I (actually we), spent 8 days in South Korea last November, hoping to see the lovely autumn colors and the first snow. We didn't get to experience both, but still its an experience of a lifetime. I don't know if I'll get to visit South Korea again, but it will not hurt if I will! Darn the thought itself makes me feel giddy. It is rather a sad thought that I'll not be visiting the websites catering to tourist who wished to visit Korea because it will not have a use for me for the moment. Every blog entry that I'll post about my recent trip in Korea will be bittersweet. I'll try not to be nostalgic sniff..sniff.. I hope I'll get to finish all before anyone starts to plan a tour to Korea next fall and I hope that my blog entries will be a little helpful, just like the other blog posts that I relied as I plan our trip to Korea.
The planning stage was not that long compared to our first trip. We are not that excited or maybe its mixed with stress. I didn't get to check thoroughly our itinerary especially the last 2-3 days, thus we got to pay being lost and spending an awful time walking on the streets of Seoul with less than 10 degrees Celsius brrrrrr... its a big deal for a couple of tourists from a tropical country and living in the Middle East for more than 5 years.
We arrived at around 8pm at Incheon International Airport. This time we did not look around the airport, we head straight to the convenience store to reload our T-Money. Ugh! I remember losing my old T-Money on our 7th day with more than 20USD still stored. You know that moment you know that when you put it there it will get lost but you put it there anyway, and then it got really lost and you ended up hating yourself for getting that warning but ignored it. Silly me. As usual, I exceeded my trip budget that's excluding airfare and hotel, which I've already paid in advance. Its funny that on the first few days we are splurging and on our last night counting our won (Korean currency) down to the last coin. hehe!
We stayed at Saerim Hotel in Insadong area. I think staying in Insadong area is better for tourist especially for first timers. Though I don't regret staying at Hongdae but now I know Insadong area is better. Staying around Insadong area, will let you visit most tourist spots by foot. Our hotel is just a 6-10 minutes walk from Anguk Station exit 6 and 3-5 minutes from the bus stop of Airport Limousine. We decided to use the all-stop train from Incheon to Insadong, which took us over an hour to reach Insadong because its cheaper. I wasn't intimidated that we have to make at least 2 transfers to reach Anguk with our luggage in tow. I didn't remember that we might need to use the stairs while transferring to a different line which is a big mistake. We have more luggage this time because of the layers of clothes that we've brought since its autumn. Well its just that I brought clothes that will not let me look shabby on the the streets of Seoul. hahaha! The agony of being a fashionista even while travelling... dragging a heavy suitcase. If you will take the train, do look for elevators. Seoul train stations are equipped with elevators so better find them. Its just that when you get off the train, the main thing that you will look for is the direction to your transfer and before you knew it, its the stairs. I quit using the stairs when we arrived at Anguk station. I don't know if all exits have elevators but I guess there are. So look for the direction of your exit and look for the elevator signage if you have a big and a bit heavy luggage in tow. Anyway below is the map to Saerim Hotel. Its just too bad that after booking thru the internet, they will not send you a comprehensive map. Reviews from TripAdvisor and google map street views help us locate the hotel in a breeze.
From Anguk train station take exit 6. If you will use the elevator just turn right or walk towards where the stair entrance/exit to Insadong's main street (Insadong-gil). Its hard to miss, again using google map street view will help you visualize it, but for us, we already know Insadong, so it was easier. Just walk the main street of Insadong and look for Insadong 9-gil which is on your right. You can take that street and maybe just about 20 meters, you'll see the hotel. Alternatively, you can pass Insadong 9-gil and go to the next alley and turn right. I forgot which store is on that corner.
The easiest way is actually by boarding Airport Limousine from the bus stop, which is the last for bus no. 6005. It cost 15,000 KRW and maybe will take longer than using the train considering the number of stops. Just turn right on the corner of Hotel Aventree towards Saerim Hotel. So its 15,000 KRW vs 3,500KRW if you take the train. I'll still take the train if I don't have a heavy luggage. Note also that when you need to transfer from one line to another, sometimes its far, its like walking 2 blocks or more. It looks easy on paper or app but its not. If you're using a smartphone or a tablet, download Seoul Subway Map app by Broong. Its accurate and works offline. We survived Seoul without renting SIM card and paying for data packages. From time to time, you'll get WiFi signal for free so there's no use especially if you've plan your itinerary so well (and stuck with it 100%).
Our hotel room is exactly whats you'll see on different website where you can book. Do compare different websites because they give different rates. I was lucky to get a 200 AED off (almost 50USD) to our hotel fee because of a voucher from a friend. I find our hotel rates cheaper compared to our stay in a hostel. Its so cool to experience heated floors and it melted my Snickers that I plan to eat as I climbed Seoraksan! The hotel staff (front desk) is good enough. They clean the room everyday and replenish the drinks (water and juice) on the mini-ref. They provided towels, toothpaste, shower gel, shampoo, bar soap and hair dryer. We payed almost 300USD for 8 days for 2 persons!
For this South Korea tour we went to the following:
- DMZ
- Namiseom Island
- Little France
- Cheonggyechen Stream for the Lantern Festival
- Alive Museum in Insadong
- Myeongdong
- Nanta
- Namdaemun Market and Gate
- The Palaces (because apparently we missed the good spots when we went there for the first time)
- Apgujeong (to look for FNC, JYP, Cube and SM)
- Coffee Prince film location
- Namsan
We planned for more but we decided to drop them, due to time constraints. This time we wake up early and I could say we did so much and went to a lot of places in Seoul and South Korea for that matter. Writing about our experience surely brings a smile and a sigh.
I thank God for the opportunity, for the financial provision and safety. For a good travel companion, for the good food for the strength its beyond imagination how many steps my phone's pedometer recorded for this trip. For letting me see how beautiful His creation and its saddening how someone can still say there's no God at all.
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