Day 1: The Journey Begins (Sat, 7/26)

Getting to the airport was not quite as simple as it has always been for me back in the States. First I had to lug my stubborn, ornery suitcase and carry-on bag to the busy eight-lane road by my apartment (only about a block away, but it wasn't fun) to catch a taxi. The taxi driver took me first to the wrong bus terminal, then, after I repeated myself about six times, he caught on and took me to the correct terminal. There, I waited to catch the airport bus, which was to depart at 6:00 (half an hour later than I had figured on, thus causing me a bit of concern). I grew more and more concerned as the minutes ticked away, with no sign of my bus. My flight was departing at 9:00 pm, and the airport is an hour away from Gyeongju. Finally, much to my relief, the bus showed up - at 5:59 pm! And, I am still rather impressed that we actually departed at 6:00 on the nose.

Check-in at the airport went slowly, but smoothly. I was flying on Asiana Airlines for the first time, so I had no idea what to expect. I was happy to discover that Asiana is almost as good as Korean Air (which is the best airline I have ever flown on). We had a pleasant, drama-free flight which wound up being half an hour shorter than scheduled. The airlines back in the US skimp wherever possible on service; you're lucky to get a small beverage and a minuscule bag of pretzels anymore (Southwest and Spirit being the two exceptions). Not so on Asiana! Our three-hour flight included a very pleasant in-flight meal. Since I didn't have time for dinner, I was quite grateful.

I was shocked and delighted to learn that my luggage had successfully made it to Manila without damage. Customs was a breeze, although the sight of all the soldiers and guards bearing ominous-looking weapons was a bit unsettling. I found a taxi, and we were off! Then came a problem: apparently, the hotel I picked was located in the middle of nowhere, resulting in the taxi driver getting lost at 1:00 am. When we finally made it to the Garden Plaza Hotel, I was dismayed to learn that their photographs online were a bit deceptive.

The hotel was located in a scary-looking part of town where I knew for certain I would not be taking any walks. Inside, it was much older and more run-down than I had expected from the photographs. The staff and the cockroaches were both very friendly, and the room was huge, but it was also more than a little bit creepy. In the photographs I took, it looks nicer than it really was. Overall, for the price, it was perfectly adequate, but I don't think I would stay there again.

Among the amenities of the room were a thoroughly confusing shower, an AC unit that shuddered worse than Katharine Hepburn in her older years, a refrigerator that didn't work, and an odd kitchen-area featuring numerous cupboards and another refrigerator that didn't work. The entire room smelled eerily like anesthetic, as though it were a hospital room. Still, at least it was quiet.