Soul of Seoul 1

This is a short story of our trip to Korea. This is but part 1.

So we were at Incheon airport, South Korea. Everybody else is out through immigration. Now its time for yours truly to get visa stamped. So I go to the counter and give my passport and boarding ticket to the lady. She looks at me up and down. And i am looking practically devilish with a four day's growth of stubble (it was almost a beard) on my face. She sees the passport. Back to my face. And this being my very first trip abroad. What a dumb thing to do, huh? So she asks me a couple of questions of why, what, when and where. And then, horror of all horrors, I am sent to this 'special room' without my visa getting stamped.

I go there and see a lot of people sitting around. And there one more lady asks for the invitation letter. Of course, I don't have it. But luckily I have my laptop with me which has a copy of the invitation sent to me. So I open the laptop and show the letter to the lady there (immigration officer?). And then pro actively I give the name of our Business partner's name and number to her and explain how important it is for me to be in Seoul for the next few days.

I was told to sit in one of the numerous chairs there. She keeps speaking Korean to this guy and that guy here and there. I don't understand anything. As I was sitting there I saw so many people being brought here for the same reason as I was. That was funny. Hehehehe. All I knew was that they cannot reject my visa on my birthday. I know how illogical that sounds. But that was what running through my mind anyway. I casually walk towards the door and see both Senthil and Anoop looking at me from afar with serious eyes. I wave and smile with what I assumed was a confident smile (I hope).

And then this female is speaking to someone on the phone. I heard one word that was meaningful to me and that was the name of the company we were visiting. So I assumed she was speaking to someone to verify the company. Anyway, after half an hour or so she stamped something and asked me to come with her. I open the passport and find that YES, I am finally in Seoul.

So we take all our bags and go out where I find Mr. Kim running towards me and shouting my name. That was just wonderful. Only then we come to know that it was he who the lady was speaking to on the phone.

That was a one hell of an entry into a foreign land on my very first abroad trip. Unforgettable!!!

Next - Antics in the plane