January 2006

To say I hit the ground running would be an understatement.

Touched down at Inchon around 5:30. Get through customs, get my bags, and meet David in front of the airport a little after 6:00. The Koreans are nothing if not efficient. I wish to God they’d send a consultant to Atlanta.

By 6:30 we are on the bus to Seoul’s City Air Terminal where we can grab a taxi to our apartment in Bangbae-dong. The ride into the city takes about an hour, and you get a great view of the city coming in from southwest of the Han River.

After a 15-hour fligth and an hour bus ride, I was in no mood to party but wanted to stay up until at least 10 local time to try to get on Seoul time.

We ditch my luggage at the apartment and, after the nickel tour, go out in the neighborhood in search of food. Problem: it’s a national holiday and most of the restaurants were closed.

We did manage to find an interesting meal at this small little Japanese/Korean fusion place that was open. I had some sort of pork cutlet that had been “pizzafied” by topping it with mozzarella, tomato sauce and peppers. This was served with something like coleslaw, some miso soup, a side dish of pickled radishes, and rice. Interesting. I really should have taken some pictures, but I was so tired at that point I could barely focus my eyes let alone a camera.

After David informs me we have a 10 a.m. meeting tomorrow at the relocation company, and that my U.S. brand hair dryer is incompatible with our new apartment’s Korean electrical circuits, I have a mini-meltdown. Then we head back out to go shopping at Kim’s Club, a huge department store that is like a Target, Costco, and grocery store rolled into one.

We arrive home just after 11 p.m. (which feels like 9 a.m. after an all-nighter to me) with hair dryer, some fruit for breakfast, and a new trash can for the kitchen. I feel like I’ve seen half the city in my first four hours on the ground.

And this is just the beginning . . .

Cross-posted from Catnip.

I am sitting in the swank Delta Crown Club lounge in Atlanta waiting for my Korean Air flight to Seoul. (D’s company is picking up the travel tab this time—otherwise, I’d be hunched over in one of those plastic seats at the gate.)

Considering I am sitting next to some old guy who keeps hocking up a bunch of mucous every five seconds, I might be better off there.
I have to say the service at Hartsfield-Jackson leaves a lot to be desired. The TSA folks at the x-ray counter just stood their yapping while five of us were waiting to drop off our bags. (That’s after we had to lug it back across the terminal toward the front entrace from the check-in counter.) When we finally get their attention, they tell us we are standing to the wrong side of those little elastic barriers they put up to guide the queue.

Hello? There’s only five of us and four of the people are flying together. I guess to expect someone to take time out from their important conversation and at least motion for us to go to the desired spot was too much. So we stand there for 5 minutes staring at the two x-ray techs while they shoot the shit. Then, one of them finally realizes we need to get the bags x-rayed and tells us, ‘Oh, you need to be over here’ (motioning to a spot four feet from where we’ve all been standing). *eye roll.*

And, for what this ticket costs, we can’t get free wireless? I just had to pay Tmobile $10 for the hour I am using the Internet.

OK. I know there are worse things in life. /end spoiled rant.

I can’t wait to get to Seoul and see D, the new apartment, and all of the people he’s told me so much about. I’ll probably blog a few updates from the flight over (even if they won’t publish until I get back online some time tomorrow night), and the bus ride into the city, etc. I’ll put new pictures on Flickr and other updates at the new blog while I’m there.

See everyone in 16 hours!

Today’s high in Seoul?

33 degrees Farenheit.

Brrr…