Surprising Seoul
We flew Executive Class with Air India Boeing 787 - Dreamliner, though it was a short-ish flight, the 180 degree full flat bed seats were very comfortable, and gave us the space to stretch out, making it worth the extra cost. On arrival at Incheon Airport over 50 km form Seoul, we decided to take the airport limo bus to our hotel.
The buses generally run at 25-30 minute intervals, and are very comfortable, they cost around £10 p.p, cheaper than a taxi, but more expensive than the underground.
The bus dropped us almost at the door of our hotel, the IP Boutique Hotel, Itaewon whose location had been recommended to us. The hotel was indeed quirky, the reception was decorated with old fashioned swings and a rather scary bronze of Minnie Mouse. It all added to the charm. We were allocated a room on the top floor away from the front of the hotel, which did face the road.
There has been a large military presence of all nationalities in the area, and this is reflected in the cosmopolitan feel to the place. Bars shops and restaurants are plentiful along the whole length of the street. We also noticed very interesting architecture on our walks.
Second day we had pre-booked a tour to the DMZ on the border of North Korea. It takes around 1 hour to drive to the DMZ and have passports checked before being allowed through the barbed wire to the three locations you are able to access. Highlight of which is Tunnel 3, where you walk around 750 metres down and back to where the North Koreans were discovered trying to be dynamiting their way into the South. There's is much to see, especially Dorasan Railway Station, built and ready to link Seoul and Pyongyang, strangely active and yet deserted. The bus dropped us back in Itaewon late afternoon, where we again wandered the streets.
A good way to see any city is the hop on/off bus tours. As there was a pick up point just yards from the hotel, we decided to get out early and catch one of the first buses on the route, sadly so had everyone else, and as it was a holiday weekend to celebrate Buddhas birthday, the routes were amended to accommodate all the tourists. We managed to get off and see all the sights we wanted to see, and were surprised to see hundreds of ceramic pandas in one park courtesy of the WWF awareness campaign.
After a lengthy tour we found our way back to Itaewon and the international food street just behind the main street. This was very busy with locals and tourists all vying for tables at their chosen restaurants.
We decided to take the underground back to the airport, the service was fast reliable, and very cheap, only the equivalent of £2.50 for the 75 minute journey.
We left Korea knowing we'd like to return, as 2 full days was never going to be enough.
If you plan to visit the Far East and want a change from Bangkok or Hong Kong & Singapore, I can recommend Seoul, I know you'll be pleasantly surprised....we were!