It was not until the next morning when I woke up that I could appreciate the fact that we were lucky enough to choose our own quarantine location.
Look at this view from the 61st floor!
We were able to look away for almost 60 km (on bright days of course).
our quarantine
For the next 14 days, we had a mandatory holiday and had to spend our days together in this serviced apartment. Fortunately, we had a large living with an open kitchen, and 3 bedrooms, and only the twins had to share a room.
Our suite faced east-south-east, and as an early riser, this meant I was greeted by the sun most mornings (see some of the pics below).
Oakwood is situated in a building, called “the Posco Tower” which overlooks Central Park. It is 305 meters high, and the 4th highest building in South Korea.
It also meant that many times when we were bathing in the sunshine above the clouds, people in the streets were hidden from view by low-hanging clouds.
So we had a three-bedroom apartment of 165 sqm or 1,773 sqft located on the 61st floor, with spectacular views of the cityscape and iconic landmarks, like the Incheon Bridge. It was furnished with high-quality oriental décor, fine furnishing, and premium amenities. We could indulge in a pampering soak in the tub or the therapeutic steam sauna, rejuvenate our senses with a refreshing shower and unwind in ultimate comfort in the lavish bedrooms, each fitted with a 40-inch TV and plush bedding – in our case a king, queen, and two singles – and fine linens (source of text: website of Oakwood Premier).
The apartment was equipped with a western-style kitchen with a microwave and convection oven; a 48-inch TV with multi-channel cable service; a comprehensive entertainment system; as well a dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer.
Two times a week cleaning ladies would come to change the beds, and do the cleaning of bathrooms, etcetera. It was also our first acquaintance with the Korean re-cycle system. There were 4 containers for food waste, paper, plastic, and waste that was neither of the three. Food waste went into a pink bag, and the latter went into a white bag. We later learned that these bags had to be bought in the supermarket.
Here are some pictures of the apartment.
First time outside
The rules were clear, we were to stay in our apartment for 14 days, but we were also allowed to go out for a walk, or to get necessary (food) stuff, which I tried to do on Sunday, the day after we arrived. We did not know yet about this custom in Songdo that supermarkets are closed on the second and fourth Sunday of the month. It was cold outside, and the supermarket called LotteMart was closed. Still, it was nice to get some fresh air!
Little did I know that in order to go shopping in LotteMart I could have gone through the underground garage, which is directly connected to LotteMart, thus avoiding any undesirable weather conditions.
Here are some pictures from the neighborhood.
Sunrise Sunrise Sunrise Statue at Michuhol Park Convensia from above Statues in front of Convensia Statues in front of the Convention Center and Posco Tower in background
The first thing to do was unpack the suitcases, although… we did not intend to stay any longer than necessary because Oakwood is not a cheap hotel. So, hopefully, we would be able to leave after 14 days to go into our own apartment.
Well, eventually our first Sunday in Songdo became a nice, lazy Sunday. There was some coffee and tea, there were some bread rolls, all provided by the hotel, so we would survive our first day.
We only unpacked the necessary stuff and kept the suitcases flat on the floor as our personal cupboards. Ready to grab whatever and whenever we needed it.
So we settled. We set up our computers, we watched television, we studied the maps of Songdo, and once or twice a day I got out to get some fresh air, take a walk or do some shopping. Oh yeah, and I studied Korean through YouTube.
It was time to look for a nice place to rent!
