On our way back from Hong Kong, we had a long layover in South Korea so we decided to take a quick trip to Seoul. No point in staying cooped up in the airport, right? We weren’t prepared for the cooler weather up there, so we didn’t stay out long. Just a quick walk from Seoul Station for a few blocks and a failed attempt to buy street food before returning to Seoul Station for breakfast. (When I tried to ask about the street food, the guy didn’t know English and eventually told me “no” and gestured for me to go elsewhere.)
Upon arrival, they even had reading glasses to help folks fill out customs forms.
AREX takes you straight from the airport to Seoul. As we headed out, the sun began to come out.
Taking pictures of maps helped us get around.
Sungnyemun gate wasn’t open yet (at 8 – another hour to go).
History among the growing modern surrounds.
Entering into Namdaemun Market. The city was just waking up.
No time to shop!
Fancy ginseng stuff. I didn’t realize it was wine until just now.
Get your gas masks here.
Columns made of plastic baskets, outside of Seoul Station.
I thought I had to squeeze the blue thing to dispense soap. Turns out it WAS the soap.
Tofu soup breakfast! Exhaustion made it hard to eat much.
Buttons to enter!
We were in Seoul for less than 2 hours before we headed back to the airport.
At first I didn’t know what those trays were for. Turns out that’s how you complete transactions, instead of handing money and tickets directly.
I could barely stay awake on the ride, but managed to snap this as I noticed water.
Back at the airport, we explored its many amenities. By this point I managed to lose my wristlet – didn’t realize it until hours later!
Our Airbus A320 from Seoul to LA. We got to sit on the second floor!
Whoa, Tom Bradley looks quite different.
It was a whirlwind trip to Korea for the first time, but I’m sure we’ll be back for a proper visit. I learned that I have trouble telling the difference between Korean and Japanese. They both seem to have a lot of syllables and softer sounds. I’ll know next time to bring some key phrases with me so I can interact with the locals more. And I should definitely visit in the summer months or I might not want to go outside!
