South Korea: A Glance of a First World Country

Having (only) visited third world Asian countries, it's very obvious to see that South Korea is a more advanced, more systematized, and a more developed country. Honestly, I secretly wished we could also have these in the Philippines. Maybe in time. ^_^

Anyway, here's a prelude of my 1st glance of South Korea. Please bear in mind that this itinerary is not a jam-packed one. It's not the usual amazing race kind of trip. I planned this South Korea itinerary to be a petix and relaxing one. ♥
○ Visa is required to visit South Korea. Application is easy and visa processing is free!

 

South Korea Visa Application - Aprub!

○  Based on the internet forums that I've read, it's sometimes better to exchange Peso to Won here in Pinas. This is the first time I didn't exchange my Peso to US Dollar. Thanks to Sanry's (Glorietta branch) for giving us a good Peso to Won exchange rate. Check xe.com first to compare if the exchange rate in money changers are good enough.

1 won = 0.038 pesos

i exchanged P25,000 to ₩657,894. good enough, considering we wont bother ourselves to exchange currencies upon arriving in Seoul

○ Since I bought this Manila-Incheon-Manila tickets on a promo (P3,500 including baggage allowance and travel insurance), and a one-way flight will take around 4 hours, I realized I needed a leg room for convenience. I purchased a seat on the first row. My 1F seat only costs P100. It's 1A, 1B, and 1C seats which costs P200 each.

spacious and convenient 1F window seat for only P100

○ Incheon airport is so huge and fabulous, but this toilet seat amazed me the most. A plastic is placed to cover the toilet seat. You just need to press the red button and the used plastic will be replaced with a new one. Fantastic! (slow claps)

revolving toilet seat cover - super like! ♥

○ Korea's train system is very systematized but Im happy I chose to ride the Airport Limousine Bus as I stepped out off the airport. Yes it's not cheap compared to taking the train going to Seoul but just so you know it's such a hassle to transfer train lines, walk for a kilometer, and carry all your luggage from level3 subway up to the ground floor - without the use of elevator. Not all stations have elevators, and most of the time these are only for old people and pregnant women.

very systematized (and convenient) bus transportation from the airport to the main city

Incheon to Myeongdong = ₩10,000 (P375)

○ As I mentioned above, taking the train is a lot cheaper and faster. Dont forget to download this Jihachul application on your mobile phones. I cant emphasize enough how helpful this is.

Jihachul application featuring Korea's subway route

○ Moving on, the 2nd amazing thing I noticed as I reached Seoul is their taxicab. Hyundai's Sonata, seriously?! Flat rate is ₩2,400 (P90).

oh my, the ever sexy looking Hyundai Sonata is used as a taxicab? whoa!

and for the record, I've not seen a single Honda car in my entire trip. #kalaban

○ On our first night, we chose to stay in a guesthouse near Myeongdong shopping area. A good choice of location specially for those who love to shop. It's also very near the train station, so perfect!

twin room at New Myeongdong Guesthouse = P2,500

with ensuite bathroom, hair dryer, tv, fridge, aircon, room temperature controller

○  These are the common electrical sockets / power plugs in Seoul. Good thing I was advised about this so we came prepared. Power Adapters are available at CDR-King. ^_^

electrical sockets in Seoul

though you can borrow a power adapter in most of the hotels and guesthouse, it's best to have one so you can charge your cameras and cellphones all at the same time!

○ Myeong-dong is Korea's trendiest shopping area, with over 300,000 square meters of shops selling clothes, shoes, handbags, accessories, and cosmetics. Though it's not cheap at all. The only cheaper finds are of course the cosmetics. Biggest size of BB creams only cost P500 to P600, cheaper compared to Manila price of P900-P1,000.

The Face Shop is on sale! Buy 2 Take 1 on BB creams!

a lot of nicer freebies are given after my purchase ♥

○ Not really  fan of shopping and city-hopping so I included to watch a Korean Musical Drama in a traditional theater instead. Miso (meaning Smile) is a performance that not only showcases the UNESCO World Culture Heritage of Pansori (traditional Korean narrative song), but also presents a variety of other traditional instrumental performances including Samulnori (traditional Korean percussion quartet), and the beautiful Korean Buchaechum (fan dance). The live music, the costume, production, and overall performance are all awesome

Miso ticket costs ₩45,000 (P1,688)

○ On the next day, we flew to Jeju island. We booked through Jeju Air where round trip tickets cost P4,000. This could have been a lot cheaper only if we booked months in advance. 

So is Jeju worth seeing? It's more than that!

the Dolhareubang or the Stone Grandfather

this shamanistic statue is believed to be offering protection and warding off demons. it is also given to women with have fertility problems.

Jeju Folk Village

traditional houses are designed based on the occupation of the residents

Seopjikoji on the east coast

Hallim Park's Waterfalls

beautiful Hyeopjae Beach on the west coast

Awesome Threesome statue at Love Land

this park is made to educate young couples whose marriages are only arranged

..oh, and it's warmer in Jeju. 13-16degrees so keri ang sleeveless at skirt! ^_^

○  My friends and I stayed at December Hotel. A super spacious family room for 4 persons only costs us P3,500! Just ask and this small hotel can provide. Great deal.

we're very happy to stay in this budget hotel for 2 nights

○ How I wish I stayed longer in Jeju than in Seoul. On the fourth day, we flew back to Seoul. We spent another 2 days exploring the city.

these vibrant red leaves alone already delighted us big time

○ My friend is right when he said "never underestimate autumn". I was wearing thermal undershirt and pants in the morning. The weather became kinda tolerable so i took these thermal wears off. Very wrong move. The temperature dropped at 10degrees that night. I cant do anything but feel sorry for myself. Haha 

 my 1st autumn experience

for many are called but few are frozen!

○ Everland's T-Rex is the world's steepest wooden roller coaster. I cannot ride that attraction specially when the temperature is already 10degrees on the ground!

world's steepest wooden roller coaster at Everland

day pass costs ₩33,000 (P1,238). originally it is ₩40,000 but we got discounts because of their foreign visitor promotion.

○ Koreans are romantic, expressive, and very appreciative people. A man in his 30's already has 2 kids. It's also noticeable that almost all Koreans take pride on what they do. Say a ticketing officer, a bus driver, a vendor, or a simple grocery cashier can be seen with a cheerful face and I felt that there's privilege doing that specific job.

koreans are romantic, cheesy, expressive, and very appreciative people

○ For some reason, I can't find a difference between the Korean cuisine I tasted here in Manila and every meal I ate in South Korea. They tasted the same. But actually, the food presentation is better here in Manila. ^_^

grilled pork barbecue, bibimbap, and pajeon

as expected, meals are pricey. a decent meal costs ₩8,000 (P300). grilled meat costs ₩15,000 (P560) on the average.

○ We stopped eating Korean food on the third night. Quota na! Im already starting to smell like kimchi. ^_^ Thank goodness there are lots of alternatives, like Domino pizza!

superb Domino's deluxe pizza and heavenly baked potato with creamy cheese

○ We spent our last night in Hi Guesthouse. We got a 4-bed dormitory for ₩75,000 (P2,800). Bathroom is shared but it's okay. The guesthouse is modern, well maintained, cleaned, and most of all the owner is very helpful and he's very good in English.

before

and after

○ Moving on, the temperature became crazy on our last day in Seoul. The temperature dropped at 10 degrees and the breeze made us felt sick. Im not in the mood anymore to watch the "Changing of Guards" ceremony at Gyeongbokgung Palace.

Gyeongbokgung Palace

 Changing of Guards ceremony

○ Finally, since we've got a lot more of Won left and a few more hours to kill before our evening flight, we decided to hoard our favorite items, and souvenirs for friends and families. We went to Doota Mall and Lotte Mart.

best tasting Cheese Muffin from Dunkin Donut ₩1,800 (P67) and perfectly blended Iced White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks ₩6,000 (P225)

i got addicted to this combo. cant resist to have them whenever I see them ^_^

from the best airport to the worst, from a chilling 10degrees to a very humid 29degrees temperature, so long and thank you to the land of BB cream and Lotte Pepero ₩3200 (P120)!

○ I still have some Won left so I exchanged ₩75,200 in the airport. ₩on to Peso exchange rate is 30.08. Not bad, I still got P2,500 as I went back home. Matagal pa sweldo no! ^_^


○ Total budget for a 5-day trip in South Korea (Seoul and Jeju) is P30,000. This includes airfares to Incheon and Jeju.

view the complete South Korea trip series 

South Korea Visa Application - Aprub
It's Like Korea, But South!
Love, Sex, and Magic at Jeju

Halloween at Everland Amusement Park