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Due to previous
experience I had decided to be as nearer as possible to the air port a day
prior to flight homewards. While catching the flight from Tribhuvan Airport
Kanthmandu we might have missed it only by few minutes. We had started from
Pokhara 154 km away from Kathmandu at 4 AM to catch flight to Mumbai at 2 PM.
But due to traffic jams, tortuous roads in Ghats, at places just absence of
motor-able roads the distance which normally should have been covered at the
most in 5 hours took 10 hours and we just threw our bags at bag drop counter of
Nepal Airways at 1.50 PM. and entered the plane. And within 10 minutes flight took off!
Though Incheon
airport is taken as major airport of Seoul, in fact it’s not in Seoul! Incheon
is a separate city like Hyderabad-Secunderabad. Seoul’s own proper airport is
at Gimpo. My flight from Jeju landed at Gimpo. To travel from Gimpo to Bupyeong
where I had reservation in Toyoko.inn turned out to be most arduous task. Gimpo
airport has many levels of subways, unless you are on the correct level you end
up paying many times because you enter through the same gate again and again!.
Unlike other stations Up and Down lines of same route are/were not on the same
level, i.e. on the opposite platforms but on top of each other. Meaning if ‘Down’
line is on the 4th level, ‘Up’ line is on the 3rd level! After
wasting money 3 times and in the end taking help of follow commuters I could
land up on the transfer platform correctly. But the collapsible doors to the exit
refused to open, a female voice citing some error. By this time I was
exasperated. Two three people tried to help me but the doors had zipped their
mouth as if holding a deadliest secret. In the mean while I felt probably
balance might be low, some tit-bit from the previous experiences, so I refilled
the card again. Same ‘Beep Beep’ from the machine. Now I was angry with myself and I took it on
my bag of 16.5 kg. By now it was becoming too much for me. A helper who was watching
my efforts to get through approached me and tried to explain, with ‘Mask’ on
and in his truncated so called English. Even through that gibberish I gathered
that T money card as it is not valid on Airport Express it was not working. I
requested him to help me as I had already wasted Kwon 10000 though the balance
was good. He used his master card, opened the doors for me and explained where
to get down. I was so relieved, but must be that I did not listen to him
properly.
I was supposed to get down at Bupyeoung station but there were three stations by the same name on the same line. Bupyeoung PO, Bupyeoung GU and Bupyeoung market! I decided to get down at Bupyeoung GU calculating, even if it would be a mistake it would be only of one station on either side. And it was a mistake. After getting out from the station, fortunately through correct exit, I hailed for a taxi. Another experience which I never had before in entire Korea. Three taxi-men in a row plainly refused the fare! Without losing cool I conferred, either the hotel must be too far away, way off his normal route or too near not worth the effort as the fare would be minimum. I had decided not to drag that bag further so waited for the forth taxi-man. And it was as I had predicted before .Hotel was just a one block away, walking distance of 10 minutes. [No , not for me!] Without murmuring a word of dissent he accepted the minimum fare and coolly drove off.
I had reached the
hotel at around 11.45 AM, hoping, the checking in time to be around 12.00 PM.
It turned out to be, 4 PM. She was ready to give me a room immediately for Kwon
22000 more! Though I was extremely tired due to want of sleep on the previous
night, flight of 2 hrs and fiascoes, multiple, at subways I refused to fall prey
to her bait and decided to laze on the couches in the lounge. Putting bag of
16.5 kg in safe custody I ventured out to have lunch after some time. And
there was this huge market under the Lotte mall spread over three basements and
acres of land,
Bupyeoung Underground Shopping Center. It had lanes and lanes of shops, mostly clothes, but along with shops of fashion accessories, mobile accessories and as I had written before a complete section for ‘Nail Art!’
I saw a middle aged man getting it done. Modesty in me did not allow shooting him!! Had some Korean grub to the fullest don’t even remember now what it was, I was so used to it! Returned to the hotel and of all the lot that I had stayed before it turned out to be the best. Very cozy room for one person, humidifier, small fridge, a tub and ‘Japanese Toilet!’ Above all breakfast was included. Almost 5 star [I did not venture in the swimming pool] with tariff at the most around Rs 2700/- View of Incheon/Seoul from 19th floor was glitteringly
starry!
Shopped for some
clothes, ONLY two-three bottles of Soju for fear of their weight, because by
now I had started abhorring that bag and next day morning about 10.30 AM I
started my journey back to home.
And on the subway my
respect for Korea’s hospitality and culture increased ten times. I had already
studied the topography of Bupyeoung market station. It turned out that though I
had taken the correct line that particular train was running to another
destination. Like Karjat and Kasara trains using the same line.
One girl in her mid twenties probably understood my predicament as I was
repeatedly scrutinizing the subway map, came to me and said in broken English,
‘This train won’t take you to airport , get down on next station I’ll guide
you!’
Actually she was
going in some different direction but she got down for me at penultimate
station and handed me over to other lass still younger who was to head in my direction, telling her my agenda. After
making sure that the new lass will take me properly, she left after saying, ‘Bye’
waving her both hands in Korean fashion! The new girl opened her phone, and
conveyed, ‘Don’t Worry, I’ll accompany you till you board the correct escalator of
Airport Express’
And she did it! After changing two lines and going up and down on few escalators!
She waited at the
base of the escalator till I reached the top, on the platform. We waved back at
each other and I caught the train to Incheon Airport!
My first ‘Solo’ trip
for me was a grand success. Barring few hiccups which I told myself, were
expected but I learnt about myself much more when I stayed with myself, 24 into
7.
Though you love your near and dear ones from the bottom of your heart you must take out time for yourself! To know yourself better,to love yourself, to pamper yourself! It's time for yourself when nobody asks you embarrassing questions, nobody doubts your actions, nobody nags you if you go wrong, nobody asks you to make choices.It's you and you only who is responsible for your deeds and mistakes! Mind you it teaches you a lot! It tests your endurance, stamina, strength and above all perseverance in oddest of the situations. That many may find outrageous, plainly selfish but for your growth as a person it should be treated as must! You may feel vulnerable at times, in fact many more times but that’s where mettle of yourself is going to be tested. I came to know what my body can endure even at the age of 70, what my mind can take and what not, how far can I be liberal with my food habits, rather How much ‘OPEN” I would be for the newer ideas. Am I too much dependent on others or too much independent!
If you ask me whether
I would venture out again with my advancing age, I would say gladly, on the
contrary I felt why I didn’t do it before.
I bid you adieu with this last episode of 'My Korean Adventure' and thank every body from the bottom of my heart for going through what I had blabbered and not only that, appreciated it.
I am indebted to you, you all !
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