Korea DAY 3: (Pt. 1) Seoul Station Roaming + Gimpo Airport

​I slept past 1 AM after hair-washing and bookkeeping needs. One is likely to believe that I would fall into a deep, uninterrupted slumber given the previous 48 hours, but this was hardly the case.

Although the room was cooler this time around, quality of sleep remained poor. My browsing partner had turned off the fan at the foot of the bed. Towards the middle of the night, I turned it back on, but forgot to aim the base in my direction, nullifying its cooling effects.

Around 5:50 AM, I awoke, then continued sleeping fitfully till 6:34 AM. By this point, I could no longer resume rest and resolved to fight through the fatigue.

Gearing up in comfortable attire, I announced a solo last-minute run to Seoul Station, then rushed out with an eco bag in tow.​

​It was during this journey that I discovered the nearby tunnel entrance to Seoul Station - a fixture that had been overlooked previously.

One wrong turn took me to the filthier section of the terminal, one that felt barren - save the noticeable presence of homeless residents. Many of these residents were elderly, if not middle-aged. Some shouted at commuters while remaining stationary, yet not in an aggressive way like Toronto or Vancouver. The utterances were disruptive, but mainly song-like in nature.

Eventually, I found the double escalators that led me up to Connect Place and Lotte Mart, where I had explored the previous day.

​Then, by adhering to coloured signage, I found myself in the KTX terminal we had hurriedly bypassed on the day of departure. The terminal was met with a bustling scene even in the early hours of the day.

The terminal operated not only as a transit hub for municipal, regional, and airport connections, but boasted plenty of food vendors and retail options as well. Within the KTX terminal were bubble tea (Truedan), pretzel and buns, cakes and smoothies, and even a fish cake counter.

I was positively salivating peering at the selection from beyond the glass windows. Prices ranged from 3500 KRW to 4000 KRW per stick, which I, someone who hails from a land where flat fish cakes are a rarity, considered extremely affordable.

Instead of succumbing to such suppressed cravings though, I returned to the main terminal building and entered into Tous Les Jours. It occurred to me that, while I had entered into the New York outpost before, I had never actually sampled their buns or pastries.

Before obtaining a tray, I scrutinized the shelves for items of intrigue. The bakery offered a variety of scones, brioches, laminated pastries, Korean-style sandwiches (ie. no deli meats or lettuce), and café beverages. ​When the assortment was deemed satisfactory, I retreated to the entrance and queued for a tray. Observing the lady before, I learned that parchment sheets were to be placed on the trays before placing any buns on top. Had this information not been relayed through inspection, I'd have likely dismissed the existence of the brown parchment rolls altogether.

Tous Les Jours' selection comprised mainly of sweet breads, but I strived for a well-rounded haul nevertheless. My choices spanned a Salted Bread Roll ("Salt Bread") for 3200 KRW, Chestnut Pain Suisse for 3900 KRW, and Shrimp Omelette Toast for 4900 KRW.

​A Cold Brew was also requested at check-out, despite the pushy actions of the impatient lady immediately behind me.

All purchases were placed into a paper bag. I was then expected to slide down the counter in wait of a drink order with which I had no hands to hold. Struggling to hurriedly return my card to my bag and reinstate my camera, I resolved to bring both items to the counter area lining the perimeter of the bakery. During this time, a continued influx of customers made it difficult to navigate comfortably. Flow within the bakeshop appeared to be along the perimeter of the shop, but this was hard to enforce given that products were arranged both along the sides and at the centre of the store.

​I took to the seating area after exiting the bakery, then unveiled the Salt Bread from a logo-bearing plastic covering. This clear packaging seemed contradictory to the paper bag initiative, but, then again, so was the plastic cold beverage cup.
In sharp contrast to LUNA, the Salted Bread Roll was not crackly at all! The interior was minimally buttery, and the fleur de sel quite bland. The specimen confirmed itself to be a basic edition of the typically indulgent, enriched bread product.

The Cold Brew had set me back a whopping 4600 KRW - unthinkable for a plastic cup filled halfway with gargantuan ice cubes! Similar to the Salt Bun, the caffeinated beverage was bland and disappointing.

I took to disposing the half cup of ice cubes into the dedicated bin, then other trash into the adjacent bins. Interestingly, there was no clear labelling for garbage, organics, and recycling.

During my short-lived stay, a decent number of military uniform-donning soldiers were spotted. At first, I had presumed a seasonal holiday of sorts, later realizing that the men could have been discharged and in transit.

​The Kakao Friends outlet was a few steps away from the bustling Tous Les Jours. Its quarters were, in fact, more spacious than the bakery, thus enabled a pleasant browsing experience.

​Opting to venture to the second floor, I found an extended KTX waiting area and departure board. There was also a WOWPASS kiosk tucked close to the base of the escalator.

The second floor offered a direct path into Connect Place, where I stumbled upon a small art gallery. Complimentary exhibits seemed common in Korea, and I was one to really enjoy these unexpected finds.

Continuing north was a point of egress for the exterior overpass to the parking garage.

The bridge provided a glorious view of Seoul Station and the nearby major intersection.

Once satisfied with my solo venture, I retraced my route back towards the subway portion of Seoul Station. Two makeup removers were acquired from the stuffy, compact Olive Young in the underground. Although the decision may not have been the most cost-effective, for every ounce over the 15 kg baggage limit imposed by Jeju Air would see an overage charge, the supply from home was running low.

​Back at the hotel, the Shrimp Omelette Toast was presented to my browsing partner for consumption. Feedback was lukewarm, and even a bit appalled. The exterior of the bread had been sprinkled with granulated sugar to yield a faintly caramelized surface, making for an unexpected sweet first bite that overwhelmed the shrimp and egg components within.

​​Once my Chestnut Pain Suisse and other assorted snacks had been packed away, we readied ourselves by the pick-up/drop-off area.

For reasons beyond me, my browsing partner paced back and forth frantically while in wait of the taxi.
"I don't think he can stop here", "He can't turn in.", "Maybe we should go there (in the sun)", more senseless declarations were made.
As a seasoned Uber user, these statements irked me. Local drivers know the local road network best, meaning that there is no need for the customer to accommodate the driver, especially if it involved lugging weighty away from a dedicated pick-up area into an area of direct sunlight.

​As per my prediction, the driver had no issues locating us for pick-up. That said, it was undoubtedly a mission to fit all of our luggage into the vehicle without utilizing the passenger seat.

​A few exchanges in simple Korean later, we were off to Gimpo.

​The window was kept open for the entire duration of the car ride. I braved the gusty highway winds, for the alternative was a stuffy car interior and driving that threatened motion sickness.

We pulled into the International Departure area first. As the driver neared the airport entrance, I decided to confirm our coordinates, only to learn that Domestic Departures would take place from another building. The issue at hand: My browsing partner had incorrectly entered our drop-off coordinates to be the international terminal.
I subtly - or not so subtly, suppressed an eye roll. Attention had not been given where it was needed, instead allocated to fretting nonsensically over the driver's navigation abilities.

​Alas, the Kakao Taxi driver was kind enough to amend the mistake on our end and transport us to the Domestic Terminal without any form of hesitation.

Once inside the airport, we located the Jeju Air counter and the nearby Self Check-In kiosks. By entering the booking reference number into the system, one could complete seat selection for all passengers on the booking, assuming seats had not been selected and paid for in advance. Boarding passes with QR codes were then obtained from the machine.

Meanwhile, baggage stickers (not tags) would be provided at the luggage counter. As per Jeju Air regulations, each passenger was allowed up to 15 kg in checked baggage, regardless of the number of bags. In spite of the attendant's earnest attempts to converse in English, the 15 kg personal allowance had not been allocated correctly due to miscommunication.
Our bags weighed in at 18 kg, 15 kg, and 18 kg, with the former two being mine. Naturally, I would be responsible for paying an overweight fee of 18 kg at 3000 KRW per 1 kg overage, for a total of 54,000 KRW. Instead of this approach, she had allocated the combined 30 kg allowance for my luggage, resulting in a mere 3 kg overage fee, for a total of 9000 KRW. My browsing partner would be tasked with paying the remainder.

Through this transaction, I learned that:

• Airline counters do not accept mobile payment and operate on a card-only basis, with foreign cards accepted
• Card payments under 50,000 KRW did not require a signature
• My browsing partner was quite bitter about the payment, despite not uttering a single word at the time of the occurrence (hardly positive)

​After the bags had been dropped off, we were instructed to remain in the area for five minutes. Should our names appear on the nearby LED screen, we would be required to be present for luggage inspection. When our names did not appear, it was deemed safe to proceed to the gate.

​I presented the text that my Korean-Canadian friend had sent to me, requesting anti-motion sickness medication in preparation for the upcoming flight. The elderly man retrieved glasses for the reading task, then presented three items for my intake. Negotiating the necessity of all three medications resulted in anger: "You can take one, but the effect will not be good." he argued.
When I agreed to pay the 12,000 KRW bill, he instructed to the cashier, "Do not give her a bag. She'll consume it right now, before the flight."
I grimaced at this command, responding that I would, in fact, need a bag for consumption at a later time.
Grudgingly, the elderly man agreed and I was freed of his pushy clutches.

​Prior to consumption, I sent evidence to my friend, who reacted in shock at the supposedly steep airport pharmacy prices. Frankly, I would have not have known any better, given that any medication back home would have cost me upwards of forty dollars back home anyway.

And so I downed the liquid Hanyak. One was minty, but two were absolutely atrocious with a funky herbal aftertaste. "Herbchoke" made me snort a little.

My browsing partner had been hovering impatiently nearby the entire time. Despite my requests to be left alone, not rushed, and consume my medication in peace, I was met with extreme resistance. Baffling it was that a grown adult wished for company every step of the way, even from an ill companion.

​But with a swig of water, I regained my composure and stood up. We began to explore the airport, though help with my carry-on was not offered in spite of my overall state of health.

​Gimpo International Airport featured several noteworthy elements. For starters, the ceiling was adorned with an intricate triangular tile design with colour-changing LED lights. The upper floor was housed a food court with a variety of vendors, a water refill station, and even a Krispy Kreme vending machine (like Seoul Station). ​Strolling past the vendor counters, I was surprised to see decent and varied food options that did not break the bank.

​It was also worth nothing that bathrooms were clean and modern and signage abundant and clear. The lights within the bathroom stall would illuminate once the door is closed, then darken as the door opened for the user to exit. Furthermore, there was an LED screen depicting departures inside the facility.

The second floor would also provide access to an Observatory, a never-before-seen airport element (for yours truly, anyway).

Complimentary was access to this area, with both stairs with tactile and a ramp for accessibility. Prior to entering through the automatic double glass doors were more washroom facilities and even a nearby café.

​The observation deck boasted two photo zones: one in the shade without much of a view and a second under direct sunlight with airplanes in the background. Visitors of all ages found joy in relaxing in this area. The elderly rested on nearby benches while children frolicked and stared out at the various aircraft behind the netted fence. Positioned in the corner of the deck was a young man with a telephoto lens, heavily invested in his subjects.

Decidedly interesting was this attraction. Apparently, it wasn't uncommon at other airports either. Situating the observation deck before security also allowed both flyers and their companions to view tarmac happenings before departing. There was, in essence, something for everyone at the airport.

​Going through security screening was a painless experience. The queue was minimal and processing time was swift. Best of all, I needed not remove a single electronic device from my bags.

On the other side of security were the same triangular ceilings - this time paired against an unbelievably lengthy LED screen with a digital sequence of scenery.

Gradually growing hungry, I deemed it appropriate to secure a bite before boarding. As one can imagine, my browsing partner was neither hungry not excited about procuring substance. After hurriedly browsing vendors from bunsik to Cinnabon, I settled on the quickest and most economic option: CU.
A Kalbi Kimbap set me back 3400 KRW - a ridiculously low price for airport fare, should you ask me. The specimen was cheaper than the nearby dine-in restaurant's 5000 KRW offering and noticeably well-seasoned. Being somewhat literate in Hangul also assisted me as the self-checkout kiosk was mostly in Korean.

My next course of action was to refill my water bottle. The city had been diligent in installing water fountains (with hot and cold water streams!) and identifying their locations using signage wherever possible. At Gimpo Airport, we found not only a dispenser but paper cups as well. While these drinking devices were admittedly thin, flimsy, and potentially sharp-edged enough to cut lips, it allowed those without tumblers to stay hydrated during their travels. In addition, the measure would prevent visitors from drawing their face close to the water dispenser - not that the scene was likely in East Asia.

​Washrooms located near the gate were, again, remarkably clean. Besides faux shrubbery within, the stalls featured LED strips that would illuminate when the door was closed. One could envision the setup to mimic vehicle counters in a parking garage - an otherwise unfathomable installation in the filthy likes of Pearson.

The airport Wi-Fi was also surprisingly stable. Moreover, my eSim had connected to the network automatically, enabling a seamless transition for continued usage.

As if these elements weren't convincing enough that Canadian airports would never truly compare, we also noticed dedicated members of staff sorting partially consumed beverage cups for disposal and recycling. For starters, it was amazing to witness the unparalleled discipline of the general public in sorting their garbage in the dedicated areas. Even more so was the very implementation of dedication staff to further the waste collection process.

​Boarding for our flight appeared to be delayed. As we hovered nearby, my gaze fell upon the adjacent O-Sulloc outpost. Naturally, I resisted any investment in the brand, for our itinerary included the Jeju flagship store and associated Tea Museum.

Read Part 2 HERE !