"Seoul used to be just a dream and now that it has become a reality, I could never ever be any happier. And I am glad that my lost soul brought me to this soulful place."

 

 

You may think that with all the travelling I had in the past, I would be good in reading maps, but no. Only a map can leave you both feeling triumphant and defeated at the same time. How many trips have been so frustrating because I misread a maps. This map thing isn't really working. I tried putting my thang down, flipped it and reversed it... still didn't work.

We found ourselves standing in an old infrastructure. It was old but well-kept. On the ground floor, there's a busy arcade room with lots of teenagers inside. Then it hit me — Incheon is a laid-back town where fashionable and playful youths flock. Arcade machines were just outside every alley and it looked so good. It was like a cut-out scene straight from a manga.

They settled their baggage while I stood in front of the window with a rather amazing view — full on 180-degree view of Incheon with the calmest sunset I have ever seen. Bursts of pastel orange and blues graced the pale skies that matched the faint shadows painted on the buildings' facades. Now I know why it is called "the land of the morning calm." Everything seemed like a filtered Instagram post. Every single angle felt like there is a preset placed on it to make it look more dreamy and surreal.

Fortunately, we didn't lose our way to the subway. We're off to Seoul for the international fireworks festival and it's frigging scary to get lost in a bigger metropolis. Funny enough, we have found ourselves going the wrong way again. With just a few minutes before the festival starts, the operator announced that the best way to the event is to alight from the next station, since the main station nearest to the festival was closed. Thank you, Seoul. We might be frighteningly lost but you have never failed us.

We joined a sea of frantic people as went off the station. Luckily, we dizzied our way out of it. Nameless faces walked alongside and against us. It was kind of a euphoric and defining moment to me. Yes, I might be frightened about the situation but I can't think of a better way to be welcomed in a foreign country. It was the kind of rush I was honestly wishing for.

Just in the nick of time, we arrived when the fireworks were just about to light up the barren night skies. It was such a surreal moment. "woahs" and "aahs" filled the once silent air. In that exact moment, I was breathing the same air they're breathing and I have never felt so belonged in my life.

We then walked clueless of where to actually go. We just went on with the people not even knowing how are we going to reach the station. I guess time was on our side because we reached the station just before it closed.