Smells of Seoul

Everything smells very strongly. Not only bad smells - hot and spicy and sweet and humid ones too. But there are quite a few over-ripe odours. I felt it as soon as I got off the plane. I had heard this said by Japanese people many times and thought it was just racist prejudice. Turns out it’s either true or I’m bigoted. I hope it’s the former.
The trains are so cheap. A one-and-a-half hour journey from the airport cost about 4 euro. In Japan the same trip would be like triple at least.
I wasn’t that excited about coming to Seoul. I thought it would just be ‘Tokyo Lite.’ And while from afar it many look a little like Tokyo, when you get up close it’s more of a South East Asian country. I’d compare it more to Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh. But even that’s not fair. The place absolutely has its own unique character. It’s mad and mixed up, hectic and dirty, stimulating and sticky. It’s far more interesting and fun than I’d hoped (oh yeah, and did I mention pungent?).