It felt unexpectedly exciting on the night I was leaving. My sister came to my place to see me off and it finally got to me… I am actually making it. I am leaving for a big tour… going for a year… facing the many unknowns. But as soon as I set my foot on Seoul land… it felt totally normal, and that is right… I have been traveling all my life, why this time it should be different. But indeed it is.
The biggest difference visible to me now is the experience of couch surfing. Yes, I have been hosting people at my place in Almaty, and I felt responsible, and I was trying to spend as much time with them, and make them feel at home. But you never know what to expect from others. In Seoul I was invited to stay by Deric Atienza, a career diplomat, who, according to his profile, has already hosted more then a thousand people — that is quite a number! I thought. Looked a little bit of a conveyer of guests to me. So I was alarmed at some point. And how pleasantly surprised I was when I stepped into his apartment. There are now 6 other couchsurfers sharing the 104 sq.m. apartment, in the Yongsay area of Seoul, a modern high-storey building, with nice apartment including all amenities, which makes the stay so comfortable. But most important are the people. You make friends in the matter of seconds, you share the same spirit of travels, open mindness, and just curiosity at large. People take care of each other, self-organize.
And you know what… I am less interested in sightseeing, than spending time with these awesome people. Oh, I bought a good camera today, so hopefully I will be posting some better quality ones soon.
It’s very cold in Seoul, windy, so that is basically the reason of me looking like a Polar bear, and Yvonne has just came from Taipei, hence the light scarf. Читайте на английском 🙂
