I woke up the next morning around 4 hours out of Incheon. There was already light outside and my fellow passengers were also waking up.

The room began to smell as the other passengers started to prepare breakfast so I decided to sit at the lobby instead.

Expected arrival time of 11.50am (GMT+9)



Around two hours out of Incheon, the coast of Korean Peninsula became visible and I could connect to mobile internet.

Korean Peninsula in a distance



We got into Incheon port at close to noon. Unlike in Qingdao where the ship was docked right by the building, the terminal in Incheon was much further from the berth. While on the shuttle bus, I spotted some other ships which are operating between China and South Korea.

New Golden Bridge VII - the newer Weidong Ferry ship operating between Weihai and Incheon



Zhong Han Ferry operating between Yantai and Incheon



Distance travelled so far: ~6,990km

After passing through the South Korean immigration and customs, I exchanged 100 CNY for 20,000 KRW at the moneychanger and used 10,000 KRW to top up the transport card Cashbee at the convenience store CU.

I followed the sign to the bus stop and waited a while for bus 82. It would bring me to Songdo Moonlight Festival Park Station, the current western terminus of Incheon Subway Line 1.

It takes around 2 hours to get to central Seoul regardless of route

A shot of the ferry terminal from the bus



Incheon suburb



Like in China, South Korea has its own navigation apps due to national security issues. I had to download Naver Map instead. It guided me to take Incheon Subway Line 1 to Bupyeong, transferring to Seoul Subway Line 1. I would then need to alight at Sindorim and change to Seoul Subway Line 2 for Euljiro 1-ga.

Crossing Han River



Seoul wasn't the cheapest city in terms of accommodation. Since I was traveling alone, I decided to choose convenience over comfort and book myself a capsule hotel in Myeongdong for ~42 USD.

Hotel Drip&Drop



The rooms were spread across level 7 and 8 of a commercial building and I could check in on arrival.

Hotel Drip&Drop lounge area



Bunk 717



View from my capsule



Shared shower



My late lunch was grilled meat and cold noodles at a nearby restaurant.

Seat for single diner





With lunch out of the way, I began to walk to the Gyeongbuk Palace for the signature Scrabble photo.

Walking past Cheonggyecheon



I ended up encountering the protest organised by pro-Yoon Suk Yeol supporters.



There were huge police presence; few streets down and I ran into the opposing camp.

Pretty amazing that so many turned up despite the near freezing temperature



I had to abort the mission as there was no way for me to get near to the palace area.

I returned to Myeongdong instead, heading towards Olive Young, as per Mrs' instructions.

Probably the best Asian footballer at the moment



After spending nearly an hour trying to find every item on Mrs' list, it was already dark by the time I exited the shop.

The street stalls were out in action





Christmas Tree



I went back to rest for a while before heading out again for some Korean-style fried chicken at Mom's Touch.

Quite decent