By the time I get off the plane, it is now Friday, July 29, 2011.
After deplaning, and working my way through the maze of corridors, people movers, escalators, I finally made my way to the Immigration counter. Everything went through without a hitch, and I approached the area I was dreading: Baggage Claim!
Now, if you’ll remember, there was a nice skycap that took care of my bags as soon as we pulled up. But now, I was alone, so I had to strategize, because there was no one in sight. I grabbed a SmartCarte, but then quickly realized that one would not be enough for all I carried, so I snagged another one. (Unlike in the US, luggage carts are FREE in foreign airports!) My plan was to put 2 of my large suitcases on one cart, then the rolling duffel and the carryon suitcase on the other, and then split my other random bags between the two. As soon as I started unloading my bags from the conveyor belt, I was kicking myself for having packed so much stuff…I mean, I know I was going to be away for an entire year, but did I really need alllllllll that stuff I packed?
Well, yes.
And then, he appeared: a skycap! As soon as I saw him, I flagged him down before any of those other folks got to him….and not a minute too soon! He was so determined to help me on his own, but it looked like my luggage weighed more than he did! LOL Bless his heart, he wouldn’t even let me help him. But oh well, that was his perogative, so I just followed behind.
After a quick stop to change over some cash from US Dollars to Korean Won, we were on our way. As soon as we got through the doors, I found my driver, who had a sign waiting for me.
He exchanged some words with the skycap, and then we went on our way to load up the vehicle that would take me to my home for the next year.
It was a pretty uneventful trip to Paju from the airport, and here are some pictures that I took along the way.
Next Up: It Takes a Village
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