Welp. I promised updates, even if technically a bit late. First off, thank you to everyone who has reached out about my trip to make sure I was alright! I haven't gotten back to everyone, sadly, but I will! You guys have been amazing in how much love you've been sending my way. Thank you all for the offers, advice, and just general checking in.
I got into Korea on Saturday evening. It was by far the longest flight I have ever dine in my life, about fifteen hours accounting for the Sudbury-Toronto leg of the travels. I flew with Air Canada, which despite many warnings I had zero issues with. The app worked great, I was checked in quick, food was fine and the attendants were fantastic.
I'm still not used to flying. Never have done much of it. This was one of those cases where I was worried about how it would hit me. Surprisingly, I didn't really feel the jetlag, nor was the flight itself necessarily straining on my body. The flight from Sudbury to Toronto though sucked. I don't do pressure changes well, and evidently I spent most of the flight trying to keep my ears from dying and dealing with vertigo.
I arrived at Incheon, got an Uber to my place in Myeongdong, and then almost immediately crashed lol. I did get a bit of a chance before my body gave out to walk around and see the sights in the neighborhood. It was very busy, obviously, so I didn't stay out quite as long as I originally intended.
My photos all sucked too, but that's okay.
A photographer I am not evidently. My first night was calm, simple and without complications. I got accustomed quick to how Ubers here work, which was my biggest worry. I didn't do a lot of shopping, but did get my first experience at a Korean 7/11. It was very nice, and I was impressed by the variety.
I will also take the time to say that everyone I met was very accommodating to me. I tried my best to speak Korean when I could, and as you can guess my Korean isn't very good. I did wanna try though, if only for the practice and to see how I could do.
People were very happy to give me directions, try to give me recommendations, and at least two people stopped me to ask if I was alright and needed any help. I found that very helpful, and was genuinely surprised by the level of hospitality I got around from random people.
I don't know if thats normal, or if I just looked plainly clueless and theh felt the need to step in, but it was very much appreciated given how hard it could be to walk around Seoul and figure out things, even with a map. It's just a different universe here, one I'm certainly not used to handling.
I didn't sleep well the first night. I was up early, as I have been ever night here. I was up at the crack of dawn, and I only had a few hours in Seoul before leaving, so I was out the door at about seven to just sorta journey around. Seoul is a big place. Twenty-Five Million people and counting call it home, so I had to be a bit selective.
Of course my first stop was the War Memorial. You guys shouldn't be surprised by that. I learnt that they have a massive outdoor exibit with a bunch of stuff, and so naturally I had to go and see for myself. I got there about eight so there was practically no one there.
Unfortunately a section of the outdoor exhibit wasn't available due to ongoing work and restoration, however much of it was freely accessible to me and the one old man who was just sorta shuffling around. I liked him. We walked around together for a bit, well, he kinda followed my path, but still.
The War Memorial is full of a lot of cool things. Including some pretty wild stuff, like a Hyunmoo-I, KVKS Module, and various munitions like KM-SAM, K-SAM, Red Shark, and C-Star. They even had some Hawk and Nike Hercules. The War Memorial doesn't play.
They also have a large collection of vehicles both domestic and foreign, including an SU-100 of all things. That one threw me, I won't lie. That sent me for a spin. Other things on display include a K-1, K200, LVTP-7, KM900, multiple M113, and M47 and M48. Sadly, again, could not see everything as some of the vehicles were having restoration work done.
They also have two F-4, and F-5 and am S-2! It was my first time seeing an F-4, which as some of you might know is one of my favourite aircraft, so you know that was one of my highlights. Unfortunately, most of the aircraft at the memorial had construction going on around them so out of respect I elected to take in from a distance, so sadly no photos.
The last section I went to was the rotary section. It was a bit away and up from the rest of the Memorial, kinda tucked away in the corner to itself. It had a very calm feeling. Going early in the morning I felt was the smart move. There was little in the way of anything, so you get to sorta appreicate everyrhing to yourself.
It wasn't as big as the others, amd felt a bit forgotten, but I was happy to see things! Obviously being in Canada and where I am, I don't get to see much in person. This was amazing alone for just seeing things in person, and for that I am grateful.
I didn't have a whole bunch of time, so outside of the traditional tourist mindset I didn't try to cram things into my itinerary. I elected to just sorta walk around and explore before my train. The area around the Memorial is beautiful. Full of flowers and trees. I walked a few blocks away, saw some stores and such, explored a side street, and that was about it.
Seoul when driving around and at the Train Station have a feeling of controlled chaos so to speak. Undoubtedly in a rush, busy, and full of people but it never felt stressful or chaotic. Maybe that's my Canadian mentality showing, but I felt like everything was in a routine I didn't know but sorta fell into? Once you get into the crowd and follow what they're doing, you sorta align yourself.
I took the KTX from Seoul to Busan in the afternoon, about a three-and-a-half hour journey. It was my first time on a high-speed train so I was excited! Again, the attendants were very nice and help guide me to my seat since I believe it was clear I was new to this. The person I rode with slept for most of the journey, so things were quiet.
You don't feel it lol. You know you're going fast, but you dont physically feel any worse than a car. I always heard that, and I guess didn't know what to expect? But I do know that it was smooth and relaxing. I see why so many like High-Speed Trains. Crossed the whole country and didn't even really feel like it lol.
I arrived at Busan in the kater afternoon amd immediately cabed to Goeje. Busan is another city that kind boggled me. It felt like it never ended. You would get somewhere, think you're clear, and then another cities worth of towers and high-rises. Korea though, even rural, you run into that at some scales. Just random sets of towers in the middle of fields.
It wasn't until we got to the island that it settles a bit. Goeje feels far smaller and more calm than the rest of the places I visited. It is also beautiful here, with stunning landscapes and lots of blended nature. The Mountains in Korea are gorgeous, one of the worlds ecological marvels in how they were reforested.
Goeje is beautiful. I would love to come back again and explore the whole island. I have a beautiful view of the water from where I am, and it is stunning. I can't refommend it enough if you love a natural vacation spot. Great food too.
Despite the fact my first day didnt involve a lot of personal travel, I did enjoy it immensely. This is a new experience and a very different culture to what I am used to. I had a great opportunity to see various parts of the country, and get to experience a lot of unique places.
People guessed I was Canadian right away in both Seoul and Goeje lol. I don't know if it's me or they're just used to us showing up now. I imagine with where I am they're used to random Canadians popping in and out!
Day two was at the actual shipyard, and that was an experience to itself! That's for next day though. I admittedly passed out like almost as soon as I got here! So sadly not much to share in Goeje on day one!
Again, sorry for all the random delays to messages and such, and thanks again to everyone for being so kind and thoughtful of me. I do appreciate all of it.
You are allowed to enjoy yourself, just be back before your leave pass expires :)