Global Wanderer

3/12/23 – 5/12/23

I’d been completely unable to contact UBus in order to schedule a shuttle bus to pick me up to take me back to the airport, and so I settled on taking a taxi. That, however, required me to find an ATM so that I could get more cash out. Unfortunately, I’d packed away my thermals, gloves, and beanie, and was feeling a little too lazy to fish them out of my bag – so, I headed out down the street armed with a pair of chinos and my big coat in search of an ATM. Luckily, it only took me about 10 minutes before I came across a bank branch that was open – otherwise any longer and I may have turned into a human icicle!

The view on the drive to the airport

Once back at the hotel, I packed up my things, called a cab, and headed out for the hour-long drive to the airport. Given it was daylight this time, I was able to watch as the cityscape quickly gave way to freezing cold desert, punctuated by the occasional ger camp. I even spotted a small herd of yaks being left to roam in a large paddock by one of these camps – they are HUGE! Finally, we made it to the airport, and I parted ways with the last of my Mongolian tugrik, checked in to my Jeju Air flight to Seoul, and was stamped out of Mongolia. This is a place that I will definitely return to, I am sure of it!

The Japanese (and the South Koreans) have funded a LOT of development in Ulaanbaatar

Aside from a 1 hour delay thanks to the incoming flight, there were no hiccups, and before long we were touching down at Incheon Airport. The 2º temperature outside felt positively tropical! After clearing immigration, I headed to the AREX station and took the train to Gimpo, before changing over to the metro line and heading to Yeongdeungpo, where I would be returning to the Toyoko Inn. Liverpool were playing Fulham in the EPL, and I had a strong feeling that the Record Pizza bar across the street would be showing it. Lo and behold, they had the EPL on, and so after checking in and dumping my bag, I headed across the road for pizza, beer, and a thrilling 4-3 win for Liverpool!

Having recently visited Seoul a few weeks ago, I wasn’t too sure what to do with my free time. After a decent sleep in, I headed out to the metro, spun around in a circle in front of the transit map, closed my eyes and stuck a finger out. That was the station I was headed to! Sometimes it can be more interesting to head somewhere entirely random and spend time walking and watching life go past around you. It took me two line changes to reach the station I had pointed at (I can’t remember the name off the top of my head), but eventually I popped my head out in some sort of mini-industrial district, surrounded by shops selling all sorts of things from tiles, plumbing, appliances, and the occasional repair shop. I spent the next hour or so wandering through the mazy streets watching people go about their lives – there’s something fascinating about this!

A print shop!

After quite some time wandering around, lost in my own world, the sun began to set, and I decided to find some food. I quickly spotted a small Korean restaurant on a street corner that was quite busy, and stepped inside. Lots of places in Seoul have an electronic ordering system, a touchscreen at the front of the counter with the menu, where you can order and pay. This is really useful in spots where people don’t speak English, as it means that you’re able to order without too much hassle! Some spicy chicken, rice, and seaweed made it my way about 10 minutes later, and I felt like I was in food heaven! Finally, once I had licked my bowl clean (metaphorically, of course), I headed back on the metro to Yeongdeungpo.

My evening in photos

My final day in Seoul, and on this particular trip – and what a trip it has been! One final surprise was in store for me, however. I had an email waiting in my inbox, informing me that the time of my flight from Seoul to Singapore had been changed from 22:50 that evening, to 1:10 the next morning. Only a few hours, but it meant that I had longer in Seoul, and only a 2.5 layover in Singapore!

After acquiring breakfast, I headed back up to my room, packed my bags, and checked out at 10am on the dot (Toyoko Inn’s weirdly early checkout time). I left my bag in the hotel, and headed out into Seoul for a cruisy day of people-watching and street-walking. I headed out on the metro to a station by the western end of the Cheonggyecheon Stream, a very pretty 10km long river/stream in the middle of Seoul, which thanks to some urban renewal projects, is a beautiful oasis a few metres below the hustle and bustle of Seoul’s streets. I wanted to go for a run, but my lungs had been lacking considerably in capacity since the flu, and I decided to take it easy and walk my way along its length. It took me a while, but I had nothing but time today! When I reached the eastern end of the stream, I decided to head over to the nearby War Memorial for a quick look at the sculptures reminding Koreans of the conflict which, if I remember correctly, is technically not over.

A fresh morning walk down the stream

After this, I headed out to the Namdaemum Markets, a lively trading area filled with stalls selling everything from shirts to camera parts to fish (I’m not kidding). Honestly, this place is an absolute maze, and if I was in a rush trying to get somewhere, it might have felt like a nightmare – but I had nowhere to be, and nothing in particular to do, and I very much enjoyed getting swept up in the rush of it! My final stop for the day, before acquiring food, was to walk back to Seoul Station, and cross over the busy highway on the elevated pedestrian platform. This is no ordinary walkway – it is lined with various species of trees and plants, trampolines, and offers amazing views of the Seoul cityscape – it reminded me very much of the New York City Highline! I walked the length of the bridge, and then calculated how long it would take to walk back to Yeoungdeungpo, where my bag was – 2 hours, according to NaverMap (remember, Google Maps doesn’t work properly in Korea!). I decided that given I was about to be cooped up on a plane for a while, another long walk would serve me well!

The entrance to the bustling market district

View from the pedestrian bridge over to Seoul Station

The walk was a good one, punctuated by a quick trip to the bathroom in the basement of the LG Twin Towers (it was the end of the working day and I slipped in through the crowds of people heading home – I was desperate!), and I finally made it back to the hotel in Yeongdeungpo with time to spare. For the next 45 minutes, I hunkered down in the lobby, ensuring my phone and laptop had enough charge to get me through to Singapore. Once my phone reached that magic 80% that makes you think ‘good enough’, I hoisted my bag onto my back, and headed to Singil Metro. Just like a few weeks earlier, when I’d flown to Tashkent, I got off at Gimpo Airport and boarded the AREX train there – much easier all round! Finally, I made it to Incheon T1, checked in, and said goodbye to South Korea!

I fell asleep the moment the plane took off, and woke up as we were touching down at Changi – the best kind of flight for a weary traveller! I only had a 2.5 hour layover in Singapore, reduced from the initial 5.5 hours thanks to our delayed departure time, which actually worked out well for me. I grabbed a coke and a Snickers bar (can’t go wrong), and waited until the flight to Perth was boarding. In the boarding queue, I’d spoken to the lady behind me, who told me she was flying back from the Philippines after spending a month there – 6 hours later, after landing and taking the train to my local station, we ran into each other again on the bus – turns our that her and her partner run a travel blog themselves, and happen to live in the next suburb over! We exchanged a few tips – mine about Mongolia, hers about acquiring a Turkmen transit visa – and then went our separate ways. What a small world we live in!