Despite our delayed departure, we landed at Incheon on time at 1855. It’s my second visit to South Korea, having visited 11 years ago and loving it.
It was a long walk from the aircraft to the health checkpoint and then immigration. I got the feeling that the Air New Zealand staff had been overzealous making everyone print out their documentation as the Korean authorities seemed pretty relaxed with mobile barcodes and ETA.
At the carousel, I found that my luggage had been damaged. The wheel had been nearly ripped off. I was too tired to report it as the luggage had other pre-existing damage already.
After fumbling with their unfamiliar ATM, I got some money and bought a transport card before heading out for my Covid-19 PCR test. I had booked for 2030 but was 45 mins early but that didn’t matter. The test was conducted through a glass window with a pair of gloves mounted in them. It was a bit of a farce as it was so shallow and only up one nostril.
I was on the all-stop train to the city an hour after arrival. I was lucky to reach it just before it departed, so there was no point investigating the express train which departed less frequently.
Upon reaching Seoul Station, I found exit 12 which was supposed to take me to my hotel, the Stay Inn Seoul Station. Coming out of underground, I was a little disoriented and without phone navigation. I wandered a little before finding the hotel was very near the subway exit but not in sight due to an uphill path through a small park with some alcoholics.
Having had a long day, it was shower and bed straight away for me around 2140.