Seoul Searching

Clever title, I know. In my current state of fatigue I was quite proud of thinking that one up, despite the fact that I wasn't actually searching for anything while in Seoul. I apologize in advance for any spelling/grammar errors because I'm typing this all in Notepad and haven't slept much in the past 48 hours.

I'm currently somewhere 40,000 feet above the world, firmly planted on the seat that I've been occupying for the past 11 hours, oh... and I still have 4 more to go. Not to mention a connecting flight. None of this matters though; because when all is said and done I'll be landing in Calgary, Alberta and running into the arms of the boy that I love.

Anyways, back to the intended topic of this blog. Rewind 2 days and I was bound for Seoul, South Korea. I was a bit antsy with the anticipation of vacation immediately following my trip, but still looking forward to it. We landed into Seoul and quickly established plans to go out for Korean BBQ. A few crew members joined and we ventured into the cold winter air on a mission to feast on delicious food. It was just as yummy as I'd remembered, though I skipped the Soju wine this time around. We ate until we could no longer consume any more food, paid, and ventured into the night. A few of the crew made their way to a nightclub while the rest of us headed to 7-11 to stock up on snacks for the duration of the layover. The air outside was brisk and I'd complained about how cold I was for the entire walk, but it wasn't enough to stop me from buying some green tea ice cream. Dessert is mandatory. I was satisfied as we headed back to the hotel. I debated going to the gym, but in the end sleep won me over and I called it an early night.

The next morning I had a short lived date with the treadmill, suddenly remembering the fact that I'll be sporting a bikini in Mexico next week. After I'd showered and bundled up in warm clothing, it was time to wander the streets. Unlike last time I'd visited Seoul, it was a clear sunny day, perfect for a walk! I set out with no particular destination in mind. I spotted a store called "Daiso" which my friend Greta had told me about and recommended that I visit. I decided to check it out and spent the next hour trying to talk myself out of buying absolutely everything. Everything in Korea is so cute!! I bought a few items, among them a couple of cups with little bears and terrible English spelling mistakes. I'm not really sure what inclined me to make that purchase, but I couldn't put them back on the shelf. Heading back outside I continued walking, browsing random stores and trying to make purchases with absolutely no knowledge of the Korean language. By the time I move home to Canada I'll be so used to one word sentences and communicating by pointing and body language. I'll be the charades master. After grabbing some lunch I decided to slowly make my way back to the hotel. I hadn't planned to do much of anything on my layover, saving my energy for my long journey back home.

After a nice long nap in my room, it was time to start getting ready for my flight. I flicked on the TV for some background noise and found myself watching the breaking news updates of North Korea's attack on South Korea. I nearly had a heart attack when a reporter talked of "unconfimed reports of Incheon Airport being closed...". It could NOT be closed. I was flying out of that very airport in a few hours, and being the risk taker than I am, I'd booked a flight home that was scheduled to depart only 4 hours after arriving in Dubai. I went into panic mode, checking the internet until I was confident that the reports were false. Normally I'd get excited at the prospect of an extended layover, but this was the first time that I absolutely needed to go back to Dubai as soon as possible. The security at the airport was heightened, but we were still able to depart, much to my relief. At 9 1/2 hours, the flight to Dubai was longer than I'd anticipated. I'd be extremely rushed to make my next flight. We landed, I grabbed my suitcase, and ran for the taxi stand. "Big hurry, fast please!" I emphasized to the driver. I reached my apartment, changed out of my uniform, wiped off my lipstick and swapped suitcases before running back downstairs to catch another taxi. A great sense of relief flowed over me as I realized that I had plenty of time to spare. I was flying standby, so I was stil a bit anxious that I might not be able to get on the flight. Fortunately, I was given a boarding pass and sent on my way. Everything was working out and I could finally start getting excited about HOME.

So here I sit, waiting to land in San Francisco and catch yet another plane home. I'm on a Boeing 777-300 for the first time since making the switch to A380, and I must say that I don't regret my decision one bit. Not that there is anything wrong with Boeing, in fact it's far more crew-friendly... I suppose I've just grown rather fond of the double decker.

It's time to watch my 5th movie of the flight and perhaps catch a little bit of shut eye before landing.

I'm officially on vacation, so there probably won't be any posts from me for the next couple of weeks! I'm sure I'll have loads of exciting stories to entertain you with when I return!