Firsts time

Over dinner last Thursday, Mark reminded me of that small bit at the side of my blog that said: "Must visit a new place every year." It turned out that I didn't visit a new place last 2008. It's the last quarter of 2010, and even though I've traveled out of the country every month this year, they're usually to places I've been to already - HKG, SG, China, and Guam.

So, it's time to put that "mantra" to action again.

Time to go Seoul searching.

Yup, it's my first time in Seoul. Like the other "first" trips I've made, there was a feeling of excitement the moment I boarded the plane and went on the flight that totaled 8 hours. (Because I had to transit in HKG.)

And now, I'm here! I'll reserve my first impressions for later. Let me write about the other "firsts" first:

FIRST ACTIVITY: RIDING A TRAIN.



I've always loved trains since the "Bicol Express" took us from Paco to Bicol as kids. Whenever I visit a new country, I make sure to take the local train to get a glimpse of the local culture. So the first thing I researched on before my trip was the Seoul Metro. It wasn't as complicated as the JR system, although it isn't as simple as HKG's MTR, too. But thankfully, I was able to find my train and my stops.

FIRST PURCHASE: TRAIN TICKETS!



After computing the cost, I was surprised that the train ride from Incheon to downtown Dongdaemoon was cheap. It was around P200, and considering the distance we traveled, it's value for money. It's definitely much cheaper than the Airport Express or the Narita Express. The only thing is, Incheon is quite far from downtown Seoul. The train ride took 2 hours.

FIRST MEAL: LOCAL FOOD.



Ok, so it's fast food. But hey, it's local fast food! Lotteria is to Korea what Jollibee is to the Philippines. There's almost one in every corner. In fact, there were around 5 Lotteria branches around my hotel - and no McDonald's or KFC! (Actually, I've only seen 1 KFC and 1 Burger King branch in Myeondong.)



FIRST LOOT: BREADS!



The first thing I do whenever I go to a new country is check out their groceries. Since it was late, I went to a convenience store called GS25, and bought breakfast for tomorrow. This consisted of a strawberry tart and cheese bread.

Whew! That's a lot of firsts. And it's just my first day.