The land that's supposedly full of morning calm

Exhilarating and exhausting. They're the first two words that spring to mind when trying to summarise my first 4.25 days in Seoul. Bewildering and beguiling follows, as does alluring and alienating. Despite this being my third visit as a non-toddler, it's the first one in which I've been able to put things into proper context. In 1987 I was too young, everything was a big, bold adventure, and in 2002 we were too preoccupied with the World Cup, as was the rest of the country. This time, with no organised group travel or mega event to distract, and with an older but hardly wiser head on my shoulders, I've been able to take stuff in, filter it through a reasonably well travelled adult's consciousness, and travelling on my lonesome had ample time to reflect. The result is a maelstrom of impressions and emotions, not unlike the place itself.

Here's a picture to set the scene:

It's representative in two ways: coffee and couples. Both are ubiquitous.

Things didn't get off to the best of starts. In the context of my travel mishaps it doesn't quite reach top 5 but nevertheless a bloody nuisance. Flying Qatar Airways (shameless product placement in the hope of a free upgrade!) I had a connection in Doha, in the brand new, state of the art, Hamad International airport. They have iMacs dotted round for public abuse! Turns out the connecting plane had a 'technical issue' which resulted in a 4 hour plus delay. Not at all welcome when it's in the middle of the night but needs must. Upon landing at Incheon airport I couldn't use my bank cards in their cash machines and the currency exchange people only accepted hard cash, fuckers.

Blind panic and visions of having to camp out at the airport ensued. Luckily one of the machines finally accepted my card, no Tom Hanks manoeuvre needed. Upon arriving at Seoul train station the taxi driver struggled to work out the address I was going to and promptly dropped me off in the wrong place, fortunately not too far away from the intended destination. Next issue, there appears to be no building numbers marked up in Korea so finding the right place even when on the right street is a bit of a struggle. Anyway, got there in the end. Well behind schedule and a tad frazzled.

I've crammed loads in to my days already and won't bore you with the minute details, even if you ask me to. Here are some random thoughts though.

It's bloody hot. In my opinion. The locals seem to disagree though as the majority are breezingly strutting round wearing double layers and long trousers/denim. I on the other hand am wearing t shirt and shorts and still sweat like a pig. The wet look is really not all that.

Koreans are slim, even elderly people. I've not seen a single obese person, at most people have a bit of middle age spread. There's obviously something about the oriental diet - low dairy, high protein. Or maybe there are other lifestyle factors, either way it bloody works. People in general look rather healthy, despite seemingly consuming lots and lots of food, and fags and booze. I demand to know their secret.

Koreans are everywhere. The city is so, so busy at any given time, it makes you wonder if we need to reconsider their 'land of the morning calm' moniker. Hardly surprising perhaps, the metropolitan area of Seoul has a staggering population of 25 million. That's some serious headcount in a relatively limited space. Handy tip for avoiding the huge crowds: venture into a museum. I went to the suitably nationalistic National Museum of Contemporary Korean History today and it was practically empty. On that note, I would LOVE to compare and contrast with North Korea's take on contemporary history. It may well be slightly different.

Everything is clean. Public spaces like main shopping streets, subway stations, train stations, parks, even the pavements, are spotless in the main. It's initially a bit strange, particularly if you're from litter happy Britain. You quickly realise though that it's not just about employing a veritable army of cleaners, there's a palpable sense of social responsibility evident in everyday life. Puts the UK to shame.

Everything is awesome. The general mood seems buoyant and carefree, although that's probably not everyone's reality. There's a relentlessly positive and enthusiastic vibe coming through. a large part of Korean life seems to be lived outside of the home, typically over a bite to eat. Good on them.

Everything is for sale. There are shops literally everywhere, mostly health and beauty ones, and where it's not a shop it's an eatery of some description. It makes for quite a disorientating experience, every street looks similar, neon clad, crowded, noisy, food odour in the air. Consumerism is very much in full force too, people seemingly love to splash the cash. It's rare to see an empty shop be it a hardware store or a jewellers. A tad annoyingly the US presence, there's still a massive army base in central Seoul, has left a permanent mark. You can't turn a corner without bumping in to a major US brand, particularly the food outlet ones. Maybe Koreans won't stay slim for much longer.

Koreans love a good toilet. There's a toilet in every subway station and in all public spaces, which gets the thumbs up from me. When you gotta go you've just gotta go, there's nothing worse than scrambling round looking for a toilet. In Seoul that's not an issue. And of course they're all spotless.

Koreans are rather well dressed. There's a slightly uniform approach to fashion amongst young folks mind. This means that there's a certain look about both men and women with limited variation. It's easy to see why, most shops sell similar looking clothes. I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon in the Hongdae area, predominantly a student area, in the company of a local guide, Hui ji. She volunteers with Meteor Volunteer Youth Club, an organisation which offers visitors free guided tours tailored to individual preferences. It's mutually beneficial, you get a free guide, they get to practice English. If you're planning a visit I'd definitely recommend them. You can choose themes like culture, history, sights. I naturally picked shopping and Hongdae, and nearby Sinchon, are good places for clothes shopping.

If anyone's thinking to visit Seoul, or just want to find out a bit more about the city from sources other than official literature, check out the Seoulistic blog. It's excellent. And the guy who runs it featured in The Hairy Bikers' Asian Adventure so he's legit. Anyway, came across this little number in one of the shops in Hongdae:

6 or so quid in total, cheap! Strangely hardly anything else is, apart from the food. Prices have definitely gone up since we were last there. Speaking of which, the food is out of this world, IBS upsettingly spicy but oh so tasty. And I'm hooked on the little side dishes. The only slight drawback with solo travelling is in the food department. Korean BBQ restaurants are everywhere but they require at least two of you to eat. Arse! Can't have everything 'suppose. Tofu stew for one it is.

In running there is truth

Went out for the year's first run last Sunday, the first for about a month. The multiple Christmas smargasbords and other festive excesses have unsurprisingly left a fatty legacy. That ghastly McKeith woman was right about one thing: you are what you eat. Exercising better/more starts here. In my unbridled enthusiasm and optimism I opted to leave the Swedemount's at home, figuring that I'll be too hot running 21k in lycra. Big mistake, it was bloody freezing. Had I looked outside I would've possibly registered that the ground was covered with frost, as it was I was too busy scrambling around for suitable mid-run nutrition, unfortunately options were decidedly limited.

Armed with a handful of Skittles and seriously under-dressed for arctic conditions I set off. Tiswas a struggle to get round but get round I did despite crucial body parts sending me distress signals. Since I started running properly in December 2013 I've grown to think of it as a somewhat therapeutic undertaking. Whereas at first the only thing on my mind as I meandered round 6 or so miles in 60+ minutes was how much I hated running, I now see it as a welcome opportunity for pondering life's important questions. Did I turn the heating off? Can I afford a new pair of trainers? How much money can I spend on a pair of jeans if I buy a cheap pair of trainers? What shall I have for tea? If I pay a grand off my student loan every year, when will I have finished paying it off? What was the name of that god awful horror film that Shelly from Twin Peaks was in? (Stephen King's Sleepwalkers). All the important questions, totally way existential.

Somewhere between what used to be the Corner Pin but is now some random office and the Shell garage on Carlisle Street East, after I'd rejected both trainer and jean ambition but before the Twin Peaks conundrum, I decided that I really must buy that new camera I'd been mulling over and ideally straight away. Why wait anyway? Ever since I lost my keys somewhere along the route of a 21k run I always bring my bank card with me on a long run, just in case, so I adjusted my running route slightly so that it finished more or less outside Argos on Angel Street. A short moment of catching my breath followed by grappling with the new catalogue-free modus operandi and I'm sat on the tram with a new gadget and aching bones. Cue tram conductor dishing out tried and tested platitudes. “You didn't check the weather forecast this morning then?”. You're killing me honestly.

Forking out £129 and I'm now the owner of a Canon Powershot SX510HS, light weight and compact it is and all.

I've already got a previous incarnation of a Canon Powershot but like Hugh Hefner I don't really see the point in putting up with things getting old and tired when there are new models available. Plus this one has built in WiFi and a much larger zoom. Sometimes size matters. I've not had much opportunity to play around with it, the camera that is, but it takes a pretty clear screenshot of the telly and a really detailed extreme close up of the remote so it all bodes well.

Hugh Hefner aside, the main reason for buying a new camera is because I've recently booked a flight to Seoul in late April to visit South Korea in full spring blossom and I'm planning on taking a whole heap of pictures of weird and wonderful things. Aided by the Cloud and the seemingly mind blowing connectivity of South Korea I'll be able to share pictures as I go along. Everyone jumps for joy. Apart from my savings account which is now officially an endangered species.

I've been to South Korea 3 times previously. First time at birth and up til 8 months of age. Can't really remember much. Second time was in 1987 when my parents took me, my sister, brother and nan on a 2 week organised group travel along with other Swedish families who'd adopted children from South Korea in the 70s. Remember a bit more from then, got to visit loads of urban and rural sights, massive mountain set Buddha statues and such things, ate bulgogi, raw garlic and ginseng chicken, met my foster mother, stepped onto North Korean soil, bought True Blue on tape and insisted on wearing a Donald and Daisy Duck (most likely a girl's) t-shirt. Olympic fever was widespread. The third time was in 2002 for the World Cup, which was absolutely amazing, despite Sweden losing to Senegal in the last 16 to a golden goal. What a rubbish invention that was. I've still got my counterfeit Freddie Ljungberg top. One of the highlights was watching a South Korea game at Seoul's version of Times Square on the screens normally reserved for advertising, sat in the middle of a blocked off, 14 lane wide crossroads, amongst hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic, but ever so polite, Koreans.

I can't wait. I was deliberating between South Korea and Japan but ultimately chose South Korea because the flights were cheaper and the cost of things is a lot less. Frugal as I wanna be. It'll be really interesting to experience the place as a weary and cynical 37 year old as opposed to a naïvely excitable youth. A week in Seoul and a few days in the ancient capital of Gyengju, "the museum without walls", is on the intended itinerary. Plus eating lots and lots and lots of Korean food. Word: Kimchi. And I'll be damned if I get Gok-ed there. Word has it the shopping is first class and dirt cheap so I may throw caution to the wind and get both trainers and jeans. Live a little!