What kind of traveler are you? Seoul provides some spots for different types of travelers. If you're like me, then you might want to go to their National Museum or probably Gyeongbokgung Palace. Seoul Tower might also be a good place to visit. If you're on the younger side, you might also want to consider experiencing the night life in Hongdae or Itaewon. If you're into amusement park, then there's always the Lotte World.
According to my experience, the weather will be hot. The thing is since it's not really humid in Korea, you might feel that it's hotter compared to Malaysia. Shorts and cool t-shirts will probably be your best friends while traveling during that time.

Haeundae Beach: Quite disappointing, haha. Its not really a swimming beach. I was there during the last few days of summer and you can only swim less than 10 ft away. Most locals go here for photo taking, fun time on the sand, sun-bathing (though not so much).

BUT...this place is great on weekend nights, where lots of street musician and performers are around. Grab some desserts and snacks nearby and just chill around here. Best if you have another person or more accompanying you.

Jagalchi Fish Market: Not as exciting as I thought it would be. Got a few stalls selling ikan kering and fishes on aquarium but thats just it. For Malaysian standard la since we are used to it.

.....now Nampo area has lots of varieties here. I LOVE IT HERE!!! I'll list them down what I love about Nampo-dong.

1. Night market: I'm not sure which day the market is (or maybe every night), but at night, the street alley has a lot to offer from street snacks, clothes, accessories...bla bla. PLEASE, try not to touch them. The ahjummas (makciks) HATE that. You can see...but no touching, or they'll curse you in Hangul..hahahha!

2. Desserts: Ohhhh....I know Caffe Benne is the in-thing now, in fact they have one in Sunway Pyramid. But there's this ONE place in Nampo that always have swarm of local visitors. The portion is huge (as usual) but whats so good about this is the flavour, taste and texture. The ice is like snow...and OMG, the best patbingsu, EVER!!! I'll let you know the name of this place soon. Its in Hangul, that's why I forgot the name. Its not on ground floor, but 1st floor up...and STILL lots of visitors there

3. Cosmetics: You'll get pretty much the same feel as it is in Myeongdong, but at better pace and less dense.

4. Food: I love exploring everything from the modern French bakery, cafes to ahjummas small restaurant selling local cuisines. Since most of them are in Hangul, not English, what I'd do is take photos on my mobile of what I want to eat (most of the photo menu are in front of restaurant)...and just show a few of them to the ahjummas. If you walk a bit further inside, they have tonnes of stores selling seafood...but if you're more adventurous, go to Fishing Village

5. Cat Cafes: Okay, there are a few cat cafes around...BUT please don't bother going to Yang Yang cat cafe. Its the worse cat cafes I've been to (been to so many in Seoul, Tokyo, Osaka). It smells so bad that even the cats are poorly treated there. Poor cats My fav cat cafe in Busan is With Cat http://www.headhigheartstrong.com/2012/04/...vourite-v1.html

MY FAV PLACES IN BUSAN

1. Nampo-dong (shopping, eat, sleep, chill)
2. Gamcheon Culture Village (hiking, photo op) http://txun2001.blogspot.com/2013/11/busan...re-village.html
3. Tangjongdae Clam tent: Fear factor, eating squirmy live seafood. Best to eat in group.
4. Haeundae Beach: Chill in the evening, watch baskers and have snacks
5. Shinsegae Spaland (in shopping mall): Modern Korean bath house Jiljimbang for only 10,000 KRW (RM30) entrance fee with variety of sauna, extra spa treatments, chill with patbingsu. Oh yes, you need to get nekkid on this one. All-off! Bath house according to gender, but can get together at sauna area. Not good if you're rushing. Extra discount in the evening and early morning.

Hi spidergirl,

Really appreciate your comments!!
It does help me a lot in planning my itinerary!
Few more weeks to go and I will be going to Busan, feeling so excited!

Yea, I'm going to the beach to chillax only, no swimming is okay for me. Just go there walk walk and take photo.
I'm more excited to go to Nampo, lol..

1) How are the clothes at the night market? Quality and price ok? Cannot touch then won't know the quality good or not ma..

Seoul has way better selection with better prices in my opinion...but then again, I'm a thrift shopper - I'd buy clothes under 10,000 won since I know that's the price range I'd get in Seoul. Quality wise, you need to judge them yourself. Some good stuff are made locally, and there are also stuff from China....so yeah...have yourself a to-buy list

2) Wow, the place you mentioned sounds like so nice. Imagine having a bowl of patbingsu during summer...so syiok! But, is it ok if go to those cafe alone? Like will awkward or not?

Nah, no worries, its alright. Get a corner near the window. Here's the snapshot of the awesome patbingsu. Best one I've had so far! Perhaps anyone who can read Hangul decipher the name of this shop by reading the napkin? I can show this pic to my sis actually...


3) So I can buy cosmetics at Nampo? Is there any particular shops or it's like a whole street of cosmetic shops?

Cosmetic shops are everywhere around Nampo...in the subway, on row of shops, in Lotte department store just across the street from Nampo station. Korean skincare is the best to shop. I'd recommend googling for Korean skincare routine (massage oil, essence, etc)...theres more than just tone and moisturise.

Did I mention you can get LOTS and LOTS of cosmetic samples once you buy cosmetics in some shops? The more you buy, the more samples they chunk in your purchase. LOVE IT!

4) Any nice snacks or food that I should buy back to Msia?

This is up to you. Since you're traveling alone, you need to consider weight and size factor as well. And also, since Korean food and snacks has gained much popularity in Malaysia, you might need to know what you can get in Seoul/Busan that the local premium food stores like Cold Storage, Jaya Grocer, etc has to offer. Chances you're just buying stuff that are sold here...which can be a bummer. Ie: Korean strawberries....winter time is good to buy strawberries (they're humungously huge!!).

Lesson learnt: buying kimchis as souvenirs is a no-no.

Will skip Tangjongdae Clam tent coz I don't dare to try the live seafood. Saw a video of someone eating live octopus before,OMG
For the spa, need to be all naked? Will try if time permits.

For the bath house, yes, you need to be naked. I did Hammam there as well which costs less than the Hammam in KL. Then there is other area at sauna where you can put on the clothes they provide you.

The patbingsu looks sooooo YUMMY!! Especially the one with lots of berries! Definitely must try!
I think I will spend most of my money on shopping for cosmetics, clothes and accessories^^ Would like to try those local korean brands like 3CE.
Do you think bringing Rm3k for 6D5N is enough?

Just got to know from my sis that the name of the shop is called Sol-ping 설핑.

Is that the cost of 1 person without accommodation cost? If yes, then that should be okay. Usually most of my spending budget is done on my credit card, lol! Even small stalls in Seoul accept credit card.

Hello, I am currently planning for my coming trip to South Korea in October, and am wondering if I could get some tips for transportation in Jeju Island. I read online that it is nearly impossible to visit Jeju without a tour. As I will be backpacking, I am definitely going to rely on the public buses there. From your experiences in Jeju, may I know if it is possible to cover Jeju on public buses?

Also, I was looking for the best restaurants to have the famous local food in Jeju - black pork and abalone porridge - but couldn't get much recommendations online. As I will be staying in the Kkodak Kkodak Guesthouse in Seogwipo, the nearest restaurant as recommended online is about 2 hours away.

Thank you in advance for your kind assistance    Looking forward to the trip!

Hello, I would like to ask if there are any places that I can reload my T-Money cards in the Gimhae International Airport in Busan? To save time, I hope to be able to reload my card upon arrival. From the homework I've done online, it is hard to reload T-Money cards in Busan, and there are 2 places to do it in Busan - namely the GS25 at Nampo-Dong and GS25 near Jagalchi Market. However, to go to these places I would have to spend time finding them so I'm hoping to settle the reloading in the airport if that is possible. Thank you 

Yes, that's the cost of 1 person w/o accommodation cost. But by using credit card, is the rate ok? Never try b4 using credit card at oversea.

Ur sis knows Korean? Cool!!

Hi all, am going to Korea (2 pax) on November for 11 days. Was thinking of planned days there with 5 days (Seoul), 3 days (Jeju) & 3 days (Busan). Is it ideal?

define ideal? it will be kind of rushed though with lots of travelling involved.

Way than enough...hahha. But depends on what you buy la, hehehe. Cosmetics can be a killer shopping binge...ALWAYS, plan your purchase, otherwise you'll end up buying things that you don't need (lesson learnt!!!) Exchange rate is not so bad actually.

My sis is staying in Seoul for the past 3 yrs now, gonna be there in another 2 yrs or more. Its funny and amusing to see her talking with locals in Hangul. I've only been in S. Korea 5 times, I think I'm way an expert compared to her when it comes to shopping...lol!

Just came back from Seoul-Jeju trip last Friday.

I rented a 7 seater car as there are 6 of us. Car is definitely the way to go if there are many of you and it's convenient. First time using korean GPS and have no problem keying 'hanguel' on it.
Yes, you can travel by bus if you spend many days there because it's really time consuming because from one attraction to the other is usually quite far apart. I think it's best you get a tour. But with tour, usually, they break the tour by east, west and south, with each taking one full day to cover, with each tour costing about 80k won (Yeha Tour)

Black pork i had is in Jeju city, Heukdonga Jeju (Black Pig BBQ), near Jeju city, one of the popular ones. There's also one street that all serve black pork in Jeju city as well.

We also had our lunch which was fantastic, near, but can't recall the place now..

Have fun planning.

I was in Busan twice last year, and if I'm not mistaken, the 1st train (Light Rail Transit) from Gimhae airport to the city is a bit different as its using the token system. This station will end at Sasang station (transfer station). From this station onwards, you're free to use the rechargeable transportation card.

Transportation is Busan is a bit different from Seoul...very confusing, haha. Esp dealing with their 1 section (less than 10 km) and 2 section (more than 10 km). How le to count the km?

Anyway...here's what I did...

1. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF 1-day UNLIMITED TICKET: If you decide to do a hardcore travel in one-day (more than 4 stations a day), buy for this pass instead, which can be purchased at the station machine. In my opinion, this is SO worth it. Can only used for train if I'm not wrong.

Weekly pass has its limitation, so I'd only stick to 1-day pass when I'm traveling a lot in one day, and I'll use the rechargeable card when I go to random light trips, inc buses trips. Bring a sturdy name tag with lanyard or better the retractable type. Its much easier than keeping them in pockets or wallet.

http://www.humetro.busan.kr/english/02/01_01.php

2. RECHARGEABLE CARD: The hostel I'm staying (Sum Guesthouse) actually loan me their transportation card. The advantage of rechargeable card is you'll get 10% for each journey and can be used for buses as well. This will be convenient if you're traveling to Gamcheon Cultural Village (lego village) or Tanjongdae park (circle bus).
http://www.exploringkorea.com/busan-subway-guide/

So yeah, its up to your calculation and travel destination. When you reached your hostel/hotel, they'll give you a Busan map http://rubbisheatrubbishgrow.files.wordpre...-subway-map.jpg

I actually love their phone strap transportation card (3000 won), which can be used as souvenirs...and its functional, don't you think?
Way than enough...hahha. But depends on what you buy la, hehehe. Cosmetics can be a killer shopping binge...ALWAYS, plan your purchase, otherwise you'll end up buying things that you don't need (lesson learnt!!!) Exchange rate is not so bad actually.

My sis is staying in Seoul for the past 3 yrs now, gonna be there in another 2 yrs or more. Its funny and amusing to see her talking with locals in Hangul. I've only been in S. Korea 5 times, I think I'm way an expert compared to her when it comes to shopping...lol!

what i mean would it be a rush for the days that i am planning?

Hello, I would like to ask if there are any places that I can reload my T-Money cards in the Gimhae International Airport in Busan? To save time, I hope to be able to reload my card upon arrival. From the homework I've done online, it is hard to reload T-Money cards in Busan, and there are 2 places to do it in Busan - namely the GS25 at Nampo-Dong and GS25 near Jagalchi Market. However, to go to these places I would have to spend time finding them so I'm hoping to settle the reloading in the airport if that is possible. Thank you 

Thanks for the valuable information!    There'll be 4 of us on the 3D2N trip to Jeju. As it is a bit troublesome to convert the Malaysian driving license to an international one to be able to drive in Jeju (have to take 2 days of leave just to go to JPJ to convert and then get back the original license), I am wondering if I can solely depend on the public transportation there. I also plan to climb Mt. Halla as well as visit some of the places in Jeju, so I don't think a day tour is convenient for my case. I'll be spending most of my time in Seogwipo as I have booked my accommodation there (because it's near to all the main attractions). May I know if the black pork restaurant you mentioned is available in Seogwipo? I personally feel it's very hard to plan for a Jeju trip due to the distance and the public transportation woes.
Thank you for sharing the information    As I'll only be in Busan for 3D2N, I'll only be visiting a few places in Busan (Jagalchi Market, BIFF Square, Gamcheon Cultural Village, Taejongdae Resort Park, Haedong Yonggungsa Temple) before flying to Jeju. I think a rechargeable card is more convenient for this case, but am not sure if there is a place for me to reload my T-Money card at the Gimhae airport.

Oh ya....Just surfing around and saw someone renting apartment near Seoul Station for around RM500 per night. Do you guys think its too expensive for 6 of us? Or I shall just proceed to searching guesthouse instead?

Thanks in advance.

BTW I just booked ticket from Gimpo - Jeju (Eastarjet) and Jeju - Busan (jeju air) for around RM320 per person. Jeju Air is seriously a pain to book tickets >.<

tq for the reply. guess rm5000 not enough for 8 days.