Ye (Korean: Yes), Will do that once comback. This Korean languange IE very susah to use.

Dae (Korean), saw it at the underground shopping at Jamsil station (Lotte world station).

Home coming today. Arriving KL the next morning.

This post has been edited by aeiou228: Nov 22 2010, 08:11 AM

Naryangin
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=37.5150703&lon=1...39&z=16&l=0&m=m

Namiseum is a must visit. Give this place higher priority to DMZ. Easy and cheap to go there. 900w MRT + 4000w Korail per person then take taxi to the wharf 3500w + ferry/entrance ticket 8000w.

Yes agreed. Lotte world is 90% similar to Genting but triple the price. Don't waste your money there.

I rented 2 phones from KT SHOW (2000w /day) and it comes with a FREE T-money chip each phone. Just top up at the convenient store and you are good to go. The Iphone is FREE rental if you answer some questionnaires upon returning the phone. Iphone doesn't come with T-Money but the plus point is it has GPS with Google map.
I recommend to rent 2 phones because you can split the group to two in shopping complexes and save a lot of time.

1. I still think communication is a big problem to foreigner who doesn't speak and understand Korean language.

2. Dae. Subway is the way to go and it cover almost all tourist spots.

3. Indeed. Hardly need to wait beyond 10 min.

4. -

5. Dae. BIG portion !! and many side disses. For 3 persons, order 2 set enough. I found that it is cheaper to eat in the restaurant rather than eating street food. The street food sells around 2k to 3k per stick/pack snap food for a small serving, You might as well pay 2K to 3K more for better quality korean food in the restaurant. They give FREE drinking water too.

My Korea travel itinerary

Day 1
Flying to Incheon International airport.

Day 2
Namiseum, Dondaemun

Day 3
Noryanggin Fish Market,
Seoul Citi Tour Bus:- Yongsang Station, Iteawon, Nansamgol Traditional Village, N-Tower, Gyeonbukgun, Kwanhuamun, cheonggyecheon stream.

Day 4
Garak Wholesale Market, Munjeong Rodeo Factory outlets street. Lotte world

Day 5
Myeong-Dong, Namdaemun, e-mart, Lotte-mart. Flying bank to KL

---

Added on November 23, 2010, 8:42 amI think have to add 900w MRT to go to Nami shuttle bus station at Insa-dong and 8000w for the return ferry ticket to the island. One down side about the Nami shuttle bus is that one have to stick to their schedule which is 9.am going and 4pm return. I went to Nami at 10.40am train and completed touring the entire island around 2pm and I have plenty of time left to cover Dondaemun which is on the same return MRT line.

This post has been edited by aeiou228: Nov 23 2010, 04:34 PM

There is one, Seoul folks flea market. I missed this one when I was in Seoul.

BTW, I noticed that Subway line 1 (Dark blue) is the most frequently used subway to go to major attractions without the hassle of line transfer. Tips: Give booking priority to accommodation near line 1 station.

---

Added on November 23, 2010, 4:49 pmImportant Info !!!

zstan,

You are right, very very limited (almost non existent) food available in Incheon airport.
This is because all the shops were closed after 9.30pm.

Tips:

Please tapao your dinner from e-mart or lotte mart before coming to incheon airport.

Stimix, seriously, this info should be on 1st page.

This post has been edited by aeiou228: Nov 23 2010, 04:50 PM

Hi, I got 200,220 won to let go at middle rate (buying price + Selling price divided by 2) based on Wawasan Sentosa real time online rates
http://wawasanmoneychanger.com.my/exchangerates.asp

Changing Korean won at the Incheon airport arrival will be more expensive than changers at Namdaemun or Myeongdong. Air Asia arrival time is late at night and you may face out of stock situation at the airport changers which offered the best rate. ( That's what happened to me and forced to changed at more expensive rate with other changer) Therefore, you need to have some korean won changed in Malaysia enough for transportation and the Hotel deposit and 1st day expenses ( Remember, by the time you reach Seoul is already after midnight and if next morning you are rushing out for some out of town attraction before the banks open, your itinerary will be interrupted if you are short of cash.


Those who deal with me will also get to buy a Korea AC power socket plug adapter converter to US,UK,EU worth 6000won(RM18) @ RM10 + a FREE T-money card worth 2500won(RM7.5)

Contact me @ OI23I7O338





This post has been edited by aeiou228: Nov 24 2010, 03:00 PM

Yesterday when I was at e-Mart and I eye witnessed something very interesting. I sat at a bench fronting a toilet entrance. An elderly man pushing his paid and fully loaded shopping cart and placed the cart unattended beside the toilet entrance wall and walked into the toilet for 10 min. The old man actions reflects very clearly that he is very confident that no one will push his fully loaded shopping cart away even if it was out of sight for 10 min.

Would you dare to leave behind your shopping cart unattended outside the toilet in mid valley ? I wouldn't.

My first impression of Korea hospitality.

As I was traveling in the A'REX towards Gimpo, I asked a Korea Gentleman next to me about the train routes to my final subway station at Sinseol-dong. He can't really converse in English well but He tried his best to explain to me with his subway map in his phone.. He even guided me all the way from Gimpo to my final station at Sinseol-dong station and then returned to his final station at another lines. Wow !! he was such a amazing character !! We exchanged business cards and I told him if he ever happen to come to KL, he must call me and I will chauffeur him directly from the airport .

This post has been edited by aeiou228: Nov 23 2010, 10:57 PM

No wor....just now saw buying RM2.70 and selling RM3.00 for 1000won at Tesco Puchong's Galaxy Pacifiic money changer leh.

This post has been edited by aeiou228: Nov 24 2010, 11:26 AM

Changing Korean won at the Incheon airport arrival will be more expensive than changers at Namdaemun or Myeongdong. Air Asia arrival time is late at night and you may face out of stock situation at the airport changers which offer the best rate(in the airport arrival hall). ( That's was what happened to me and forced to changed at more expensive rate with other changer) Therefore, you need to have some korean won changed in Malaysia enough for transportation and the Hotel deposit and 1st day expenses ( Remember, by the time you reach Seoul is already after midnight and if next morning you are rushing out for some out of town attraction before the banks open, your itinerary will be interrupted if you are short of cash.

This post has been edited by aeiou228: Nov 24 2010, 04:30 PM

Day 1
Departure date: 18 Nov 2010 1.55pm via LCCT by Air Asia.


Inside the A'REX. The indicator showing real time travel positioning of the train.

Day 2
NAMISEUM Island
Took subway from Sinseol-dong station to Cheongnyangni Train station (900w) to take the 10.20am Korail train to Gapyeong station (4,000w). Arrived Gapyeong at 11:30am then took the taxi in front of the station to the wharf (3,500w). If you travel alone, please take the bus (1000w) to the wharf. Bought ticket at the ticket booth for 8,000 per adult (children at half price) and the ticket include return ferry fare and entrance free.




At the wharf.

Arriving Namiseum




This post has been edited by aeiou228: Nov 24 2010, 05:06 PM

Sausage at 2000w and pretty yummy.


A thin layer of ice forming on the pond.




This unique Kimchi rice with egg meal was Korean olden days student lunch box food. The box is made from stainless steel so that it could be easily reheated on the stove. At that time, they don't have microwave yet.
The ingredients were usually put underneath the rice to prevent other students stealing your food. The taste ?...Yummy..!!


The entrance to Naminara republic

This post has been edited by aeiou228: Nov 24 2010, 06:06 PM

Plenty of taxis waiting for customers to go back to Gapyeong station. But bear in mind that this is weekday and weekend maybe different.

Gapyeong trian station.

Dongdaemun. My cheapo camera also boleh tahan what....

Bibimbap 7000w at 7th floor food court, Doota shopping complex, Dondaemun

This device will alert the customer by vibration when the food order is ready for collection at the stalls.

Forgot the name liao but it was beef in hot soup. 5500w. The 2 dishes we ordered was enough for 3 of us to makan.

This fashion wholesale complex is so huge.

Streat food at Dongdaemun.

I think it make more sense to eat indoor in a proper restaurant or food court rather than eating street food. You are basically paying half the price for a small portion street food to that of a full Korean set meal with big serving portion. Further more, you can sit back and relax your aching legs and eat in a warm and cozy environment. Oh one more thing....you don't have to spend on drinks because all restaurants and food courts provides free drinking water.

This post has been edited by aeiou228: Nov 24 2010, 05:56 PM

Smaller shop selling around 4k to 6k just slightly cheaper but ordering food is such a pain. We tried one small restaurant in Lotte World and we have to finger point here and there to the dishes on other people's table.

Yalor, blur blur and foggy foggy like that. Went to Namsan N Tower can not see the Seoul city in good clarity.

Day 3

Naryangin Fish Market

I told you already.....it's breath taking !!

---

Added on November 24, 2010, 9:21 pmFor small restaurant, very little English and Mandarin unless restaurant hire Chinese worker. The best way is ....use your finger to point the dishes served on other table.

This post has been edited by aeiou228: Nov 24 2010, 10:34 PM

I don't think so.
To go to Fish Market, get off at Naryangin station only exit and use the overhead pedestrian bridge to cross over the railway tracks to the market.
http://wikimapia.org/#lat=37.5143895&lon=1...51&z=18&l=0&m=h

Thanks. We should see real life activities of Korea.



Day 3 continue......

Seoul Citi Tour Bus

Why pay more for ground arrangement tour package when you can have a same service for just 10,000w ?
Advantages:
Hop-in and hop-out day pass.
Punctual bus pickup every 30min at designated stops from 9.30am to 7.00pm
Save the Namsan cable car ticket fare (6,300w) as this bus goes up to N-Tower hill top.
No hassle of subway lines transfer.
Can see and roam the city on the ground unlike underground subway.
It covers most of the tourist attractions in Seoul.
Stay as long as you want at any stop.

Disadvantages:
Pretty pack during weekend.
Some head phones not working.
The driver drives like Bus Mini Wilayah driver.


Look for this poll for SCTB stop.


Lightl eater female can't finish the entire set meal. So, 2 sets are enough for 3 persons.

This life size food menu is quite common in food court and some restaurants. At least we don't have to finger pointing the food on other people's table. These pictures were taken in e-Mart's food court in Yongsang station.

For whatever shopping needs, e-Mart , Lotte Mart or similar offers the cheapest price rather than Namdaemun, Dondaemun or Myeongdong. (this is only my observation) I saw down jackets lambak-lambak on offer bin for 19,000w, leather glove for 11,000w in e-Mart

This post has been edited by aeiou228: Nov 25 2010, 05:52 PM

Play it safe rather than sorry. Use ATM only as back up or contingency.

These are the risks if you solely rely just on ATM card:

When you run out of cash and you:
Can't find the ATM that is compatible to your card.
The transportation and time cost looking for suitable ATM will cost you more that RM2.80++ you initially intended to save.
Your ATM card fail to function due do some unknown reasons.
Your card got "swallowed" by the ATM after few unsuccessful withdrawal attempts.
Forgot the ATM password.

Try to plan your holiday as trouble free as possible. Bring enough pre-budgeted cash (won and USD) to Korea and change it there face to face with another human being. Use ATM only when budget overruns.

This post has been edited by aeiou228: Nov 25 2010, 05:51 PM

Try this Korean banana milk You see this everywhere.

Hi, lazybirdkorea,

I suggest you mark your location in Wikimapia. It is FREE advertisement after all and the whole world can see it. Also, please help mark those places of interest in your vicinity to make your area more interesting to visit. Marking in Wikimapia will improve search ranking in Google search. Mark it in English language if you want international guests and Google to find you in English search.

By the way, I found my accommodation in Korea using Wikimapia too.

cheapest meal cost in Seoul is 5,000w. per meal (Shopping complex food court standard).
A return Subway ride is 1,800w (T-money discounted price only)

Take the above as the basic must spend and multiply by the number of meals and days.

Of course you can save 50% meal money if you buy food stuff from e-Mart or Lotte-mart.

If you travel alone and you are a light eater, I think those 6,000w meal set is a bit over served for you. For nice and cheaper meals, go e-mart or lotte mart.
As SSJBen said, top up 30,000w T-Money for 1 week transportation needs. Any excess money can be refunded from designated convenient stores.
I've been to Lotte World and to me it is a smaller Genting replica but triple the price. Save this for others.
Namiseum about 1.5 hour to 2 hour.
You can board the Seoul City Tour Bus right in front of the gigantic Yongsang train station main entrance to go to Namsan N Tower. Distance within citi area.

Admission ticket = can admit but need to pay for the rides
Day pass = Admit and unlimited rides

But I found a loop hole in their ticketing system. The day pass holder can actually retrieve "ride ticket" from the ride ticket vending machine ans give it to the admission ticket holder to take the ride.
Don't waste money for both theme park during winter.

By the way, I got 2 man's winter jacket (size L and seldom wear) to let go at RM20 each. pm me if interested.

This post has been edited by aeiou228: Nov 29 2010, 08:55 AM

Some one please confirm the rates at the departure hall whether is buying or selling Won. I was at Incheon on 22nd Nov the quoted rate at Arrival hall was 1USD=1088won and departure hall was 1148won. Only one rate was quoted.