From Seoul, South Korea

Greetings from Seoul, South Korea!  I’ve been in country now for about one month, and have fully (finally!) acclimated to the time difference.  Adjusting to 13 hours ahead was very difficult for some reason.  Unfortunately, I will have to visit the states from time to time, and I dread it for that reason.  Ugh.  Nevertheless, we are enjoying and adjusting to our new home.   

Seoul is a sprawling mega city. Counting all the adjoining neighborhoods, the population of Seoul is somewhere north of 20+ million. It’s an endless plain of high rises, apartments, office buildings, shops and stores. If there are 20 million Seoulites, then there are 21 million Korean restaurants. I’ve never seen so many (Korean) eateries situated in such a densely populated area. Although I’m not 100% certain, it appears restaurants and eateries don’t require American style licenses or permits to operate. I’ll talk more about that, and the Korean mentality on “personal safety and responsibility” later. Needless to say, one shouldn’t go hungry living in Seoul – provided you like Korean!

We have transitioned from the hotel to our apartment, which is situated near the financial district of Seoul. Our stay at the hotel, by the way, was a magnificent experience.  We stayed at the JW Marriott near the Han River.  The service extended to us was unlike anything we’ve ever experienced anywhere.  We were truly sad to leave.  But all good things must come to an end.

As I mentioned, our apartment sits in downtown Seoul very near the financial district.  We live on the 26th floor and enjoy an awesome view of Seoul Tower (on Mt. Namsam) and the downtown area. We are high enough that the city sounds are very muted, but low enough to still make out street level businesses. This is my first high rise living, and the views from up here make the city seem quiet and sleepy. Nothing could be further from reality.  Seoul never sleeps, or so it seems.

I plan to blog about my experiences here and places we visit during trips abroad.  My first such blog will cover driving in Seoul.  Navigating the streets of Seoul is shear madness, but out of the chaos emerges order.

So, welcome to the Land of the Morning Calm!