In Transit

Well got back from Korea earlier today then had to go work so feeling a bit tired right now but "onward and upward" as some one once said, which sounds to me like it's mountain climbing related jargon, just looked on the net and apparently Abraham Lincoln said it at some agricultural society address way back when, enough of this on with the blog.

So It's Thursday the 2nd and I'm planning on getting the bus to Narita airport as for once I'm ready in plenty of time, bus takes longer but it a one stop deal on the train you have to change in Tokyo which means carting your bag around the train station until you find the right platform.

As I'd got plenty of time off i trot to get my bus ticket, unfortunately I'd not looked into it and the next bus departs too late and won't get me there in time. So on to plan B get the train, by the way It was a hot day Thursday and I'd already walked past the train station to try and get a bus ticket so by this time i was sweating and swearing a bit under my breath as i was walking and carrying my bag with me, but not to worry don't get frustrated that's what i told myself after all i was going away for the weekend to the "Land Of The Morning Calm" AKA Korea

Finally get to the train station and got myself a ticket, i was early but decided to go anyway wasn't really worth going back to the apartment even thought now i was getting the train I'd be at the airport at least an hour earlier than i needed to be.

I get on the train and as usually happens everything runs like clock work or in this case high voltage electrical train works and on schedule.

Train ride was nice and smooth Shinkansen to Tokyo then change to the Narita express and on to the airport and the next thing i know is I'm there with about three hours to kill. After checking in at the JAL desk and going through customs i think a drink maybe a McDs or Burger King some kind healthy food of that sort are in order that wasn't to be though, in Japan there are what seems like thousands of MacDonald's almost one on every street corner, but not at Narita airport no sir at least not at terminal 2 i can tell you cause i walked around it about twice. Just went in a little cafe to get a drink and a snack, that was pretty much it next stop Seoul in about 2 and half hours.

It took about two and a half hours to get to Seoul we landed on time, the first thing i notice on the way to the customs counter was that the neat rows of Japanese standing on one side of the escalator's so the people in a hurry could get past had changed to a sort of disorderly stand anywhere you want sort of thing. Think I've sort of got used to the ordered way in Japan, but i soon got back into the swing of things had just forgot what it was like.

It was then on to customs and the usual wait but luckily i some how got there in the first rush of people and it didn't take that long, then down to get the bag from the carousel and try and get a bus to Songtan.

Oh another thing i noticed during the transfers at Narita airport i had to get a shuttle train to the gate on another part of the concourse. The same thing happened in Korea at Inchon airport, i was flying JAL and had never done this before but the thing i notice was the speeds the trains traveled at. Both were unmanned trains, computer controlled in other words programmed to do the same thing all the time. The difference was the speed the one in Japan went at a sedate maybe 30 kph while the one in Korea seemed to accelerate really fast to probably about 60kph, remember you're in a narrow tunnel and it seemed fast even to me. What made me laugh to myself was the reaction of some of the Japanese passengers, they sort of when whooo-arrh that sort of sound anyway and laughed a bit thinking it was going to fast, it didn't come off the track or what ever it was on though and it wasn't driven by Lewis Hamilton, just welcome to Korea i though.

So got my bag, had been pretty lucky up to now with getting my bags fairly quickly but tonight had to be different, just had to didn't it when I'm in a rush. My bag was one of the last off thought I'd miss the last bus but just managed to catch it or him him before he pulled off. Then it was on the bus and on my way, it would be another two hours at least before i got to the hotel though.

Photo above is while I'm waiting for the bus just out side the terminal.

By the way Inchon's a great airport tho old one Gimpo sucked a little bit, this one is brand new, well it was about 8 or 10 years ago but in airport terms that still pretty new i think.

Got to the hotel about 11.30 pm and checked in, first thing i noticed when i got there was that Mr Kim who i knew fairly well and had been the night manager for years had retired, was this the shape of things to come i wondered.

Got my self checked in met the new night manager another Mr Kim surprise surprise, Kim's a very popular name in Korea it seems. Then it was out for a couple of beers, did bump into some one i knew and had a bit of a chat about what the town was like, seems it's pretty dead in the week and it sure was on Thursday night i can vouch for that, maybe Mr Kim retiring was an omen after all

On looking back I'd been travailing for almost 10 hrs the flight was only 2 and half of those the rest was getting to and from the airport or waiting there, not sure if I'll do it again for such a short trip unless i have to, but may feel different tomorrow or after the weekend, but tomorrow after all is another day as they say.