East Asia Tourism

Nine Hours Stopover in Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2

7 July 202211 July 2022travelingpersecond

For most travelers, Kuala Lumpur International Airport becomes the most fantastic point to jump into other Asian countries. Of course, the existence of Air Asia’s Low Cost Carrier (LCC) makes it so. Since 2001, Air Asia has been providing travelers with low-cost access to travel around Asia. Thanks to Air Asia, I have stopped at KLIA for 21 times when exploring Asia.

But in this story. it was eighth stopover….Yup, this was the eighth time I set foot in Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

After ten o’clock at night, the giant wheel of Air Asia D7 505 gently touched against KLIA2’s runway. The 5 hour 50 minute journey from Seoul was over. My first impression of tasting the wide body Airbus A330 was really pleasant. Flying across Yellow Sea and East China Sea took place with virtually non-existent turbulence, calm and smooth without a hitch. That was probably one of the advantages of riding a large plane when exploring sky.

After taxiing for a few minutes, Air Asia D7 505 was stopped in apron and as soon as the plane door opened, I entered KLIA2 building via aerobridge. I returned to KLIA2 after ten days before stopping by at it before jump to Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It was such a happy feeling that night because I was already close to home, only 2 hours 15 minutes away by air.

And for me, stopping at KLIA2 would be more convenient if I left immigration counter, because I could find many culinary offerings at Gateway@klia2 mall instead of just sitting in transfer hall.

“Transit, Sir. I want to find food for dinner”, I lightly greeted an immigration officer in front.

“Where are you going?”, he asked while checking my green passport.

“From Seoul, want to go back to Jakarta, Sir”

“Oh…”, He briefly answered and then ordered me to face the camera and do fingerprints. By midnight that night, actually my stomach was already filled with wind because the dinner schedule had long passed. But to complete the schedule, I chose to hasten my steps towards a restaurant. It was NZ Curry House which was an Indian restaurant located at Transportation Hub level 1 Gateway@klia2 mall.

(On my last visit at KLIA2 at the end 2019 when I was about to fly to Kochi-India, this restaurant area was undergoing renovations, either closed or just being repaired).

The mainstay menu which I often order when I stopped at this restaurant was “Nasi Lemak” with boiled eggs and a cup of hot O tea. For that menu, I usually only spend 6.5 Ringgit.

While tasting spoon by spoon of Nasi Lemak, I understood that after that I would only spend the night on the 1st floor while waiting for tomorrow to arrive. Therefore, I wasn’t in a hurry to eat my simple dish.

After eating, I took the time to change into a t-shirt in the toilet near restaurant and then went up for a while to level 2 to look for souvenirs at Jaya Grocer. For me, KLIA2 was also a favorite place to look for souvenirs if I didn’t have time to stop by in downtown, the halalness of Malaysian products, which were 61% of its citizen was Muslim, was a guarantee in itself. My main shopping target was the packaging of “Teh Tarik Aik Cheong” so I could enjoy it in my working days in my homeland’s capital. A package of Teh Tarik Aik Cheong contained 15 sachets I redeemed for 13 Ringgit that night.

After I got souvenirs, I immediately looked for a spot to lay down in 1st floor because that time had touched the dawn and my eyes had also turned red as if asking me to immediately close them.

Shortly after choosing, there were rows of empty seat in 1st floor in a corner of hall. After acquiring it, I felt half asleep on it until dawn.

However, I deserved to be grateful for KLIA2’s presence in my long history of traveling around Asia.

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Air Asia D7 505 from Seoul to Kuala Lumpur

6 July 20227 July 2022travelingpersecond

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D7 505 flight path (source: flightaware.com)

I sat at one of seats near gate 112 belonging to Satellite Concourse Building Incheon International Airport after a few minutes before being transferred by shuttle train from Terminal 1. Boarding time was only half an hour away, so I couldn’t take the risk to explore the entire airport terminal building.

I prefered to watch airplanes fly by. Some of them seemed to focus in landing their wheels at airport’s runway and others seemed to be queuing up to get permission from Air Traffic Controller (ATC) to fly. I often did this habit because of my interest in aircraft and aviation industry. From this habit of observing, it wasn’t uncommon for me to find the names of new airlines which in the future I usually targeted them to enjoy their services in traveling around world.

For me, that day was very special in my travel history, because Air Asia D7 505 would be my first trip using a large aircraft. If in previous flights I had always ridden a small aircraft, such as an Airbus A320 or Boeing 737, but that time I would ride an Airbus A330 with 9 columns of seats…. That afternoon really created curiosity and impatience.

Half an hour later, the gate actually opened. I started to take a position in the right column of queue.

“Just give duty free shopping to mom, let mom hold it,” a male passenger shouted in Indonesian language to his son who was carrying two large bottles of alcoholic drinks. Hearing the language of my nation while in another country was indeed a special gift that could help raise the mood to always feel close to home. That time at my left was an Indonesian citizens of Chinese descent who also seemed to be on their way home.

“Which city are you come from, Sir?”, I ventured to ask.

“Oh, you’re from Indonesia too? I’m from Bekasi, Sir.”

“Oh, I’m from East Jakarta, Sir”.

“Oh, our home are close. What kind of business do you do, Sir in Jakarta?”

“I just work in a company, sir, in Jakarta. Not doing business”

“Oh, is that so, are you alone, Sir?”

“Yes, Sir”

“Wow cool….cool…”

Our conversation didn’t last long because our meeting had to end when a ground staff checked our tickets and passports. After that we were separated in a long aerobridge.

At the end of aerobridge, I was greeted by a Malay-looking flight attendant at plane door and I was directed to turn towards front cabin. According to my boarding pass, I looked for seat numbered 14K which turned out to be positioned in right side of window seat. That was the seat which I had to enjoy during the long flight later.

Oh yes, my flight number that time was D7 505. Do you want to know the meaning of code?….

If QZ was the flight code operated by Indonesia Air Asia and AK was the flight code for Air Asia Malaysia, then D7 was the flight code belonging to Air Asia X specifically for long-haul flights.

D7 505 itself was a flight of 5,000 kilometers with a travel time of 5 hours 50 minutes. The flight started from Incheon International Airport, South Korea and would end at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2, Malaysia.

Hmmm…..During the flight….

Turns out, the window seat I was in was uncomfortable because the curve of airplane cabin limited my comfort during the flight. While flying in economy class, I could only pass the time by flipping through Travel 360, which was Air Asia’s inflight magazine. When my eyes get tired of reading, then I continued to spend time with closing my eyes. Luckily, the packaged almonds I bought at Namdaemun Market a day before made my flight a little less boring.

Half of the flights in light conditions allowed me to freely enjoy the views of Yellow Sea and East China Sea, while the rest of the flights continued in complete darkness where I couldn’t do much. Until finally the plane arrived in Kuala Lumpur around ten at night.

After the flight, I still had to go through the last leg of my journey to explore East Asia by staying for 9 hours at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 before returning to my homeland on the next day using Air Asia AK 382 connecting flight.

To get flight tickets from Seoul to Kuala Lumpur, you can search for them on 12go Asia with the following link: https://12go.asia/?z=3283832

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Tasting Mixed Fried Rice in Incheon International Airport

4 July 20226 July 2022travelingpersecond

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On 12:15 am I arrived at Yeongjong Island, an island in west coast of South Korea where Incheon International Airport was magnificently built.

I unsteadily walked out from Seoul Metro Line I carriage, as if didn’t willing to leaving Seoul, which I had just enjoyed five days ago. But still, I was still self-conscious about my budget which couldn’t be helped anymore. Without a credit or debit card I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere with Won left. Even a few Won sheets tucked away in my curly wallet might just be enough to buy a modest breakfast at airport later.

Coming out of Airport Station, I intently stared at Flight Information Display System (FIDS) to track down check-in desk I had to go to. Of course, it was very easy to find flight information at largest and most sophisticated airport, the pride of South Korea. The instructions directed me to go to check-in desk D as a counter to exchange my e-ticket for a boarding pass to Kuala Lumpur.

In galloping steps, I had to go to 3rd floor to find the whereabouts of check-in desk D where Air Asia flight D7 505 would be opened. Maybe because I didn’t focus on reading the information posted in FIDS, I arrived in front of check-in desk which was still quiet. “Hoo yeah, the flight status isn’t open yet,” I thought with a smile, fooling my lack of accuracy. “I’ll better find breakfast first”, another self-expression that was wrong because actually I arrived in the airport on noon.

I rushed to Basement 1 Level to look for breakfast as well as lunch. With Won left, I finally got a portion of stir fried rice which became my most luxurious menu while traveling in South Korea….Ooops. As for drinking, I still rely on the existence of a free water station.

I deliberately bought time while enjoying food at one of food court seats. After all, I easily could see my flight status from a medium size FIDS displayed in its side.

For almost an hour I controlled that seat, relaxing eating a serving of stir fried rice, sucking in the exposure to delicious aroma which wafted in every corner of room, enjoying the hubbub of travelers from various nationalities in their culinary hunt and always keeping an eye on FIDS screen which continued to displace the array of flight information to the top of page.

I gasped when I last saw Air Asia flight number D7 505 appeared in bottom row of FIDS. After approaching to make sure, I finally left my seat and headed back to 3rd floor to go to check-in desk D.

Considering that that was a return ticket towards the starting point of trip, the female staff at check-in desk didn’t ask too many complicated questions. Likewise with the male officer at immigration counter, he didn’t take long to put a departure stamp on my green passport. That process wasn’t certainly as complicated as my story when entering South Korea through immigration counter at Gimhae International Airport in Busan city.

After immigration area, I thought it would be easy to find the gate where Air Asia plane I would be riding would load. It turned out not to be so. To found gate 112, I had to go to Satellite Concourse Building which could only be reached by Incheon International Airport shuttle train via underground line.

Following a signboard, I was directed to shuttle train platform which would take all passengers to Satellite Concourse Building towards west of Terminal 1. The Satellite Concourse Building itself was a longitudinal building in the middle of Terminals 1 and 2 of Incheon International Airport. It had 30 gates, 6 lounges and was almost 1 km from Terminal 1.

The two-seatless shuttle train spent seven minutes cruising the double-track subway at Incheon International Airport and then transferred me to Satellite Concourse Building. Arriving at the building, of course it wasn’t difficult for me to find Gate 112, which was the gate where I would be flown to Kuala Lumpur International Airport for a nine-hour transit before heading back to my homeland.

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Seoul Metro from Downtown to Incheon International Airport

2 July 2022travelingpersecond

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The atmosphere inside Seoul Metro to Incheon International Airport.

After Fajr prayer, my eyes no longer closed. It was my nature to always stay awake when faced with a flight schedule. Meanwhile in the corner of dormitory, my blue backpack with a capacity of 45 liters had been neatly packed since last night, after returning from Gangnam District to be exact. Last night, I decided to do some packing after taking a shower.

Around half past seven in the morning, amid light snoring of Kimchee Guesthouse Sinchon guests, I slowly tiptoed to shared-bathroom to soak myself under warm shower. So, an hour later I was tidy and sat in shared lobby downstairs to just socialize.

In a chair, I slowly drank mineral water left over from last night while opening Seoul Metro map. I have to find the best route to Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 that afternoon.

About fifteen minutes later, a girl with a blue veil with a beautiful Malay face came sitting in front of me. From her appearance, she was preparing herself for exploration.

“From Malaysia?”, the question was definitely directed to me.

I looked up and answered, “Jakarta, Indonesia”.

“Oh, Indonesia. How long have you been in Seoul, Brother?”

“Three days. I’m Donny, may I know your name?”, I answered briefly.

“Mariya, I’m from Kuala Terengganu”.

“You’re ready this early, where are you going, Mariya? “, I kept asking curiously.

“Oh, I want to visit Itaewon, take a look at Seoul Central Mosque. Where are you going brother?”

“I will go home this afternoon, tomorrow I will stop in KL first”.

“Can Indonesian people get a free visa to Korea, brother?”

“Oh no Mariya. I had to pay 150 Ringgit to get a Korean visa. What about Malaysians?”

“Malaysians have free visas to Korea, brother”.

Mariya is a solo-traveler from my neighboring country who is armed with high self-confidence. She even talked about her trip around Asia alone without showing the slightest bit of fear. A hour I had a very interesting conversation with him.

Mariya herself is very interested in several cities in Indonesia which she wants to visit in the future. He asked a lot of questions about Bandung, Malang, Labuan Bajo and Ambon. To compensate for her enthusiasm, I was interested in seeking information from her about several cities in Malaysia which I would also like to visit, such as Kuching, Ipoh, Penang, Kuantan and Kuala Terengganu.

Our conversation ended when Mariya said goodbye to go to Itaewon. After that conversation, I went to my room and got ready to check-out.

At half past ten, I started to carry my backpack, went to receptionist to hand over my locker key and took my deposit money. Then I steadily stepped from Kimchee Guesthouse Sinchon towards Hongik University Station.

As usual in the morning in Seoul, I stopped by for a moment at CU minimarket which wasn’t far from the station to have breakfast. After breakfast, I immediately hunted for Seoul Metro Line 2 carriage to Sindorim Station, which was only 4 stations away from Hongik University Station.

From Sindorim Station I changed to using Seoul Metro Line 1 to Bupyeong Station. Standing in the center near carriage door, I enjoyed the speed of Seoul Metro passing through eleven stations before arriving.

From Bupyeong Station I still had to change to Seoul Metro Line I to my final destination, Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 Station, which was fifteen stations away.

Overall, within an hour and a half, I arrived at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 Station, which was 60 kilometers from downtown. I arrived at the airport a few minutes before noon. Now I was waiting for Air Asia flight D7 505 from Seoul to Kuala Lumpur which would fly on 15:55 hours.

Actually I was still very interested in enjoying Incheon downtown before heading to airport. But because I realized that the money in my wallet was only a few notes left, then instead of playing the risk and prone to miss the flight, I ended up choosing to spend hours at the airport instead. The most important thing was that my return trip to my homeland was safe and smooth.

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Gangnam District’s Luxury

30 June 20222 July 2022travelingpersecond

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I stepped out of the courtyard of Gyeongbok Palace just before the sun set in the west of city. In the late afternoon, I stepped more casually towards Gyeongbokgung Station which was only 300 meters from the palace. “After all, my exploration is over,” I thought to calm myself in the midst of air temperature which starting to drop colder.

Inside the station, I was constantly confused between going straight to the inn or going to a destination once more. “This is my last night, should I spend time in the inn?”, I thought to myself, defending myself.

I, who was impatiently waiting for the arrival of Seoul Metro Line 3 in the side of platform, now I prefered to sit down and opened the city map in search of an additional destination to spend the night.

The whoosh of train sounded loud in front bend. I smilingly prepared myself at the queue line to entering carriage. “Yes, I know where to go”, my decision appeared.

—-****—-

Oh, yeah….You know Park Jae-sang, right?

That’s it… a songwriter from South Korea who is better known by his stage name PSY. The main character in the music video for “Gangnam Style” which went worldwide in 2012.

Yes, that time I wanted to visit his birthplace, which was Gangnam District. Gangnam District is a luxurious district in South Korea, home to top millionaires, politicians and artists.

—-****—-

I understood that it was already dark outside, even though the bright light was shrouding Seoul Metro carriages creeping down Seoul underground lines. The Gangnam district was still ten kilometers away when I a moment ago sat at the end of carriage.

One by one stations were combed quickly and led me to get off at Seoul National University of Education Station. From that station I changed to Seoul Metro Line 2 to Gangnam Station.

In this Seoul Metro Line 2 carriage, I met five tourists from California who had just landed from Tokyo that afternoon. Even that five tourists had already explored Taipei before reaching Tokyo.

Their story, which was almost similar to my journey before reaching Seoul, also through Kaohsiung (Taiwan), Tokyo and Osaka (Japan) and Busan (South Korea) made our introductions and conversations were very familiar.

I only remember a name among them so far which was Brendan. Brendan does tend to be more outgoing and appeares to be the spokesperson for their travel group. What was clear that Brendan was a person who didn’t like alcohol, I could tell from his words that he didn’t want to touch Soju when his other friends actually enjoyed it since arriving in Seoul.

I arrived at Gangnam Station within 10 minutes of changing to other Seoul Metro line. Tracing the long corridor within Gangnam Station, led me to exit to the ground level right at the edge of Gangnam-daero Avenue which was decorated with a large name box “Gangnam Square” and the stage “Gangnam Style Horse Dance” which was very crowded with tourists.

From that big intersection I began to enter alley after alley in Gangnam to explore the district’s nightlife. The bustle of alleys in Gangnam District made me feel safe even though in front of my steps there were two men and a woman walking arm-in-arm because they were heavily drunk while raving uncontrollably. The show only made the streets busier with laughter because the trio’s behavior was very funny.

Spent dinner with a piece of Kimbap and an energy drink.

While on the left and right of alley, local residents mingled with the newcomers to enjoy the atmosphere of bars with faint smell of alcohol wafting from sidewalk. Apart from that, some of them prefered to make atmosphere more relaxed by enjoying restaurant dishes while conversing to spend the atmosphere of night starting to get icy cold.

My last night in Seoul was satisfied when I crossed alleys of Gangnam from end to end. But it was time that finally limited my visit, it was almost eleven o’clock at night. I decided to immediately return to Gangnam Station and return to Kimchee Guesthouse Sinchon.

I have to prepare myself to return to my homeland tomorrow morning.

Next Story—->

Visiting Gyeongbok Palace

28 June 20222 July 2022travelingpersecond

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I left Jung District with Seoul Metro Line 4 towars Hongik University Station which was ten kilometers away. I had to put a plastic bag at Kimchee Guesthouse Sinchon. Doing exploration by carrying black plastic would only make my face look more tacky.

The beauty of Gyeongbok Palace (source: http://www.agoda.com)

In thirty minutes I arrived.

Without having time to sat down for a moment, I just left the inn. That time I was going to the biggest palace in Korea.

—***—

Now I was taken by Seoul Metro Line 2. I was standing again because the carriage was full of passengers, requiring my right hand to hold the hand strap above so as not to fall because the train often braked at every station which train stopped at.

It was just, the situation got weird. A girl was whispering with a friend next to her and occasionally looking at me. I didn’t look at her but at least I could glance at her faintly. “Oh, someone is watching me,” I thought.

I occasionally glanced at that girl who continued to softly laugh. That laugh made me introspect. “Is there something wrong with me?” I tried to pay attention to myself, but still didn’t immediately find the oddity.

Until finally, I felt in shame when I found the source of my problem. It turned out that there was a large thread stitch at the base of the right hand. “Oh, why didn’t I check this used jacket when I bought it at Pasar Baru (the name of market in Jakarta)”, I slowly lowered my right hand, then checked the base of my left hand. Knowing the stitches were in good condition, I took turn holding the hand strap with my left hand. I slowly turned to that two girls and shyly nodded. It turned out that the two girls responded in the same way.

“Damn, during ten days of traveling, I just found out that in the bottom of my used winter jacket’s right hand there was a large seam to cover the rip,” I grumbled while shaking my head.

This incident made me feel embarrassed until I got off at Euljiro 3(sam)-ga Station to change to Seoul Metro Line 3. Now I was back following the pace of Seoul Metro to Gyeongbokgung Station in the north of city. This time I sat down until I arrived at the station.

To reaching Gyeongbok Palace, it was only a three hundred meter walk from Gyeongbokgung Station. Entering the gate yard of Gyeongbok Palace, many tourists were wearing hanbok clothes. The clothes were indeed effective in creating an aura of nobility for anyone who weared them.

Meanwhile, in every corner of courtyard was closely guarded by local police. It was clear that Gyeongbok Palace was closed that afternoon, no tourists were allowed in. I didn’t know what the moment would be held that afternoon?. Practically I could only enjoy my visitation by entering National Palace Museum of Korea which was located in the same courtyard as Gyeongbok Palace.

National Palace Museum of Korea (source: http://www.theseoulguide.com)

Visiting it was free, I was required to understand the story and ins and outs of Gyeongbok Palace from various relics in display at the museum. The 113-year-old museum looked clean and well-maintained. Although I didn’t fully understand it, at least I could enjoy historical objects such as some traditional clothes, ancient records, stamps and some paintings from Joseon Dynasty.

With the completion of xploration in the historical repository of South Korea, nicknamed the Deoksugung Museum, my adventure that afternoon left only one more destination….Gangnam District

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Giving up in Myeong-dong

26 June 20222 July 2022travelingpersecond

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Unlike before, now I was so frantic looking for a bus from Namdaemun Market to get to my next destination, Myeong-dong.

Looking for all route boards at bus stops around Namdaemun Market, I still couldn’t find any clues. The cold wind finally brought me to underground. Yup, I was now stepping down the corridors of Hoehyeon Station, looking for a platform to get to Myeong-dong Station. I got it easily. At the edge of platform, my face continued to face left to look up the appearance of Seoul Metro Line 4.

The increasingly bright light slowly approached the platform, a sign that the train was ready to arrive. In an instant I was crammed to stand holding the carriage pole so as not to be hit by the flow of passengers. Shortly after all passengers were carried away, the Seoul Metro began to creep away from platform.

Not through for any station, I then got off at Myeong-dong Station, leaving all passengers who were still crowded in the carriage. I couldn’t wait to get away from the carriage when I got off because I wanted to see the bustle of Myeong-dong, a popular cosmetic shopping center in Seoul. Of course not to buy a lipstick, masks or face whiteners, but just wanted to see beautiful auras of Ginseng Country girl….Oops.

Coming out of Myeong-dong Station I kept muttering, “Why is today colder today than usual”. a gloves I was wearing couldn’t contain the cold that penetrated to outermost layer of my skin. As a result, I walked around enjoying Myeong-dong by occasionally gritting my teeth because I couldn’t stand in the cold air any longer.

It was true, tall, slender girls with white faces filled every alley in Myeong-dong. Cosmetic shops seemed full of shoppers. Meanwhile, some local culinary traders were starting to get busy setting up stalls at many points. Myeong-dong, which seemed to me already crowded, apparently hadn’t reached its peak point yet. Maybe in the night would be the culmination point.

Since that area was a cosmetic shopping center, it didn’t interest me to enter cosmetic outlets lined up along Myeongdong 8-gil. I just stood on the edge of Myeong-dong shopping corridor, enjoying the traffic of Seoul youth and the busy culinary traders who were busy preparing their wares. Meanwhile, several well-known cosmetic outlets such as Holika Holika, Aritaum, Missha and The Saem seemed to be flooded with visitors.

Just standing still, made me an easy target for the cold air which blew in Myeong-dong. It was true, I could only endure the cold for half an hour. The rest I started shivering uncontrollably.

I gave up….

I started to move and was forced to enter one of outlets, as I remembered the outlet was called innisfree. Since most of the guests were women, I just pretended to be looking for cosmetic gifts so that I could freely enter the outlet. Of course I wouldn’t buy anything at the outlet. I just walked around while paying close attention to the various kinds of cosmetics sold at the outlet.

In order not to arouse suspicion, fifteen minutes later I decided to leave the oulet. Now I continued down the corridors in Myeng-dong while slowly moving away from the cosmetic center to make my way to the station.

Yup, that time I intended to go back to the hotel first, put the groceries which I bought from Namdaemun Market before visiting Myeong-dong. For then I would continue to explore again to Gyeongbok Palace.

Next Story—->

Ginseng from Namdaemun Market

25 June 20224 July 2022travelingpersecond

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Moments after the last sip of coffee in my paper cup, the sky blue bus number 402 arrived. Didn’t go straight to bus stop platform. It turned out that the driver got off and hunted for coffee at G-25 minimarket, where I had gotten black coffee moments before.

I was already standing in front of the bus when he approached while holding his hot coffee.”*&^%$#@!()<>”, I didn’t know what he said while pointing at his coffee cup. But I understood what he means, “Wait a minute, bro, I’m drinking coffee for a while”. I smiled nodding and he held up his right thumb for me.

I leaned against the front of bus as I waited for him to finish his coffee behind the wheel. A few moments later, the sound of bus’ front door scraping was heard. Indicated that bus doors have been opened and I was welcome. Of course it was better to sit inside a warmer bus than cold out there.

A few moments after I sat in the middle seat, the bus moved to bus stop platform. Pick up passengers who have been waiting for a long time.

All passengers had taken their seats as bus slowly started to descend Namsan Mountain and exposed the beauty of Seoul through glass windows. The metropolis which seemed to be shrouded in a layer of fog below. I endlessly widened my eyes to stare at it from above.

Until not felt, the bus was speeding in city streets which were flat. Showing the busy streets of Seoul. Twenty minutes later I was dropped off at Toegye-ro Avenue right in front of Gate 5 of Namdaemun Market.

Seen from across the street, the aura of that 75-year-old traditional market was really tempting. The many stalls of traders in very clean floor of market were decorated with puffs of smoke indicating that traditional cuisine would be easy to find inside. It was said that there were 9,000 stalls in this market.

I started walking on the edge of market, taking a quick look at spice trade among local residents. Ginseng which was famous in that country was really tempting when it was displayed in every stretch of merchant stalls. And I didn’t know, how in an instant, I finally managed to have a pack of ginseng from a stall….. Wow, Hmmhhh.

Not quite up there. Now my eyes were attracted by souvenir display at a side of market alley. I approached and automatically started bidding at some cute and quirky keychains. Oh my God, the trade ended with the purchase of a dozen key chains which I planned to give to my office mates after returning from Seoul.

Wow, market aura really was really strong. Now I suddenly offered some almond snacks which in my mind, I would snack tomorrow during my long flight in the plane to Jakarta.

It took me a long time to walk around market, making my stomach hungry. Coupled with the exposure of culinary smoke which wafted through market alleys. Never mind, I decided to enter a tavern that was owned by an old woman who still radiated the remnants of her beauty aura, dressed neatly clean and full of smiles.

She just smiled and kept looking at me sitting at dining table. “Dangsin-eun eodieseo oneunga?”, she kept asking me who didn’t understand how to answer. Until a young man with a small laugh spoke to me. “She said, where are you coming from?”.

“Oh, just say to her, I am from Indonesia….Jakarta….yes, Jakarta”, I answered with a light laugh. “Hooo. Indunesiaaaa…. yes yes yes”, the old woman nodded as she continued to smile. She approached me and handed me a menu.

It didn’t take long, I immediately pointed to a menu. Not that I understoodd what the menu looked like. I just saw in right column of the menu that it was the cheapest food I could find. “Hoooo, sundubu-jjigae …OK”, the old woman gave a thumbs up and went to prepare the menu.

After waiting a while. The food was served on the table. Wanted to know the shape of that food:

Huh…. Hahahaha, that was what you pay for only rice and tofu… The rest of the menu was free.

My trip at Namdaemun Market finally ended at that simple eatery. Now I have left the market from original gate and I was ready to leave that four-hectare market.

Next Story—->

Namsan Tower Without Love Padlock

20 June 20224 July 2022travelingpersecond

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After returning from Banpo Bridge in Seocho District, I immediately rushed to bed to prepare myself for tomorrow’s adventure. Tomorrow was my last chance to enjoy Seoul because the day after tomorrow I had to leave to my homeland.

Huhuhu….Sad

—-****—-

The morning sun shone through the window in the sloping wall of hotel’s room. The hour hand had passed eight number. After morning prayer, I slipped back under blanket, refusing cold morning air which was able to penetrate window pane.

Realizing that I overslept, I jumped out of the bunk bed, grabbed a toiletries bag and an orange microfiber towel, then wet my body with a warm shower of Kimchee Guesthouse Sinchon. The other occupants were still asleep, continuing their respective dreams, faint light snoring could be heard from the inn corridor. Lucky me, that was an opportunity to linger in the shared bathroom.

Actually, my habit of lingering in the bathroom when traveling always has an excuse. That consistent warm showers hit my calf muscles is the most effective fatigue-relieving therapy. No need to look for the services of a masseuse to make the body fresh again.

After showering and fully dressed in winter equipments, I went down to the first floor and chose to sit for a while in the shared-lobby. Joined by some diligent tourists, they were the first to get up and ate their breakfast which they had prepared in the inn’s refrigerator. Several beautiful tourists from “Land of Red Bears” and a group of travelers from “Matador Country” looked solemn with their own homemade breakfast.

I? ….Yup, I was just a little busy opening the map and trying to make a visitation pattern that day. As soon as they finished their breakfast and started to leave the shared-lobby, I also left the inn. I didn’t know where they were going, but I had determined myself to go to the “Tower of Love”, especially if not Namsan Tower, a television transmitter tower as high as 237 meters and 52 years old.

Before entering Hongik University Station, I carried out my morning ritual, which was breakfast with the same menu formula, cup noodles and packaged white rice, bored but had no choice.

Can you afford to eat like this for four days?….Hahaha.

Repeating the habit of fighting boredom, I shouted “Kamsahamnida” to the cashier before exiting 7-Eleven. Usually I always waited for the cashier to wave before exiting convenience store’s door. Getting the wave I meant, I finally got out of the convenience store and fast stepped towards Seoul Metro Line 2 platform.

A few seconds after Seoul Metro stopped at the platform, I jumped in. The quiet morning atmosphere made the Seoul Metro line of carriages looked deserted. The iron snake began to exploring the underground passages. Station after station I quickly passed until finally I got off at Euljiro sam (3)-ga Station to change to Seoul Metro Line 3. Now my last destination was Chungmuro Station.

It took almost thirty minutes to arrive at Chungmuro Station. At the final destination, I exited the gate, then rushed to find a bus stop which would be passed by bus number two to get to Namsan Tower.

Not even five minutes of waiting, the bus arrived. I took a seat in the middle and in an instant dissolved following the groans of bus engines as I climbed the road about two kilometers from Chungmuro Station.

Slowly but surely, the bus arrived at Namsan Tower courtyard. The bus stops at a long bus stop to share with other numbered buses.

The distance between Namsan Tower and bus stop, which was around 600 meters, must be taken with a swing of my steps. Finally I had to be willing to pant for the rest of path to Namsan Tower. In the middle of my step, I didn’t have time to feel the gasping because I often stopped and was fascinated by the scenery below which showed the beauty of Seoul from the height of Mount Namsan. I could imagine if the night comes….How beautiful.

In front of Namsan Tower or N Seoul Tower as its official name.

Climbing Namsan Tower is indeed synonymous with lovebirds’ love. At the top of tower, lovers will buy a padlock, then naming the padlock with their names, which are then marked with a red heart. Then the couple will lock the padlock on a long display case which displays various love locks from several periods of time.

Well….What should I write when I buy a padlock?

Namsan Tower in addition to presenting an aerial landscape of Seoul, also offers several well-known restaurants which might be cheap for those who are intoxicated with romance, for me it makes no difference, restaurants are still expensive items.

Visiting Namsan Tower does feel bland if you do it alone. That’s the reason why I didn’t linger on top. I decided to get off and chose to sip coffee made by G-25 minimarket across from bus stop.

Entering the mini market, brewing a cup of hot coffee, then sipping it slowly. But I continued to be filled with curiosity with every sip. I continued to observe the passing of buses with different numbers, not just the number 2 bus like the one I was riding earlier.

“Is it possible if I can find a bus which can directly go to Namdaemun Market from here without having to return to Chungmuro Station”, I critically thought with curiosity.

I decided to take a sip of black coffee while walking towards the long bus stop opposite the mini market. I was so solemn ‘combing one by one the route boards attached to the bus stop.

“Yes…I get it”, I cheerfully exclaimed when I found bus number 402 which could directly take me to Namdaemun Market from Namsan Tower.

So I just had to wait for the bus while I finish my coffee………

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Dinner at Banpo Bridge

17 June 20224 July 2022travelingpersecond

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The majestic Banpo Bridge straddles Han River.

Luckily I didn’t sink into a deep nap in Kimchee Guesthouse Sinchon. A little past five in the afternoon I woke up. Immediately unpacking contents of my backpack, I looked for a toiletries bag and microfiber towel for my first bathing needs since 35 hours ago.

I purposely splashed myself with warm water for a long time even though I knew there was an innkeeper who knocked on the door several times as a sign asking me to hurry up and finishing my bathing soon.

After washing my socks, I got out of bathroom and smiled at a female guest from China who had been waiting all that time. Of course my warm smile was reciprocated by frown lips from her. “I’m sorry. Ms, It’s been a long time since I’ve taken a bath, I’m so sorry …..” .

After changing clothes and wearing all winter equipments, I prepared to visit Seoul again until night.

I still remembered words from my office mates who asked me to visit a bridge which was often used as a setting in famous Korean dramas. Even though I heeded them when I left, for some reason, that afternoon I had a strong desire to visit it too. My friends said, when night fallen, Banpo Bridge often had rainbow fountains, a mix of fountains and light show in both sides of bridge. “Okay, there’s nothing wrong with me to going there even though I’m not a fan of Korean dramas”, I finally decided on a goal.

From Hongik University Station, I would now head to Seoul Express Bus Terminal Station, where I first set my steps in Seoul. The feeling of fullness from a piece of Kimbab which I ate at Hongik University Station that afternoon was gone. Now my stomach was starting to loudly sound as celebrating my hunger. But due to concerned about being stuck by night at Banpo Bridge for that night, I decided to put off my desire for dinner.

I immediately walked to Hongik University Station, picked up the arrival of Seoul Metro Line 2 and headed to destination I was aiming for. I really understood Seoul Metro line because I had been staring at the map since that morning, making me aware that I had to transit in Euljiro 3 (sam)-ga Station first and had to change rode in Seoul Metro Line 3.

It took approximately half an hour to reaching Seoul Express Bus Terminal Station. Exiting gate 8-1 in the station, I walked to Banpo Hangang Park, the best side to enjoy beautiful Banpo Bridge.

It took 20 minutes to get to the park in the banks of Han River. Entering the park, which was getting dark with minimal lighting, was actually a little daunting. Luckily there was a group of Korean families who entered the park and headed for the same place. By pretending to show composure I stalked them from behind….Hahaha, you coward, Donny.

That family group who were busy walking while preparing some cameras made me believe that they were going to Banpo Bridge view point. It was true, that local family and I finally arrived at river bank together.

The appearance of Banpo Bridge with sparkling lights did look beautiful as it straddled Han River. I was very enthusiastic about sitting on the bank of river waiting for the moment when rainbow fountain show started. Second by second, minute by minute, even though I had volunteered to be rolled up in the cold city temperature, the show never came.

As a result, with the end that local family visitation because of same disappointment, I was forced to resign from that place. “Yes, It will bad when I have to be alone in the bank of a river that is quiet and dark like this…”, I growled while holding back hunger which had been really messing with my concentration.

Walking away from the beauty of Banpo Bridge, I was really lucky to see the existence of a small 7-Eleven outlet in other side of park. The light from inside indicated that that outlet was still open. Then without thinking long, I hastened my steps closer to it. “This will be delicious, if I eat cup noodles with rice …”, my enthusiasm came while remembering the simple way of eating that I always practiced during my visitation to South Korea.

I shouted with joy that I got it. The excitement grew even more because 7-Eleven outlet provided a tent in outside to eat food which be purchased from that outlet. Uniquely, the tent was warmed by a fan whose its blades were made from heating filaments.

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