Ooops! I didn’t leave myself a placeholder for my brief time in Korea so here it goes anyway…
Unfortunately, I don’t have much time to explore the city itself since this is a work trip. By the time I got to the hotel last night I was beginning to flag and wasn’t hungry so I stayed awake as long as I could working and then crashed out to awake relatively early after about 8 hours sleep (allowing me to write the first part of the TR of course 
). I was determined, however, to take the morning off to see at least some bits of Seoul and ‘thanks’ to delays on my boss’s flight from the US I actually ended up with the whole day to myself, allowing me longer than expected. I had very helpfully been given some whirlwind advice from VC10 Boy for some things to take in and when I stopped by the Concierge for a map I found him to be excellent and very helpful. In fact, most of the suggestions overlapped! Armed with a fistful of maps and advice I thought I’d brave the Subway from the stop right at the IC (Samgseong) to Anguk as the Concierge suggested, which meant a change of lines in order to take in the Jogyesa Temple (which in addition to be being amazingly ornate had a ceremony in progress which was interesting to observe) and the myriad shops at Insa-dong.
I say ‘brave’, in fact it was no issue at all. Everything important seems to be in English too which is a boon for people like me with little idea about how Hangeul works (the Concierge loaded me up with a great travel guide which is like a watered down, free Lonely Planet which introduces this and I get the logic, but it’d take far more time than I have this trip to get used to it usefully). The subways were very busy but clean and wider than the Tube I’m used to so felt more comfortable. It was fascinating to watch the ‘seniority’ system at work, with everyone willingly giving up the ‘Senior Citizen’ seats for a new arrival if they were older than themselves. Try finding that on the Tube! Though people seemed to talk very discreetly on their phones which work underground as I’d expected (covering their mouths which I’d heard about but never seen) it seems one worrying trend has crossed the globe – kids playing their crappy tinny music so loud you hear it second hand 
The Concierge recommended I walk to the Cheonggyecheon Canal from the temple and I duly followed his advice. He then suggested I get a cab to the Cable Car station to go up to North Seoul Tower but I decided I’d just keep on walking instead and take in more of what was around me. I was already feeling very comfortable here – you get the benefit of not understanding most of the stuff (shop signs, advert text, etc.) which feels kind of relaxing as you have to let yourself ‘go’ and just absorb things. This is one thing I enjoyed hugely about Tokyo too. However, the really important things are also in English like on the Subway (e.g. street signs, major road signs) so you have the safety net of not getting lost! On the whole, I found it much more accessible than Tokyo (though again both have been one-off experiences to date). The weather was perfect for my liking – not so cold to make you want to be inside, not so hot to make walking a chore, and just a nice amount of crispness in the morning air. Another reason to keep walking not hop in a cab.
Having found the cable car I was soon at the observation deck of the tower. The view wasn’t as clear as it could have been but it was still hugely impressive. As was the feeling of ‘sheer drop’ when you go near the windows (something they tout in the brochure thingy!). In a bad way for someone who doesn’t like heights, that is! 
Since I was there I decided to have lunch at the Korean (“Hancook”) restaurant in the tower. Probably would be considered a bit of a ‘touristy’ thing to do but I was the only obvious foreigner in there I have to say. And I enjoyed it. I’m no expert on Korean food but the lunch offering is the full buffet plus additional chosen main with tea (and I had a beer too) for about 23,000 KWN so it seemed a good deal, especially with the view to admire. Plus I was now nicely hungry after the walking and skipping breakfast.
After the cable car back down it was onwards to Namdaemun gate and then towards City Hall for a trip to Deoksugung Palace opposite it. Or so I thought. I was foiled by it being closed on Mondays Something which also did for the plan to visit the War Memorial (I’d read that was closed in the guidebook at least). Oh well, next time! Now feeling puffed with confidence about the Subway I eschewed a cab once more and hopped on at City Hall to ride ‘the green one’ all the way back to the hotel for a well deserved beer from my free minibar (love that benefit!) before returning to the more mundane world of work! Still, at least it’s the reason I had the opportunity to see any of Seoul, even if it was a small part and rather quickly! ^
OZ521 ICN-LHR Thursday 15 November 2007 13:35/17:25
Since I was staying at one of the IC hotels in Seoul I knew the ‘City Air Terminal’ was very close by and that I could check in there (only OZ and KE allow this) and get a bus direct to ICN (without the faff of stopping at other hotels). I also knew from the Concierge that they wouldn’t accept you under 3hrs before departure So I checked out by 10am and walked all of 2 minutes through the back of the hotel and in to the terminal where I found it looked just like a tiny airport: both KE and OZ had their manned check-in desks and in OZ’s case 2 for First/Business/*G and 4 for Travel Class. Retrieving my BP for the pre-assigned 2D and confirming I had hand luggage only (but not that I’d packed it myself – oh no, how did my flight depart and land safely?!?! ) took all of a minute and armed with my BP and lounge pass I was directed to the second floor to clear Immigration. One stamp in the passport and one on the BP later and I was soon relieved of another 14,000 KWN for the bus ticket. All terribly civilized and simple – it reminded me of the Paddington HEX check-in of which I was a fan when BA offered it. The 10:15 bus slowly fought its way forward through the near-gridlock which seems constant in Seoul but at least this time I enjoyed a far better view of things thanks to another crisp, clear morning vs. my evening arrival bus trip, with two essential travel tools (iPod + NC earbuds) blocking out the in-bus TV nicely 
The journey is said to take 60-90 minutes again and this time it was bang on 60. I wasn’t told this fact anywhere on the day but I’d read on the City Air Terminal website that I could us the Crew/Diplomatic Security lines for a speedy passage airside. It took a minute or two to get my bearings and work out the terminal layout for where to go but knowing the OZ lounge I needed (the Gate 12 one which was closest to my Gate 6 departure) was ‘to the right’ I headed for Number 2 of the 4 (or maybe 5?) screening points located across the terminal (which is arranged in one big ‘arc’). Here it was actually signposted that City Air Terminal pax get to use the quick channels (which was a shame, because until then in my head I’d found a special, exclusive secret. I was a Diplomat with full “Deeeplowmatik Emu-ni-taaay” in my ‘best’ Joss Ackland voice. The name was BOAC, G-BOAC. License to trip report ) and by 11:25 I was poorer by a pretty reasonable $60 for a load of Duty Free (amazing how many people demand Soju and Kimchi as a present…plus there was $18/about 10p at today’s rates 
on 1L of Bombay for myself, natch! ) and by 11:30 I’d entered the OZ lounge and settled in a quiet corner. The lounge is quite large (covering a big chunk of both sides of the upstairs above the shops) and fairly nicely furnished – comfortable, neutral, sedate…you get the idea – with pretty standard business class quality offerings I’d say (fruit, snacks, noodles, coffee/tea, booze of the JW Black standard, soft drinks, etc.). I tucked in to some noodles for breakfast with a glass of ‘Champagne’ (Beringer sparkling rose) before hitting the free (^) WiFi for another round of the Never Ending E-mail Sync Game – the gameshow nobody ever wins. There are no boarding calls made and having noted boarding was due to start 13:05 I set off just before 13:00 to what was the very end gate on the ‘right’ of the ‘arc’ of the terminal and exhibiting perfect timing (for once!) walked right on to the plane via the Business line which had just been called for priority boarding. Full marks to OZ for getting everything right on the ground again ^
Boarding via 1L on the dual-door airbridge another warm welcome awaited me along with the newspaper trolley…and a 777 with the new seats but no AVOD Apart from the different IFE controller, the seats seemed identical to the other 777 though the cabin setup was different (only 4 rows of 2-3-2, no extra row 5 with 2 each side…and the front galley has no washrooms, they are behind row 4 on each side only). Today there were 9 empty C seats and once again the cabin was spotless. As my coat was taken and I dumped the pillow/blanket on the E seat (which check-in said they’d keep free as it was not full today ^) I realized I’d not mentioned these in the outbound report and some people may be interested: the pillow is a smallish yellow rectangle thingy with not a huge deal of padding. I did use it outbound when sleeping and it was so-so…more like a cushion then a pillow. The blankets are a very thin grey ‘staticy’ affair. This is another (often overlooked) big improvement BA have made recently to their credit: big, fluffy proper pillows and nice thick duvets in J ^^ (Even if the cabin is usually kept so damn hot the duvet gets slept on top of not under 
)
The same efficient process seen on the outbound (drinks, landing cards, papers offered, on-time door closure) was only spoiled by the Captain’s apology: there was a lot of traffic to Europe today and limited tracks available from ATC so we’d have to wait 30-35 minutes. The crew used this time to show the safety video and give out hot towels (though not to offer a proactive supplemental drinks run which was surprising to me) and sure enough we pushed back 14:10 in the end, finally getting airborne at 14:28. Despite this, the map still showed us arriving 10 minutes early at 17:15 local time – the benefit of tailwinds!
As we bumped through some mild turbulence the crew swung in to action again like clockwork, just as on the outbound with the same serving routine to the letter so I won’t repeat it…the only difference was a personal visit from the CSM this time to introduce herself, welcome me and thank me for flying with them. Always a nice touch ^ This time the menu was:
Code:
LUNCH – WesternSELECTION OF CANAPEButterfly PrawnCampo Frio Salami & AsparagusCream Cheese & HazelnutAPPETIZERBoiled Prawn in Orange CupSmoked Salmon Rose & Se-Song-I MushroomMIXED GARDEN SALADServed with French DressingMAIN COURSEBeef Tenderloin Steak – Served with Black MushroomSauce, Accompanied by Roasted Chateau Potatoand AsparagusOrSauteed King Prawn with Chili Sauce, Szechuan – Accompaniedby Fried Rice and CrabmeatASSORTED CHEESE AND FRESH FRUITDESSERTPumpkin Pie with Vanilla SauceCOFFEE & TEAASSORTED PETIT FOURSWe are happy to offer you a range of refreshments throughoutflight upon your request.SANDWICHESSEASONAL FRESH FRUITHOT RAMENSCONE – Served with Butter and Strawberry PreservesLUNCH – KOREANFor your pleasure, we serve traditional ‘Korean Cuisine’As above except for:MAIN COURSENutritious Korean Cuisine ‘Ssam-Bab’ – Steamed RiceWrapped with Various Kinds of Vegetables Topped withGrilled Beef ‘Bul-Go-Gi’ and *Bean Paste* Bean Paste: Contains various nuts (peanuts, walnuts, pinenuts, etc.). Those with allergies should be careful.
Of course I opted for the Korean menu once more (with Champagne!) and was glad I did. This was excellent…and this time I didn’t even need instructions, aren’t I clever?! At least I can say I learned something in Korea, having eaten similar and been taught by a local a couple of nights previously Actually this was one of the nicest airline meals I’ve had this year – I think the key is in its simplicity (and the fact it’s filling but not bloating…and if I’m totally honest ‘finger food’ still appeals to the big kid in me I guess!).
Stuck without AVOD I sat through ‘Transformers’ (which had been edited to buggery for any kind of bloody swear word, no matter how damn mild…sorry, just redressing the balance a tad for a real pet hate of mine ). With a seemingly never-ending supply of Champagne being served to me by the absolutely stunning crew member, that tosh finally drew to a close (you could suspend your belief from the moon and it would still be ridiculous!) and I fired up the laptop in the hope work would keep me awake and I could begin this return leg report too. The crew were extremely attentive on this leg with many regular passes through the cabin: I put this down to it being a day flight not a night flight with more people staying awake. In addition to my near-constant top-ups they came through offering scone/afternoon tea trays, fruit trays, OJ/water, etc. at various points.
Eventually work actually had a soporific effect and despite my intentions to stay awake for this flight and in to the early evening in the UK, I began to doze off to my iPod playing. When I jolted back to life, catching myself before I drifted off fully, I figured I should call it a day and pack away the laptop and try to have a proper nap – this was about 5hrs out of the UK. This time I felt more familiar with the seat and managed to get comfortable slightly more easily, though still suffered from the slope After about an hour I decided to put the bed in to ‘in between’ mode (i.e. in between flat and a lounging seat) and curl up kind of sideways. Hard to describe but I think the fact I was already half-asleep helped me dose off more comfortably again quickly, despite not normally being able to sleep even anywhere remotely upright. When I woke up again it was only 2:30 to go and I was feeling hungry so I asked the crew for something I wish I’d tried on the outbound – the hot ramen (and a nice a cup of tea, just so as not to be too Korean ). This came a few minutes later and then shortly after that they began taking orders for the second meal service anyway:
Code:
APPETIZEROctopus Salad with Flying RoeProsciutto Ham and Melon BallMAIN COURSEGRILLED RIB EYE BUL-GO-GI – Served with Bul-go-gi Sauce,Accompanied by Sugar Snap Peas, Mushroom and Steamed RiceOrDEEP FRIED MIXED SAITHE – Served with Oriental Sauce Accompanied by Steamed Rice and VegetablesOrRISOTTO – Served with Grilled Black Truffles, Scallops andAsparagusDESSERTFresh FruitCOFFEE & TEA
Feeling like a bit of a pig I ordered the Mixed Saithe and thought I’d at least try it, even if I wouldn’t finish it after the very filling (and delicious) noodles. This time the second meal service began about 2:10 out of LHR as we were taking a familiar-looking (for me at least!) track on the map from HEL. Once again the food was good and the quantity of the fish was excellent (5 nice thick pieces), though I couldn’t eat more than about half of it. Having washed this meal down with a couple of champagnes, a coffee rounded things off nicely with the fruit service and I disappeared to the washroom to freshen up. I had to use the one behind 4H side since the one behind 4C was occupied and when I emerged I noticed two things: firstly, the crew serving Y wore different (plain, red) aprons to the ones in C (flower patterned grey) but I have no idea why…secondly, I couldn’t get back to my seat as the galley was full of about 10 of them giggling like excited school girls with their cameras and camera phones out, posing for pictures with the pax who were in 4HK! The CSM explained the guy was a famous Korean pop star (sorry, I did not get the name) which had been my immediate assumption too. The girls looked embarrassed they’d been ‘caught’ but I thought it was great (and said so and told them not to worry!) – they all seemed so happy and star struck!
After I could make my way back to my seat I noticed we were in a ‘corkscrew’ holding pattern for LHR (circling but losing altitude gradually) and inevitably our early arrival was now showing 17:35 which ultimately proved accurate for touchdown and a fairly rapid taxi saw us on stand 49 by 17:42. And what a fitting reminder of LHR vs. ICN we were immediately given: they attempted to attach the jetty to 1L no less than 3 times before giving up and attaching it to 2L (on the second attempt) Still, it wasn’t all bad…after the hike and a half it takes to get to Immigration from there I was pleased to see it nearly totally empty – so empty that there was no point using the (working) Iris machine and I handed my passport to two of the agents who were chatting about ‘when Seoul and Narita land at the same time and it’s just the two of us on, it gets busy then’ as I approached – yeah who’d have thunk it, huh?
And that was pretty much that. With hand luggage only (Seoul = sensible = Government not pressured by lobbying for one bag rule as a direct result of woeful airport management by a disgraceful monopoly) and despite a stop in the Arrivals shop I hit the 18:03 HEX and made my way home before 19:00 which is pretty good going! All in all this was a great trip. Its real purpose (i.e. work!) was very productive and on a personal level I got to see some of Seoul, experience a new place which I liked a lot, eat some great food…and try another new airline. I am delighted to be able to say that OZ have a very good, comfortable product (though I do wish it was a fully flat bed, that would make it great not just very good) which one can actually enjoy…and I wouldn’t hesitate to fly them again.
