Mr Peck goes to Korea

Dwight Peck's personal website

Mr Peck goes to Korea
(the southern part of Korea) -- 2

More views of the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties -- the solemn debates (climate change, biofuels, you name it), the fun behind the scenes, and charming downtown Changwon.

You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.

Early November flowers

Taking an important phone call

Contemplation of running water

A bi-national "press conference for urging to stop coast reclamation of Japan and Korea"

Korean kids were everywhere, and fabulously cute. Bouncily energetic, but always well-behaved nonetheless.

And mostly patient

Some of our most relaxing moments were spent in the cheerful supermarket Lotte next door in the mall . . .

. . . stocking up on Hite beer for the hotel room.

A congenial venue, with several restaurants, a convenience store, metal-detector gates everywhere, and a first-aid station with Tyrenol.

"Another Way To Rescue The Earth." (Just one of many.) The Korean organizers had delegates voluntarily paying out 30 or 40 dollars to offset their carbon for having got here.

Call to Duty

sans paroles

Anywhere you can find three drums and a funny hat, it's a party.

Document Distribution managed flawlessly as usual by Montse, with help from Hugo on loan from IUCN Species Survival and a lot of Korean volunteers

A hasty dinner at the faux-Italian restaurant "Bruschetta" with other old friends of our former colleague Satoshi (2nd from right)

3 November 2008 was Korea Kimchi Day, with more than 40 varieties on display.
At our farewell dinner, I tried one of them. Never again. Never.

Imaginative Korean woodcarvings

Tigers everywhere

The Happiness through Delicious Life

The Convention Centre in the afternoon

Convention Centre at 3 a.m.
The documentation/translation teams get the results of each day's negotiations out in revised documents by the start of play the next morning.

Last one out, turn out the lights.

The overnight cleaning crew

Facing the elevators on the 12th floor of the Pullman City 7 hotel. Not sleepy anymore.

Dawn over Changwon on the last day of the COP, 4 November 2008

The famous "Climate Change and Wetlands" Draft Resolution, which made it to Revision 3 and then, as time was running out, had to go directly up on the screens

An ad hoc drafting group on climate change huddling in the lobby with a very tight deadline.

"And so on,"

Tense moments with time running out to get it all adopted

Alternate President Kim Chan-woo briefing the Minister of the Environment, Lee Maanee, President of the COP, on the next agenda item -- the Secretary General, Anada Tiéga, smiling beatifically.

On the screen: Peck photographing friend Gerhard from the back
Foreground: Austrian head of delegation Gerhard from the back. Screens Upon Screens.

Ramsar's Pragati Tuladhar, COP Vice President Patrick van Klaveren of Monaco, Kim Chan-woo, Director-General of the Ministry of Environment, and Rapporteur Tim Jones

End of the COP -- time for a stiff drink and some kimchi

A delegate from Iraq with his Korean admirers.
Korean girls, when photographed, nearly always flash the V-for-Victory sign.

Tim Jones and a Rapporteur wannabee

Ramsar's Monica and Mila with Jiyoung, who was seconded from Korea to the Secretariat in Switzerland for the months prior to the COP. (V-for-Victory.)

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Peck transfixed, with Ramsar's Americas team, María and Mila.

Exhausted documentation and translation teams, after the final plenary sessions

Delirious translators' hijinks after several near-allnighters

Another translation error

Traditional COP photo with Marta, head of the Spanish translation team

Some of the Spanish team

Some of the French team, Ginette and Hélène

Juan Carlos Valdovinos, an expert photographer as well as a translator for the UN and Ramsar, amongst others

A party for Ramsar and Korean staff hosted by the Ministry of Environment

The Secretary General congratulating the translation teams

Rapporteur Tim Jones and Danièle, head of the French translation team

Translators Christiane and Juan Carlos, festive

Toasts all round and a general sense of relief

Now with Rachel deservedly in the photo as well

Celebratory mood

An especially celebratory mood

No time lost dismantling all evidence of the recent COP: Rapporteur Jones salvaging a souvenir info banner on its way to the recycling.

A one-day walkabout in Changwon

Street markets in the Changwon neighborhoods, 5 November 2008

Every available inch of advertising space

A citizen waiting to cross the road at the light

"Pama" running shoes, and the Hair Collection

They're everywhere!

Chick'n the Home

A back seat driver

My daughter Marlowe's namesake Christopher, all lit up at the hotel desk. "Just a decoration", they said.

Our last view of Changwon, Busan Gimhae Airport: "Sweet Bun's"

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