Next Stop, Home

Friday May 8, Day 10

I am out of bed before my alarm goes off, and already packed for home. I store my luggage with the hotel staff and wait for my friend in the lobby.

Side Note: We went to school together fifteen years ago, but have not seen each other in almost ten. She has been back in Seoul for awhile now and is from here originally.

I hop in a cab with her and we go to a restaurant close to where the cable cars load passengers.

My friend orders for both of us, and I am delighted to hear that we are having bibimbap, a meal I hadn’t yet sampled while in Korea. We caught up on life and joked about our days back in film school. She talked about her involvement with an animal welfare group that has its hands full fighting for rights of dogs bred for meat, the Nureongi breed. I am floored that this is happening in 2015. In the last 12 hours Seoul has opened my eyes up to a bigger picture of the world than I’ve had before and I’m not sure how I feel about it yet.

We walk down a path after finishing lunch leading to Hanok Village. This was totally unplanned, and I had not mentioned a thing to my friend, but this was the only place in Seoul that I felt disappointed I had missed. It is funny how the universe works those things out.

I get to enjoy it with a local who had also never been, a really nice moment to have. It is sad to say good bye, but I need to be back at the hotel by 2. We hug each other and promise to stay in better touch.

I make it back to the hotel at the same time as our group and we all leave for the station together. The airport check in goes smooth and I’m comfortably seated in my aisle seat heading to Vancouver.

Confused by the time change when we land, I am unable to answer my mom’s text when she asks when I will be home. The plane has already taken off from Vancouver when I finally get the math right. I’ll be home before 9 pm but it’ll I can’t reply until I land so I turn my phone off and pass out for the flight.

Coming home to Toronto always feels good; I miss my dog, my mom, and my life. There’s that feeling of accomplishment when I return, that’s another 2 checkmarks on my list of life.

Seoul Station

Thursday May 7 Day 9

Another early morning, breakfast is at 6:30 am. We then catch a shuttle to the station for our 8:30 am train. We are in the home stretch now and headed to our last destination, Seoul, South Korea.

We arrive around 11 am and walk through the station toward the nearest exit to our hotel. I notice that there are what look to be emergency kit centres throughout the station that contain things like face masks, flashlights, and other gear of that nature. Coupled with the email I received from the consulate, I deduce that this place might not be as safe as most that I’ve been. I spend much of the day wondering what would happen to a city like Toronto that is not this prepared. Also how big does a threat have to be for a city to implement publicly accessible emergency gear? Translate to: Am I in danger right now?

Bestie says what I am thinking, it sure smells like pee, as we walk up the stairs exiting closest to our hotel. The nicest hotel yet, it feels good to enjoy on the last night of the trip. Our room is equipped with emergency gear as well, there are instructions with pictures on the box. We’re only three floors up so I’ll just jump if any thing crazy goes down.

Today is another shopping day, so after dropping our bags off we head out to see what this town has to offer. At minimum I need a suitcase and the first hood we stop in has exactly what I’m looking for. A Paris themed hard top catches my eye, so Bestie haggles the price down low and we have a deal. With my only must-have off the list we are free to roam at leisure, well sort of.

I still have some gifts to get so we explore a few other neighborhoods before going to Gangnum to eat. Disappointed with the selection so far, we make our last stop at Seoul Station. This turns out to be a good idea and I finish off getting gifts for everyone left on my list, and also pick up a gadget for myself. It is called an energy bank and is smaller than my phone, holding enough juice to keep my devices fully charged for almost a workweek. Where has this been all my life.

Bestie’s flight is at 1 am, so we kill time until she has to leave for the airport. I walk with her through the train station as far as I can, and we say our good byes at the elevator. I am not sure at what time, but at some point Seoul Station turns certain hallways into homeless shelters and I pass one on my way back alone.

Seoul Station turns into a shelter

I smile to myself, that explains the piss smell, but I move a little faster up the stairs and out the exit. Walking down the street to the hotel I think how good of an idea it is to give those in need a place to stay for the night. I also wonder if it came to a vote what I would choose for my own city? Not knowing the answer makes me uncomfortable, it’s hard to imagine how you would feel about a situation until you see it with your own two eyes.

I get back to the room unharmed. Tomorrow is our last day of the trip and I am meeting up with an old friend at 10:30 am. Relieved that I get to sleep in just a little, the alarm is set for 8 am and I’m asleep before midnight.