a 3-day respite in tanjung pinang

i was supposed to go home during the holy week just like last year but i wasn't able to book ahead in advance. the plane fare already went sky high that the price could even reach me to timbuktu! wherever that is.

given such circumstance, i instead booked a return-trip ferry ticket for tanjung pinang in bintan, indonesia. no, i wasn't heading to one of the commercialized and plush bintan resorts on the northern part of the island but to an almost pastoral part which bears a stark contrast from my port of origin.

up and away to mt. tapyas

this isn't in seoul anymore because this blog has to pause for a moment of wintery posts to avoid virtual hypothermia. this post turns this blog into a hot and cold situation after posting up previously a similar overlooking view of seoul. and it only dawns on me now that i seem to be a sucker for vantage points just to get an incredible view of the place i'm visiting.

one of the things that i have hoped for in this blog, is to be like a good collection of where i've been and what i've been doing in my otherwise, ordinary and routine (argh!) life. in just a mere collapse of the tree of my blog entries, i then remembered that once upon a time, i had also scaled ligñon hill in legazpi where i got to see the laid back city, the ocean and the mayon volcano, all in one 360º view!

what then made mt. tapyas in coron, palawan special or shall i say, memorable?

up and away to mt. namsan (n seoul tower)

i was in myeongdong for only half an hour and i just had a sneak peek of what it has to offer. i went around a few of its blocks before impulsively headed to what i perceived to be the main street and found several steps away, another entrance to my welcoming cocoon in seoul -- which came in the form of underground tunnels.

to feel again the much needed warmth, i descended down that underground tunnel and walked with confidence as if i was certain i knew my way. i noticed a sign for the metro (subway train) and without a second thought, i followed it. and what it seemed to be miles after, i surprisingly found myself back in city hall station! gahhh! i could have saved that previous train ride which had this route, city hall -> seoul -> myeongdong. this city literally has a parallel world, a few meters down!

surviving a frigid winter day

Hi Seoul Youth Hostel

days prior to my scheduled trip, i was closely monitoring the weather in seoul, checking it every morning on my way to work. i didn't hope for an increasing temperature because i was afraid that would completely melt the snow on the ground. i even had my back up plan in case that would happen and that was to go to a ski resort.

heaven must have doubted my likelihood of being in a ski resort that i was allowed to mesmerize on the snow right on my first day. arriving quite early at my hostel, i decided to roam the streets before check-in. i just left my luggage at the reception and off i went to brace the frigid winter day. i had no idea what accuweather meant of such description until i went about my very first winter encounter.

getting to seoul from incheon airport

as the plane was about to make its descent towards incheon airport, i was already gushing inside after seeing the vastness of a snowy terrain thousands of feet below. i turned a full face to the window so that i could hide my obvious excitement away from a nonchalant seatmate. i might not realize it but i could have been wearing a huge smile already! it was definitely a one-of-a-kind moment for me because finally in my life, i was about to experience winter! and when the plane landed, the early morning sun stirred me from my deep musing and i found myself waking up from a distant dream into an actual reality! i could cartwheel that instant!

and the sunrise photo above never fails to remind me of the outpouring emotions on that winter day.

sorry for the melodramatic introduction but circumstances kind of call for it.

back to the main topic. so, how did i get my dreamy self to seoul from incheon airport?