SK 2012: Hey Seoul Sisters!

Autumn in South Korea is hands-down our most-awaited trip of the year. The girls and I have been raving about it for the longest time, even our office mates can't help but get excited for us. Even though it'll be my second time there, I feel just as giddy as I was the first time simply because it was love at first sight for me and SK. It's definitely one of those places you'll never get tired of going back to.

We were lucky enough to book tickets during one of Cebu Pacific's crazy piso sale promos, so it's alright even if we ended up with red-eye flights. Not bad for Php 3,000+ yo! At least we get a breathtaking view of the city skyline during take-off and landing. Plus, we can easily sleep through the 4-hour flight. This trip was a year in the making and I spent grueling hours researching just to make the most out of our 6-day trip. All that effort was worth it though seeing them girls get excited by just looking at the itinerary and sample photos.

Waiting for airport limousine bus #6002

We arrived at Incheon International Airport (IIA) around 6 AM. After exchanging a few dollars to wons at the nearest Foreign Exchange booth for breakfast and transportation money, we bought/topped-up our Seoul City Pass Plus cards which is basically T-money with additional discounts for tourists. Tip#1: Do not exchange all your travel money at the airport. Wait until you get to Myeong-dong where you can find some of the best rates.

We stopped by Paris Baguette and 7-11 for a quick bite, then went straight to bus stop 5B to wait for bus #6002. A one-way ticket costs ₩10,000 but we only paid ₩9,000 thanks to this coupon:

Tip #2: Look for as many discount coupons as you can prior to your trip. It may not seem much but you'll be surprised how much you can save from these.

The staff at the bus stop were kind enough to assist us and even offered to help us take group pictures. That simple gesture alone was enough to make me smile. I'm definitely back in the South Korea I know. Koreans are definitely one of the nicest and most helpful people I know. The ride from the airport took around an hour before we arrived at our stop - Hongdae Ipgoo. Tip #3: When riding buses, remember to ring the bell one stop away from your destination to remind the driver that you'll be getting off the next stop. Then ring it again once you reach your destination.

Our guesthouse building is clearly visible from the bus stop - it's right across the street! Located at 3F of Paradisetel building, Hongdae Guesthouse is just a few steps away from the bus stop and the subway station (Hongik University station, Exit 1). Talk about accessibility!

We won't be checking in until the next day but I asked Mary in advance if we could leave our luggage a day early (because we'll be staying at a hanok for a night) and she agreed. :) We were greeted by Jin, one of the guesthouse staff, and reminded him of our check-in details. After making sure all our luggage are stowed away, we went on to explore Seoul!

Tip #4: Drop by Seoul Global Culture & Tourism Center at M Plaza for a free traditional costume experience.

First stop: Myeong-dong - one of Seoul's major shopping districts. We didn't go shopping right away though. We went straight to M Plaza which houses the Seoul Global Culture & Tourism Center. Located at the 5th floor, tourists can sign up for the FREE traditional costume experience then come back at the designated time. To kill time, we went to look for ForEx booths to exchange the rest of our money and went shopping then went back to M Plaza for our appointment.

Koreanas! Loving our first hanbok experience ever. ♥

SGCTC has a variety of costumes to choose from: ceremonial hanbok, general hanbok, fusion contemporary hanbok, kisaeng hanbok, etc. I felt like royalty choosing the hanbok and headpiece I want. We were having so much fun posing with the hanboks on, we forgot the time. Before we know it, our turn was over. :(

We were so hungry, we forgot the name of this Japanese restaurant.

After the hanbok experience, we went straight to the restaurant in front of SGCTC and had lunch. We were so hungry, we didn't bother to look for other restaurants. Kami na nag-Korea for Japanese food! Haha

Fangirls in SK!

Right in front of M Plaza is an Innisfree store and guess who we found? Lee Min Ho! ♥

2 KSH standees in a day. I'm a happy girl! ♥

And guess who else I found in Myeong-dong? My latest Korean crush! Kim Soo Hyun. ♥

Merienda time in South Korea!

As we all know, shopping could be quite tiring so we stopped by Angel-in-us Coffee for hot coffee to warm ourselves up and bought street food from a food truck.

Shopping in Myeong-dong

Feeling recharged, we continued shopping until our arms and feet finally gave up. That's when we decided to go home and rest for a while at our hanok.

Our lovely hanok for the night.

We had a little difficulty finding our hanok just because we took a wrong turn at one of the landmarks. It was quite frustrating but definitely more exhausting since we had to carry our overnight bags plus shopping bags around. That's when we started to slightly regret buying tons of beauty products. Haha Oh the consequences of shopping! Thankfully, a kind stranger approached us and asked if we needed help with anything. He might have seen me trying to figure out the directions I have on my iPod. Thanks to his help, we found Friends House and ohmygod the ondol floors are so freakin' relaxing, we didn't want to get up.

Spent ₩300,000+ on Etude House alone?!

We stayed in two rooms - Jona and Rona were my roommates while Faye, Light, Vanie and Erin stayed in another room. After resting for a while, I went to the SC girls to settle our debts. Haha Yes, hanggang Korea ba naman! My Hangeul-reading skills were definitely put to the test interpreting the receipt. Tip #5: If you have time, try to learn Hangeul. It's pretty easy!

After calculating our expenses, I talked to one of the guesthouse staff to settle the bill for our rooms. Imagine trying to explain that there were only 7 of us now instead of 8 so our bill should be ₩200,000 only, not ₩220,000. In charades. I was speaking in English while she was speaking in Korean but for some reason, we understood each other. I think. Haha Good thing, I have great interpretation skills. :p

After settling all our money issues and debating whether we should still go to Lotte World, we decided to leave the comfort of our ondol floors and leave the hanok. After all, we're only here in SK for a week! Better make the most out of it.

At Lotte World

We had a quick dinner at Lotteria then proceeded to the ticket counters. We originally wanted to get the After-4 passes but thanks to the cashier, we learned that they have an After-7 passes which are even more cheaper AND after applying the discount from our Seoul City Pass Plus cards, we had a really good deal!

We only wanted to watch the Laser Light Show and take pictures of the famous carousel but we still decided to ride some attractions and see the rest of the place. Unfortunately, the outdoor rides closed early because of the cold weather. We thought the park closes at 11 PM but since the temperature's starting to drop, they moved the closing time an hour early. It's alright though since we were pretty beat from all the walking at Myeong-dong. I guess our Yakult-Soju night can wait.


Traveling party: Erin, Faye, Jona (organizer), Light (organizer), Rona, Sera (organizer), and Vanie
Travel date: 6 November 2012 [Day 1]
Photo credits: Faye, Light, Vanie