November 07, 2009. After just a day in Busan, we proceeded to Seoul via the Korea Train Express or KTX. The high-speed train, running as fast as 300 kph took us to Seoul, almost 550 kilometers away (more or less the distance between Manila and Cebu or Manila and Ilocos), in less than three hours. The train was apparently only inaugurated in 2004.

Speaking of trains, apparently, all Korean cities and many towns have well developed public transit systems. In fact, the Seoul-Incheon subway system is one of the largest in the world, with over 300 stations. It’s something that we weren’t able to try out, riding the subway. Nonetheless, such an extensive subway system must make commuting to any point of destination in the metropolis a convenience. It’s something I wish we could have in Manila, but with the billions of dollars that it might cost, it may just be wishful thinking. For now, we have to make do with streets congested with public and private vehicles.

Upon arriving in Seoul and while trying to figure out how we can get to our hotel, I took some pictures around the vicinity of the big train station. There was a small rally being held nearby, calling for the unification of North and South Korea, in favor of the dominance of South Korean democracy, of course. All the other people were going by their own ways, most of them in a rush.