Korea, conclusion
Not much to say about today; we got up at a leisurely hour, breakfasted on lame donuts we bought last night, and walked a block to the light rail station. The airport was only a few stops away, and, it being just a small airport, simple to negotiate. The flight was short enough and thankfully not eventful.
I was glad to see the “Welcome Home” sign flash at the automated immigration checkpoint; Korea was fascinating, but stressful. Perhaps it was my imagination in most cases, but I often felt a a certain amount of tension in the air. Perhaps this is simply due to cultural ignorance and my lack of any knowledge of Korean. I’d like to go back someday, perhaps not any time soon, but if I do, I think I’d prefer to wander the streets of Pusan over those of Seoul, and not just because we were accosted in Seoul. I can’t offer any particular insights after simply traveling through (unlike many travel writers I’ve read); the Koreans seem a tough, resourceful people, somewhere apart, culturally speaking, from both Japan and China. There is deep animosity between them and the former; I wonder if it is at least partially because, while Japanese are careful to mask their passions in tradition, the Koreans pretty much just let it hang all out. I could guess forever and never know.
in any case, I’m glad to be back home. Work starts again tomorrow. As grueling as travel can sometimes be, it was at least a brief respite from routine. I hope you enjoyed reading about the trip; I will get the video and photos up in due time, but for now I’m just bushed.
Enjoyed this series. I hope to make it to Korea someday. Hopefully, I run into different people than you did.
Comment by Prince Roy — May 4, 2012 @ 2:49 pm
Glad you liked it.
Comment by Poagao — May 4, 2012 @ 3:05 pm