 6, 2008 in the Shanghai neighborhood called Zhujiajiao (translation: "The Zhu family settlement"), during our seminar cruise to China and Japan. Some of the bridges are remarkably similar to those in Venice Italy. Over 700 years ago, the Venetian trader Marco Polo visited this part of China, but the similarity in architecture may be just a co-incidence.

This is the Oriental Pearl Tower in the Pudong section of Shanghai. When I first visited Pudong in the early 1990s many thought the construction in Pudong would be a failure of overbuilding. Real estate in Shanghai did decline for a while. Now Pudong is a great success. This picture was taken in April 2007 during the Forbes China cruise. In the picture you can see there is still lots of construction going on.

This is the Bund, the famous walkway in Shanghai. This time (April 2007), there were lots of Chinese tourists with digital cameras. That is quite a change from 2001 when I was last here.

The Chinese are clever. This boat sails up and down along the Bund in Shanghai with this video screen advertising movies, products and all sorts of things. (April 2007)

Here is a better view of the floating video billboard along the Bund in Shanghai. (April 2007)

This statue looks like Mao, but it is actually Chen Yi, a compatriot of Mao and the first mayor of Shanghai after the Communist takeover in 1949. You can see this statue on the Bund, a famous walkway along the Wangpu river in Shanghai. (April 2007)

This is a marble boat in the lake at the Summer Palace in Beijing. The boat doesn't move but is highly regarded as a work of art. The Summer Palace is a beautiful area created for China's nobility to enjoy in the summer when Beijing gets hot and humid. Now it is open to everyone. This time, April 2007, I was surprised at the large number of Chinese tourists visiting the Summer Palace. When I was here the last time in 2001 there were very few Chinese tourists. Obviously more and more Chinese are making enough income to afford a trip to a place like the Summer Palace.

This is Beijing China near the Hotel Shangri-La. The canal is very old, but the trees and sidewalks are newly restored. The apartment building in the distance is also new and one of many in the area. China is working to improve living standards, while reducing pollution.

This is the same canal in Beijing China, looking the opposite direction. The boat is for tourists. The canal, which is very old but newly restored, is for everyone.

This is a picture of Miko, a young (14 year old) girl who has trained to be a Geisha. Miko performed for us during a stop in Osaka Japan on last April's China cruise. We will also be in Osaka overnight on my next China cruise in April 2008.

This is a picture of Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong, taken in April 2007 from the deck of the Crystal Symphony near the end of the Forbes China cruise.

The following pictures were taken in September 2001, when John and several Investor's World subscribers were in China during the 9/11 attacks in America. That tour began in South Korea, then went on to Beijing, Xian and Western China.

A scenic sunrise shot of a small camel caravan in the Gobi Desert near DunHuang, in Western China, along the legendary Silk Road.

A grave in the Gobi Desert. People like to be buried in the desert because the dry air preserves things for thousands of years.

A mound and sign showing where two fiber optic cables are buried four feet under, connecting DunHuang, an Oasis Town in the Gobi Desert, with Beijing. Yes, fiber optic cable reaches this far, into remote Western China.

John Dessauer in the DMZ in Korea standing on the "Freedom Bridge" with a barbed wire fence behind. This is the place where prisoners of war were exchanged after the Korean war in the 1950s. The flags and papers were placed there by members of "divided families" -- where some live in South Korea and some in North Korea. Behind the fence, workers are building a new railroad line through the DMZ, to connect South and North Korea. The objective is to develop trade between the two Koreas. Initially South Korea will use the line to ship goods to China and Russia. This trade will "prime the pump" for North Korea. Odds are that commerce and economic growth will defuse what has been a potential war zone for 50 years. -- John Dessauer

This kiosk is in the middle of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Notice the sign in English selling compact flash cards for digital cameras. They are Fuijitsu cards and cost almost exactly the same as the San Disk cards I buy in Virginia. They had several sizes available. I couldn't believe it. Digital photography is sweeping the globe.

John Dessauer standing by the Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China.

The Temple of Heaven. The Chinese have no concept of God, but they do worship the Mandate of Heaven. At the Temple of Heaven each spring, the Emperor came to pray for a good growing season and harvest.

Dragon in the Forbidden City, Beijing, China.

Turtle figure in the Forbidden City, where ordinary Chinese were forbidden to go. Later on, they couldn't afford to go. Now, they are free to go and enjoy this beautiful place, and can afford to travel there.

Roofs of the Forbidden City, Beijing, China.

Here's how the economy in China works. This receptionist at the Hyatt in Xian has worked for Hyatt for more than five years, as an assistant manager. She earns 1,600 Yuan a month (less than $200). A waitress in the dining room earns 600 Yuan a month and no tips (less than $100; the exchange rate is 8.25 Yuan per dollar). The Hyatt has a hotel in Shanghai, where the salaries are much higher. A waitress there might earn 1,500 yuan a month, but those better paying jobs require greater skills. Your English must be very good. (The staff in Xian has limited English.) This creates incentive to study more English. People everywhere in Xian want to talk with us to practice their English and English is now taught in Chinese elementary schools. China is emerging as a powerful economic force and English is the commercial language of choice.

One of the luckiest men alive is Yang Peiyan, a farmer from Xian, China. In 1974, he was digging a well on his farm when he found pieces of the terra cotta warriors, including a head. Little did he know that he had discovered one of the greatest archeological treasures of the 20th century, the subterranean army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. This is a photo of Yang Peiyan, signing autographed copies of a picture book about the warriors. He receives quite a lot of valuable cash doing this, but he didn't collect the millions that an American landowner would have earned.

The white sign with a red mark in the lower right is the spot where Yang's well was dug. He hit the far corner of the find. If he had dug a few meters away, the warriors would still be there, undiscovered. There are three pits open to tourists. This is pit #1. More than 7,000 full size figures have been found so far. There are more still under the earth. In addition there are more than 50 tombs of other Emperors in the region. The tourist industry in Xian will be a major growth business for years to come, boosting the local economy.

Flowers on the grounds around the area of the terra cotta soldiers. The grounds are clean, free of annoying vendors and very well kept.

When our group finally made it back to Beijing, the Golden Arches beckoned. In the middle of this picture (in the red shirt) is Jack Robinson, a subscriber from Texas who runs a trucking company; on his left is Marilynn Dessauer, and then Keren Su.

What do Investor's World subscribers do on returning to Beijing ,after two weeks in remote China? They order a Big Mac....or two.

John's Photos from Switzerland

I've also included a picture of the spectacular Wetterhorn near Grindelwald in Switzerland. Wetterhorn is German for "Weather Peak." I took this photo in October and you can see how beautiful the weather is during early autumn in the valley.

Here's my wife Marilynn paragliding through the Alps. The parachute is sponsored by the Hotel Belvedere, the four-star hotel where our seminars are held.

A group of Investor's World subscribers pose for a photo at Bussalp, where we hold our Cheese Fondue party. Although we have buses to bring subscribers back down to the hotel, some of us prefer to stroll down in the fresh mountain air. All that's missing is Julie Andrews!

This is the famous Clock Tower in Bern, capital of Switzerland. After seminar classes are through, subscribers travel to Bern on Friday. This time, the weather was mild and clear, as you can see.

The Limmat River in the center of Zurich, the largest city in Switerland, and that nation's financial nerve center.

This is the western face of the famous Eiger, as seen from mile-high Murren, on the side wall of the neighboring valley. Subscribers visit Murren and the Schilthorn on Thursday during seminar weeks.

This is the Schilthorn, where James Bond's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" was filmed in 1968. On the left is Investor's World executive editor Gary Alexander, next to Marilynn Dessauer.

A typical view from the narrow side streets of beautiful downtown Zurich, Switzerland.

A view of both banks of the Limmat River in Zurich. In the 1970s, John worked for Citicorp along the banks of the Limmat. .