Day 1 - Singapore - Seoul, Gyeongbokgung, Sinchon, Myeongdong.

The day is finally here. I'm so damn excited. When I woke up this morning for work, I still can't believe I'm going to do this. But here I am. In this blog, I'm going to share most of the details of my trip. My mishaps, lost in subways, food, etc. So I hope you will enjoy reading it. :) Let's start off with a few pictures of my fav people.

My one & only backpack.
(Yeah, I wonder how I fit my stuff in there)

Pose-ing for the camera.
(He loves taking pics.)

My family. :)

Our family portrait. :D

Mum and brothers send me off at Changi Airport. I'm so glad that they did. I feel excited yet nervous. Someday, I hope to bring them with me on trips such as this. So my flight is due at 1830hrs. But considering of the long queue in the Immigration, I decided to board in early around 1730hrs.

Boarding pass to HK.

After the 20mins queue, the immigration officer told me that I could just go to the "Auto-Clearance" counter, which is actually much faster. Ok, I didn't know there is a such counter. But he let me check me in anyway. I could try using the new counter when I arrive next Sunday.

So as I proceed to my Boarding Gate, C1. There's already lots of people lining up for security screening. So again waited for the long queue. After I gave my bag and jacket for security checks, I had to go through the metal detector. And then there was a loud "BEEP" ! Ok, I was like "blur". So the staff asked my to take off my boots. Boots?? So I took it off and went through the metal detector again. "NO BEEP!" Damn, it was my boots! As soon as I sat around the boarding area for like 5mins, it was time to board the plane. My flight took off slightly later as there are late-comers still boarding. I officially left Singapore at 1845hrs. Goodbye Singapore! :)

Bye Singapore!

I was pretty hungry within 1/2 hour of my flight. I haven't had lunch nor dinner. Considering that I requested for Muslim meal, My food came early. I like this meal, It's Roasted Chicken Rice. (You will see why I dislike other flight meals.) My entertainment for now. I'm watching "House MD Season 5", it one of my favourite shows.

Distance from Singapore to Hong Kong = 2550km Time to Destination = 3hrs and 30 mins.

I reached Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) around 2200hrs. My next transit flight to Seoul is due at 0020hrs. So I just went up and down walking around the airport exercising my legs. Yes! I hate sitting down for very long, so I grab this chance to walk around.

Xmas tree :)

Here's a closer look.
( I like the maple leaves, but the round thing bothers me. :x )

Walking to my boarding gate.

Boarding gate 27.

Boarding pass to Incheon Seoul.

0020hrs ( Hong Kong time)

I've got a Korean guy as my flight partner. This flight is a two-seater, I was on the window side. So I can't really sleep yet, so I end up observing people. He (korean guy), can actually sit through the whole flight without any entertainment. He does not even listen to music nor watch any videos. I totally applaud him. I cannot live without TV nor music. Anyway, as usual my supper was served first. It was some Chicken Briyani this time. I don't like it. It was super oily. I only ate the rice.

Distance from Hong Kong to Seoul = ard 2400km Time to Destination = around 3hrs plus.

After supper, I dozed off for half hour. And I woke up, Seoul was just 20mins away. Current temperature was ZERO degrees.

He (korean guy), looked at me and asked, " Are you only bringing your jacket?"

I said; " Erm, NO. I have other clothing in my bag."

And he smiled; " You must wear it! It's very COLD!"

And there was no doubt about that. The moment I stepped out from the plane.. The cold was unbelievable. OK, I was shocked. It was my first winter trip, so I really did not know what to expect. It was ard 4am (3am SG time) when I landed. It was pretty early. But after going through the immigration, it took an hour or so. Lots of people just landed too. I so needed a place to crash, as I did not have enough sleep. So as I intended, I decided to go to "Spa on Air".

Spa on Air Review

Spa on Air
(Photo courtesy of Incheon International Airport)

It's located at the Basement One of Incheon International Airport. So it's charged by the day basis. So night admission maybe cost around 20,000won. While day admission cost around 15,000won. So I was charged for 15,000won. I decided to stay on for around 2hours. You could stay as long as you like. It's similar setting as a normal local Jimjilbang.

The hot pool
(Photo courtesy of seoulplay.wordpress.com)

common lounge
(Photo courtesy of seoulplay.wordpress.com)

So as normal, you've gotta take off your shoes, put in this small locker. Then proceed to the female changing area. They give you a pair of T-shirt and shorts, and two small towels. So I changed to that "uniform" and decided to go for some hot bath. The hot pool was like 40 degrees. It was super hot to you skin but you really got to slowly go inside the pool. If not, your body will have a terrible temperature shock. So you should start with your feet, once your feet is comfortable with the temperature. then you could slowly go inside the pool. I only stayed in the pool for like 10-15mins. Other more than that, I could hear my heart pumping really loud. I showered ( all are provided- shower gel, shampoo and conditioner), changed back to my uniform and head down to common lounge. This common room is unisex. You can do lots of things there. Sleep, read magazines, etc. So I decided to sleep, Most of them are sleeping anyway. So found myself a couch and sleep off my tiredness. Think I slept for an hour.

After an hour of snooze, I got dressed. There's also a weighing machine in the room. It is believed that this kind of hot spa does help in losing weight. (Maybe that's why most Koreans are very slim??!)

T-money card for tourist.

So I need to get my T-money card, which is similar to SG ezlink card. And you can get it anywhere from convenience store, like Ministop, GS25 or Family Mart. So I head down to Ministop at the airport and got mine. It cost 3,000won for the car, but with no value. So I decided to "top-up" some cash in it. So I told the guy that I wish to top up. He could not understand me. Until he keep saying the word"Charge" then I understood. In Singapore, we are so used to saying the word "top-up". But in Korea, it's "charge". Example, "please charge my T-money card with 10,000won." Something like that. No wonder the guy looked so blur when I say the word "top-up". And we actually laughed about it. :D

So anyway, I've got to take a bus downtown to Seoul, which is about 40mins to an hour.It will cost ard 9000won (10SGD). Pretty expensive for a bus ride, huh? Bus 6011 will stop exactly near my hostel. My hostel is located at Insadong, one of the tourist attractions. There's timetable for every bus, so I waited for about 10mins for mine. I waited in the cold, there was smoke everytime I breathe out. Haha. Pretty fun. :P So, you see, you don't have to be a smoker to have smoke coming out from your nose or mouth. :D (I know, lame.)

Airport Bus 6011.

just left the airport.

filling up my boredom :P

Soon the bus came, and I got on. It has really good service I should say. The bus driver greet everyone that came up the bus. "Anyong hae seyo" Yeah, I greeted him back too. :) It was also user-friendly to non-koreans, such as it has Korean and English announcement for every stop. So you will definitely not get lost! So I sit all the way to Anguk, which was my stop. The moment I got down, the cold breeze went past me. I immediately feel the extreme cold,. I wore my gloves and my scarves. And had very hard time opening my map with my gloves on. I had hard time too finding the location of my hostel as I forget to print out full directions of it, it was in my email. After walking up and down. I decided to ask the Tourist Information Centre (TIC). I'm supposed to look for Yeha Ceramics first. So the lady knew where it was, and showed me the map.

Found Yeha Ceramics, and I looked for Jay. Apparently Jay is at his office, at the hostel. The lady attending to the shop showed me the way. It was actually a building behind Ssamziegil. Insadong is like a culture area of Seoul. It has lots of handicraft and ceramic items. As I was about to open the door to go inside the building. A guy came down, and called my name. So i assumed he's Jay. The guesthouse is on the 3rd floor all the way to 5th floor.The 2nd floor is occupied by an art gallery. He showed me the rooms and explained to me the other stuff around the house. All the rooms are installed with a digital lock. You know those locks that you've gotta key-in some number then it will open. Yup, it's those kind. So there's one at the main entrance of Level 3. Where all who stayed there, knew the code. He also set one for my room. So he asked to choose a 4-digit number of my choice. So only I will know the code, and the owner of course. After all that, I paid my week stay to him (180,000 won).

my room :)

my entertainment :)

After resting a while for half hour. I decided not to waste anytime as I wanna explore the place. So my first stop was Gyeongbokgung Palace. It was just one station away from Anguk. I could have actually walk there. But i decided to take the subway.

Anguk Stn
(the station is in the midst of fixing new glass doors. temp in the station is extremely cold.)

Within 5mins I've reached Gyeongbokgung Stn. And made my way to the palace. it's a 3mins walk from the station. Cost less then 600won, i think.

Gyeongbokgung is the most largest palace out of the 5 palaces in Korea. It was built in 1395, three years after Joseon Dynasty was founded, and it was served as the main palace. It was the symbol of national sovereignty and was demolished during the Japanese Occupation. It was then rebuilt and restored since 1990.

The way to Gyeongbokgung

The Gyeongbokgung main entrance.

I love the colours and architecture.

look at how beautiful it is.

Guard-Changing ceremony

The view of Mt. Bukhasan

Twelves Zodiac Statues

Look at the detailed architecture

Walls of Gyeongbokgung

After walking around for like two hours (the palace was superly huge, my legs are aching), I was so cold. I so needed a hot drink. Finally stumbled upon drink vending machine! Tadaaa... !

They saved me!

Hot Chocolate = Chocolate Tea (Korean)

So after walking around I cannot resist of not shopping. So I think I "flew" to Sinchon 's Women Street and Myeongdong Shopping District. =)

When I was in Sinchon, I headed down to Coffee Bean. I was pretty hungry, so iI though maybe I could get some pasta, etc. But sadly they don't serve meals in Korea. They only have pastry. In Singapore, food is like everywhere! :P

Myeong Dong

After shopping for few hours, I decided to head home. I have slept much during the flight. And I was super tired. So once I'm home, freshened up. And before I knew it, I was already fast asleep.
What a day! There's more to come.. :)

Freezing Seoul!

Here i am..2nd day in Seoul. Its minus 5 degrees right nw. Watching cable tv, will smith movie abt some zombies..gotta wake up early tmr for DMZ. Catch with ya soon.

ONE more day!

Argh! Its one more day to the trip, and im so freaking excited. Cant wait to get out of SG! My backpack is already packed. I have 6 tops, 3 jeans (incl. one that im wearing); 1 pair of thermal wear, a bunch of inner wear, 1 pair of slpwear, extra scarf, 2 pairs of winter socks, toiletries, etc. I've also change my money. Im officially broke in SGD but superly "rich" in KRW. Im feeling too excited to slp. But i'm going to doze off nw. Got to work later. Nites!

Itinerary ready!

I have a hard time compiling the itinerary for the trip. But hope can cover all the places I've intended to go.

Here's my list:

Day 1 ( Arriving to Seoul)

1. Gyeongbokgung Palace
2. Insadong (Cultural District)
3. Myeongdong
4. Namsan Tower (Observatory Tower)

Day 2

1. Changdeokgung Palace
2. Sinchon (Women's Shopping Street)
3. Yeouido (Building 63, Han River Cruise)
4. Lotte World (Indoor Amusement Park)

Day 3.

1. DMZ Tour ( Border of North & South Korea)
2. Itaewon ( Foreigner's Food Paradise)

Day 4

1. Jeju Island

East course
1. Sangumburi - The only crater in Jeju located at ground level
2. Seong-eup Folk Village - Currently, more than one thousand and three hundred people live in the village and continue in old Jeju custom and tradition.
3. Seopjikoji - The best view in the Eastern area and the location of the popular TV series 'All in'
4. Seongsan Ilchulbong(Sunrise Peak) - "A symbol of Jeju". It was registered as a World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO. (Enough time for trekking to the top is given.)
5. Manjanggul - The longest lava cave in the world. Registered as a World Natural Heritage Site
6. Mysterious Road - Cars without power appear to go uphill by themselves

Day 5

1. Suwon, Hwaseong Fortress ( UNESCO World Heritage)
2. Coex Mall (Aquarium, Shopping, Food)

Day 6 (Shopping Heaven)

1. Dongdaemun
2. Namdaemun
3. Catch Jump Musical ( Non-Verbal Martial Arts Comedy)

Day 7

1. Last Minute Shopping & Home Sweet Home.

Itinerary is done! Packing is on the way.. Argh, I can't fit my clothes into my backpack.. :(

Jimjilbang

Whenever I think of Jimjilbang. I always laugh to myself. I still remember the day when I went over in 2008. I totally have no idea what's it means, then.

I had my first culture shock when we got to overnight at one of the apartments in Hwasun. The tour guide was saying that we all can go to Spa. So to my understanding, COOL! Spa, massage and what not.. Why not?

Not until she brought us to the Spa area. First, we need they give us, some wristband thingy. She brought us to a locker area when we need to keep our shoes only. Hmm. i find it pretty high-tech. Just scan the wristband on the locker, and it will "open sesame".. :)

Next she gave us each a very small towel, which barely enough to cover the body. IT's like a size of a face towel, i think. Then, she brought us again to a very big room, with a few Korean ladies, washing up, getting ready.

And she just told us, "Ok, now enjoy yourself. If you want to go through the glass door where the sauna and hot bath are, you will need to take off your clothes.., No clothes allowed!"

I was like "WHAT???"

Yes, I remember looking at my aunt and she looking back at me. So were our other tour members. Laughing and feeling kinda of shy of the thought of being naked for everyone (females) to see.

But then, IF I never try this, I would never know. So WTH, I just went along. Took off my clothes and trying to cover my hideous body with that small piece of towel. But it's totally not helping. So quickly went to the glass door...

The moment I went in, I felt the warmth of the hot baths and the sauna. It's so warm and cozy. There are different kinds of bath pools. And it has different temperature setting. I can't remember if 40degrees was the highest. But i remember dipping my foot in and quickly took my foot out, as it's was like super HOT!

So I head start with the lower temperatures first. And went to the 40degrees pool as my last. Oh my, it was so nice. I felt so relaxed, but suddenly felt very dizzy.. I'm not sure if it's due to lack of sleep but I got up. and wash up. While washing up, I saw a few ladies, sitting at the shower area with hand scrub gloves, scrubbing their skin off. Oh dear, isn't it painful..? Their skin was like turning slightly red. But maybe that what's made their skin looking fair and flawless. Scrubbing, exfoliating the skin. I should really try... LOL.

Will I ever go to Jimjilbang again??

My answer is YES. Koreans do have a fun way of gathering and hanging out with the their own gender. Going to Jimjilbang only cost few dollars. Day admission from cost from 6am to 8pm cost only around 6000won. (SGD$7) And night admission less than (SGD$10) 10,000won. So why not, and there's noraebang ( karaoke rooms), arcade, fitness, etc. , So if you miss your last bus, trains and need some place to chill.. This is the place. :)

P.S: The photo below is not me, OK? LOL. Just wanna show you guys what it looks like.. :P

Flights confirmed!

YES, instead of flying with my choice of Asiana Airlines, I've decided to go with Cathay Pacific. Seriously I would prefer with Asiana as I'm comfortable with direct flights. It's all due to me sleeping on the day when I'm supposed to book the flight. Confidently, I thought the promo will be still available when I woke up the next day. But... whoosh, it's gone with the wind.

But the problem with Cathay, the flights are earlier. I've to check in by 1630hrs as the flight leaves for Hong Kong at 1830hrs. Yeah, I would have to transit in HK. I've never done transiting before. I hope all goes well. The second flight to Incheon, Korea, will be at midnight. So it's a 2-hour stop. Total of hours spent from SIN-HK-ICN is 9 hours (incl. stopover).. Each flight journey is about 3 -4hours. So it's actually a good thing for me. I don't have to be stuck in flight for 6 hours straight in direct flight.

Accomodation Booked!

Ok, finally decided on where I wanna stay.. I was browsing through, I dunno how many webpages for like two months.. But could not decide where. From hostels --> guesthouse --> hotels --> studio apartments.

Seriously, you might think that studio apartments are expensive. Well, it's actually not! If you book directly from Korean Website itself, it would cost you like 50,000 won (S$59) per night onwards. Compared to hotels, which is minimum 80,000 won or higher (S$89 onwards) and it's a two star hotel, very little amenities and far from subway, etc.

After very much consideration, I've decided to settle with staying in a guesthouse. Considering since that I'm only gonna use the room to sleep and maybe watch TV. It' wont be that bad. But I'm kinda happy with the place I chose.-------> Yeha Guesthouse



It's situated near Insadong, the most cultural place in Seoul. Close to the ancient palaces. I reserved this room.


Quite cosy huh? And it only 30,000 won (S$35) per night. Well, guess have to review more about this guesthouse when I'm there. :)

My 2nd Solo Trip...

Hey guys,

I've decided to do a travelogue for my second trip. I guess, I wanna make it as memorable as it can be. I just hoped everything will go well as planned.

As you noticed, YES! I'm going to Seoul AGAIN! I really miss the place, the weather.. in a non-English environment. I actually missed being lost! Lost in an unknown place where there's unfamiliar faces. It's amazingly crazy but yeah, I missed it.

People knew me as very timid. But I just can't help but to challenge myself against this timidness of mine. It will sure make me a much more braver person as i am now. Hopefully more outspoken and more focus in what I want to do in life. And there's nothing more that this. This is what I want to do right now. I've been planning it like since early of the year. But finally get things rolling a few months back, by browsing through travel blogs, planning on estimation cost for the trip, etc.

And through this blog, I will share with you, the view of Korea, through my eyes.. Why I love Korea so much!