Seoul Long Layover #1: Temples

Other than my two trips to India (see Bangalore: My Farthest & Yet, Quickest Business Trip Yet) this year, I have never been to Southeast Asia. Knowing that, I cannot say I was upset when I got the call on Friday afternoon for a project in Malaysia that would require me to start flying the very next day. About 24 hours later I was on a trip headed to my transit stop; Seoul, South Korea. Fortunately, I slept for a long while and awoke with about five hours left on a 14 hour journey.

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As we got closer, I did learn a valuable lesson…

Once I finally got to the Seoul airport I tried the crazy milk-soda Milkis and I actually enjoyed it!

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For my 12 hour layover, I was thrilled to find out they offered Free Transit Tours. These mirrored my original plans of things to see, but with the added benefit of a motor coach taking me to where I needed to go and allowing me to leave my carry-on luggage securely in the bus.

The first stop of the day was Samnangseong Castle.

The second stop of the day was Deokjin-jin Fortress.

These two temples had a similar look to them and were being maintained very well. What a great way to spend a layover and I cannot wait to do another tour on my way back when I have another 12 hour transit stop.

After a few hours chilling in the Korean Air lounge, I caught the second, and final, leg of my trip – down to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.