I've been in South Korea for around 12 hours now, and I must say that I am in love with the city of Seoul.
After having made a song and dance about being drunk on the the night before my flight, then having endured 15 hours of flight time to travel 3,432 miles, I couldn't have been happier to land in Seoul and start to explore the city.
First things first, I've been impressed by a number of things in Seoul
For this reason I wanted to capture them, share them with the world and indeed hear if any of you, my fellow Steemians have experienced the same.
1. How High-Tech Everything Is
When you land at Seoul Incheon International airport, you're instantly greeted by an airport that is incredibly high-tec (scanners check your body at a check-point called the National Quarantine Station on behalf of the Korean Ministry of Health & Welfare), and indeed huge.
Sadly I didnt't / couldn't take a picture of this as at first I thought it was customs and therefore did not want to take the risk of irritating the local customs officer and ending up in a Korean jail.
Once you boarded the train to the city, you noticed that not only were they air-conditioned, but they were incredibly well designed for Koreans and tourists alike, with simple, digital signs that put the London underground to shame.
2. How Efficient So Many Things Are
Linked to the technology at play across the city, you quickly notice how space (which is at such a premium) is used efficiently to do simple, everyday things.
Take for example this parking lot, designed to stand vertically and rotate cars upwards in the air when parked and then down to the ground again when needed. Clever stuff.
3. The Size and Scale Of the Infrastructure
Another noticeable difference to the UK: there was no queue at immigration (watch and learn, Heathrow & Stansted!):
And once you did leave the airport, the train terminal was built to stand mulitples of the number of people who were actually using it on the day I arrived:
And finally on this point, just look how vast the tube network is!
4. How Much Fun Can Be Had So Quickly
Aside from seeing arcade machines on the street and seeing a K-Pop band perform in a park, it was immediately obvious how fun a city Seoul is, and what a big role socialising plays for its residents.
In my first few hours I stumbled across a street party (more of that in another post), an archery cafe (quite literally letting you gear up and fire some fletched arrows across the room) and numerous tarot card reading stands, amongst a whole host of things.
There's till plenty of me to try while I'm here, that's for sure.
5. How Good The Food Looks (and Tastes)
Whether you're after friend chicken, fresh fish (and by fresh I mean there are tanks of live fish on the street corners letting you choose exactly which fish you get to eat or want something sweet, the streets are lined with options for every budget and taste.
For example, how about these self-barbeque street food stalls?
...Or indeed these buns with a whole range of fillings available?
Those are my thoughts, there the reality is I could write a list twice as long and it still might not be enough.
Thanks for reading... I'd love to hear from you and to follow along any journeys of your own, so please feel free to get in touch.
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Have you been to Seoul?
Is there anything you recommend as a must do?
Let me know your thoughts.