Sojourn in Seoul 2010

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Saturday, 24th April 2010

Touching down at the modern Incheon International Airport at 6.30pm this evening, I had spent my last 10 hours journeying from home to Seoul. To save on my airfare, I had opted for a change of plane at the Hong Kong International Airport rather than a direct option. It was closed to 7pm after clearing the customs and collecting my baggage. Finding the correct bus to my destination wasn't difficult. I stopped by at the airport limousine bus counter manned by a middle aged woman.


"A bus ticket to Hongdae please!" I showed her the Korean address of my guesthouse just to make sure that we were on the same frequency.

"9,000 won please," said the lady.


I parted my money in exchange for a bus ticket ticket for service # 6002. Waiting for my bus outside the departure hall was pretty cooling as temperature had just dipped to 12 degrees in the evening. Upon boarding the bus, I was relieved to learn that bus announcements were made in English so that I wouldn't missed my intended stop. 50 minutes into the journey and after 3 stops, I finally reached the doorstep of my accomodation at Hongdae Guesthouse.


Taking the elevator to level 3, I showed up at the reception at 8pm. The guesthouse's staff was friendly and he patiently went on to explain the neighbourhood in great detail. I was led to room 313 where this would be my home for the next 5 nights in Seoul. There were 8 bunk beds in the room. 4 were already occupied this evening. I took my own cosy spot and parted 100,000 won for my stay. In all my years of travelling, this was the first time I was sharing room with complete strangers around the world. It turned out to be a pleasant experience as my room mates were considerate. There was never an unpleasant encounter during my stay.


The rest of the evening was spent hanging out at the Honggik University area located opposite the guesthouse. It was filled with youngsters on a Saturday evening. As I had no preference for my first meal in Korea, I stopped by a cafe at the corner of the street and ordered myself a hand-made burger and a hot latte. Not very inspiring for my day 1 of Korean sojourn. But then, I just needed to grab a quick bite and head straight to bed in my room before the rest of the days kicked in. This was of course after dropping a line to my folks at home informing that everything was going to be ok 😊

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