Hashtag MyheartandSeoul. Hashtag 1stSeoulprise.
This is my first ever trip to a visa country. (Hello, USA and UK! Wait for me, pleaseâŠ) In retrospect, the visa application requirements were fairly easy, and unexpectedly the trip to the South Korean consulate here in Saigon was a breeze. (There is a separate queue for non-Vietnamese nationals doing business at the consulate.)
Being my first time to go to South Korea and with all the different places there I wanted to see, I prepared for the trip in between classes and weekends for roughly 3 months. Also, I packed our itinerary with the famous and not-so-famous sites we could possibly pack in 4 days and 4 nights. Sad to say, my companion and I finished off about half of our list, owing to first-timerâs misadventures and bad weather.
(Hopefully, I will be able to attend the KOTESOL in October 2019 and stay there a little longer.)
Itâs been 2 weeks that since I came back to Saigon but I still really feel like I havenât been to the land of K-pop yet. Itâs not that I didnât enjoy my time there; itâs just that I feel I should have planned for a longer stay, and a much better itinerary.
Anyway, after efficient immigration procedures was the restroom ritual to freshen up; the restrooms are pretty clean (Koreans are generally obsessed with sanitation as far as I know)Â but I suddenly missed Saigon for its bidet. đ Iâve seen from a YouTube video regarding some dirty toilets in the country, but, so far, it wasnât the case wherever we went in and out of Seoul.
So⊠here are some of the things I can relate to or give as tips to those who want to check and see how the country is more than Hallyu, and these go also for me the next time I go thereâŠ
1. WEAR THE RIGHT FOOTWEAR: If you plan to do more walking and subway transfers than taking cab rides, then DEFINITELY wear proper walking shoes, like trainers or cushioned sandals. Public transportation in Korea is cheap, and itâs the best option to have when moving around on a budget. However, subway transfers in Seoul can be a killer (since they have at least 12 lines!! so the probability of transfers made me think how easy the Singapore subway was) if your footwear isnât right. At the end of my first day there, I killed both my big toenails. The older subway stations donât have escalators on some exits, and they were extremely exhausting!! So I had to buy comfy sandals to use throughout the whole stay. Some Your feet will be forever grateful to you, I promise.
I wore my comfy silver sandals for the rest of the stay. (left pic: BIFF Square in Busan; right pic: going up Toseong Station Exit 6)
Plus, I love walking around checking interesting avenues and possibly hidden gems during my trips, so itâs like a whole day of walking. Well, probably it was because I wanted to go to so many places in such a short time that my feet have taken its toll. It was too late for me to really feel sorry for my feet and pay attention to them. But mind you, for some reasons, we didnât cover even half of the places on our itinerary.
Iâm still mourning for my big toenails! (sob story)
My ootd on the first day. It must have been that the bootsâ toe caps put the most pressure on my big toes after walking the whole day.
Up next to remember is toâŠ
2. AVAIL OF TOURIST CARDS and PASSES: There are many of them to choose from. In my case, I chose the Discover Seoul Pass, Korea Tour Card, and the KTX 2-day Flexible Pass.
Both the Discover Seoul card and the Korea Tour Card have the T-money functionality (after top up), but yeah they differ in the amount of freebies and discounted attractions and facilities you could use. I still bought the Korea Tour Card anyway as itâs cheapest at 4,000 Korean won, but it only comes with limited discounts. I got my Korean USIM using the discount coupon from the Korea Tour card. Discounts for selected cosmetic lines are available, as well as discounts for attractions, such as the Korean Folk Village in Suwon and Petite France in Gapyeong.
Reserve online via Klook website and claim the physical card at the airport lobby
Bought ours at the emart24 shop at the AREX Seoul Station lobby
It is best to get the Discover Seoul Pass as it offers more than 30 attractions, free or discounted. The hanbok rental comes free with this card!! The DS card may be purchased directly at the lobby of the international airports, but for some discount and points I bought online via Klook, one of the authorized online reselllers of the Korean tourism office. TAKE NOTE: Discover Seoul Pass is counted by HOURS.Â
Get your HK$25 off here from Klook for any activity or attraction offered.Â
Oh, on a side note, it was best that I made us buy 2 cards with both T-money functionality because one served as an emergency T-money card. Somewhere along our first subway transfer my companion could not tap out of the line because she dropped her KT card somewhere. A kind Korean woman indirectly taught (because she didnât say a word, she just made gestures) us that in case weâd get into a similar problem again, weâd just press the HELP button at the turnstile for the PWD and elderly. So, what my companion did was just to top up the other card (The Discover Seoul Pass) to use for the rest of our subway and bus trips without purchasing another T-money card again.
We tried to buy another KTC, but we couldnât find it in other convenience stores like CU and 7-Eleven; they top up cards tho. Now I can see why the emart is the best store in the country. (Vietnamâs former emart CEO who used to have man-to-man English classes with me told me this.) Tho I donât know if this correlates (maybe just my bias, sorry).
At Exit NR 15 of Seoul Station, going out to Cheongpa-ro in Jungno
I thought it wasnât practical to use the MPASS card since we couldnât fully maximize it, and I was right. On the average, we spent about 10,000 Korean won for the subway fares a day because transfers are free when you tap in (a bus or another subway line) within 30 minutes from the first (entrance) tap you made. (Did I make sense??)
The KTX pass is an e-pass for me since I purchased and booked online (DIRECTLY AT THEIR KORAIL WEBSITE). Itâs fairly easy to navigate and reserve online. Our physical tickets were not actually checked or inspected on board. We just located our seats ourselves and off the train went. Best to travel in the daytime for the lush countryside view, but to save time (of course), take the night trip. We tried doing each one. TAKE NOTE: The KTX pass is counted by the DAY.
late night KTX Train to Busan/Busanhaeng (fortunately, there were no zombies on board hehehe)
Also, if this tidbit helpsâŠgo to the KTX Seoul Station at least 30 minutes before departure as the station is just HUGE that you donât want to be running to catch that train after queuing up for the physical tickets, which can be a serious cause for your delay. This goes if you have a timetable to follow and cannot afford being stalled. Â
Click here to learn more of each cardâs functionality and where to purchase.
More discount coupons are also included on the pages of tourist maps and brochures from the Tourist Information booths scattered around major touristy areas, like Myeong-dong and Insa-dong.
A much better copy of this Myeong-dong map is available at every Tourist Information booth, also found at airport lobbies
 A much better copy of these Itaewon and Hongdae maps is available at every Tourist Information booth, also found at airport lobbies
Seoul Subway Tours are quite interesting!!!
 A much better copy of this Gangnam map is available at every Tourist Information booth, also found at airport lobbies
TAKE NOTE: If you want to check out the K-Star Road for their Gangnamdols, take the subway line to Apgujeong RODEO (NOT Apgujeong only), and go up Exit 2~~~
A much better copy of these City hall and Dongdaemun maps is available at every Tourist Information booth, also found at airport lobbies
Lastly, a month before the trip I had to ask my Korean students at uni, read blogs, and watch several YouTube videos for ideas to limit the number of âŠ
3. NEEDED PHONE APPS to DOWNLOAD: I noticed that not all subway exits in the country have an information booth, but 99% of your needs are answered through these phone apps! The most useful app I used was the Kakao Metro because we took the subway more often than not. Mind you, not all the subway lines stop operating at the same time, so having this metro app was indeed a lifesaver since you can have the option of the faster or the easier route, and the first and last train schedules. (The Kakao Bus doesnât have English language functionality.)
In total, we bought about 4 phones, old-but-still-working ones included, for emergency purposes. When one phone batt emptied, we had a spare when we couldnât recharge battery power yet. I would advise for first timers that they get rent a WIFI egg (pocket WIFI) or get a pre-paid USIM loaded with unlimited data use. We did the latter.
In case you just want to stay within Seoul, you can survive without availing of any of those pre-paid things. FREE WIFI areas:Â near subway stations (above ground), government buildings, malls, cafes, and hotels. Nevertheless, I didnât exactly feel that South Korea has the fastest internet connection. Iâll try other options the next time around.
super useful for your walking tours in Busan
We didnât really use a lot of apps in Busan since we stayed there for only a little more than half a day. Since we mostly stayed downtown, we used mostly the navigation map. Google directions were VERY unreliable.
 If you are availing of the Discover Seoul Card, the bike rental as one of its freebies, so you need to download these two apps as well.
 Wrapping up, the part I loved most in South Korea was visiting their grand palaces, very much a twist to the modern panorama of its cities. Without the ancient palaces and other cultural artifacts, Seoul would just be an ordinary metropolitan. Thus, go outside of Seoul to explore more and see the real natural beauty of South Korea.
Booking hotels is extremely easy these days, but for a good !0% discount, you can use my code here at Booking.com, and in return I get a small reward, too.
No worries, Koreans are generally friendly to tourists, but a know-how of basic practical Korean will also be very useful. Youâll be amazed at the elderly peopleâs reaction when they hear foreigners speak Korean with the proper accent. đ Just remember that the old generation are keen on polite manners, so be ready with the formal âìŁìĄí©ëë€ (Joesonghabnida) and âê°ìŹí©ëë€â (Gamsahabnida) for their help.
Oh, it seems that one of the goals I need to do is to update and make separate articles for a more detailed descriptions of my Korean trip. My IBDP and IGCSE classes are eating up my time right now, but please, please stand by until the next articles.
Thank you very much! Have a good day, everyone!!
USEFUL BLOGS AND SITES I VISITED WHEN I DID MY ITINERARY:Â
Visit Korea and Korea Tour Card
Letâskorail (for KTX passes)
The Travel Intern (on how to go to Gapyeong and Nami Island)
Trazy (for the simplified Nami Island map)
Changwonderful (for jjimjilbang suggestions in Busan)
My TOP 3 EXTREMELY USEFUL TIPS WHEN GOING to the HALLYUÂ KINGDOM Hashtag MyheartandSeoul. Hashtag 1stSeoulprise. This is my first ever trip to a visa country. (Hello, USA and UK!
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
germansingergirl
2087
discoholicmusic
prguitarman
blakekathryn
yousharknotpass