Travel Day to Seoul, August 3rd

Still struggling to upload photos. I also have had trouble getting into my blog because it sometimes comes up in Japanese, and now Korean. Not easy to navigate when you don't know either language!

Andy and I got up bright and early; let's just say we were in the breakfast area at 5am in order to get our bus to the airport on 5:50. Not a lot of sleep was gotten that night! Our bus ride was easy, one we would recommend for future visits to the city as the bus picks up and drops off at the hotel and desired airline.

Once at the airport I was struck for the millionth time by the incredible cleanliness of Japan and took a picture of the airport ladies' room t prove it. This kind of clean was visible wherever we went; every street sidewalk and public space is this clean -- something we don't see in the USA.


We arrived in Seoul mid-morning of Monday, the 3rd, and checked into the Grand Intercontinental Hotel. Because we are first-time visitors (and probably because we're holding an event here) they've given us an upgrade to a "junior suite," a nice touch and welcome space! Our room is lovely. We are struck again by the cleanliness of the city and by its modern feel. Our hotel is in the midst of a complex of hotels, casino, huge entertainment space and trade center. Underneath all of this is a giant underground mall that harbors just about every middle and high school age kid in Seoul every afternoon. The noise level is deafening! Here it is on a relatively quiet morning, however:


We met with consultant Kyeong Kim of Manhatten Education, a placement firm. She and Andy were so glad to finally meet one another; I witnessed another "rock star" performance...We had a delightful visit with Kyeong in her new office in the Coex Intercontinental Hotel, and noticed from her window a view of an old temple. Great juxtaposition between the old world and the modern world. Then we enjoyed a quiet dinner in the lobby lounge by ourselves and called it a day. We were tired!

We regretted leaving Tokyo, having enjoyed every aspect of our visit. However, we are very happy to be in Seoul and are anxious to experience this new and intriguing place.