Day 1 (Plane and arrival)

As I wait in line to check my bags, (in this case bag singular thanks to the tips I learned through personal trial and error (see following post)...I can’t help but wonder who I will be sitting next to.  Everytime I get on a plane, which is actually quite often, I hope that it’s that super attractive guy with the nice arms, that helps me put my carry-on in the overhead compartment and offers me a massage mid-flight…I can dream right?  This never necessarily happens so I’ve learned to prepare for the worst.  This means packing a neck pillow, (the bobble head look is not very attractive apparently) earplugs/earphones, my credit card, and a hoodie.  [the pic's a little creepy, but this is what they do in Korea when your face is not presentable...after 14 hrs on a plane, ya catch my drift?]

Brilliant idea for an airport...

The neck pillow is so that you don’t end up leaning on the shoulder of your neighbor who is probably taking up your armrest anyway; the earplugs are for that inevitable screaming baby, the headphones for any movies or music (they charge like $4 if you don’t have them and sometimes they even charge for movies), the credit card for those movies if they charge or for any snacks because being hungry and trapped on a plane is not a pleasant feeling, and the hoodie because it gets cold on airplanes.  Apparently they can’t turn the heater on unless it’s -30C and it seems that it’s always colder way up in the sky, even if it’s 100F on the ground.




So the plane ride wasn't that bad...the flight attendants loved serving orange juice every 10 minutes and I definitely appreciated the amazing service!  Korean Air is the way to go when flying for over 13 hours.  6 movies and a bibimbap later, I made a friend on the plane who helped me find my way through the airport.  And walked out to greet my aunt and little cousin before I inhaled my first meal in Korea.

Me-mul gook-soo (ice-cold buckwheat noodles dipped in soba soup)

Along with a greeting from my relatives, I received a warm greeting from Korea...there was a performance

Traditional Drumming Performance



And a more [modern] performance...people in business suits playing electric guitar...new fad?



Before I end this post, there is one last thing that I would like to share with you.  Korea has become a very health conscious country.  Check out their means of keeping toilets sanitary...and yes, I took a picture of the toilet, as well as edited it so you could understand what was going on (that's plastic covering the seat):

And that concludes day one in Korea, folks.

Let the adventures BEGIN!