Remembering The Korean War...

Barely a minute from the Lincoln Memorial lies the Korean War Veterans Memorial, dedicated to the veterans of the Korean War of the 1950s...

The monument has 19 stainless steel statues, each about 7 feet tall. The figures represent a platoon on patrol, drawn from each branch of the armed forces. Fourteen of the figures are from the United States Army, three are from the Marine Corps, one from the navy and one from the air force. They are dressed in full combat gear, dispersed among strips of granite and juniper bushes representing the rugged Korean terrain, where the brave men fought resisting the Communist onslaught...

Flowers from Korea...

Colours of autumn are setting in...

Another aircraft on its approach - a Southwest Boeing 737...

And a mention of India - we had provided medical support for the joint United Nations force that defended Korea...

Melbourne Ahoy!

After an exciting, extended round of Plane Spotting at Incheon, thanks to the delay caused by Typhoon Nida, we finally boarded...

And I am flew Cathay Pacific from Incheon to Hong Kong with a short connection on to the Cathay Pacific red-eye flight to Melbourne...

Settling in at Incheon after boarding with some IFE - Hong Kong's newspapers - the South China Morning Post and The Standard...

Hong Kongers got two-days off and Chep Lap Kok was closed due to Typhoon Nida, but the SCMP reports that HK is quickly back on its feet, much in the same way that Mumbai bounced back in no time after the cloudburst in 2005. I can say the energy and vibrancy of cities like Hong Kong and Mumbai is unmatched...

There is no fun being in East Asia without a dose of spicy geopolitics. Recently South Korea deployed the American anti missile THAAD system to protect against attacks from North Korea. China saw that as an infringement of their sovereignty (O really? Is North Korea Chinese territory?) and went on a diplomatic offensive, and initiative was censoring Korean soaps (Descendants of the Sun, included) and K-Pop...

Ouch... that would have pained the Chinese!

I had a short connection at Chep Lap Kok - just under two hours. But we took off from Incheon with a delay of nearly 75 minutes, eating into the connection time. The lovely Cathay stewardesses assured me that due to tailwinds, the flight time into Hong Kong would be shorter by 30 minutes and they would message the ground staff at Chep Lap Kok to accommodate me, if we get late further.

Thankfully, the flight landed in Hong Kong as the stewardess assured me but taxiing to the gate took long. Luckily, she got the ground staff to arrange a fast forward for me as we deplaned. That's classic hospitality, Asian style!

I made it to my gate - Gate 71 just in time - boarding was already half-done. The staff confirmed that my checked-in bags were already loaded! I was amazed by Cathay's efficiency here - they transferred bags within 45 minutes, which is amazing! And I was good to board...

The flight into Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport would take about 10 hours. And for me that is 10 hours of undisturbed sleep and relaxation after weeks of long sleepless nights in Songdo, with no IFE. But for other passengers, it was going to be an interesting night of entertainment on Cathay's IFE!

Plane Spotting as we taxiied. And there is the beauty from Plaisance - Air Mauritius' Airbus A340. And who can forget that lovely flight Neeti and I had on their A340 christened Cardinal from Plaisance to Mumbai way back in October 2005!

Air China Boeing 737...

A grainy shot of a Thai Airbus A330 and a Cathay Pacific Airbus A330 in their new livery...

Cathay Pacific Boeing 777...

As we taxi towards the runway, I am reminded of the quote: "A mile of highway will take you a mile, A mile of runway will take you anywhere!"

The flight path - we would overfly Filipino and Indonesian airspace before we enter Australia over the Northern Territory...

Taking off from Chep Lap Kok...

A lovely view of Hong Kong...

Ships below us making their way to Victoria Harbour...

And it's time for me to catch up on some sleep. I hope to wake up early and watch the sunrise. Till then happy snoozing!

Commemorating The Incheon Landing...

After exploring the serenity of Heungryunsa Temple, we walked next door to the memorial commemorating the landing of the United Nations forces during September 15-19, 1950, which led to the recapture of Seoul from the Communist forces of North Korea, China and the Soviet Union.

The Incheon Landing Operation Memorial Hall is a war memorial hall built to commemorate the anniversary of the opening of Incheon Port in 1984. The memorial centers on the successful Incheon landing operation which was led by the United Nations Commander in Chief General McArthur during the Korean War...

Murals commemorate the Korea War that led to establishment of peace on the peninsula...

The memorial honors the sixteen nations, mainly allies of the United States who helped repulse the Communist onslaught...

A battle tank that was during the war...

An amphibious vehicle that was used in the Incheon landing operations...

The landing operations began on September 15, 1950 and ended on September 19, 1950. The United Nations and South Korean forces had been forced to retreat to Busan, with most of the territory of South Korea coming under the North Korean command. Even around Busan, the North Koreans looked formidable, with few options for the defenders. The United Nations forces were faced with a Hobson's Choice. To regain control of South Korea, they had to strike back decisively in the middle of the peninsula.

The United Nations forces launched a surprise amphibious assault around the largely undefended city of Incheon. The Incheon landing turned the tide of the Korean War leading and ended the string of victories by the invading North Koreans and led to the recapture of Seoul.

The United Nations and South Korean forces were commanded by General Douglas MacArthur of the United States Army. He was the driving force behind the operation, overcoming the strong concerns of more cautious generals to a risky assault over extremely unfavorable terrain around Incheon.

An anti-aircraft gun used in the operations...

The Hawk guided missile...

A sculpture depicting American Marines climbing a sea wall at Manseok-dong to being the operation!

An F-86F Sabre fighter which was deployed during the Korean War by the Americans... 

Later in 1955, this fighter was acquired by the Korean Air Force...

As we entered the exhibit hall, we were greeted by a volunteer, who was a war veteran. When he got to know we are from India, his face lit up. He said India had provided timely medical assistance and oversaw the exchange of POWs during the war. And he mentioned that he has a lot of respect for India because of our support. Besides India, a few other nations - Denmark, Italy, Israel, Norway and Sweden had also provided medical aid...

Seeing India's flag and hearing the veteran's appreciation made us feel immensely proud...

The various stages of the Korean War...

General McArthur leading the operations...

A South Korean army fatigue from the 1950s...

The blockade during the landing operation depicted on a model...

A bust of General McArthur...

Battle fatigues...

Winter uniform...

From the memorial, we drove to Korea's only Chinatown  located in the old Incheon port area. This habitation came into being with the opening of the Incheon Port in 1883. Incheon was then designated as an external territory of the Chinese Qing Dynasty. Ethnic Chinese came here as traders importing goods from China, but today most Chinese businesses here are restaurants. 

It was apparent that unlike Chinatowns elsewhere not all traditional cultures of the first generation have been preserved, the Koreanization was apparent.

Wonder what this was supposed to mean in Chinatown?

Oh no, Hello Kitty again...