Seoul

Well, there was no bride waiting for me at Incheon airport, just some bloke with a taxi. He was a very nice chap however, and he whisked me off to a hotel which became home for the next two weeks.

During those two weeks the pressure was on – I had to find a flat in that time. 

That sounds simple enough but the catch is that my company had to pay about 

£10,000 ‘key money’ (deposit) up front for the year so there is no moving once 

you’re in. I received an email from one ‘Wonho Kwak’ and almost deleted it as 

spam. Luckily, I looked closely before doing so. I’m glad I did - he was the estate 

agent assigned to help me to find somewhere to live.

I found my flat on the first day of looking … a bright and airy new flat in a quiet 

area. I’ve never known a place to be so quiet at night. It also has an amazing view 

of the local hill from the roof  (assuming you don’t mind looking at the neighbour’s washing). It came completely empty. Most flats are let unfurnished here so I had to go looking for a bed and well, absolutely everything. Spending a day in IKEA is a joy I can barely describe.

It’s in a very hilly area called Itaewon. The hills here would make a Cornish

village proud. To avoid the worst of it, most roads have been built snaking 

around the side of the hills but some just go straight up, making the map of the 

area look like a plate of spaghetti. Just getting to and from home every day is 

getting me very fit.

... which is very handy as I’m back to climbing and walking up hills. This is the 

view from the centre of Seoul looking north. 

I decided to head for the one in the background and have been there three times 

so far. The views over the city are amazing.

    

                                                                                                                                        From this mountain you can look across at a 200m rock face that is very popular with climbers. If you look closely at the ‘bird’s beak’ feature you’ll see a climber having a particularly exciting time.   

 

I also headed to another mountain 

It has a huge rock perched on the top which is just begging to be climbed.

          

I can get to all of this in about an hour from my flat. I’m getting to like Seoul.

*****

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Chuseok. This is the Korean

Thanksgiving and I’m particularly thankful for a 4-day weekend. During this 

time, families get together and give each other gifts.

And what is the gift of choice at this time?

Spam.

Spam?

Yes, spam.

You can buy gift sets everywhere and a small fortune is spent on them every 

year.

It’s not the only gift of course. There are other gift sets with tuna, salmon and 

various sweets, but spam seems to be popular. Apparently, it was introduced 

here by the Americans during the Korean war and caught on.

*****

I have been issued with an Alien Registration Card. I know many of you have 

thought that I am for years, but now it’s official.

*****

All things considered, my move to Seoul has gone smoothly and I’m enjoying life 

here. I’ll be back with another blog soon.