While in Seoul
Around Seoul, I already told you the taxi fares on a previous note so I didn't mind taking taxis fairly often, even "Mobeom" taxis were more luxurious, but still cheaper than the Japanese taxis.
The subways all cost less than $2 one way wherever I went. Good thing I can read Korean! Look up "Seoul Subway" on Google or Wikipedia if you want to find out what their pricing structures are; I'll not explain but they're awesomely cheap.
I still found more washlets!
I thought I was going to miss the Washlet in Korea but they also have them, called "bide" (비데; from the French "bidet") but in less locations than in Japan.
For a while, I couldn't find any, but I found some at a "Shinsegae" store in the Namdaemun area of Seoul. There are two Shinsegae stores across the street from each other, connected by a 3rd (or 4th) floor walkway.
I was in the older, shorter store that sold Louis Vuitton, Rolex, and other elite luxury goods. That place was only for the top echelons of Korean society! No wonder they had washlets in their restrooms. You've gotta love that part of East Asia.
My family is catching on the luxury sanitation bandwagon now. The apartment of my Uncle ("Samchun") and aunt-in-law ("Wesumo") has a washlet, though my grandma's ("Halmeoni") apartment didn't. It felt quite nice to finally leave grandma's sweltering place. Her shower didn't have heated water either. She sticks to the old ways, so it was hard to tolerate.
Myeongdong; the "Rodeo Drive" of Seoul"
Myeongdong was an upscale edition of Namdaemun; The premium shopping district had a bricked, pedestrian-only street and had quite a lot of eye candy. I thought of buying a Nintendo DS from there but even though they were cheaper than Japan, they were about ~$147, whereas they're only ~$130 in America the last I heard. You can read more about Myeongdong from a simple Google or Wikipedia search if you really want to...
Leaving Seoul
Haircut
My Samchun drove me to the Incheon airport on the day of my departing flight after taking me for a haircut AND a coloring for just 16,000 Won (~$15.54). They even shaved my face clean and placed facewash on me. A lot of extras for a little cash; hairdressers won't do that much for even ~triple the price in the US!
Incheon Airport
What stuck out in my eyes were a few patrolling police officers with machine guns walking up and down the concourses of the airport.
Also, there was a monorail for transfer flight passengers, rather than a bus as seen in other airports.
(Getting tired; to be continued with Beijing and beyond...)
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