[gary]

A small Australian company I worked for in the 80's and 90's had some
large multinational Japanese corporate customers.

It was a wonderful opportunity to work alongside and make friends with
fellow engineers in Japan.

On one occasion when a visiting Japanese software engineer was in Sydney,
I invited him to come on a sightseeing drive on a Sunday up to the Central
Coast.

We made a full day of it and toured the beaches and the national parks
including lunch and a sumptuous seafood dinner in the evening.

When we made our way back down the freeway that night, I was
startled when my guest started to make long, alarming gurgling noises.

"Argggggggh. Awwwwwwww. Arrggggggh".

My initial thought was, "My God. Is he having a seizure? Maybe he is
allergic to the lobster and prawns we just ate".

With one hand on the wheel, I turned on the interior light so I could
ascertain his state.

He was pitched forward in the passenger seat toward the windshield,
his fingers gripping the top of the console and his eyes had rolled up.

"Arggggggggh. Awwwwwwww".

He wasn't ill at all. Instead his face was full of astonished wonderment.

I then quickly glanced up out the windshield. It was a beautiful clear
night and as the freeway is unlit and as we were away from populated areas,
it afforded a fabulous view of the stars.

"Beautiful!"

I was immensely relieved that he was simply looking at the stars and
it then occurred to me that it was probably the first time in his life he had
seen them with minimal light pollution.

His gasps of joy at really seeing them for the first time were palpable
and it is something I have never forgotten.

It ended a perfect day out.