To Russia With Seoul

The Travel Gods must have been on a vacation of their own on August 12th cause they sure weren't traveling with us! It was to be a wonderful, pampered two day trip having used up a bundle of air miles to go First Class. It was not to be. I won't bore you with all the minor glitches which will leave more space for the BIG glitch.

The flight path was Toronto, Charlotte, Dallas, Seoul (air miles are seldom direct but are Free!). The flight arrived late in Charlotte at 2:30 PM so we hurried over to the next gate and the plane was there. After waiting an hour, we were informed there was a mechanical problem and they would be flying the part in from Oklahoma. It was expected to arrive around 6:30 and the pilot announced departure would be between 7:30 and 8:00 PM. A text message was received confirming 7:30 boarding. It was also posted on the board. At 6:30, not having eaten since noon, we decided to grab a quick snack. You know what's coming. We returned to the gate at 6:50 to find the plane on the tarmac and about a dozen other furious people stranded at the gate. Turns out it was fixed quicker than expected and because of the delay, the pilot made the decision to leave! Ok, so what now? They are going to book us on another flight leaving at 8:20. What about our luggage? It will be there before you and they will hold it in the baggage area.

The next flight is overbooked because they have to take all of the stranded people from our flight so it takes awhile and lots of bumps to get us on board. And those First Class seats we paid for? Also overbooked so we're back in Coach but not even together! Arriving in Dallas, the luggage is nowhere to be found. "Fill out this claim form and we'll get back to you." Not bloody likely! Eventually, we are directed to another terminal! After another half hour, we arrive by bus to the terminal and there is our luggage! Yippee! Not just yet. We have to get out of there. It is now after midnight. The only way out is to WALK -dragging 100 pounds of tools, motorcycle parts, helmets, boots, gear, etc. to a shuttle stop to get to our hotel! Which we do at 1:08 AM.

The next day goes better and we and our luggage arrive in Seoul. We have slept for most of the flight and so are rested enough to enjoy the hour long bus trip into the city. And what a city! Huge apartment complexes and skyscrapers fill the horizon. Everything is clean and orderly including the traffic. People are very polite and helpful. A young girl offered Ross her seat on the airport shuttle! We see numerous bridges crossing the main river-all of various colors and architectural designs. Our destination is the JW Marriott, a five star hotel in downtown Seoul courtesy of Marriott Reward Points. So imagine their reaction as these two weary travelers get off the bus wearing motorcycle jackets and dragging this heavy, beat up luggage (we only used it to get the stuff to the bikes then we'll throw them away)! But a luxurious room awaits and tomorrow we begin to explore this fascinating city.

As a footnote, we thought all the welcoming banners and police were for us but turns out there's some guy named Frances here too.

The Not-So-Happy Travellers

Everyone is so courteous and so is the signage.

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