I traveled to Seoul to meet with a new business partner, to toast the end of a negotiation and the beginning of our collaboration. I also attended the yearly Korean game industry event, G*Star held at Kintex just a few miles south of the DMC. Through the bits and bytes, glitter and loud noise I was amazed about hundreds of young guys walking around with heavy-duty camera equipment, serious lenses and small ladders to stand out of the crowd. I was told organizers had stepped down the abundance of “booth babes” in years past, but what I saw was only shy of what the Chinese drape their booths with at China Joy. It was quite fascinating and somewhat disturbing to see this school of paparazzi at play.

A few days later I looked out of the airplane window, and through the clear blue sky, down on a city I’ve wanted to visit for a very long time, Hong Kong.  Almost thirty degrees Celsius and bright sunlight was a very pleasant change from the grey cold skies clouds of Seoul. I know I would be back to even grayer skies in Mainland China three days later so I soaked in as much as I could.

Hong Kong is a great city, even better than I thought it would be. I’d planned a day off after working the previous weekend and made the most of it. The tram up to the Peak to look over Hong Kong Island and Kowloon as the sun set. Dangling in a gondola through the peaks of Lantau Island to get to the Great Buddha and Pon Li Monastery. Strolled the streets of Kowloon through Tsim Sha Tsui down to Victoria harbor and watched the evening skyline light show. Finished the tour sailing across the sound on the Star Ferry. A true 24-hour tourist, I enjoyed every minute of and leaving me wanting more. There is so much to see. Not only the know markets, buildings and sites, but the small details of every day life that make a city like this so very interesting.

Sitting on the Maglev I sped towards Shanghai proper. It’s always a blast to hit the 431 km/h mark. After being upgraded to a junior suite for free (yay!) I stepped out into the cold, brisk air, camera in hand and walked the familiar streets. A few meeting days past and I walk into Zhouzhuang, an old, picturesque water town an hour drive west of Shanghai. I’ve wanted to see this place for quite some time (yes, there are many places I want to see) and I left the town with mixed feelings. It is a beautiful place, but the small stalls and booths crammed into every available space ruin the one time serenity. Back in the city I found a very interesting building, “1933”. An old, abandoned slaughterhouse being refurbished that eventually will host art galleries, retail space, restaurants et al. I’m glad I walked into this momentous Bauhaus building, a labyrinth of bare concrete. A photographers dream and the perfect set for any horror flick.

Beijing was the last leg of this Asia trip. It was good to be with our Chinese art team again, meeting old and new colleagues and friends. The farther I travel north, from Hong Kong the more I realize it’s less then a month to Xmas. The cold, dry wind flowing down from the Mongolia is a freezing reminder of that. I only spent a few days in Beijing. Sad in ways, I’ve always enjoyed the atmosphere and time spent with friends in this city, but it will be so good to come home.