After 11 hours on the plane we finally arrived in Korea.
I have to admit to being worried for a time when the GPS plot on the video screen showed us overshooting Seoul. Fortunately soon followed the reassuring command to "perform a U-turn when possible" came over the intercom which at least told us the pilot knew where to land. Of all the movies shown during the flight we had to
persevere through "Juno". Boy were we glad this was not the return journey movie!
I have to admit we were highly impressed with
Incheon Airpot because we we had our bags and had cleared customs quicker than we would expect at any domestic airport in Australia. The driver from
ESWS was there to greet us and escort the weary travellers to the guest house. He also presented us with a letter advising us to meet at the infamous room 101 with passports at 10 o'clock Monday Morning (midday in
Melb). This is the first meeting with our daughter.
With the meeting date confirmed, we settled into serious tourist mode for Sunday. Step one, Where are we. Well actually it was how to buy a train ticket. I know what you think, throw money at the clerk and he does the rest but we had learned about these multi pass cards which can hold value and are used when one passes through the ticket gate. Thanks for that tip Mary, but you didn't tell us how to ask for one at the station counter. We tried in vain to purchase one with the clerk trying valiantly to understand.
We did get to see the city
arriving at city hall only to learn a new skill. Navigating underground. All the roads in Seoul are too busy to cross so most intersections have pedestrian underpasses, only it
isn't always directly
across a street. Often you can find yourself diagonally opposite, or in one case right outside
Kyobo bookstore, which is one of the main bookstores in Seoul and one to buy great kids books in Korean and English (this distraction cost 90
mins and plans for many $ before we head home).
Of course exiting subway stations can be assisted by knowing which exit to leave the platform. Generally this is pretty easy most signs have
Korean and English names as well as exit numbers. Just to ensure one does not become too cocky however sometimes numbers and English are not to be found. We made our way from Town Hall to
Insadon after the bookshop
speed hump, only to be further distracted by
Tapgol Park. This is a nice little park with several historically significant monuments brought for display and also recognises the parks role in the establishment of the Korean Republic through the
Independence proclamation carved in stone on a wall.
From there we walked through
Insadon an area noted for art and craft shopping. It was nice to see much stuff from the naff to "quickly replace without dropping!" Fortunately for the credit cards we are not quite into shopping mode yet despite adequate encouragement from our shopping mentor Michelle. Instead we decided to become tourists visiting C
hangdeokgung Palace followed by
walking down to the
Cheonggyecheon Stream. This stream is a feature of Seoul City after being restored in 2005. To
achieve this many people had to be moved and a raised expressway demolished. Halfway along a gallery displayed pictures
dating back to 1900. It is startling to see how much this part of the City has changed in 40 years since that freeway was built. Korea now is most certainly a thriving metropolis.
Leg weary but happy to have gained our bearings, we have made our way home to write up journals and prepare for the evening meal. Determined to eat traditional Korean food as much as possible here, it is disconcerting to note the
ESWS surrounds map only notes
culinary delights as four fried chickens and dry white toast. Still the trepidation of receiving directions to a restaurant from the enthusiastic night watchman, whose English is adequate but heavily accented, is nothing to our meeting with
Yoo Rim (Amelie) tomorrow.
One More Sleep to Go!!!!!
PS: why didn't anyone warn us of the bricks that resemble pillows on our beds? They're
much thicker than we are used to at home.
