Day 1–Heading to South Korea

I awoke early this morning. My internal clock must want me to always be on time. However, it is a bit excessive…I took my shower at 3 AM.

My sister willingly took me to the airport. I mean, 4:45 isn’t 3:00, but who really wants to start the day that early??? Thank you, Sarah!

We made it easily to the airport, and I made it through security. As a disclosure, I am incredibly fortunate to fly standby. It allows me to watch flights and adjust my plans accordingly.

I started my day booked to Detroit then South Korea, but I saw better potential on the Seoul flight if I flew to Seattle. The only problem…only one seat remained from Kansas City to Seattle. I decided (with sweaty palms) that I’d cancel and rebook to Seattle anyway.

When I arrived at the Seattle gate, I sat down to wait out the process. And…in the time it took me to walk to the gate from security, availability dropped to zero 😬. In those instances, all I can do is try not to stress and wait it out. Maybe something will open up.

As luck would have it, an old acquaintance from college recognized me. He and his wife were traveling to Seattle to visit their son for the first time since the son and his wife moved. Catching up with them took my mind off of the flight, and I was virtually stress-free.

As the last family was boarding, I thought I was cleared. I started to board and realized it hadn’t happened yet. I apologized and backed away. The manager told me not to worry because I would make it on. They just had to convert me from standby to passenger.

My carryon, however, would have to be checked to Seoul. I asked if I could pick it up in Seattle (long layover), but that wasn’t possible; it had to go to the final destination, Seoul. I had already packed a change of clothes and pjs in my backpack, so I wasn’t largely worried. If you remember my last trip though, you’ll know we checked Adella’s bag, and it went missing.

My final flight will take me to Vietnam, but my trip to Seoul and my trip to Vietnam are not linked. Worst case scenario: if my bag did NOT make it to Korea before the 18th, I might not be able to forward it to Vietnam. As far as Delta knew, I was just flying to South Korea. The likelihood of this happening would be slim, but I err on the side of caution. At least I’d have two outfits to wear 😁. I decided not to worry and boarded the plane with my carryon waiting at the bottom of the jet bridge.

I was getting myself situated when the best thing happened. The manager of the gate spoke to the flight attendant about my bag (they knew I had been standby), and they had just enough room to fit my bag on the plane 🥰—not as checked baggage. I recognized they went above and beyond actions and thanked them both profusely. Both just nodded and smiled.

The flight to Seattle went smoothly, and just as it was about to end, that amazing flight attendant stopped by again. She handed me a snack box, so I had nourishment while I waited for my connection. I’m sure she saw the gratitude on my face, as I know she saw my look shock. Side note: small acts of kindness touch me tremendously. I will likely tell of her goodness for weeks to come.

Once we landed, I decided to walk the airport. I had heard that KC went all out with World Cup decorations, and I wanted to see how Seattle celebrated.

Okay, there was a huge soccer ball (too many people sitting in front of it for a picture) entry that led to a waiting area with a big tv, but nothing else stood out. I do believe the Kansas City airport blew Seattle away with their decorations. Kansas City even dressed up the men and women on the bathroom signs. Anyway…

As time drew nigh to board the next flight, I took another walk (code for bathroom). I identified the plane and gate, took a pic, finished my “walk”, and waited for my name to be called.

If you haven’t guessed by now, I received the best long haul gift ever—Delta One. My seat, 7B, looked out the window, and I could see their enormity of the engine (probably not the correct word). Of course, the reason I love Delta One is not for the view.

For those of you who have never flown Delta One, I’d like to share some of the benefits. First, you have your own cabin. When food service ends, you pull up a latch and a door closes for privacy.

You are gifted a toiletry bag (mask, ear plugs, lotion, toothpaste, toothbrush, lip balm, socks) and slippers.

Also sitting at your spot is a menu. Today the options included chicken, a vegetarian dish, and Korean favorites. Mid-flight warm chocolate chip cookies arrive, and just before landing, quiche, waffles, or a regional favorite is offered. Here’s a look at my food.

The best part of Delta One though includes the seat. It converts to a bed. I know I fell asleep, but I tried to stay awake as I knew I’d arrive at night. I always try to combat jet lag. Sadly, that one to two hours of sleep has made it nearly impossible for me to sleep now. I’m writing this at 4:38am Korea time.

Korean customs was fast and simple. While booking my flight in Kansas City, I had been directed to an online entrance form. I filled that out. Then while on the plane, a flight attendant provided the second form needed. I had to fill that out by hand.

As I exited the secured area, someone took my paper form. The line after that moved quickly. No visa is needed for a U.S. citizen, so they scanned my passport, looked for the linked online form, took my fingerprints and a photo, and waved me through. It was great.

My credit card had enough points that I was able to cover the cost of my entire two night hotel stay. When I booked it, I filtered it to hotels that had an airport shuttle. Well…mine said that, but it wasn’t true. Instead, a bus line would take me directly to the hotel.

Friends, I stink at buses. Stink, stink, stink. In Kansas City we have no subway, and I only ever ride yellow school buses, so I have never been an expert.

My goal was to get a bus 6004 as it stopped right in front of the hotel. When I went to the automated ticketing, I typed in Guro, and bus 6003 popped up. I imagined the hotel would be close, so I went for it…ha!

The perk of my inadequacies is meeting great people. The lady in line behind me was Canadian. She teaches English in South Korea and was headed to the other airport for a flight to her teaching assignment. She correctly chose 6003. People don’t talk on buses, so we whispered. She had so many wonderful insights. If nothing else, my bus ride was awesome because of meeting her.

After a long drive, the bus driver finally said Guro. I got off and entered the hotel in my GPS. Google said there was no good walking directions to give. I saw a mall, so I tried to find help. These two ladies translated my phone (address of hotel). Then, one woman walked me outside and raised her hand. She then said “taxi”. She was telling me what to do, so I tried.

Spoiler: I don’t know how to do taxis either. I stopped one but couldn’t communicate effectively. He ended up driving away. What was I going to do? I decided I could use Uber. Yes! I could pay and give the address in the app and not have to struggle with communicating. Whew! What a relief to finally figure it out.

The driver took me about two miles and easily dropped me off. My adventure for the day had ended and I was safely tucked away in my hotel.