Seconds after landing in Incheon we realized that this is not the same Asia we had been traveling now since Christmas for almost seven months. I look at Nastya in utter disbelief when a guy queuing with us for immigration accidentally skipped part of the queue, realized and went to queue behind. This is not India the motherland of “horizontal” queuing (everyone at once). Spotlessly clean, extremely well dressed people, little car traffic due to outstanding public transport and a huge metro line network that hides most traffic from overground. It’s clean, green and as we should find out soon enough: Expensive 🙂
First thing we get a T-Money card as many things here get paid via RFID card (no endless queues in front of ticket machines like in Malaysia). Time for a new currency too after Vietnamese Dong its Korean Won which I keep calling Wong. 1000 Won equal roughly 1$ and gone are the days where we indulge in an hour-long massage for the price of a Cappuccino in Prague. Civilization does come with a price tag it seems.
With the Russian Consulate working on my visa we could stick to sightseeing and exploring the city and it’s surroundings. Our friend Bert from Prague stayed here for over a year now and showed us around every day. Exploring foods and sights, making new friends, life is great!
While we’re here most tourists aren’t as Korea had been exposed to a bit of a MERS outbreak and the global media scare worked well in keeping visitors away. The government set up a contingency plan, I was even hoping to catch MERS to get the free hospital check-up and compensation, to no avail. Entrance fees to major sites had been dropped due to the “crisis” and we get the feeling Korea isn’t the worst place to get struck by a serious disease. Nothing as comforting as proper management 🙂
We’re off to the airport now so I’ll make it quick, down below way too many photos, but i tried to add some commentary. Enjoy and see you soon in Vladivostok, Russia!
prg2sg 
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