Cherry Blossoms estimated dates are out

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FU/FU_...jsp?cid=1224040



Spring Flowers
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FU/FU_...jsp?cid=1223280

wah this cherry blossom date make me feel like going there again.
my 2cent actually mt sorak is nice place to visit but provided not too much wind blowing that day,the day i went the wind was blowing realyl strong that i wanna move forward also difficult so dint manage to sit the cable car up to the peak to look down,i bet the view is breathtaking.

aigoo.. the cherry blossoms are expected to bloom earlier? anyone know how long normally they bloom? approx 2 weeks right?
My flight is only on 19 April.. hopefully it will still blooming in Yeouido at that time (expected bloom on 8 April), if not the best bet is to see it in Incheon (expected bloom on 15 Apr).. but do anyone know where to view it in Incheon??

imho Incheon Grand Park is better than Yeouido. more activities as well. last year it rained on 23rd April. better check the weather first

it's a waste going to korea to see the cherry blossoms. for this, japan is the best. korea is best during autumn. the view when mountclimbing is just awesome...

haha thanks ashcrimson for the tips.. for me it's not a waste to go to korea for this since I have some other interest to pursuit.. so it's kind of all-in-one package for me hahaha.. and april is the best time for me to apply leave coz not many projects in the office. It's difficult to go in autumn, coz of lots end-of-year projects and deadlines.. but i will try to slot in at least one autumn trip there in future.. By the way viewing the cherry blossoms is a plus coz in Malaysia we cannot view it..

The only place i want to go in japan is hokkaido, but i need tour package coz i can't understand nor speak Japanese. Last I checked the package is about RM10K.. huhu.. i'm putting that aside first.. maybe 5 or 6 years later??

This post has been edited by rsralf: Mar 9 2011, 01:54 PM

wah...then in May got what type of flowers to see leh?? =)

Eh. I thought Penang also got cherry blossoms ma right? Haha

eh, got cherry blossom in penang meh?
hahaha.. poor me.. didn't know about that.. but surely couldn't compare to japan & korea hehehe
nvm next time will check out the Malaysia one..

tomorrow the MATTA FAIR will start.. am going to check out KTO's booth if there are anything interesting for my trip in Apr..
normally they have more info & brochures during the fair compared to walk-in at Korean Plaza..

This post has been edited by rsralf: Mar 10 2011, 01:46 PM

Uncle, why did u get back to the hotel around 4pm and then make your way to the airport after that? Wasnt it to early since the flight is at 1130pm?

Nothing much to do liao...Shop to many times Namdaemun & Myeong Dong infact almost every Morning & nite at these two areas.. haha..So instead of going to late, decided to go earlier than Seoul peak hour MRT jam...and having better quality time spent at Incheon superb airport...Well, for the world best airport, spending few hours there already consider another attraction liao

MRT peak hour? Ok, I dont know that. I am going to Gimpo airport from Myeong Dong on Monday morning. My flight to Jeju from Gimpo would be at 12pm. MRT peak hour should be from 7am to 9am right? And 5pm to 7pm? Correct me if I am wrong.

that peak hours are pretty standard everywhere around the world..common sense liao haha

Haha true true. I am not planning to bring much, so I am planning to buy those stylish-stylish jacket for men which I heard is damn cheap. Where is the best bet to buy that? Namdaemun?

Namdaemun more like our Petaling street wor..or open air Sg Wang...No brand wan.

no brand but the design quite nice

some shots of namdaemun:

Came back from Seoul yesterday...

Weather in Seoul: Unpredictable. It rained consistently at night on 27th and 28th Feb.. very windy and bitterly cold. This week, no rain but still windy.. your face will be slapped with harsh cold with every gale of wind while walking on the street. It's sunny on some days only so for travelers going in mid-March please bring winter clothes. Daytime is about 5-7 degree celsius but nightime usually went below 3 or 4. I wear 4-5 layers everyday to keep warm. Seoulites said Spring will come in early April, so yea, be prepared!

Places: We didn't intend to shop in Seoul so we only went to Namdaemum, Dongdaemum, Yongsan Electronics Market, Insadong and Ewha Women Univ area. Don't really like Namdaemum cos the clothes not nice, food not nice... For facial, cosmetics, women clothings, korean lifestyle products, Ewha area is the best! Neverending streets and alleys with women stuff and you can negotiate prices too. Insadong is nice though food is not cheap, but abundant souvenirs there to bring home - do negotiate for better deals. The sellers are prepared for this.

Sightseeing: We only went to Gyeongbukgong and Bukchon Hanok Village. Regret not visiting Changdeokgong cos it's said to be nicer and less empty than Gyeongbukgong. We took the city tour bus and it's quite worth the price (10,000won). Do try

Accommodation: We chose Stay Korea 2 (http://www.staykorea.co.kr/english/01.html). Very nice, cosy and affordable place. It's situated in Hongdae area, near to Hongik Univ station. A lot of quaint cafes, cheap food and convenience stores. The caretaker (owner is always at Stay Korea 1) is very friendly, speaks good english and french.. She will also advise where to eat, where to visit and where to get tickets etc etc.

Our 11-day trip also expanded to Jeju and Gyeongju. Absolutely love Gyeongju and wish I can live in Jeju! Total cost for the trip is a lot more than expected but it's mainly due to transportation and food. We spent less on shopping except for souvenirs. Our main agenda is to sightsee and try their food

Will upload some pics soon..

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Added on March 11, 2011, 12:05 pmOh, and, right now all over Insadong, Namdaemum and many places in Seoul are having big sales on winter clothes. I bought a long thick scarf for 7000 won in Ewha area. Boots on-sale are 10,000 won each pair; sweaters, coats and jackets start from 20,000 won onwards. It'll be cheaper to get them there for travelers going in March than buying here.

This post has been edited by sophistafunk: Mar 11 2011, 12:05 PM

Hi Sophie,
have just checked out the Stay Korea website.. seems good.. and comfy..
may I know for the dormitory, do they have an 8 person dormitory?

Which one better, Stay Korea 1 or 2?
If from Incheon airport, which transportation to take?

I only saw 4-pax dorm in Stay Korea II. Apparently it's the same for Stay Korea I..

http://www.staykorea.co.kr/english/03-2.html

It's really a cosy place, feels like a home

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Added on March 11, 2011, 6:25 pmI haven't been to Stay Korea I because both are located between 1-2 streets away. The owner is manning Stay Korea I and a nice gal called Noelle is managing Stay Korea II for half a day. Noelle will clean the house in the morning and leave @ 3pm daily. This gives us a lot of freedom and space to relax. Not that having someone around is bad but I felt more carefree and more at home in this way. Noelle and Sun (the owner) are friendly and speak good english. Both of them are able to recommend and suggest places to visit, eat and shop too.

Since the hostel is only a 2-sty house-size big, the place is cosy warm and easy for travelers to interact easily We met people from HK, Netherlands, China, Thailand and France during our stay.

From Incheon Airport, take the blue line (Arex/Airport Railroad) direct train and alight at Hongik Univ station. Go to Exit 2 and you'll see 7-Eleven near/next to petrol kiosk. Walk down the street between 7-E and petrol kiosk and you'll see WA Bar. Follow the map accordingly

http://www.staykorea.co.kr/english/04-2.html

P/S:
If you haven't been to Seoul before (like us), once you arrived @ airport - take the elevator down to B2 and walk about 5-8min to AREX station (underground). Buy T-Money at the big metal machine there or go to the counter to purchase single journey ticket (4000won) to Hongik Univ station. If you want to play safe, approach the Transportation counter in airport (arrival hall, near to tourist info desk) for help. Those men in yellow uniform can speak english to help you (that was how we found the train stn..)

T-Money:
We tried to buy from the GS25 mart in Incheon Airport but they said they don't sell.. so, how come other forumers managed to get them there? We managed to get T-Money from Hongik Univ station with the help of the staff there. We didn't even know the machine is to purchase T-Money =.= Remember to top it up right after the purchase (same as Singapore's EZLink card) either at the same machine or those next to it.

This post has been edited by sophistafunk: Mar 11 2011, 06:25 PM

Dang! We cant buy TMoney at the airport? I'm going there this Friday