Time Travelling is tough on the system

I seem to have caught a cold so I'm feeling pretty groggy but, I am safe & sound in Seoul. The traveling went pretty smoothly, only a few exceptions. Like the United desk at Portland where about 300 angry people waited in line for one agent. Genius!

Anyway, once in San Fran I had the option of waiting for 30 minutes for the shuttle or to walk, but going back through security. I made the wrong choice and walked but I had plenty of time. Once in the proper terminal I went into The Red Carpet Club, which is giant museum like lounge with free snacks and drinks, where I ordered my 2 complimentary cocktails at once & surfed the internet for a few hours. Definitely more fun that sitting gate-side.

On board the plane I was very pleased with our seats. We had the ones that recline almost into a full sleeping position- it really is amazing compared to coach. Not only are the seats comfortable but they just shove food & beverages at you constantly and they don't get grumpy if you ask for another soda. We even had a menu to choose our main course from - I think the last time I flew the stew just dropped a plate on my tray without saying a word.

Look at all this leg room!


Our flight arrived early in Seoul and I was delighted at how well organized & maintained the airport was. I've never been through a smoother customs/luggage/immigration process. I think I was in the car with Jeeves in less than 20 minutes from landing. Hurray for efficiency!

Jeeves (the driver) is a man of very few words. In fact, hello was the only one he spoke for the first 30 minutes of our drive, and then suddenly he flipped open his cell phone and started barking at someone. I've quickly realized that I'm never going to understand Korea. I can't even pick out syllables must less recognizable sounds. And every conversation sounds angry, even when laughing!

Made it to the Dormy In and managed to check-in. The "helpful english-speaking" staff is not so much the later, so it was a comedy of errors as the clerk tried to explain what I needed to sign...I think i signed a lease for the first 30 days, but not the last 30. I have no idea why and I'm hopeful that I will not be evicted. I may have to look into this further - at the time I just wanted to get to my room.

Called Shakes, also entertaining, as I didn't have his room number and had to call the front desk for a transfer. It took a few minutes to give the name. "No, B as in Boy, Bombay, Boolim...no, no, not P - B," you get the idea. Anyway, eventually I said Nike? and she looked him up that way. Oy Vey. After he showed me how to work the heater (it was 90 degrees in the room) we headed out for a little walk and some grub.

So, less than 24 hours here I've tried Kimchee and Hotpot. I had a nice mushroom & seafood hot pot which is like a thick soup served boiling hot at your table. It was a little bland (I was hoping for spicy to help with the cold) but had some good flavor. I also have a general idea where all the local fast food and bars are...I'm sure it'll all make sense soon, but for now it's pretty disorienting. Most streets in Korea don't have signs or names so you find things by their building number. As in, the order in which the building was built in that district. So, building 80 Jamlil would be the 80th building built in Jamlil-Dong (Dong = neighboorhood, try not to giggle too hard). Or something like that...the point is, I've got to learn to navigate by landmark.

I think I'm starting to ramble so I'm going to go now. Here are a few pictures, I'll post more soon. XO.

The Room:



The view:



I'm taking votes on what this is, Shakes says cereal dispenser...

Here are the instructions, leave a comment with your vote!