Now, we all know I don't do the cold. So, the fact that I was out in it was somewhat amazing on its own, but add in the fact that we were taking public transportation instead of our car is another amazing feat. Songtan station was hard to find, mainly because we've never had to use the train station before, and the only one that we had ever passed was the Jinwi station which is on the way to E-mart. Parking was even harder to find, but once we did we bought out tickets and boarded the train. So, here's the thing about the train, you're not allowed to sit unless you're pregnant or old, and there's always someone trying to sell something. On our way to the Coex there was a blind man walking through the cars trying to collect money. He definitely hit my foot with his cane and he was way too close for comfort. That's a terrible thing to say, but it's true.
Two transfers later and we were there. Our first stop was TGI Fridays, and let's just say it's expensive to eat at an American chain restaurant off base. Almost all of the meat is imported, and the back of the menu tells you where everything comes from, which is good to know.
After lunch we wandered around the Coex (there's like a million different places to eat, an Apple store and tons of other electronics and clothing stores) for a while and then we decided that we were going to find the aquarium. Somehow we kept going upstairs when the aquarium is downstairs. It's actually underground, so that was pretty neat.
The aquarium turned out to be everything I thought it would be and more. It was like a mini zoo. They had manatees, seals, penguins and prairie dogs there. And tons of displays that you wouldn't normally find fish in.
The journey through the aquarium took a couple hours, so by the time we were done with that we decided to catch the train home. The ride home was and adventure all on its own. I mean it was easy enough to find the train we needed and to buy our passes, so who would've thought it would turn into an episode of The Twilght Zone. As soon as we got on the train we noticed that there really wasn't anyone else in the car with us, or on the train for that matter. I mean no big deal, I mean trains are empty all the time right? Ok, maybe not, but we start moving along and going through a tunnel and the train stops, and we're just sitting there. I'm just saying that has to be one of the scariest things, what if there was serial killer on the train, and he was so excited because he lured some stupid American tourists onto a train and he decided he was going to stop in the tunnel so he could kill us all. Clearly, I have an overactive imagination as this was not the case (Korea is actually very safe, and I have yet to see anyone that I would deem a creeper) and the train was no longer running our route and was actually in the process of changing tracks. When the train pulled back into the station it dropped us off directly across from where we had boarded so we walked back and waited for the next train.
So, the next train comes and we get on, only to notice once again, that there isn't anyone on this train either. What are the odds of getting on two trains that aren't going anywhere? This time we definitely sat in the tunnel a lot longer than before. Once the train dropped us off again, we walked across and waited for the next one. This time a whole bunch of people boarded with us and we were on our way. Two transfers later, and what is supposed to be our stop, we notice that at some point in time the train ended up switching tracks and we are now once again going in the wrong direction. So, we had to switch trains, again. By some small miracle, we actually made it home that night. But, I don't know if I'll be taking the train again. I think I'll stick to the bus.
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