I’ve submitted my passport for a new Chinese visa and in the meantime I get to explore another major Asian city. This time, it’s Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The city is gigantic. There’s 23 million people! I’ve got to say first, that I’m really glad to be able to check out this part of the world. Shanghai, Bangkok, Ulaanbaatar and Irkuskt were all great.
I flew into the Incheon Airport from Beijing for 2,000 RMB (about $320). My friend from the Beijing program, John, met me at the airport and we took the AREX train into town. The airport is on an island so the train goes over some tidal areas that made for a wild landscape.
After taking care of my visa stuff, John and I hopped the subway to check some places out. The subway in Seoul is huge! There’s at least one station every kilometer in downtown. The trains are huge, too. I’d guess about 150 meters long.
In downtown there is a stream that cuts through the urban forest. It’s below street level so you must walk down some steps to get right next to the water. The Cheonggye Stream was built to make downtown nicer. It is unlike any urban park I’ve ever been in. By being below street level, as soon as you step into its area all the sounds of the city disappear. You can of course still see all the buildings and there are people everywhere but the only thing you hear is water running. The nature in an urban setting was really nice.
