Travelling to Seoul via books and eKnowledge obtained - I

Incheon Airport, South Korea is always busy with lots of flights in and out

The planning took a couple of months, not because it was difficult to finalise the tentative plans but more because of the uncertainties of the most perfect choices to make; they included the airline to choose to fly out on, the exact dates, the hotel, the budget needed and whether a travel agent for ground arrangements was necessary.

The view from our room window: The Namsan Tower, Seoul. A beautiful sight indeed

Finally, two weeks before flying out, the tickets were bought. A day later the hotels were finalised after browsing through so many websites including that of Air Asia, Booking.com and Agoda, just to name a few.

Then came the currency exchange matters...how much to bring if not on a booked package? Well it all depended on where we were going to visit and the transportation costs involved.  However, not many knew the actual costs involved if we were to travel by train or taxi to the places my 15 year old teenage daughter had her head and heart sat on visiting, especially when we would be visiting on our own, at our own pleasure and leisure.

Next came the 'what-to-bring' and 'what-to-wear' during the trip. Was a 'beanie' hat necessary? Should we be wearing sneakers or just flat shoes? What about an umbrella to give shelter from the sun and rain, or a 'poncho' would be better? All that needed to be researched on.

How?  Well by asking friends, referring to eBooks and purchasing them as well as getting some ex-students who used to study in Korea to give their tips; after all most of them would have recorded their experiences in some form of writings. Well depending on guidebooks as well as these valuable and interestingly shared experiences, getting around Seoul would not be too difficult and indeed a pleasant moment to experiment out with the earlier obtained guides.

So alas, what did we decide on? Air Asia X flights complete with meals and checked in baggage paid for, both ways to and fro. Less hassles and headaches.  All in for tickets bought almost two weeks before the trip, the price for tickets were RM1,350 per pax. Quite high comparing it to someone who had bought tickets about eight months earlier; they paid RM800+ per pax.

Hotels searched on saw a three star hotel at Myeongdong picked out as the place to spend out four nights. The Staz I Myeongdong had a clean room, quite spacious for prayers (we are Muslims) and the bathroom was up to our expectations.

From the airport to the hotel, we took the airport bus straight to an airport bus stop near Euljiro 2.  The Staz I was at Euljiro 3. We had to pull our luggages to the hotel. It was not too far and bearable.

The costs? Well it was priced at 14,000 Korean Won per passenger on this comfortable airport bus ride which lasted for close to 120 minutes. The roads were a little busy as it was the Monday evening, after work congestion we had to sit in upon arriving at the airport around 4 pm that first day of the week.

The good thing was we had a bun each and we shared a cold chocolate drink at the airport before taking the bus. We also bought a T Money card from a convenience store for 2,500 Korean Won.(10,000 Korean Won is equivalent to almost RM40.00 or USD10.00)

What did we have in our bags? Some may want to know. We had a suitcase and a hand luggage each. We walked about 200 metres to our hotel and checked in.  The first day experience was an interesting one. 

Some good guides to use as guidelines

Upon checking in at the hotel, we started to freshen up and unpack the  necessary.  We needed our coats as the weather was quite cold and windy. Upon checking out packed stuff, we had some 3-in-1 beverage sachets, packet noodles, 'serunding' and some tid-bits which we knew would come in handy, to avoid consuming non-halal food stuff.

We then embarked on our first journey in Seoul. Where to first? The time was almost 8 pm. It was already nightfall. We decided to try out the train service in Seoul and we walked to the nearest train station which was the Euljiro-Sam (3) Ga. We then took the subway to Seoul Station from the Green Circle line to the Blue line. Before getting past the gates of the subway, we headed for the ticket machines to top our T Money cards with credit.  We started with 10,000 Won.

We then looked at the metro train map and charted our way to the Lotte Mall at Seoul Station to enjoy whatever we can see and enjoy first.

It sure was an interesting ride although we had to ask many people of the right directions; our first and most carefully decided upon walk and ride around Seoul for the first time.