Sinpo-dong

Getting down from the boat in Incheon, my first feeling is... joy and excitement of having access again to full internet and all the "tools" that make you feel like you are connected : WhatsApp with sound and images, a proper search engine, emails, uncensored news... I guess I can no longer call myself a "neo-ludite".

I hope onto my bike to reach a hotel between Incheon and Seoul. The urban environment is less aseptic than in China, but in a good sense. Everything seems easy-going and welcoming, just because it looks more ..."normal". Less clean and perfect but designed on a human scale : along the streets, one can see many little cafes and eateries but also second-hand/ vintage stores and repair shops, the latest two you are unlikely to find in China...
It feels like a relief to cycle through little winding streets, after the excessively large, straight and identical chinese avenues. The cars are noisier and pollute more (less electric or hybrid cars), but even this rejoices me ! At last, I am back to the normal, maybe ugly but...real world. There are also lots of cycling lanes, even though I do not use them all (just like in France they are sometimes ill-designed, bumpy with the roots of old trees, and unpractical, when shared with many pedestrians on the sidewalks). After half an hour (and even though a grandma at the money exchange tried to scam me), I think I already like South Korea.Read more