To catch my flight to Seoul, I had to wake up at 2:30 am. Then, I had a ride to the airport. We got there so early the Delta workers who work checking bags and printing boarding passes were not even there yet! Then, the very long day started. Our trip took around a total of 20 hours. The flight from Atlanta to Seoul was about 15 hours. It was very long but I passed the time by sleeping, watching movies, playing games, and listening to music. I have never been on an international flight, so it was my first time trying airline food. We were served two meals and a snack. It was not nearly as bad as people make it out to be. 

When we landed, we went through customs and had about an hour-and-a-half ride to the Sejong Hotel. It is beautiful. The hotel is full of beautiful dark wood pillars and ornate gold carvings. I have never been on an elevator that is as smooth as the ones here. Every toilet seat is also heated, has lighting, and has a bidet. It has been so interesting to see the cultural differences in all the accommodations. 

After we got settled we went to Myeongdong for street shopping. Walking through these back streets of colorful and crowded shops is almost other-worldly. I had my first meal in this strip of shops, where we walked into a hole in the wall. Upstairs, there was a beautiful restaurant where they cooked on a stove in front of you. I had a meal that was inspired by Korean chicken street corn. It was delicious and quite an experience. After that, I wanted to do some more exploring but my body simply would not let me. The travel day and jet lag caught up to me, and I ended up going to bed around 8:00 pm.