30.7.11

on korea


So I think we western white folk should just give up and accept that we are behind Asia.

The signs are obvious and will become more so. In 1952, the UN declared South Korea to be the poorest country in the world. Today, it is a developed country. It is not just that the country has achieved economically, it has also invested its gains wisely, and in ways that will help it keep growing. its infrastructure is infinitely superior to anything I have seen in the “western world”. It actually makes me rather embarrassed for my comparatively underdeveloped homeland. Korea’s accomplishments are in your face literally from the moment you arrive, and are greeted by efficiency and style. Its new Incheon Airport is routinely cited as one of the world’s best, it is incredibly user friendly and, miraculous, everything works and runs smoothly. Within 30 minutes of getting off the plane, I managed to clear passport control, collect my luggage, clear customs, navigate my way jet lagged through the airport and hop on the train to central Seoul, all with minimal fuss. Less than an hour later, I was in the ultra-modern Seoul Station, where I changed to the equally ultra-modern Seoul Metro and went to my station. The entire process was smooth and cost me less than 5 pounds- a change from my commutes out to Heathrow. Some days later, I found myself back at Seoul station where I took a high speed KTX train to Gyeong Ju in the south of the country. The train went 300 kilometres an hour, arriving at its destination in 2 hours. Again, compared to any European trains (and yes, I am even including French and German), it was a sobering experience. Even the provincial train stations are spectacular. Korea is a country where things work. Meetings run smoothly, supported by technology that is not only advanced, but designed in a user friendly way so that they effortlessly serve their function without fuss, unlike in some European boardrooms, where I have routinely found myself surrounded by technology so complicated no one in the building knows how to use it. Then of course there is the “cool” technology, where again Korea is infinitely ahead of us. On the metro, people get on, sit down, and start watching TV, to which they all have access for free on their mobile phones (which work on the metro, unlike in London). All the houses I visited had ultra-thin massive TVs (60 inches seemed standard). People use their mobile phones to get in and out of the metro. Such technologies are perhaps not strictly necessary, but they are certainly impressive none the less.

When it comes to infrastructure, Koreans have managed to make everything work in such a way as to promote the country’s continual growth and development. Good infrastructure is key to the economic advancement of a country, and in this regard we are falling behind in Europe, and the US remains in the dark ages. But this level of quality requires foresight and investment, which we seem to increasingly lack in the West, and as a result I expect we will see ourselves falling further and further behind.

16.7.11

race to brighton


In July 2010, a bunch of colleagues and I signed up to do a bike race in June 2011. It seemed like a good idea to raise money for a noble cause (the British Heart Foundation), a good physical challenge, and a good day out. Most importantly, it seemed so far off that signing a few forms didn’t seem to actually imply commitment. So, I signed up for my first competitive physical activity event in probably 2 decades, and promptly forgot about it. Sometime around February 2011, people started talking about it again, and I figured doing a bit of training might be necessary. In the gym and on the roads around London, I began training. I tried to steadily increase the distance I could ride. At first 10 kilometres seemed a lot, then 20, then 30. When I left my last company, my colleagues, knowing I would never survive the race on my little Brompton, chipped in and got me a gift certificate to get a new racing bike for the occasion. I got a beautiful Kona Honky Tonk a few weeks before the race and had just enough time to get used to it before the big day.

So it is 56 miles from Clapham Common to Brighton beach. First, I had to cycle 4 miles or so down to Clapham for the 8am start. Once I got down there, I found my colleagues (by now ex colleagues as I had already changed jobs) and we moved towards the starting line. It was an exciting moment. What amazed me the most about the entire experience was the tremendous sense of community spirit. As we road through little communities on back roads down to the coast, people lined the roads to cheer us on, kids held out their hands for high 5s and adults had bake sales, with all the proceeds going to the BHF. I was astounded to see so many English people out in the streets yelling and cheering for us, especially when we approached the finish line down on the beach, thousands of people were screaming and waving flags and balloons, and even though I was exceptionally tired, I had to smile. It was an amazing moment….

…..but then I had to cycle back to the pick up point in Hove, and then back across London from Clapham, with every muscle in my body aching, and that was almost heart breaking.

And despite the incredible pain I felt the next day, I have signed up to do it again next year.

8.7.11

a challenge to Monocle


So every year Monocle publishes its Quality of life city list. The annual survey ranks cities based on a variety of different criteria, including social and economic circumstances for residents, public health, education system, infrastructure, and ease and availability of local transport. It is, of course, not the only company involved in such a ranking system, the consulting firm Mercer does a similar one, and even my company has views on the matter. The results are pretty similar. Germanic Europe and ex British colonies (but never Britain) lead the way as analysts debate the superiority of Zurich, Vancouver, Munich, Vienna, Sydney and Auckland. Helsinki topped the list this year.

Having been to all of the above places, I can certainly appreciate what such surveys are trying to achieve. They are looking for the ideal “nice” place….but would you really want to live in a nice stable city where everything works all the time, people are polite to each other and nothing ever happens? What about adding a fun-factor to the equation? Of course Zurich is safe, clean and has great transport links- but would you want to live there? I certainly would not. It is a great city to hold a conference in, but not to spend your free time.

So I am making my own alternative list, ranking cities on my criteria, which includes good restaurants, good book shops, shops that have late closures, interesting architecture, comfortable people watching spots, good museums and ideally a beautiful natural setting. It would be nice to have decent flats that are not overpriced. Even better if there are some nice, close by weekend excursions to be had without much difficulty. The ideal city should be a hedonist’s paradise. Finally, I like a bit of urban chaos-I need some drama in my life. Because I am advocating a bit of disorder, these cities are not in a strict order of preference:

1. Mexico City- one of the best museums (Museo Nacional de Antropología) I have ever seen, great food, and incredible diversity of entertainment options. Plus historic sites like Teotihuacán are a day trip away.

2. Moscow- wins for absurd people watching opportunities, great bars, good bookshops and never a dull moment.

3. Hong Kong- amazing shopping, incredible food, and some of the most incredible markets to wander through

4. Buenos Aires- the best bookshop in the world (el Ateneo), phenomenal shopping, great buildings and cafes with some of the world’s best people watching.

5. Rio de Janeiro- Cape Town and Rio deserve to be here for their natural beauty alone, but Rio also has centrally located, clean beaches and some great places for cocktails

6. Cape Town- gorgeous like Rio, and with amazing excursion destinations all around (Robben Island, wine tasting, cheetah parks….)

7. Istanbul- Some of the most stunning buildings and structures around, followed by amazing food and a vibrant atmosphere.

8. Rome- the whole city is a giant museum, you can probably explore a new historical monument every week for the rest of your life without repeating, combined with excellent shopping and food.

9. Mumbai- the Food! that alone makes it worth it, but add to that a highly entertaining degree of urban chaos, great spots for people watching, my ideal climate and some of the most amazing cinemas imaginable

10. Bangkok- trouble on every corner. You can dine out like a king and party all night, with pristine beaches never far away.

So this is my list as it stands at the moment, but I am open to revision. If you have suggests, send them over. I have already been told I am missing Shanghai and Tokyo. I am off to Seoul in about a week to scope it out, forever looking for the next great urban jungle…..

7.7.11

Munich


As everyone who knows me knows, I don’t normally have too many nice things to say about Germany.

I never took to the language, I find the food vile, and ….well….i could go on….. but I have to confess (even if somewhat against my will) that have just returned from what might have been The Perfect Business Trip to Munich. No matter how hard I try, I cant find a fault anywhere in the whole trip, in fact, it was basically the model of how I wish all trips went: the plane arrived early, the transport transfers were flawless, the people organised and efficient (ok, that you WOULD expect from the Germans). The office meeting rooms were spectacular- on the 32 floor overlooking the entire city, and they were kitted out with everything the perfect meeting room should have:

· excellent IT facilities that are no so high tech that no one understands them, but intuitively do everything you need them to, with computer to plasma projections

· a conference phone with a proper speak, I prefer the spider looking ones

· a gorgeous wood round table for discussions

· decent coffee

· water bottles at everyone’s place

· a nice writing pad and pens with company labels at every place.

· Good acoustics and soundproofing

· A good view

· A good selection of biscuits!!!!

So this meeting room managed to tick every one of the above details, and it even managed to be designed with discretion and taste, with Fresh flowers, cloth napkins and nice china.

But it wasn’t just meeting room itself, the people were responsive, friendly and knew what they wanted. They were also keen that I spend some time exploring their city, and after the meeting, the hand drew me an extensive map with all sorts of tips and advice before packing me off in a car to the centre.

I diligently followed their advice and spent the late afternoon strolling around the streets spinning off from Marienplatz. I hadn’t been to Munich since the summer of 1997, when I and my best friend from childhood spent a summer on central European trains. Munich was out base of operations then, as C’s sister was living in nearby Garmish. However, most of my memories from that time involve C’s cousin’s rampant alcoholism and flamboyant behaviour, so it was basically with completely fresh eyes that I was seeing the town this time around. Munich is a surprisingly pretty city, even though much of it currently appears to be under renovations at the moment. It has some spectacular buildings, decent shopping and nice pedestrian streets. Strangely, it also has a curious memorial to …..Michael Jackson.

So it seems, Germany on a number of levels has managed to surprise me.

5.7.11

greece, again


I have made 2 trips here in 2011. On the first trip, in March, the mood was already one of gloom and doom, but that had turned positively apocalyptic by the time I returned in late June…but still I don’t have the impression of crisis.

I go out to a beachfront café with a bunch of Greek professionals slightly younger than myself. The café it totally full. The 3 people I speak to complain bitterly about their falling living standards and the tax rate that is supposedly increasing whilst their salaries are not. Yet they pay 25% tax (in the UK I pay, 40%, which is not the highest bracket), and in their late 20s they all own their homes (I rent with a friend).

I take a road trip from Athens to a provincial city called Halkida. The roads in Greece are better than in England, and so is the metro. The infrastructure in general is new and well designed. Over the weekend I go to nightclubs and bars, some we have to leave after a few minutes because they were simply too full and it was impossible to move or order anything. Everyone seems to have a drink in their hands, and most are smoking. Everyone is well dressed. At lunchtime the restaurants are full, the food is excellent and the portions are massive. Many families not only own houses, but weekend homes as well. I observed this on my last trip, but it was easy then to think that maybe these conditions only existed in a certain refined and affluent world in a small pocket of Athens. But on this trip I travel to random provincial places, and it is the same everywhere. Greeks seem used to the good life, a better quality of life than most people can afford in Northern Europe. Suffering is always comparative, people see themselves as suffering when they suddenly have a worse deal than they were used to, or they have less than those around them, which is why the young Greeks in the beach bar were complaining so bitterly, despite having a lifestyle that I with a much higher salary can only dream of. When I tried to suggest that maybe their lifestyle was unsustainable and they might have to get used to less (and live like the rest of us) they got very upset and said that their lifestyle was reflective of Greek culture and it was not the place of “northerners” to force them to change their way of life (their civilisation, upon which all the rest of European culture is based!) but this isn’t true, Greeks didnt always live this way, as my friends older parents are at pains to point out. They didn’t always have high wages and big cars, even my friends admit to having been “poorer” growing up. The increased wages started appearing just as my generation started working, so I guess it seemed like it was all the result of hard work, and not endless government borrowing. As I look around at the people lounging in beachside bars at 3 am on a week night, I seriously wish I had spent the last decade in Greece. I am sure it was all fun while it lasted.

budapest


Given that I used to live there, and that even after I left I used to fly back quite often, the fact that it suddenly two years had flown by since my last visit surprised me. But then walking around, I cant believe I ever lived here at all, I look back at memories of my time here, and although they all run through my brain with absolute clarity, it is like remembering a film I watched, and I don’t recognise myself in my own memories. It is like I am remembering someone else’s life, not my own. The only friend I have left in Buda I knew before going to school there, so that doesn’t help recall my senses either. So it is all rather surreal and disconnected. It seems almost by accident that I remember the names of bars and where to turn on streets.

4.7.11

just when i thought i was out....


i have taken to watching the Sopranos at the gym. this is very un-me. i hate TV normally, and i think this is the first series in years i have actually got addicted to. it started when i was training for bike racing, it was still winter and cold and weekdays i started training on the bikes in the gym, just to build up my endurance. but riding a bike in the gym is boring, so i started downloading the sopranos onto my ipod, and then plugging it into the exercise station. it makes time go faster.
actually, there is a lot in the sopranos i find connects well with my job, and Tony Soprano reminds me of one of my relatives, so i have found it interesting on a number of levels.....and it immediately popped into my mind the other day at work. there is a character in the show (i think it is Pussy) who likes to do impressions of Italo-American gangster movies. there is a scene he likes to imitate from the Godfather (of course) where Michael Corleone says "just when i thought i was out, they pull me back in..."

When I signed up with my new company, part of the agreement was I would not be dealing with Russia. I agreed, somewhat sadly and somewhat relieved- I have done well working in Russia, but it is a pain to get things done there, as we all know, and escaping from contracts that require 14 stamps and signatures per page seemed a positive thing.

But liberation from Russian bureaucracy didn’t last long. I got back to the office last week to find there had been a bit of a situation- and how fast did I think I could get to Russia? 15 minutes later I was in a cab, off to the embassy to beg for an emergency visa (which I got, amazingly), and I was on a plane the next morning. British airways was full, so I ended up on good old Aeroflot, for the first time in years.

the next thing i knew, i had "important people" calling me at all hours of the night and numbers whizzing past my head like bullets.

days passed, until they finally said i could go home.

as i had flown in on Aeroflot, it meant i had to fly out from Sheremetevo, the old Soviet era airport. In my memories from childhood, this aeroport certainly deserves a special place, as i would land here several times a year going in and out of the Soviet Union/ Russia. I remember it when it was still nearly empty and felt like a ghost town. In those days, Aeroflot was the only airline that had the right to fly in and out of the Soviet Union, so we would fly on the more comfortable Finnair to Helsinki, the closest Western city, before boarding the required Illyshin or Tupalev to take us the last leg to Moscow. At Sheremetevo, airport officials would board the plane before you were allowed to disembark to enquire if any one was carrying "printed matter". Some years later, in the early 1990s, corruption set in, and bags started vanishing, requiring intensive negotiations to get them released. By the early 2000s, the immigration officials had become a bit more smooth and rarely bothered with poor students like myself, but the tremendous rise in Russians travelling meant the airport had become overcrowded and a total zoo. When Domededevo opened, it provided a much needed relief, and BA started flying there, acknowledging that Sheremetevo was an unmanageable dinosaur. i hadnt been back to SVO in some time, but on this trip, i was pleased to learn that there is now a train that goes directly from Belorusski vokzal to the airport in 30 minutes (as opposed to 2 hours or more by car). The train was fast and efficient, leaving me pleasantly surprised at the advancements in infrastructure taking place....then I got to Sheremetevo. it was 33 degrees outside, the airport is filled with huge glass windows, which in the bright sunshine had turned the place into a greenhouse.....and the air-conditioning was broken. the Russian solution to this was to allow extra beer and ice cream vendors in to stroll around selling their goods. with over an hour to kill, i bought a Baltika, sat down and tried to block out the body odours around me. by the time i actually boarded my flight to Budapest, almost all the passengers were drunk.

Just when I though I was out.....they pull me back in

3.7.11

amsterdam


I guess my life must seem odd to others. After years of moving about and international schools, I have friends all over the place. Sometimes they get messages from me asking if they have time for a coffee or a drink in whatever city they are in. I guess they think I never work, as I often do end up with seemingly endless time off in random places, and I appear to be able to go out drinking in the middle of the afternoon and then stroll through museums or go shopping. Except of course, it isn’t exactly like that. For every afternoon I spend lounging in Madrid or Moscow, it usually means a Sunday morning back in the office in London, catching up. My friends in London can testify- I am not on an endless paid for holiday. often I don’t get to see anyone or anything when I travel for work, just the airport, the office I visit, and the airport again. From my perspective, it is odd as well. I pop over to different cities, meet old friends, catch up for a few hours and then I am back in London, whilst their lives continue “normally” in their place. When I am with them, time has stopped and we pick up with the last conversation. But of course, it hasn’t stopped, I just haven’t been part of the action. The quick visits also give me a twisted perspective on cities. There are a lot of cities I think I know, because every time I am there I am comfortable and seem to know where everything is….but actually I probably hardly know them at all, I just happen to go to the exact same random places every time I am there. Take Amsterdam. I know the horrible industrial area of sloterdijk ( I am sure the Dutch manage to spell that totally differently) really well, because that is where my meetings always are. I know the train station and Schiphol like the back of my hand because I have been there many times. And I know the very centre of Amsterdam around the train station because that is where I walk to kill time waiting for connections etc. but outside of that, I know basically nothing, and I can imagine that I have probably missed most of the city entirely. But time is short, and habits are comfortable, so I find myself in Amsterdam for the afternoon, and a friend living in Rotterdam pops over to see me. So, of course we meet at the train station (she is coming from Rotterdam, me from good old sloterdijk) and what do we do? Well, I remember (and so does she) that if you walk out of the station and sort of veer to the right, there are lots of “cute” streets with equally “cute” canals and walkways. So, not knowing much else, this is where we hear, after all, the point is to catch up. And the area doesn’t disappoint. We soon find a nice terrace bar on a canal and park ourselves down for a catch up chat/ gossip. The scenery confirms our (foreigner) stereotypes of “dutchness” and we are happy taking it all in. from my friend, who has been in Rotterdam just over a year, I am able to get some glimpses into what living in Holland might be like, although clearly still through a foreigners perspective. I am sure it is an interesting (if I gather somewhat impenetrable) society, and I wish I knew more about it. She confesses to having had a difficult time meeting locals, especially outside the work environment- it is a country where school ties and local intrigue seem to matter dearly.