continued

    We were less impressed with the humidity of the city—24 degrees Celsius feels, in July, like 36—but flabbergasted at the scale of Seoul. A subway ride from where we stayed, in the north of the city (but still "town", mind you, and not "the suburbs") to a conference centre nearer the south, took over an hour. It is helped, thankfully, by a logical subway system with Korean, Chinese and transliterated Latin signage and relative comfort that doesn't seem as choking as similar travels in New York (tolerable cars but dull stations) or London (the smell). If you are game to learn to read Korean, one westerner we spoke to told us it took her 20 minutes. It's a logical language that was developed to increase literacy—and it works.
    The Korean people are among the most civilized in the world. They will go out of their way to help a foreigner, but with one exception: they seem to remain slightly sceptical of a Japanese tourist. There is still a great deal of animosity about the colonization of Korea by Japan, so if you are an east Asian traveller—even a han like the author—avoid holding a map with Japanese script. Travellers from other parts of the world need not fear as much. If you are a Caucasian or African resident of Seoul, never mind that you have been there for 10 years, you will be frustrated that the locals consider you to be so daft as to need help; but for the tourist, this is a godsend and a wonderful reflection on the citizens of Seoul.
    One experience we had was on the first day of our arrival. Not speaking much Korean other than yes, no, thank you, the numbers, and Hyundai Lantra, we were trying to ask a subway clerk about tickets. Seeing this, an older gentleman approached us to translate. He even guided us to the train and changed stations with us. But when he realized he would not go as far as us, he talked to a neighbouring gentleman, asking him to take over. It happened again, with a woman deputizing for him and exiting at the same stop as us. While we helped with her groceries, taking them above ground (past a KFC) we did not expect what would happen next: she told a cabbie where to take us and put 3,000 won in his hand. When we protested, she insisted we get in to the cab.
    Taxis are a less efficient means in Seoul. While there are plenty, the best drivers have a sign on the top of their cars with 'Best driver' on them. We saw none. Driving in Seoul is a tough call, far tougher than Torino or New York, with bus drivers treating traffic lights as merely advisory as they travel at 50 mph. Cabbies do not always accept customers, particularly foreigners. Look out for the black cabs if you want to pay a bit more, but the regular grey ones should be fine if you don't mind getting turned down once.
    Those staying at a hotel might not have many problems, but those staying with friends in regular apartments may wish to note that there is no proper sewerage system in the city. Therefore, toilet paper should go in the bin, not down the drain. We avoided Seoul in August, but we're told that the communal sewerage tanks begin to smell just before the city comes and pumps them empty, trucking their contents to a location outside Seoul for treatment.
    That aspect was not the greatest cultural shock, as there are numerous cities around the world where that is common practice. What did get us is that this bustling, modern metropolis of 40 million has no street addresses. Postal workers face a nightmarish situation as addresses are found by building, not by route. Our friend in Seoul, Kelly Davis, advised us not to write her at home because 'no one knows where the building is'. However, we should contact her at work. It was the same with the cabbies: building, not street. Be prepared to fill out your South Korean visas with an "obvious" address accordingly.
    While we did some shopping at Insadong, there is a huge bookstore beneath the streets near City Hall that makes a large Barnes & Noble seem like a Mom and Pop outfit. From (legitimate) CD-ROMs to art books, the tourist can find bargains at the Kyobo Book Centre.
    Our only concern this year is the World Cup, but the Seoul police and its riot unit have been practising how to deal with football hooligans. Still, the presence of additional tourists, raising the 0·5 per cent non-Korean demographic temporarily, will make visitors feel less alien.

Where Lucire stayed: Somewhere in Seoul with no postal address. Our thanks to Kelly Davis.

Flight: Air New Zealand's Pacific class transports its share of Japanese tourists to and fro New Zealand and has the most comfortable economy seats, with footrests. Service from a multicultural (Japanese and New Zealand) onboard staff was magnificent. We flew Osaka to Seoul on Air Nippon Airways (ANA), with a neat on-board camera that showed a view from the front of the aircraft as it taxied down the runway and another one that showed the view from the undercarriage as the runway fell into the distance. Interesting in-flight movie on ANA: Bewitched, c. 1967, dubbed into Japanese, Korean and the original English; still, better than Air New Zealand’s Dharma and Greg. Stopover: Lucire stopped over briefly in Japan and had an amazing experience. What surprised here was the amount of non-Japanese music being broadcast at the ANA partner hotel. 'Secret Love', 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina' and other instrumental tunes came over the muzak system. Osaka will be remembered for its startling airport at Kansai; but surprised us with the fact that many Japanese are monolingual. Worth a longer visit, to be sure.