Foreign travel has always been a great interest of mine and perhaps you also share a similar dream. While this has been my goal for much of my adult life, there always seemed to be a reason not to travel. Time, money, and family commitments are just a few of the excuses we use to justify procrastination, but life is short and there's really no time like the present.

In my practice as a radiologist I am constantly reminded how fragile life can be. Time and time again, patients are abruptly and unexpectedly confronted with a life-altering, if not life-ending diagnosis. We all like to think that we are immortal and that cancer or some other catastrophe only affects others, but the reality is that we have no guarantees in this life and each day must be viewed as a gift.

There is one particular patient's experience that stands out in my mind as a defining moment for both he and I. In the Fall of 2006 a patient came to see me with a nagging discomfort in his chest. In a matter of just a couple of hours, I was reviewing his Cat-Scan and discovered that this gentleman was suffering from terminal lung cancer. Although he was just one patient among hundreds I have encountered with this diagnosis, this one was particularly poignant because he was only 38 years old, five years younger than I! He serves as a reminder to us all…life is short.

We all have our "wish-lists". Unfortunately, too few of us take the initiative and dive into the process of making our dreams become reality. Not wanting to have any regrets should my life take an unforeseen turn, I began to think more seriously about all those overseas adventures I had been putting off. Carpe diem…it was time to "seize the day!"

What follows is a photographic chronicle of my journey to discover our world. In the course of my travels to 18 countries on 5 continents, I have had the privilege of observing Tibetan monks in prayer, hiking up the Virunga Mountains of Rwanda to observe the Silverback gorillas in their natural habitat, watching Bengal tigers cool off in a shallow lake to escape India's searing heat, and observing the faces of people, young and old, who have lived amazing, yet ordinary lives. I have marveled at breathtaking sunsets over Rio de Janeiro's Ipanema Beach, enjoyed the unimaginable beauty of Edinburgh's Royal Botanical Gardens, watched the sunrise at the Taj Mahal and sat awe-inspired by the sight of Machu Picchu through the early morning mist.