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

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

GS25 mart in Airport is under renovation now.. You can try your luck @ the Transportation counter or buy it at AREX station

Hi Listiani,

They only have shared bathroom.. even for double-bed rooms, we have to use the bathroom outside. In StayKorea II, there are two bathrooms - downstairs and upstairs. 2 dorms and 1 single bed room downstairs; 2 dorms and 2 double bed rooms upstairs.

Even though bathrooms are shared, they are very clean. No dirt no stains etc. They installed air fresheners so no foul smell too.. lol. One thing though, you have to bring your own towels and toiletries.

Yes it's required to have international driving license to drive in Korea.

I have few but most have shared bathrooms

http://www.kimsguesthouse.com/eng/intro.html
http://hongdaeguesthouse.com/index.php
http://www.guesthouseinkorea.com/eng_intro
http://www.annguesthouse.co.kr/
http://www.namugh.co.kr/
http://www.bluguesthouse.com/index.php
http://www.heybackpackers.com/index.html

I saw a guesthouse in Ewha Women Univ area which I found thru internet before my trip but I can't remember the name now.. arghh.. I recommend staying there cos of the massive shops around and cheap food. It's much more alive than the places around Hongik Univ. You can try to search around for hostels around Ewha.

Reviews on Ewha area: http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/..._Area-BR-1.html

There aren't a lot of stuff to see or shop around in Hongik area but a lot more to see in Ewha. It's only 2 subway stops between these two: Hongik - Sinchon - Ewha. Both are actually located near to each other and it's possible to walk from one point to the other.

When you're visiting/staying in Ewha, don't forget to visit the lifestyle store called Kosney - cute stuff, facial products, stationery, home products and even vintage goods too!

http://www.kosney.co.kr/ksn/pm/shop/PMProd...il?PC=MALL_MAIN

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Added on March 14, 2011, 9:42 amSpring is in early April...

This post has been edited by sophistafunk: Mar 14 2011, 09:42 AM

The vintage stuff in Kosney



This post has been edited by sophistafunk: Mar 14 2011, 09:54 AM

I have better photos in another card but.. just showing you one of the main streets of E-dae (Ewha Women Univ area). The streets and alleys are full of stores, cafes, restaurants, mobile, cosmetics, clothes and etc etc..



Taken from a restaurant on 2nd floor. The black bean paste noodles only cost 3800 won, the spicy squid+clam soup noodle cost 4000 won! Best of all, they are super delicious!




This post has been edited by sophistafunk: Mar 14 2011, 10:02 AM

My fave drink in South Korea: Yuza Blossom Tea in Holly Cafe. Not cheap, about 4000 won or so but it definitely warms me up and it tastes really good!

Lol... lemme load to flickr first...

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Added on March 14, 2011, 2:19 pmIt doesn't have private bathroom.. there are 2 shared bathrooms (upstairs & downstairs). Initially I was against shared facilities but Stay Korea II is very cozy like a home.. the bathrooms are clean, well decorated, well maintained and everyone keep it clean too. Maybe it's off-season now, we don't have to wait for ppl to finish their business in the bathroom at all.. lol.

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Added on March 14, 2011, 2:27 pmI had been walking around Hongik area almost everyday during my stay in Seoul; mostly to walk back to Stay Korea hostel from Ehwa (E-dae area) or to walk to/fro to Hongik station. Day and night time, I only see restaurants, cafes, convenience stores, PC Bang, KTV.. and 1-2 pubs there. The whole atmosphere wasn't that lively though.

We went to a pub in Sinchon (can't remember the name cos we ran in there to escape the cold wind) and it was full of happy students.. lol. Nice ambience, not too rowdy.. they played english songs and serve snacks like chicken wings, grilled cuttlefish etc. We had 1 pint of CASS beer (i like it!) only. That was the only time we visited pub in Seoul. Most of the time we either drink soju or makgeolli in the room or had it in the restaurant

When asked, the guesthouse owner said Sinchon is the known area to drink, eat and have fun. E-dae is for women to shop and Hongdae is for cheap food. I find that E-dae has cheap food too.. hmmm..

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Added on March 14, 2011, 2:29 pmU're welcome
Ehwa is really interesting.. I like it better than Namdaemum and Dongdaemum

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Added on March 14, 2011, 2:42 pmHi divasweet!

We stayed in Tae Gong Gak Inn, it's a very nice guesthouse with 4-star service and room. I've written a review in Tripadvisor - http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g2...po_Jeju_do.html

What others wrote are true; the owners are really helpful, warm, friendly and kind. They won't push you to go for this or that but they will give very good advices on where to go, what to eat..etc. Knowing our language barrier, they will write down food order, road directions, instructions to taxi driver or bus driver in korean language for us without prompting. I was surprised by their hospitality at first but they're genuinely nice!

Their website: http://www.lepotel.kr/eng/index.html

Other ppl recommend Jeju Hiking Inn in Tripadvisor, it was our secondary choice that time and it's cheaper than Tae Gong Gak. Not sure if they're as helpful as TGG owners though..

Their website: http://www.hikinginn.com/

My thoughts: At 65,000won/nite (double-bed) in TGG, we had bottled mineral water, fresh clean towels, toiletries, big bed, duvet cover, extra winter blanket, slippers, tv, spacious room and large bathroom, unlimited supplies of food (noodles, bread, snacks, coffee, tea, water) in pantry, free tangerines.. good recommendations on food (cheap&delicious), walking distance to Cheonjiyeon Falls.. and bonus point on the fact that the owners know a lot of ppl in Jeju so you can find help very easily.. so yea, I will go back to TGG again - not for freebies but for its warmth, I felt at home and being taken care of properly; I didn't feel so lost thanks to the owners!


This post has been edited by sophistafunk: Mar 14 2011, 02:42 PM

Yes good enough to bring 2 sweaters if you plan to get more in Seoul. By now they should have crazy sales on winter clothes - everywhere and anywhere.

Yes can have food in hand carry bag - I put pastries and snacks in it.



This post has been edited by sophistafunk: Mar 16 2011, 01:17 PM

I only have a photo of Stay Korea II entrance




Ewha area:

Black bean paste noodles (3800won) and spicy seafood noodle soup (4000won). Delicious!



Snoopy cafe, streets, food carts and Ewha Women Univ.



This post has been edited by sophistafunk: Mar 17 2011, 01:02 AM

Hongik area, shop located at the corner, very near to Stay Korea II:

Sundae soup (6000won). They said it's an acquired taste.. that's true but I kinda like it



Add these to have the proper sundae soup!



This post has been edited by sophistafunk: Mar 16 2011, 03:54 PM

A small restaurant located in a small alley, in Insadong:

Bibimbap (8000won) with beef kalbi (13000won). Delicious but expensive..

Alight at Ganghwamun subway station to go to Gyeongbokgung:

Closes on Tuesdays..



Witness the guard-changing ceremony which happens at every hour..

Outside -



Inside -




Random shot: saw an unique building near to the palace..

On the way to Bukchon Hanok Village, we had our lunch here (opposite is Anguk subway station):
1000won for all except for the chicken kebab (2000won).



Pancake with cinnamon & red bean paste; Chicken kebab..




Saw some interesting stuff along the Gahoe street..




Reached Gahoe Bukchon Hanok Village..



Find the photo spot to take photos.. can see Seoul Tower and palace from there..



A lot more to visit around Gahoe area, and Insadong is nearby!

I only managed to find 4 spots, was really exhausted by then cos of the strong cold wind blowing throughout the day..

The hanok village is separated by the road, meaning each side of the street (facing each other) has photo spots all over. We only covered the left side. 1N2D team went to the right side to stay in bukchon guesthouse is and where people can see Changdeokgung from there.

This post has been edited by sophistafunk: Mar 16 2011, 05:27 PM

Insadong - alight at Anguk station.

Abundant restaurants and cafes in Insadong.. so tempting but not cheap lah..



You know you're in Insadong once you see this robot



The "shit" is filled with red bean paste. Very nice! (2000won for 3 pieces)



Not worth to buy tea here.. I paid 3000won for a small cup of honey tea..



Spotted two cute cats on the roof



This post has been edited by sophistafunk: Mar 16 2011, 05:32 PM

Alight at Yongsan station to go to Yongsan Electronics Market.

Once there we lost our way in finding the market. We walked in the wrong direction and had to trace back the steps for 20min. Then walked for another 20min to find ourselves facing complexes on all sides. We didn't know which is the market and the streets stated Yongsan Electronics Shopping Mall #10, Yongsan Electrionics Shopping Mall #12 and so forth.

We still browsed the shops there but was intimidated by the over-zealous sellers.. LOL. The place seemed dead so we walked back to the station, only to realized they have covered bridge that linked the station to the mall #12. @#@#%$%..

Then not giving up, we decided to explore I'Park Mall and found so many more electronics products there! It's just next to the station and both places are linked T__T




After that we went to Dongdaemum (dongdaemum station) but I think they close on Tuesdays.. 90% shops closed! So we strolled further down from Dongdaemum and found tons of chinese restaurants there. No pictures cos we were pretty worn out by then. Lol.

Hahaha we're not really experienced cos we lost our way most of the time =.=
We find our ways using GPS and its no fun to walk long hours in the cold finding direction. Since we stayed in Hongik area, we explored the places everyday, went to Ewha 3 times on different occasions.. and walked from there to Hongik which is actually 2 stations away (ewha-sinchon-hongik).. that itself is an hour plus walk (we were too gungho in this). Only on the 2nd last day the guesthouse caretaker told us that there's actually a shortcut from Ewha to Hongik which only take 20min walk =.=

Not only in Seoul, we lost our way in Jeju and Gyeongju too..