Due to travel economics we opted for an indirect flight to Seoul via Kuala Lumpar. As the time approached we heard news of impending storms, potentially typhoons in the area of our flight path. Heather is not a great flyer at the best of times and tension was rising as flight time approached. The flight itself was quite turbulent and nerve racking most of the way, then as we approached KL, huge black clouds appeared looking impenetrable, like aerial rocks. As we flew into this blackness, vast sheets of lightning started to illuminate our craft and the turbulence intensified as we approached our landing. Prayers to many different gods were being said all around us - The gods answered and we landed safely. We then raced across the airport to catch our connecting plane which was due to take-off within the hour ……. Into the same weather.

Seoul took us by surprise, it was a very clean city (especially after the Indian experience) and very westernised. At night the whole city appeared to illuminated by huge television Screens, neon lights and signs, there were bars and restaurants aplenty and they seemed to exist in a full 24/7 world ……. Total Buzz.

Getting around was easy ……. The Metro was excellent, cheap, fast and penetrated into all sections of the city. We found that with a combination of walking and tube train, the city dwindled into a manageable size for exploring. People were very polite and helpful, if you paused on the streets or the metro, they would approach and ask if you needed help.

It surprised us that South Korea do not stamp passports, they just issue an entry slip - disappointing not to have our visit recorded on the passport. Second surprise, we were on the ninth floor of the hotel and in our room was an emergency pack, which included a huge length of rope complete with anchoring point, next to the window, which actually opened (nine floors up) …… Luckily, we did not have use this escape route.

The food in Seoul (not soul food) was very different to India and we tried many of their dishes ……. nice but not sensational - Heather's biggest treat was a "foot long" ice cream cone, which she greedily scoffed and was very slow to share.

Heather is obsessed with sunsets and every new place we visit, she searches for the highest point to exploit the photo opportunity. In this case it was the Seoul tower and on our 3rd evening (first time not raining) we set off. Heather led the way up the gentle slope from the boundary of the park ……. The gentle slope became steeper and steeper then became steps (hundreds of them) until after about an hour and a half, as the light was fading, knees screaming for relief and the body in dire need of oxygen (and beer) we arrived at the foot of the tower. When I checked the location of the tower afterwards, it was listed as "top of Namson Mountain" …… It should have been a clue.

Modern technology in the form of a lift took us to the top of the tower where the view was truly stunning (especially from the loo) …… and they had beer.

We decided to make our way down by a different route (might be easier) and after 50 yards we found a bus stop ……. Turns out we didn't need to do the climb after all (might be cheating)

Fun Fact - Gangnam Style is a Korean "made up" word that refers to a lifestyle associated with the Gangnam district of Seoul. Gangnam Style is a K-Pop single by the South Korean musician, Psy.