On Saturday, we headed out of Seoul proper for the suburb of Incheon, and more specifically Song-Do. It was about a 1.5 hour ride by train with a couple of changes. This city/ region has the most extensive network of metro lines that we’ve ever seen.
All of the trains we have been on have been super clean, and the locals have been very helpful. While the system is easy to use, they have a number of lines with the same number that end in different places and no markings on the train’s exterior to indicate that particular train’s destination. (They list trains by next sub stop instead of the final destination. I guess that helps in reducing the need for new signage if your system keeps growing.). So, we’ve had some interesting “conversations” with other riders to determine if we are on the correct train or not.
Once we arrived in Song-Do, we had a quick but pleasant transfer with the home owners on the care of their home and pet. They had already also provided very helpful instructions via e-mail. The home owners are a young couple who are traveling back to San Diego with their adorable 1 year old son for the holidays. They teach at one of the international schools in Song-Do, and we are staying in the 3 bedroom home provided to them. It’s on the 16th floor of a 30 floor high rise, one of a block of high rises in this particular complex. We are caring for their cat, Muds (short for Muddles) while they’re away.
Michuhol Park is right across the street from the house. It’s a lovely park with multiple trails, exercise equipment, traditional structures, a pond (to be frozen for ice rink for the holidays) and a lake.
IFEZ (see blog title) stands for Incheon Free Economic Zone. It is a master-planned community started in 2003. It contains a number of communities, including Song-Do. It was designed to be a world-class business hub with supporting infrastructure such as academic institutions and parks. It is 40% green space.
We headed towards their Central Park on Sunday to see more of the area. It ended up being an educational as well as beautiful walk.
A boat excursion on the lake
Alongside the beautiful Park, is a performance space called the Tribowl. Unfortunately, no performances are scheduled while we’re here. You enter at the bottom and go up to your seats. Behind the Tribowl is a building with triangular cut-outs. Here, you can go to the 33rd floor for views of the area as well as information on the transformation of the area from former mud flats to IFEZ.
After we came down from our free view of the area, we walked over to explore the NC Cube Shopping District. It was cute but fairly quiet for a Sunday.
I’m not sure if it’s coming through in our photos, but we continue to be impressed with the cleanliness of this area. No graffiti, no litter. In fact, in this area, garbage is disposed of through a central underground garbage network, so you never see garbage trucks. Of course, when you create a city in 2003 you can do these things. It is also quiet. We have been here for 4 days and between downtown Seoul and here we’ve heard 1 siren and 1 car honk.
Peckish Travels 