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.
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
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