Last November 2012 I was on board a plane on my way to Incheon airport. It was my first time traveling out of the country after seven years. I went to Bangkok in 2005 but I wasn’t an eager-beaver person then. I was not that excited compared to my trip in South Korea. I am certain that being addicted to Korean drama has influenced my excitement.
The flight was not really comfortable because
you had to be seated for six hours non-stop.
The seats were cramped and there was not enough legroom for
stretching. Well, I guess, that’s the
price I had to pay for being poor and not being able to afford a more expensive plane
fare.
Now, off to my adventures.
My friend and I were welcomed with a six-degree Celsius weather, an
extremely cold weather especially for someone who grew up in a tropical
country.
We arrived ahead of time, around 30 minutes earlier than
schedule, if I remember it right. From
the tarmac, we followed the signs towards the coaches that took us to the main side of the airport.
Then we lined up for the immigration and took our luggage before we were lead to the
exit. There was a
bank situated right before the exit of the arrival area. We
had our dollars exchanged in this bank window.
Little did we know that there are more banks with lower exchange rates located all over the lobby of the
arrival area. Since we were backpackers, we purchased the TMoney card - a handy, affordable and
convenient multi-purpose transportation card.
Checking all my notes, we searched for tourism information counters since we cannot find the convenience store I was looking for. Then we found out there was 7-11 convenience store inside the airport just across the information counters. At the information counter, we took all available pamphlets in both English and Korean languages. We decided to have some breakfast at the Dunkin Donut beside the 7-11 store. We were eating leisurely since our hostel said they can accommodate us at a later time. It was only 7am. Then we checked the platform for our bus. We waited outside despite it’s a less than ten degree Celsius weather. We boarded the bus and driver was polite and helpful. It took us an hour at least to get to downtown Seoul. I was excited to see the view outside my window. I borrowed my friend’s camera and took a shot of all the views I like including the SBS broadcast station and the National Assembly. Unfortunately, she had to remove all these photos because she forgot to bring her spare memory card and I don’t have my own SLR camera. I was using my smart phone with a battery that has less than a day lifespan. If I remember it right, I felt like a kid who went to a theme park she never visited. Only this time, it’s a country - a first world country that is wealthy in culture, arts and history.
Checking all my notes, we searched for tourism information counters since we cannot find the convenience store I was looking for. Then we found out there was 7-11 convenience store inside the airport just across the information counters. At the information counter, we took all available pamphlets in both English and Korean languages. We decided to have some breakfast at the Dunkin Donut beside the 7-11 store. We were eating leisurely since our hostel said they can accommodate us at a later time. It was only 7am. Then we checked the platform for our bus. We waited outside despite it’s a less than ten degree Celsius weather. We boarded the bus and driver was polite and helpful. It took us an hour at least to get to downtown Seoul. I was excited to see the view outside my window. I borrowed my friend’s camera and took a shot of all the views I like including the SBS broadcast station and the National Assembly. Unfortunately, she had to remove all these photos because she forgot to bring her spare memory card and I don’t have my own SLR camera. I was using my smart phone with a battery that has less than a day lifespan. If I remember it right, I felt like a kid who went to a theme park she never visited. Only this time, it’s a country - a first world country that is wealthy in culture, arts and history.
The bus ride took about an hour at least. When we arrived in
Central Seoul, I couldn’t stop smiling.
I am definitely sure I was beaming with happiness. I saw the NSeoul Tower from afar, the
Namdaemun market, Myeongdong, some significant places based on their structures,
the Lotte Department Store with Choi Ji Won on a huge billboard. When we get off the bus, I knew that my Seoul
Searching adventure has officially begun. .
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