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.

A great thing about this city is its small shopping streets. Pedestrian roads wind in, out and around busy throughfares. The streets are packed with decked-out Korean teens looking for the latest and greatest fashion, food and entertainment.

Near downtown is the Gyeongbok Palace where Korean rulers lived. It was built in 1394. The place was closed for the evening and there is a lot of renovation work under way, but we could still take a walk around.

Last night I joined a bunch of people from my Hostel and hit the bars. It was one girl’s birthday and we went to a cool little cafe bar place. The Baghdad Cafe is on the second floor of a small building off the main flow of narrow shopping streets. The floor is covered in river stones and a small, shallow stream does a windy circle around place. Real fish swim around as you step over the stream. Wooden tables that smell like fish food are not a bit wobbly on the river stone floor.

We drank what I think was called dongdongjiu. It looked like something that would come out of your dong dong. Milky in color and served cold, it kind of reminded me of the sour horse milk we drank in Mongolia. It’s alcoholic somehow and felt like it was carbonated when it hit my tongue (even though it really wasn’t). The drink is served in a big bowl with a wooden ladle. You’re not allowed to serve yourself and everyone was careful to observe the Korean custom of holding their cup with two hands when someone else poured the drink in. (Photo Page)