Mexico Travel Diary 01: From Incheon to Vancouver, the Start of a Long Journey

The Start of the Journey, and the Reality

Although this was a trip planned long in advance, the traces of daily routine did not easily fade until the moment I boarded the airport railroad. It was only when I arrived at Incheon International Airport, cleared immigration, and stood in front of the boarding gate holding my passport and boarding pass that it finally felt real. It was the moment I stepped out of my familiar life in Seoul and into an unfamiliar time zone and language.

Mexico City, my final destination, was still far away. It was a distance that required crossing the Pacific, transferring at Vancouver, and flying south again. Facing a long journey with two separate flights, excitement was mixed with the quiet fatigue of long-haul travel. Yet, a journey does not begin when you arrive at your destination; it starts the very moment you leave your familiar everyday life.

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Route Overview

This journey is a long path through the skies starting from South Korea, crossing Canada, and ending in Mexico. This first chapter covers the departure from Incheon and the arrival at the transit point, Vancouver International Airport.

[Incheon (ICN)] ── (Flight 1) ──> [Vancouver (YVR)] ── (Flight 2) ──> [Mexico City (MEX)]
                                  *Current Leg*

📍 Location Details

Item	Incheon International Airport (ICN)	Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
Role	Departure Airport	Transit Airport
Coordinates	37.463333, 126.440002	49.193333, -123.175659
Map	View Incheon Airport Map	View Vancouver Airport Map

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Leaving Korea

The announcement for boarding echoed through the terminal, and I followed the line of passengers into the cabin of the Air Canada aircraft. Navigating the narrow aisle, I found my seat, organized my luggage, and settled in. I took a deep breath as the familiar tarmacs and control towers of Incheon Airport slowly drifted away through the window. For the next several hours, my time would be spent in the sky rather than on the ground. The heavy vibration of the engines hummed under my feet as the aircraft began its taxi.

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First Meal Above the Pacific

Once the aircraft climbed to its cruising altitude and the seatbelt sign was turned off, the cabin crew began their service. On long-haul flights, meal times are more than just about filling an empty stomach. They are a welcome pause in the monotonous flow of hours spent in a confined seat, briefly resetting one's senses.

The first meal tray consisted of warm beef with mashed potatoes, cooked vegetables, a bread roll, and water. A small pack of kimchi on the side caught my attention. Encountering a familiar Korean taste inside a foreign carrier provides an unexpected sense of comfort. I ate slowly, recharging the energy needed for the long flight ahead.

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A Small Taste of Canada

After the meal was cleared and the cabin lights dimmed, I tried to sleep, but rest did not come easily. In the dry, quiet air of the cabin, I asked the flight attendant for a Canadian beer.

The can served was Molson Canadian, one of Canada's representative beer brands. Pouring the cold beer into a plastic cup, I took a sip, imagining the air of Canada—a country I had yet to set foot in—through the taste of the drink. In the quiet cabin slicing through the night sky, the crisp carbonation slowly eased my tension.

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Morning Inside the Cabin

After repeating cycles of light sleep and waking over several hours, the cabin window gradually began to show signs of light. The flight attendants turned on the cabin lights and began preparing the breakfast service. Time inside an airplane operates independently of real-world time zones, where morning and night are determined by the artificial lights of the cabin.

The breakfast menu featured scrambled eggs, bacon, roasted baby potatoes, and mushrooms. It was accompanied by a sweet fruit cup, a roll, and water. Moving my stiff body slightly, I finished the warm meal. Having breakfast made me realize that we were finally close to our first transit point, Vancouver.

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Before Reaching Vancouver

Shortly after the breakfast trays were cleared, the captain announced preparations for landing at Vancouver International Airport. The long first leg of our flight was coming to a close.

Outside the window, the landscape of Canada's western coast slowly emerged. Seeing the land stretch beneath the clouds after hours of empty ocean brought a sense of relief despite the exhaustion.

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Completing the First Stage

Vancouver was not my final destination. It was merely a temporary transit point where I would stay for a few hours before departing for Mexico City. Yet, the moment I stepped off the plane onto Canadian soil after leaving Korea, the abstract journey to Mexico became a tangible reality. Having left behind my familiar time zone and everyday language, my journey was already well underway.

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Next Story: Mexico Travel Diary 02 — Vancouver Transit to Mexico City