Thank goodness I had the sense to handwash my first set of clothes overnight because my clothes the next day were drenched in sweat after 3 hours. Jung-gu in Incheon was wrapped in thick fog yet the high humidity made everything slippery - my skin, the stone footpath, the caps on the bottle cap covered shop, etc. I took a map with me but found it wasn't necessary; the street signs were written in english and pointed out the main attractions. Walking along the shopping district made me a tad regretful that I didn't venture out the night before. The number of funky bars and restaurants was incredible. One place seemed to be a club and tattoo parlour combined. I would've been pacified if some of the cafes were open but nothing was. Where is everybody at 8am in Jung-gu? The only people I came across were exercising at Jayu Park. Sure because when you're drenched in sweat from walking a block, why not run around a bit?
When I got the Incheon airport, I realised where all the people absent from the streets were - they were going nuts in the duty free shops. At all the airports I've been to so far, people meander around, stare listlessly at the carpet or take a nap. There's not frantic consumerism. I wonder if there's something I'm missing about the people that day? One day is not long enough to understand their culture.
