Getting There - Seoul, Korea
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"Wow," you murmur as your eyes drink in the glowing red light hitting off the roof of a Korean palace, briefly dazzling you. The trees, walls, and cobble-stone grounds shimmer a little, their details softly focused. The tiled roofs with their curved corners hold their ground against the massive backdrop of a lushly green, looming mountain. You decide you need a closer look of the place and walk toward the scene.
Bonk.
Rubbing your nose, you forgot that you were only looking at a real-sized painting advertised against a smooth building wall. So what was this place again? Your eyes search around. Oh: "Come to Seoul," a catch-line reads. Ok, well, you feel you're already half-way there. Then the question is: what are the physical modes of transportation you can take?
Airlines
It's best to reserve tickets at least a month before the planned date. The cost usually falls between about $700 to (heaven forbid) $3,000 round-trip economy class. Certain times of the year may include lower rates at those times; a worthwhile thing to check out. Travel agencies can make the flights cheaper (you also might want to look into Korean-owned travel agencies, which tend to have cheaper prices). Even cheaper is to layover at a major stop for hours to overnight, if you don't mind that kind of thing. Tokyo, one such stop, has airports that have hotels and even tours to help pass the time.
Airlines to Korea include Korean Airlines and Asiana Airlines. For those concerned about the airlines' adherence to safety standards, you can probably get such safety audit information from the airports or the airlines themselves. Once you arrive at the Incheon International Airport (on an island about an hour-and-a-half west of Seoul or so, depending on traffic), you have the option of taking an airport limousine (charter bus), taking a taxi, or renting a car.
Click the link for Incheon's home page. If you click on "Inbound", on the list of options on the left-hand side, it shows a map, what you need to do once you've arrived there, and a list of handy numbers like transportation and tourist information; you may not see all possible options; if you can't see the entire page, try removing the menu toolbars from your browser window (you can always bring them back later) to be able to at least see more of the bottom of the page.
Korean Airlines' home page: www.koreanair.com Asiana Airlines' home page: www.flyasiana.com
Buses
If you're already in Korea, and you feel like seeing its capital, buses are a cheap way to be able to do so. It's kind of like the "all roads lead to Rome" thing: at just about any city, there will be a bus that takes you to Seoul or else will transfer you there from another point.
Seoul Express Bus Terminal Address: 19-3 Panp'o-dong, Soch'o-Gu, Seoul Transportation: Express Bus Terminal Station (Subway Line 3) Phone: 782-5551 [what is country and area code?] Click the link for Seoul bus info, including terminal buses, under "Long Distance Express Buses"
Railroads
Korea has a pretty extensive railroad network throughout that's pretty cheap, too. It's good to check out if you can transfer from bus to train, or train to bus if you have to.
Website: www.korail.go.kr
Route map: www.korail.go.kr/eng/train/e_railway_routemap.html
Railroad pass/pass fare information: www.korail.go.kr/eng/train/e_railway_tour3.html
Here are other details about Korail tickets and passes, from the site:
"With this ticket, you can take every train provided by Korean National Railroad Administration except the subway within a certain period without any restriction on the riding sections or the number of ride times."
Concerning vouchers: "Vouchers purchased abroad can be exchanged for a KR Pass at any of seven designated stations (Seoul, Yeongdeungpo, Daejeon, Dongdaegu, Busan, Gyeongju or Gwangju Station). While valid, the KR Pass is good on any train in the country except the metro subways."
Vouchers are sold at the office of America Tour Consulting in New York, or its branch offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Buffalo, Orlando, Honolulu, Vancouver, Mexico City, Cancun and Seoul. For more information:
America Tour Consulting, Inc. Tel. +1 (703) 256 8944 Fax. +1 (703) 256 8934 Toll Free (U.S. only) 1 800 5355 7552
America Tour Consulting, Seoul Branch Tel. +82 (2) 773 2535 Fax. +82 (2) 773 2737
Cars
With cars, you are willing to spend about $80 worth for a full tank of gas to take you anywhere where there's a highway. The highways all over Korea have tollbooths scattered across them, about $3. Once you get to Seoul, if you get caught in rush hour, time stretches as your car crawls. If you don't get caught in a rush hour, it's less of the same thing.
Also a cautionary note: the signs and rules seem to be merely there for show. Be a very defensive driver, and be on the alert for cars that just dart in front of you, and for impatient drivers. On the other hand, it's also good to be an offensive, aggressive driver when in Seoul, or you'll never get anywhere. The choreography of the drivers' interweaving is amazing (and depending, scary) to watch.
Useful Links
Traveller's Tips to Seoul www.travel.com.hk/skorea.htm
Visit Korea www.knto.or.kr/english (If you click on the "S" that is cut off by "Bulletin Board" on the site's horizontal menu bar, it will give you nuggets of info including transportation – car rentals, subways, the works – tourist information and accommodation.)
Questions? If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our Asia Insiders page.
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