“Welcome to Asia,” I told myself as I hauled my suitcase down the sidewalk of Sinchon district in Seoul. I’ve been living on this continent for quite some time now but this was the first time it really hit me in the gut. Seoul is insane. Travel books most often use the words “vibrant” or “energetic” to describe it, and with good reason. Neon illumination is taken to a new level in this city. Signs are so common that they become completely ineffective as you’re pulled into a blur of neon and hangul characters. It’s so bright, so loud, so busy, that you are completely unable to focus on one thing for more than a few seconds before you have to dodge pedestrian, cross an alleyway, check the map, and then realize that you’re completely lost again.
Seoul, in general, is chaotic. However, all cities are chaotic so the word has no real meaning. Sinchon is an area characterized by its many restaurants and bars that are frequented most often by students from the two universities that bookend the neighborhood. Arriving in the late evening at Incheon International Airport and making the long trek into Seoul set me there at about 10pm on a Friday night. Seoul and I certainly had an aggressive introduction. When I finally settled into my lodgings, I felt as though I had traveled halfway around the world rather than just 2 hours from home. From that point, I knew Seoul wouldn’t disappoint.
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