KY in Korea

With Cebu Pacific's Piso Fare Promo, I was again able to travel out of the country. This time, to one of the most popular countries to visit in Asia - South Korea. With the promo, and a lot of patience, we got our airfare ticket for only 5,361.55 PHP per person.

Being on a budget, we had to look for an inexpensive place where we can stay for 5 nights. Friends have recommended guesthouses. On top of my selection criteria is the location, the price, and a private CR. As I was doing my search, most of the guesthouses are around the same price - affordable enough, but our problem was the common CR. With more patience, I was able to find one in the heart of Seoul - Kimchee Myeongdong Guesthouse. At 55,000 KRW per night for a Double Private Room (good for 2), we were able to book 5 nights for only 275,000 KRW, without any deposit! We just had to pay in cash upon arrival. The room is quite small, but it was clean and good enough for a night's rest. The CR was also small, but each room has its own private CR and that's what matters to us. There are times when we would hear sounds from the other room, but these didn't bother us once we fell asleep. The staff Martin was also very friendly. He would always greet us in the morning before we go on our trip, and at night when we come back. He's always joyful and excited to see us. We were just very tired each night that we regret not having enough conversations with him. As for the location, the place is just a 3-minute walk away from the Seoul Subway Euljiro 3-ga Station (with Green Line 2 and Orange Line 3) so it's very accessible.


ITINERARY:
DAY 1- Departure from Manila/Arrival in South Korea 
Arriving at past 9:00 PM in Incheon Airport, we had to travel for about an hour to Myeongdong, Seoul. There are actually 2 ways to reach our guesthouse - via the AREX (Airport Rail Express) or the Airport Limousine Bus 6015. We chose the latter which cost us 10,000 KRW per person. We got down at bus stop Euljiro Ib-gu, which was around a 10-minute walk to our guesthouse. It has a sign out front so it's not that hard to look for the place, though the GPS helped us too.

DAY 2 - Everland 
The Everland is by far the largest outdoor theme park I've been to (Note: I've only gone to PH theme parks, Sentosa, USS, HK Disneyland, and HK Ocean Park). The entrance ticket is at 35,000 KRW for foreigners. The price is higher for the locals! There were a lot of rides, a lot of garden and flowers, and places to eat. There's also a mini-zoo and we even got to feed those colorful birds!

DAY 3 - Nami Island; Lotte World
Nami Island entrance is at 8,000 KRW. The place became famous (I think) because of the Korean series Winter Sonata. Though I haven't watch the series and can't exactly relate to specific spots where love was shot, I definitely loved the place! If we would have come just a little later (like a month after), then the leaves would probably be more colorful. There are spots in the island that's so serene. There are spots full of activities. There are so many things to do in the island, and lots of choices for food too.
If you plan to visit Nami Island (and it's highly recommended that you do), it's best to leave early in the morning as there are a lot of people visiting the place and it may get crowded. The train ride is around 2-3 hours from Myeongdong. And the ferry is just around 5-10 minutes.

We stayed in the island until 4p.m. and got back to the city around 7p.m. Just to be able to say that we've been to Lotte World, we dropped by at around 8:00p.m. We got a huge discount as the prices go down the later you come. First discount is at 4:00p.m., and next is at 7:00p.m. we only paid 18,000 KRW for ride-all-you-can. This themepark as an indoor one, located inside Lotte Mall. It's like Story Land here in Manila, only bigger, wilder, and more fun.

DAY 4 - Seoul City Tour via Hop-On Hop-Off Bus
The Seoul City Tour Bus, operating from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, is a great way to tour around the city of Seoul. There are actually 4 kind of tours - the Downtown Tour, Palace Tour, and two Night Tours. Price differs for each of the tours. We took the Downtown Tour, priced at 12,000 KRW which stops on the ff:
Gwanghwamun Gate --> Deoksugung Palace --> Namdaemun Market --> Seoul Station --> USO --> Yongsan Station --> National Museum of Korea --> War Memorial of Korea --> US Army Youngsan Base --> Itaewon --> Crown Hotel --> Myeongdong --> Namsangol Traditional Korean Village --> Grand Ambassador Hotel --> National Theater --> Namsan Seoul Tower --> Hyatt Hotel --> Shilla Hotel --> Dongdaemun Market --> Daehangno --> Changgyungung --> Changdeokgung --> Insadong --> ChongWaDae --> National Folk Museum of Korea --> Gyeongbokgung Palace --> Sejong Center for the Performing Arts

We only hopped off at certain spots due to time constraint. If you would really want to visit all these places and spend some time in each place, it is suggested that you get the 2-day ticket.

More than the ability to go through many places in a day or two, the bus includes a record for each seat that narrates something about the next stop. It even comes in different languages. Hop-On Hop-Off tickets are available at Gwanghwamun Station (in front of the police station).

DAY 5 - Suwon City; Gyeongbokgung Palace, Dongdaemun Market
Suwon city is my personal favorite. Though Suwon City is an hour of train ride, it's all worth it! This was a very peaceful, relaxing and happy place. We went inside Hwaseong Haenggung Palace and paid 1,500KRW. We also visited the Hwaseong Fortress (which is like a mini great wall). We even took a rest at one hut that overlooks the city.

Because we were not able to arrive on time at Gyeongbokgung Palace the previous day, and because it's a must to visit at least one palace, we headed to Gyeongbokgung  station after our day at Suwon. As we weren't too tired for the day, we proceeded to Dongdaemun Market to shop a little for our pasalubong.

DAY 6 - Shop for pasalubong at Myeongdong 
Day 6 went by a little fast as it's time to go back to Manila in the evening. :( The check-out time was at 12noon, but since our flight is still at night, we checked out earlier than the said time, and left our packed baggage at the lobby before we head off to Myeongdong. We spent the day mostly wrapping up our pasalubong.

FOOD:

The food in Korea is really delicious. It's healthy, and at the same time yummy. Most of the Korean restaurants however are in Korean so I can't share the names here as I was not able to take them down. We also tried fast food - and my travel buddy loved the KFC there. It's really crispy and fresh, and huge! You don't even need a gravy (they actually don't have it) to enjoy you finger lickin' good chicken.

Below are some pics of the food we ate:
The Galbi and Bibimbap are really a must try.

SHOPPING / GIFTS / PASALUBONG
There are lost of stuffs to buy in Korea. They have products for the skin everywhere! Plus, there's always a freebie whenever you buy something.
Myeongdong, Itaewon, Namdaemum, Dongdaemun, and Insadong.
For our pasalubong to officemates, family, and relatives, we bought the ff:
Nature Republic Hand Sanitizer (in various scents) at 2,000 KRW each
Pepero Snacks at 1,000 KRW each
Chewable and Gummy Candies at 500-700 KRW each
Shirts with Korean prints at 4,000 KRW each

For my personal shopping, I got a pair of grey boots worth 38,000 KRW. It's not really very cheap, but I liked the style. I really loved all the styles of shoes in Korea. Why can't we have them here in the Philippines? :s

FINDING MY SOUL IN SEOUL
It really felt like I found my soul in Seoul.
I love that Korea is a very successful country (the home of Samsung and LG Technology) and yet it remains in tune with its culture. There were many free performances - dances, taekwondo, changing of the guards, at most of the tourist spots. There are even places where you can see the youth practicing these willingly.
I love that couples in Korea are very proud to proclaim their love. Couples usually wear what is called a couple shirt. But it's not just the shirt. We saw one couple who wears the same....everything! From head to toe, one can't deny they are a couple. Guys hold their ladies and appear very proud to have them.
I love the  Subway train song. It always lifts up my spirit. How I wish I can ride the Seoul Subway to work everyday! Haha. And so I just downloaded the MP3 so I can listen to it and still feel like I'm in Korea.
I love how Koreans dress - kids, teens, adults, including the elederly are clothed in their own trends. It's not the fact that they all look fashionable, for me it's actually more of how confident they look with whatever it is they are wearing. And people don't care! The public won't stare if you wear a neon colored pants, if you wear boots on an ordinary day, or if you wear rubber shoes with your slacks! And more than confidence, they look so comfortable.
I love the friendliness in the air. No, they are not like Filipinos who may give you a smile all the time, they don't. But they talk to you. Out of nowhere, someone will just ask us where are we from, what are we there for, where are we staying, always wanting to make conversations. Someone even asked us out for a drink (though that didn't sound that good :s)
I love the Incheon Airport - it's so huge, and bright, and clean. But I hated the feeling I got when I was last there - the feeling that I was about to lose a part of my soul as I was leaving the place. :(

Seoul, Korea is a must-visit city, country. I haven't been to many places but like many (if not all) of my friends, I also fell in love with Korea. I know you will too!

Note:
Because there are so many blogs and sites available for the specifics of the places we've visited, I didn't elaborate on each. You may visit the ff. for more details (most helpful sites for me):
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/intro.html
http://www.wanderrgirl.com/2012/11/how-to-get-a-korean-visa-for-filipinos
http://www.chyngreyes.com/2012/10/south-korea-visa-application-aprub.html

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Summary & Reflection:
A story that begins with the end; A fiction that cuts through the heart - The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a story about Eddie's journey to heaven, as he meets the five people that will make him understand his life on earth.

Person 1 - Blue Man
Lesson 1 - "That there are no random acts. That we are all connected. That you can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind."
The Blue Man, a sideshow worker at Ruby Pier, was unexpectedly connected to Eddie through one of life's most unfortunate moment - death. The first lesson, as the Blue Man tells, is that we are all connected, that one small act affects another in a totally unexpected manner, and that one story when seen in a different perspective may turn out to have a totally different ending. Reading this, I remember the series Touch, and how this thin red thread connects us all. We just don't realize it, and may never come to know how specifically, but we definitely are connected to each other, even though geographically apart, or even an era apart.

Person 2 - The Captain
Lesson 2 - "Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you're not really losing it. You're only passing it on to someone else."
The Captain - Eddie's Captain when he once served in war, was that one person who saved Eddie's life, not once but twice. The first instance was from a burning hut, and with a bullet shot through his leg - an act with a lifetime effect and memory.  The second instance was from an explosion of a land mine that took the captain's life but saved his men's lives. Both of these remained unknown to Eddie until his death.
Having shared this so, the Captain had no regrets. He wasn't even sorry. The same goes with most sacrifices in life. The true sacrifices are the ones where something is given up for another's benefit without any second thought about what might be lost. Because as the Captain says so, it's not really lost but only passed on.

Person 3 - Ruby

Lesson 3  - "Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from inside. We think that hating is a weapon that attacks the person who harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves."

Unlike the other people Eddie meets in heaven, Ruby is a person who has not really met Eddie in person while on earth. In fact, she lived in a time before Eddie's own time. Ruby is to whom the Ruby Pier (the pier where Eddie worked) was once dedicated to. Though unknown to each other, they were related and affected by the mere existence of one times ago.  She was the one who teaches Eddie one of the most important lessons in life - letting go of anger, as she showed to him a story of his father that was again unknown to him.
Sometimes, it's easy to let our emotions take over. It's hard to simply contain it, and much harder to simply let go. But sometimes we also have to pause and take a look at how a certain emotion is ruling our life. And then maybe, that's when we'll realize how destructive some of them are, and how it will make life better if we can just let it slip away.

Person 4 - Marguerite

Lesson 4 - "Lost love is still love, Eddie. It takes a different form, that's all."
Marguerite is Eddie's love - his one and only love. And when Marguerite died, Eddie somehow died too. He simply survived but he forgot to live.
They say that 'it's better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.' And this is true. A love may be lost to death, to an opportunity, or to someone else. But that's still love. And simply losing it doesn't change that fact.

Person 5 - Tala
Lesson 5 - "Is where you were supposed to be."

Tala was the shadow in the earlier chapters - a shadow that somehow caused Eddie the pain he's carried through life. A shadow, now a person, was just a child who died in the fire, that Eddie tried to save. Tala, a small girl was the one who assures Eddie that while he may have lived his life thinking that life would have been much better somewhere else, he is actually where he is supposed to be - to serve his purpose well - to protect small children and keep them safe, even if he may have missed one during the war.
Many times in our life, we wonder and ask if we are right where we are supposed to be. Sometimes there are regrets, and the question "what could have been" and "if only" surfaces. We may not realize it but sometimes I guess we just have to trust that we are planted right where we can serve our purpose on earth. It may not be the purpose we have in mind, but by simply being where we are and simply doing what we do, we are already serving our life's purpose.

It was actually my second time to read this book. But just the same, I can't help the tears from flowing chapter to chapter, lesson to lesson, as stories once unknown on earth get revealed in heaven.

Makes me think....who could be the five people we'll meet in heaven?

Other Favorite Quotes:

"But all endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time."

"No story sits by itself. Sometimes stories meet at corners and sometimes they cover one another completely, like stones beneath a river."

"But the running boy is inside every man, no matter how old he gets."

"People often belittle the place where they were born. But heaven can be found in the most unlikely corners."

"Each of us was in your life for a reason. You may not have known the reason at that time, and that is what heaven is for. For understanding your life on earth."

"People think of heaven as a paradise garden, a place where they can float in clouds and laze in rivers and mountains. But a scenery without solace is meaningless."

"This is the greatest gift God can give you: to understand what happened in your life. To have it explained. It is the peace you have been searching for."

"Take one story, viewed from two different angles. It is the same day, the same moment, but one angle ends happily, ..., and the other ends badly,..."

"Fairness does not govern life and death. If it did, no good person would ever die young."

"It is because the human spirit knows deep down, that all lives intersect. That death doesn't just take someone, it misses someone else, and in the small distance between being taken and being missed, lives are changed."

"Strangers are just family you have yet to come to know."

"No life is a waste, the only time we waste is the time we spend thinking we are alone."

"It's the thinking that gets you killed."

"War could bond men like a magnet, but like a magnet it could repel them too."

"In the middle of a big war, you go looking for a small idea to believe in. When you find one, you hold it the way a soldier holds his crucifix when he's praying in a foxhole."

"Time is not what you think. Dying? Not the end of everything. We think it is. But what happened on earth is only the beginning."

"But our eyes are different, what you see ain't what I see."

"Things that happen before you are born still affect you.and people who come before your time affect you as well."

"Silence was his escape, but silence is rarely a refuge."

"Which was worse when left unexplained: a life, or a death?"

"People say they "find" love, as if it were an object hidden by a rock. But love takes many forms, and it is never the same for any man and woman. What people find then is a certain love."

"Life has to end, Love doesn't."