MARKISM: City Tour

Coron Day 5 x Half Day City Tour

By Marky - 3:58 AM

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Korea 2017: Things to remember + City Tour + Myeongdong Food Trip

By Marky - 6:55 AM

One of the countries that is on my Top 5 list is South Korea. Korea is the best Asian country I have been to so far. It is the only country I can’t wait to go back to already. 7 days were not enough. I actually stayed in Korea for a week, but I wanted to exclude the days of arrival and departure, since the processes of boarding the plane, passing through immigration, waiting on your luggage and all that jazz were quite time-consuming. Hence, my exploration of Seoul was only for 5 days. Since I wanted to maximize my stay and minimize my expenses while in Korea, I looked for guides from some blogs to help me decide on which areas to visit and to stay in in the city.

Some people visit South Korea for two main reasons: authentic Korean food and snow during winter. It was my first time to experience winter and it was remarkable. Nakakaiyak! I was able to visit the country during winter and the timing was great, because it was my birthday week. It was fun though chilly during my 7-day stay in Seoul and I seized the chance to discover the history, food, culture and tourist attractions in the huge city. This post is mainly for first-timers. On here I share some tips, things to remember and some beautiful photos of our Day 1. (Days 2-7 coming soon!)

THINGS TO REMEMBER

Visa/Immigration
Some airlines offer cheap flights to South Korea, but please take note that Filipinos need a visa before entering Korea. For visa application and the requirements needed, visit (http://embassy_philippines.mofa.go.kr). You’re your arrival at Incheon International Airport, you are welcomed by machines in immigration booths to Korea in your national language. After they scan your passport, the machine will use your national language, welcome you to Korea and mention some reminders during the immigration process.

Accommodation
We stayed at Dongdaemun Guesthouse, which was near the Sinseoldong subway station. We had booked in August 2017 through booking.com and got a discount. The caretaker was very accommodating and there was free breakfast too. Our room was very clean and the floors were heated, so it felt really nice every time we got back from the cold weather outside. Also, bring a Type C Europlug adapter because wall outlets in Korea have these two round holes.

Weather
South Korea has four seasons: winter from December to February, spring from March to May, summer from June to August and autumn from September to November. We went there last December 18^th through 26^th and experienced the beautiful winter season. Since the weather is perfect for picture-taking, expect it to be a crowded season for tourists. The lowest temperature I experienced was -11 degrees Celsius around 9 AM on Nami Island.

Transportation
T-Money card is absolutely the best option to consider. The card requires a non-refundable KRW 4,000 payment. In our case, the sales person from 7-Eleven gave us the T-Money cards for free. It is reloadable and provides discounts (around KRW 100 less than using cash per ride) on subway and bus rides. You could also use it to purchase food or items at their affiliated stores. You could reload the card at the reloading machines at subway stations or at some convenience stores. Just make sure you load it with just enough credit so you don’t need to worry about getting a refund.

Tours & WiFi
Klook is a great application for tours and activities in South Korea. We availed their Nami Island plus Petite France tour, DMZ half-day tour and Everland entrance tickets. You could download the app or just simply visit their website to check the prices. Many of you have probably heard of Flytpack already, because of the number of bloggers who shared their experience with this WiFi router provider during their trips abroad, whether in Asian or Western countries. This is the main reason why I also gave their travel WiFi router a try during my 7-day trip to South Korea. Visit https://flytpack.com for more details.

What I'm wearing: white Heattech from Uniqlo, knitted jacket from US, outerwear from Fila, pants from Zara, scarf from Metro, Louis Vuitton body bag and Superga shoes.

After our visit to Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, we looked for the best local restaurant where we could have our first lunch in SoKor. Alam ko hindi maganda ‚yung photo kasi sobrang gutom na ako niyan. Haha.

So what did I hoard? Flavoured milk and Innisfree face masks.

After lunch, we went straight to Gyeongbokgung Palace, but it was on a Tuesday and the Palace is closed on Tuesdays, so we decided to go to The Story of King Sejong Museum, Ediya Coffee Shop and Cheonggyecheon Stream instead.

I’ve bookmarked a few interesting places to visit and Cheonggyecheon Stream was one of them. Also, I was especially interested in finding the reproduction of slums in the 1950s & 1960s. Good thing, my best friend knows a bit about the history and shared her knowledge on it.

After visiting some interesting places, we went straight to Myeong-dong to have dinner. Myeong-dong is one of the key shopping and food districts in Seoul, ruled by almost every FOOD. Most food items should average about KRW 2,000 - 5,000 (PHP 90-250). Here are some foods we tried during our trip.

Gyeran-Bbang (Egg Bread)

Steamed bread with a whole egg inside and they are sweet and fluffy.

Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes)

Also known as teokbokki, ddeokbokki, topokki, these are cylinder-shaped rice cakes cooked in gochujang – a type of sweet, spicy red pepper sauce. This is what I always order at Seoul Express in BGC.

Odeng / Eomuk Tang

These are fishcake on skewers served with hot broth. Best to have these skewers during the cold weather when you can keep warm by holding a cup or bowl in your hands. Sobrang perfect sa lamig ng gabi. Haha.

Hweori Gamja (Tornado Potato)
My best friend's favorite. Amazing to see how a single potato is cut to a long stick (by a machine). The first time I saw this was in FEU way back college days.

Sausage with Cheese, Hamburg Steak Stewers
These are alternating pieces of cheese-filled sausages and teokbokki-filled beef on the same stick.

Korean Fried Chicken (Yangnyeom Tongdak)
This was my favorite. Double deep-fried chicken pieces further tossed in sticky sauce of your choice: sweet and spicy or soy and garlic. A stick typically costs KRW 3,000 (PHP 140) while a more fulfilling cup is at KRW 5,000 (PHP 250).

Baked Cheese
Skewered sticks of rice cakes and alternating pieces of mozzarella cheese, grilled.

Honey Strings

Korean Honey Strings or The Kings Dessert or Dragon's Beard Candy. A ball of frozen honey is worked to create 16,000 strands of honey candy in a matter of minutes and then blankets a spoonful of powdered/chopped almonds, peanuts, and/or walnut. It's entertaining to be sure. I bought three boxes to try all the flavors, but… haaay.

Bacon Wrapped Sausages
Sarap!

Croissant Bungeoppang
A pancake typically filled with red beans. I love it also. Perfect for coffee!

Strawberry Red Bean Mochi
Like the Japanese’s Ichigo Daifuku, fresh strawberries are wrapped with mashed red bean, and glutinous rice flour on the exterior. I love strawberries of Korea.

So that's all for day 1. Thanks for viewing.