Incheon (Korea) 인천시

I had a five-hour layover in Seoul on my way home from Thailand, and I tried to maximize my time during my brief stay in Korea. My flight from Bangkok landed at Incheon International Airport just after 6:00AM, and after quickly clearing immigration I stopped at an airport restaurant for some breakfast.

breakfast at Incheon Airport

A few weeks ago after receiving my airline confirmation, I signed up for one of Incheon's free "Transit Tours." The South Korean Ministry of Tourism offers free one to five-hour tours in and around Seoul for people with ongoing flights. It's a really cool idea, and a great way to encourage travelers to visit the country. The tours depart from and return to the airport's tour desk, making for a convenient way to experience a little bit of Korea during a layover.

Yonggungsa Temple

I registered for a quick one-hour tour to the nearby Yonggungsa Temple. If I had had more time I would have liked to have gone on a longer tour, but my entire layover was only five hours, and not many tours are offered so early in the morning. 

Yonggungsa Temple was built in 670, but the original buildings were destroyed during Japanese occupation. The new temple was reconstructed on the site and is located on a mountain just twenty minutes away from Seoul's new airport. It was really cold in Korea; it's still winter and I could see my breath outside. This time (unlike in Vietnam) I was prepared, and I packed a jacket.

I've learned a few interesting things about Buddhist culture during my time in Asia. In Thailand, Theravada Buddhism is blended with traditional Thai beliefs and incorporates many Hindu gods as well as reverence to the king and special high-ranking monks.

In Korea, as our guide told us to us as we traveled by bus up the mountain, Buddhism is mixed with traditional Korean animist beliefs that incorporate the worship of different gods and spirits. The true spirit of Korean Buddhism, she explained, is found in mountain temples.

This temple included shrines to the Dragon God and the powerful and important God of the Mountain.

Even though I didn't have much time in Korea, the airport itself is enough to keep a traveler busy and entertained. The airport frequently hosts Korean cultural shows and offers a free traditional craft program to tourists with layovers. I didn't have time to do any of those things, but I did get the chance to visit the airport's Korean Culture Museum which had on display a special exhibit about Hangul, the Korean Alphabet.

Korean Culture Museum - exhibit about the Korean alphabet (Hangul)

I didn't stay for long in Korea, but it was nice to stretch my legs between the flights. The night flight from Bangkok only took about five hours, but the long trip from Seoul to Dallas took over thirteen. Because of the length of the flight over the International Date Line, I left Korea on 3 April at 11am and landed in Dallas on April 3 at 9am. It's pretty terrible, but at least I'm home now. I've got a six-week holiday in the United States before flying back to Thailand for the new school year. It's nice to be back for a while!

On my way! Next stop: DFW