Incheon my way to Malaysia

Last February, I was in the Montreal's Pierre Elliot Trudeau Int'l airport waiting for my flight. Apparently, all the Quebecois citizens in possession of a passport were sitting alongside me. It was the start of spring break and every single flight was oversold. The gate agents had morphed into auctioneers, offering ever-increasing amounts for anyone willing to give up their seat. Since I had nowhere to be in a hurry, when the game began for my flight, I jumped in early, with the caveat that my compensation not be locked into the current amount. I would play along as long as I got whatever the highest amount was. So I sat back, willing everyone to stay put, as he called $500, $600, $700... He finally got a taker at $1300. That is $1300 US Dollars to be used towards any Delta flight just for agreeing to go on a later flight!

I have gotten vouchers in the past and the trickiest part, believe it or not, is using them before they expire. Sounds silly but they are good for only one year from the date of issuance and it is all too easy to throw them in a drawer and forget about them until it is too late. Knowing this, I used my extra time at the airport to start researching places I'd like to go. New Zealand was too much. Easter Island was a no go. A r/t ticket to Malaysia during my vacation in December: $1313.
Thirteen dollars later, I was booked Miami-Atlanta-Seoul-Kuala Lumpur, the only routing that came in for that price. I would have to spend about 23 hours in Seoul but that was no issue because they just happen to have the coolest airport in the world, bar none. The airport has ongoing free cultural events, free arts and crafts classes where you can make your own souvenir, free showers and best of all free tours of the city, tailored to fit the length of your layover. All free!

I landed around 5pm, hoping against hope that when the Capt. said it was 35 degrees, he was speaking Celsius. My bag contained swimsuits, tank tops and 3 pairs of hippie pants, you know, the kind of things you would pack for December in Malaysia. I had never bothered to look up the weather in Seoul. The closest thing I had to winter wear was an intricate lace shawl that I was in the process of knitting for my mother. I am not admitting that I resorted to this level of desperation but I am just saying that if during the next Korean fashion week, any model comes down the runway wearing a half finished shawl, with the knitting needles and counting markers sticking out from one end and a skein of yarn dangling from the other, I believe I am due some credit.



The last tour had already departed so I checked into a nearby hostel, where I was the one and only guest. I asked the owner about the restaurants in the area, specifically which ones would have something for a vegetarian. "None" he said. "None?" I asked. "No.  None. All Korean food." With obvious concern on his face, he returned to my room ten minutes later to let me know that he was going to leave the breakfast room open all night for me so I would have access to bread and eggs. I might freeze in Seoul, but I certainly was not going to starve.

Thanks to his generosity and a mattress with a heating pad, I survived the night and was back at the airport early enough to both sign up for the five hour cultural tour and purchase a warm top to match my half-shawl.

Our guide led us to a tour bus and gave us a brief narration on the 45 minute ride into the city before conceding that since we were all in transit, we were most likely tired and not really listening so she would just give us some nap time.

Our first stop was the Changdeokgung Palace, once home to the kings of Joseon Dynasty and now a UNESCO world heritage site.  It is a sprawling complex with multiple structures and what I hear is a lovely garden. One of the downsides of a transit tour is they are very focused on getting you back to the airport on time, lest they find themselves stuck with a busload of disgruntled passengers and missed connections, so we skipped the garden altogether.  But our guide did lead us around several of the principal buildings, all of which have been recreated after being destroyed during the Japanese occupation.






The bright colors found on the roofs not only added a festive air, they also indicated the importance of the inhabitants.  At the time this palace was built (between 1405-1412), it was decreed that only the royal family could use certain colors to decorate their homes.  Didn't want a drab exterior?  Well, then you should not have been born a peasant. Back to your beige house, you!




Following our visit to the Palace, we were taken to the Insadong street for lunch and some shopping. Our guide was more accustomed to my kind than the poor hostel owner and was easily able to get me a vegetarian bibimbap (essentially rice and sautéed vegetables).  As for the shopping, there were some cool looking masks and ceramics but I had not even actually begun my 18 day vacation so the prospect of carrying anything around with me for that long was not very appealing.



Instead I ventured into a Cat Cafe.  For those unfamiliar with the concept, it is as if heaven were a real thing and had a $2 cover charge.  Once you pay the entrance fee, you wash your hands with antibacterial gel and for the next two hours (or in my case, 20 minutes), you get to play with a roomful of cats. There is also unlimited coffee or tea but with Persians, Maine Coons and Scottish Folds purring for attention, I don't know who has time for warm beverages.



After rolling around on the floor, soaking in all of the kitty love, I was ready to get back on the bus and head back to the airport, where a seven hour flight awaited.  The city of Seoul and Incheon airport in particular, had been spectacular hosts and I look forward to any future layovers I might have there, but now my gaze had shifted because coming up next... country #99.


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