In theory, arriving at 5:45 am in Seoul, South Korea for a 12 hour layover until my flight to Phnom Penh at 6:30 pm, would have been an excellent opportunity to see the city — a place I had never been.
In reality, below zero is extremely cold weather for walking around a city in your Cambodia wardrobe. Especially after a 12.5 hour flight.
I arrived downtown just as the sky began lightening, and by 10:30 am I was frozen and hungry, and in no condition to resist the warm embrace of one of the many Starbucks I was passing. Once I had devoured an egg bagel, the cold was somehow even more unbearable. I barely made it through another hour of wandering before I headed for Seoul Station and the train back to the Incheon Airport. I did enjoy my walk though, and hope to be back soon to do some real sight seeing and eating.
Final note: public transportation options in Seoul are absolutely fantastic. Starting from the comfortable and well-designed airport, to the multiple fast and affordable means for getting into the city, through to the insanely comprehensive subway and bus system, it might be the most impressive urban infrastructure I’ve seen yet.
