Primus Family "Taste of Asia" Tour: Some random comments and pictures.

I'm sure most of you can tell that Lisa has been writing most of this blog. I've been writing at the end of the day, sharing pictures from my camera, and hoping the rest of the family is o.k. with that. Of course, we've had a lot of time to reflect on the trip, so here are some random thoughts/comments:

July is the RAINY SEASON in the part of Asia we visited. There was no helping it, as this was the only time to take the trip. I just wish we could have seen more of the attractions in sunny weather. The temperature was fine, it just got really old being wet all the time. It also made the pollution in China seem worse.
People are generally really nice, and will help you if you ask. Using your hands helps a lot.
China is definitely progressing. They're in this stage where they finally have prosperity. This means that no one starves to death, and many have cars, better homes, etc. Unfortunately, they really love their cars, and will drive anywhere rather that walk or use public transit. It was a 20 minute train ride to downtown Beijing, but our guide preferred the hour plus drive in her van. I'm sure this contributes to the pollution, and traffic is insane.
Pedestrian common sense varies from country to country. In China, the rule is to keep moving. If you stop, you will never get across the street. Lines on the road mean nothing - if there's a space, it's occupied by a vehicle or pedestrian. In Japan, people observe all the rules, wait at crosswalks, etc. In Korea, it's a mixture of both. On the main streets you observe the rules, but in the back alleys and side streets it's similar to China only less crowded.
Recycling really varies. I'm not sure there is any official recycling program in China, but recyclables were left out for people to pick up and turn in for money. There are few public trash cans, and they are not used anyway. The amount of litter, even on our hike, was astonishing. Ironically, not a drop of water is wasted. Our host showed us how to use a plastic basin to catch the water while we were waiting for warm water in the shower. If she heated water for tea, any left over was poured into a special container, so that it could be re-used.
In Japan, they have a recycling program, but it is very confusing and requires wrapping, etc. You have to take the labels off of all bottles.
In Korea, they recycle everything, and everything seems to get piked up on a different day. One day the bottles were gone, the next day the trash was gone, and yet another day the paper was gone. One really good thing is that they collect food trash for compost. Every house has a small plastic container and several orange bags. You put all food trash in the orange bag, then put the bag in the container. The farmers use it.
On all the Asian countries, space is at a premium, so houses are designed small and efficient. There usually is not a dryer or dishwasher. If there was a dryer, it is part of the washing machine. In Japan, they have compact electronic controls for just about everything.

Here are a few pictures that I didn't have at the time of previous posts: