Winter is Here

Winter has arrived in North Asia.

Yesterday (Friday), I spent the day in Seoul. Going in I had the preconceived notion of an underdeveloped country, an understanding based primarily on a total lack of knowledge of Korea. The only information I had on Korea was what you see in the news. Right now, that means poverty, Kim Jong Il's penchant for luxury goods and nuclear weapons/technology. I had this mental picture of a developing nation, filled with the graceful ladies in the long white dresses that you see in the tourist pictures. It's nothing like it!

I was told that South Korea's economy is one of the top 5 in the world (I have not checked). The city is a modern metropolis, done up with millions of lights to celebrate the Christmas and New Year season. There was not much English being spoken, which is my problem, not theirs. The business there is booming, recording record growth far outstripping the rest of the industry.

I was lucky enough to attend the end of year party. An amazing night. You know it's amazing when you leave having understood very little of what has been said (interpreters are required), but still having laughed and had a very enjoyable time. There were five or six groups of staff from different departments who had all practiced performances. The first one was dancing (B-boy style), another was dancing to Korean pop songs, another was a parody of a Korean comedy show on TV, and more. The final group put on an amazing acappella performance - which won the first prize.

I'd flown into Seoul Gimpo airport from Tokyo's Haneda airport. Unsuprising given the geographical proximity of the two countries, I kept noticing little things that were very similar. Despite using a different alphabet and language, I could still hear some small similarities in the way people spoke.

I came away with quite a different perception of Korea. The people were much more professional and restrained than you see elsewhere in Asia. Initially this can seem a bit stand-offish, but as soon as you get to speak to someone for any length of time, they were amazingly friendly and keen for you to have a good time.

This morning, back to HK. Where it's warmer than Seoul and Tokyo (almost reaching zero celcius), sitting around 17 degrees when I landed. Definitely time for jackets/jerseys (Jo, that means pullover or jumper). Because of the cold winds coming down from China, the skies are a lot clearer in Hong Kong. We are abale to see across to Disneyland (fireworks at 7pm each night, about the size of an NZ 5c coin) and the mainland beyond. That is a very nice change!

Both Sonia and I are struggling to kick the coughs and sniffles. Hopefully if we behave this weekend it will be better in the coming week. For me, the week is likely to include another trip to Tokyo for a couple of days. Saturday morning is the start of a week's holiday in Auckland.