It was a business trip to Korea for a day. A comfortable flight from Bangalore to Hong Kong and after waiting for few
hours in Hong Kong airport I landed in Incheon airport in Seoul in late night.
A pre-booked taxi helped in reaching my hotel Holiday-Inn in Central Park area swiftly. Getting a
first view of twinkling and flashing Seoul in late night was fascinating. After
a dinner in my room, I could get a quick sleep very fast. After getting up
early in morning and a breakfast in the restaurant on rooftop of hotel, I could go out for an early
morning to walk around the hotel. First impression of Korea I felt is about its
amazing feet on maintaining its core eastern values and its achieved development
on par with western countries. My host has sent his car to visit his facility and my full day was full on business discussions and by evening I could come back to my hotel. With two of my hosts I went to Central Park mall to buy some gifts for my family. As it was a one day trip with my return ticket on next day, there was no plan to visit the city and explore it. While coming back to hotel I got the news of possible storm on next day. I slept with uncertainty if flight will be cancelled. Next day, I got up early morning and checked my mail. My flight was cancelled and scheduled on next day. With no plan for the day and storm was expected in late evening only I decided to explore the city.
I talked to the receptionist on hiring a taxi for visit to Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village. He strongly recommended me to use metro service. I am thankful to him for this advice as it is the best means to roam in and around the city. Seoul metro is one of the best, covering all nooks and corners of the city with multiple lines and services. Receptionist did a marking on map of metro route, with identified locations to change the train. A lady helped me in getting the ticket at first station and after that there was smooth experience. With the help of English signs on station and help of Google map, ride was smooth.
After two hours and three exchanges between Subway and Metro, finally I reached to the final station which has exit just inside courtyard of Gyeongbokgung Palace. A number of people were in traditional beautiful Korean dress, seems to recreate the Korea's ancient culture. This palace is a beautifully restored campus with a lush idyllic ambience and good walk which make its visit worthy. From here, ancient Bukchon Hanok
Village is not vary far. It is a good happy walk amidst beautiful
shops and cafes attracting tourists. This walk appears to be a live meeting with
elegant fusion of new and old cultures. Hanok is the traditional village settled
here for more than six hundred years. Houses and its traditional architecture are pretty
and perfect spot for loads of photos.
I had to walk back to the nearest metro station
at earliest as storm was expected in late evening. By the time I reached to
hotel, storm has arrived. I went to my room with a pleased mood and was
watching the rain and wind outside. This storm provided me a day to get amazing
and unforgettable experience. Next early morning I took the bus to airport to
catch my flight back to India. It was still drizzling and moist weather, my flight was delayed by more than a day but I was happy.
