We have already decided. Incheon is a great little city. In so many countries we have found that the best cities to live in are the ones that are third or fourth in size; big enough to supply desirable services but small enough to avoid congestion.
Our hotel rate did not include breakfast so we walked down to China Town in the morning and found a shop called "Paris Baguette". When we stepped inside we were like 4 year olds in a toy shop. We bought a selection of small breads and pastries, cappuccino, and hot chocolate for about $12 then sat in comfort and consumed them. Do we have these shops in Australia yet? They still have rickshaws, but we did not see any in use.
Our bus tour left at 11am and returned at 5.30 pm as no one was in a hurry.
It was a Saturday after all. There were two groups of school age children with their teachers and a dozen or more elderly men who seemed to be former naval officers. We filled two buses, and once again we were the only Westerners.
First stop on the tour was the History Museum of Korean Immigration.
We got the impression that Korea was bullied so much in the 19th and early 20th centuries by Japan and China that they were forced to send workers to Hawaii and Mexico.
For a country with an isolated Asian Culture this was a difficult change to make. The role of missionaries from Canada and U.S. was interesting to us, as was the more recent trends in worldwide emigration, particularly to Australia. There was a recreated house from Hawaii.
And a certificate of marriage.
Then they drove us past the locks that kept the 10 meter tides out of the harbour which we had already seen from the inside when our ferry used them.
Incheon has suburbs which support clumps of huge apartment blocks
and these are being built sustainably where possible, so we entered a building in Song Do which was called The City of Tomorrow.
They take town Planning very seriously, unlike Australian cities. Another, larger Information Office was nearby.
Next was the Incheon International Airport, which we reached via the 21.3km bridge expressway. They claim this to be the largest Airport in the world (in area) and is obviously designed to have a massive future use. It doubles as a support facility for Seoul which is only an hour away by train.
It also won the award for best airport in the world every year from 2003 to 2008. Never heard of it? it has a big future.
We parked the bus at the beach area where there were dozens of shops providing the Korean equivalent of fish and chips. The naval men pushed a fellow forward who spoke reasonable English and he organised with the restaurant lady for us to have a huge plate of raw fish and cold rice and vegetables for $8 dollars each. They always provide multiple side dishes with their meals as you probably know.
Quite enjoyable. We drove around the beaches, then round the other side of the airport where we saw numerous Korean Air planes arriving and departing.
Final stop was at the Gyeongin Ara Waterway which must be the playground of Incheon because there were many, many families picnicking there, quite a lot travelling by buses.
The bus drivers somehow managed to consolidate us into one bus to get back to the station. A very pleasant day.
Our hotel rate did not include breakfast so we walked down to China Town in the morning and found a shop called "Paris Baguette". When we stepped inside we were like 4 year olds in a toy shop. We bought a selection of small breads and pastries, cappuccino, and hot chocolate for about $12 then sat in comfort and consumed them. Do we have these shops in Australia yet? They still have rickshaws, but we did not see any in use.
Our bus tour left at 11am and returned at 5.30 pm as no one was in a hurry.
It was a Saturday after all. There were two groups of school age children with their teachers and a dozen or more elderly men who seemed to be former naval officers. We filled two buses, and once again we were the only Westerners.
First stop on the tour was the History Museum of Korean Immigration.
We got the impression that Korea was bullied so much in the 19th and early 20th centuries by Japan and China that they were forced to send workers to Hawaii and Mexico.
For a country with an isolated Asian Culture this was a difficult change to make. The role of missionaries from Canada and U.S. was interesting to us, as was the more recent trends in worldwide emigration, particularly to Australia. There was a recreated house from Hawaii.
Then they drove us past the locks that kept the 10 meter tides out of the harbour which we had already seen from the inside when our ferry used them.
Incheon has suburbs which support clumps of huge apartment blocks
and these are being built sustainably where possible, so we entered a building in Song Do which was called The City of Tomorrow.
Next was the Incheon International Airport, which we reached via the 21.3km bridge expressway. They claim this to be the largest Airport in the world (in area) and is obviously designed to have a massive future use. It doubles as a support facility for Seoul which is only an hour away by train.
It also won the award for best airport in the world every year from 2003 to 2008. Never heard of it? it has a big future.
We parked the bus at the beach area where there were dozens of shops providing the Korean equivalent of fish and chips. The naval men pushed a fellow forward who spoke reasonable English and he organised with the restaurant lady for us to have a huge plate of raw fish and cold rice and vegetables for $8 dollars each. They always provide multiple side dishes with their meals as you probably know.
Quite enjoyable. We drove around the beaches, then round the other side of the airport where we saw numerous Korean Air planes arriving and departing.
Final stop was at the Gyeongin Ara Waterway which must be the playground of Incheon because there were many, many families picnicking there, quite a lot travelling by buses.
The bus drivers somehow managed to consolidate us into one bus to get back to the station. A very pleasant day.
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