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When I first arrived at Incheon International Airport, I was astounded by the gleaming futuristic glass and steel architecture. Suddenly, World’s #1, Changi Airport, did not seem at all deserving of its title. I don’t pretend to be a connoisseur of airports, but having been to the chaotic labyrinth they call Heathrow, the modest outfit at Campino, the death trap of the old Hong Kong Airport, the overcrowded airports in China and several others more, I believe that I am in a competent enough position to comment. Crest fallen and my national pride evaporated, I made my way to the hotel. However, all is not lost, its comforting to know that our beloved Changi Airport is not resting on its laurels, renovations to bring it up to speed are currently underway and its new look will be unveiled in the middle of next year! Sadly, the face lift seems confined to Terminal 2, I’m afraid the eyesore that is Terminal 1 will sadly remain that. Incheon International Airport like most of the other new airports is situated in the middle of nowhere, relatively far from civilisation. It’s a good 40 to 60 minutes ride to the city centre, dependent on your mode of travel. Seoul, like every other major city in the world, is hustling and bustling. The roads and highways are heaving with vehicles. Oddly, Seoul looks a lot like Japan, not that I’ve ever been to Japan, more rightly, it fits my mental description of Japan, derived from TV, magazines and photos. Seoul is modern, clean, efficient and colourful. Neon signs festoon and scale every possible space, screaming for your attention in a riot of colours. Huge LCD (if I’m not mistaken) billboards with moving pictures advertise the latest telephonic gadgetry, air conditioning units or cars. This is after all, the land of LG, Hyundai, Daewoo, Samsung et al. And they are giants on their home turf! Korean BBQ restaurants and eateries abound, and have signboards with cutesy cartoon drawings of the corresponding animals from which the meat is derived. So if a cartoon pig is winking and smiling at you, the place serves pork. A cow with a big grin and a thumb’s up, the place serves beef and so on and so forth. Childish? Not at all, it is an absolute life saver, especially when you are incapable of reading Korean and don’t want to inadvertently wander into an eatery that offers fare of a more exotic nature! Having pictures on the menu helps immensely too, there were a few occasions where culinary Russian roulette came into play. Randomly pointing at an item on the picture-less and English-less menu and hoping for the best! Sometimes, luck can be fickle!

After settling in, I wanted to sample the gay night life Seoul had to offer. I researched the internet and found valuable information on Utopia. Evidently, Korea is a conservative society founded on Confucianism. Great regard and emphasis is placed on scholastic achievements. It is a patriarchal and hierarchal society with claustrophobically defined roles. Hence, leaving very little room for the homosexual community. Koreans adopt a don’t ask, don’t tell approach concerning homosexual issues. In the minds of many Koreans, homosexuality does not exist in their beloved homeland. To them it’s a Western phenomenon. It is an extremely taboo subject, so much so that it is inconceivable to even document it in writing, let alone discuss it in civilised conversation. As such, there are no laws persecuting homosexuals. To date, no legal cases have ever cited homosexuality as a crime or cause for divorce. It is common practice for gay people to get married according to societal norms but still lead a dual life. They will usually continue their dalliances with their lovers, who may also be married. For men, as long as you fulfil your roles as a dutiful son, responsible husband and loving father, what you do outside the home is rarely questioned. I also discovered a fascinating titbit, although I will never know if it’s a fact or fallacy. Apparently, up to 98% of Korean men are circumcised. It is difficult to determine where this practise stemmed from; it has nothing to do with religion, culture nor medical reasons. They believe that it’s a rite of passage and a universal practise! This phenomenon only started about 50 years ago, so it does look suspiciously like the Americans had a hand in this!

The gay clubs are clustered close to on another and are situated in Itaewon, a location known for its night life and foreigners. However, pinpointing the clubs was an entirely different kettle of fish altogether! Apparently, only the main roads are named, and navigating in Korea revolves around reference points such as notable buildings and landmarks. I had only paid a cursory glance to the detailed directions provided by the website. Big mistake! I had overconfidently thought that the clubs would be easy to find, as I read that they were near the Hamilton hotel. How difficult could that be? After an hour of aimless roaming around and failing to get directions from some sisters outside a tranny club, I gave up my search. This was such a pity, as I would have really liked to see how gay Koreans interacted in their natural habitat.

Getting around in Seoul is relatively easy. All road and subway signs are bilingual. The subway trains are clean, efficient and very roomy. Taxis are aplenty and metered. They come in the black deluxe cabs and the regular silver cabs. Price difference is marginal, about 1500 Won. There are buses too, but I did not feel adventurous enough to give them a try. Now, it is important to note that senior citizens are treated with great respect in Korean society. For example, when an older person boards the subway, it is not uncommon to see people literally springing up from their seats to volunteer it. In fact, it would be considered terribly rude not to do so. This particular trait is truly commendable. It’s such a pity that more countries and societies don’t adopt and emulate this practise.

Invariably, I made my rounds at a few of the tourist spots like Namdaemun market, Gyeongbokgung Palace and Lotte World. Interestingly enough, Lotte World is one of the top 10 most visited theme parks in the world. Having never heard of this place prior to my visit to Seoul, I’m assuming that the sheer numbers that visit Lotte World annually are made up primarily of the Koreans themselves. And it certainly seemed to be the case when I made my trip there. Koreans thronged the park on my visit. Lotte World is a Korean created theme park moulded suspiciously like Disney Land. However, it is a poor imitation of the latter. The park is housed in a huge indoor complex and has another section outdoors. The rides are average at best and the daily parades and shows are cheesy and cringe worthy.