Last Day in Korea

The beginning of our last day in Korea was quite odorous. We decided to check out the biggest fish and seafood market in Seoul. The directions from the metro stop in the guidebook weren’t correct, so after getting some help from a street vendor, we were on our way. As we approached, the signs were all in Korean, but our noses led us there. And quite the fish market it was. There were huge octopi, all kinds of snails, a plethora of squid, giant crabs, and endless stalls of myriad fish. We then took the metro back to the world’s best airport; just having a metro there is a great sign for me. We enjoyed the Samsung lounge at the airport, which had laptops and PCs connected to the Internet and phone chargers (for Samsung phones), all free of charge. The sales ladies standing by the water cooler did not even once try to sell us anything. So we caught up on some emails and news. As we were making our way to the gate, I noticed a sign that said “Korean Traditional Culture-Free Event”. I of course wanted to check it out. We had plenty of time (Danthemanstan-not me-is very punctual), so we both made a traditional Korean desk out of balsa wood. They also had Korean fans, but they took longer (and weren’t as cool). I had a nice chat with the cute worker-who was wearing a traditional Korean dress. I will say that my craft skills are better than Danthemanstan’s, but he didn’t forget his craft on the plane like I did, so he wins in the end.

Our flight was uneventful and I had a nice chat with a Chinese girl who was coming back from a year studying Korean in a city near Seoul. But, after we landed, things got fun. We had had to fill out health questionnaires just like we had arriving in Korea. But, China takes the swine flu a little more seriously than other countries (as they should, as China has every ingredient for a fast spreading epidemic). On came a team of medical officials, in full body white suits, with facemasks and hairnets. They even had a metal briefcase with the thermometers on the inside. So, we all had our temperatures taken with a thermometer gun on the forehead. Then, those who didn’t pass the test had their temperatures taken with a normal thermometer. They were then escorted off the plane. What made this so fun was that Danthemanstan and I were joking the whole time about how funny it would be to be quarantined. Alas, neither of us had a fever, and we returned to Changzhou safe and sound.