Traveling to Korea: Practical Tips for Planning a Trip to Korea: Accommodation

The other day, I was on the phone with my friend who just flew to Korea for a holiday with her family. The whole family was staying at a hotel in Gangnam for the Seoul leg of their tour, which was part of their tour package. They are extending their stay for a few more days and will stay in another hotel in Gangnam.

Other than the fact that the weather was colder than expected, I was a little shocked to hear that the hotel didn't have WiFi (She had to pay to get WiFi), and didn't provide toothpaste too. So I was like, ok and that's a 5-star hotel? Alright, never mind that. But then as I was riding the subway train today, I thought of a VERY important question: How is she going to go to the airport when they are leaving Korea? I mean when she came with the tour, it was easy since the tour bus took them to the hotel but Gangnam is really far from Incheon airport. Go and look at the map of the Seoul Metro Lines. And you'd know what I mean.

So I decided to write this little piece on some of the practical things to think about when you are choosing your accommodation when planning your trip to Korea.

ACCOMMODATION

If you have been reading my blog or following my Twitter, you would know I'm staying at Kimchi Hostel. A few reasons why I would suggest choosing a hostel over a hotel. And I'm saying this in general, not just specific to Kimchi Hostel.

1. FREE WiFi
Most of the hostels I have read about provides free WiFi on top of a few computers for people to check their mails/make contact on Facebook (That's like the FIRST site everyone goes to the moment they sit down). So you don't have to pay extra for accessing the Internet. And for people with smart phones, it's an added bonus since they can log onto the WiFi network and use their phones to communicate via the various applications available (whatsapp, Kakao, Skype, etc)

2. Laundry Service
This might not be free or provided everywhere but if you intend to be in Korea for more than a week, try to look out for a hostel that provides laundry service. I learnt that in this trip to Korea that I really didn't need to bring so much clothes when I can do my laundry every few days.

Now, when you go about choosing accommodation, LOCATION is VERY IMPORTANT especially if you are traveling on your own and not with a tour group. Seoul is a very big city, well, compared to Singapore, it's much bigger. So a trip from the airport to your destination is not going to be cheap. So you should choose places where the locations are either accessible by AREX or the limousine buses. Otherwise you are going to be faced with the problem that my friend is going to face soon.

Below is the AREX line that goes from Incheon International Airport to Seoul Station



As you can see, the train will pass by a few stations. The notables ones would be:

1. Gimpo Airport station (so if you are flying in from Gimpo Airport, you will get on at that station)

You can choose to get onto Line 5 or Line 9 at this station or take the AREX line to the other stations.

2. Digital Media City (Line 6)

3. Hongik University [aka Hongdae] (Line 2)

4. Seoul Station 

You can then transfer to Line 1 or Line 4.

Since I stay in Hongdae area, I can only give you a reference how long it would take from the airport to Hongik station. It is about 40 minutes and the fare is about 3600won. 

The advantages of taking the AREX would be that it's cheaper than the limousine buses (10,000won). However, as you can see, it travels to fewer destinations. The buses have a wider choices of locations. The other not-so-good thing about the Korea subway system in general is there are a lot of staircases. So that should be factored in when you are choosing the mode of transport from airport to accommodation.

The other thing to look out for is whether the accommodation you choose can be accessed by both the subway and the limousine buses. You really want to have that choice to be honest. And make sure that the accommodation provide CLEAR instructions on how to get to the place. 

In all honesty, do choose accommodation either at Hongik/Hongdae (Line 2) and probably Line 4 would be the other subway line to consider for your accommodation. Line 4 goes to famous spots like Myeong Dong and Dong Dae Mun and there are quite a number of hostels and hotels in those areas. 

Life in Korea: Buying Plus Size Clothes in Korea

Where to buy clothes that fits me is always a big question mark, even in Singapore. The problem becomes more glaring when I'm in Korea. It is difficult to find clothes that fit me. So in the end, I turned to the only source that I'm familiar with - Google and searched for plus-size clothes for women. And from a forum, I saw a recommendation for OKBT in Itaewon so I decided to try my luck. I was getting tired of seeing myself in just jeans. So I thought if I could get some legging it would be great.

So I left Kimchi Hostel and went to take the subway train to Itaewon. I couldn't find the shop in the first round of walking around with the limited instruction that was posted in the forum and I can't remember the shop name as well. I took a rest in Starbucks then walked back towards the station on the other side of the road. I was about to give up hope when I finally saw the sign!! So I went up and I found the shop.

New World Plaza

2F Itaewon-dong 119-26

Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Subway: Itaewon Station, Exit 1.

Walk in the direction AWAY from Hamilton Shopping Center

The shop is not fanciful but it serves its purpose which was to provide clothes for plus-sized women. I asked if she had leggings (which was my goal) and when she said yes, I was so relieved. She found the leggings, and I tried them on and it fits!! So I bought 2 of those and walked around a bit more. I didn't see anything I fancy at the moment but I wasn't really looking for anything to buy at the moment.

At least now I know if I were looking for something to wear, I know where to look for it!

Life in Korea: Fangirl-ing-JAY PARK!!

I was not a big fan of Jay, that I would admit but under the influence of suzelle (translation for IAM for 2AM) I began to show more interest in Jay. I liked 2PM when Jay was still in it but I will not dwell too much in there. I was impressed with Jay's cover of "Nothing on You" and I start to anticipate his comeback as a full-fledged solo artiste.

And because I'm awake at the unearthly hour of 4AM KST, I actually saw the teaser for 'Abandoned' almost immediately after it was uploaded! All I can say is I can't wait!

Can't wait for the full MV (the dance steps look sleek!)!
Can't wait for the album to be available in stores!
Can't wait for his live performance!!

I think it's going to take the K-Pop scene by storm.

So, without further ado, teaser for 'Abandoned'

Life in Korea: the famous Lamb

I love coffee. A few people had gone for coffee sessions with me back in Singapore (yes, Lynda, I'm talking about you!) In Korea, I got to know Yoon unnie (who I will introduce in a separate entry) and she brought me to this coffee joint, the famous Lamb that is near to both Kimchi Hostel and Hong Guesthouse. It's nearer to Kimchi actually, like 2 streets away and on the way to Hongik University Subway station.

the famous Lamb

Seoul, Mapo-gu

Donggyo-dong

203-30

the famous Lamb is one of the many coffee joints other than the main commercial brands that you can find in Seoul. But what I like about this place is

1. the coffee isn't too expensive,
2. free refills (select from their hand-drip coffee menu and Americano) after ordering the first drink,
3. free WiFi,
4. friendly staff
5. near to Kimchi Hostel where I'm staying so I don't have to walk too far away.

So today, I came to the famous Lamb with Danny to study Korean after lunch. Didn't really manage to study a lot since I had to do other stuff as well. But I'm reminded of the days back in Singapore where I would just pack my laptop and go to Starbucks for a cup of coffee and get some writing done. Maybe I would make this a daily routine instead of just staying at Kimchi the whole day. It's becoming a joke that I'm there longer than the staff who works there.

No, I didn't get a free cup of coffee for writing this. It's a nice and cozy place and since this is all about my life in Korea, I have to write it down.

KOREAN LANGUAGE 101: Korean Verbs-Present Tense (Answers)

If you have not downloaded the notes and table of verbs, you can do so with the links below.

Korean Verb Conjugation-PRESENT TENSE (Formal and Informal Polite) SUMMARY

Korean Verbs Conjugation Table-LIST OF KOREAN VERBS

Below are the answers for 'Test Your Understanding' inside the summary and the correct formation of the 20 verbs given yesterday.






Here's the next 20. Fill in up in your own table. Yes, I don't want to let you copy and paste.

Life in Korea: Meeting New People - The Taiwanese Ladies!

Since I traveled alone to Korea this time, if I wanted to have someone to talk to, I would actually have to take the first step in talking to other people. So this would be a series of stories of people I met at Kimchi Hostel and where I went with these people. I have to emphasize that they are not necessarily in the order I met them.

SO! I think this occurred after David moved me back to Kimchi Hostel. There were 3 ladies from Taiwan and I got to know them when they first arrived. Since I spoke Chinese and they spoke Chinese, I became the bridging gap when they can't really speak English to the staff or when they don't really understand the staff. But we only got closer when they had to buy tickets for Park Jung Min's birthday fan meeting and they got Daniel to help them with it since it's all in Korean.

Introducing my traveling partners from Taiwan: Xiao Mi, Yu Yun and Si Ying

I tagged along for the last few days of their trip here. To be honest, without them, I probably won't have visited some of the places myself. While I acted as the guide on some occasions, they were the ones with the guidebooks. The two boys from Singapore, Shi Hao and Jason came along as well.

I shall talk about our trip to Myeong Dong-Seoul Tower. Basically we decide to go to Myeong Dong because the CD shop that I know of sells CD at cheaper and more reasonable prices than the other shops we saw. We went on the day the Big Bang Special Edition came out.

Here's a tip on getting to Myeong Dong. Because Kimchi and Hong Guesthouse are both located near Hong Dae area, we are on Line 2 of the Seoul Metro. By right, if we want to go to Myeong Dong, we would have to transfer to Line 4 at Seoul Station. That's a VERY LONG walk. So from Hongik Univ. Station, take the subway to Euljiro 1-ga, walk towards Exit 5. You will see a shop selling socks/accessories. Climb the staircase that's next to the store. When you exit, you should see Starbucks to your left and Outback Steakhouse in front of you. Make a right turn and walk straight. After probably 3 minutes, you would probably see Coffee Beans. Continue walking straight, you should see MLB. Once you reach MLB, you are in Myeong Dong. :)

Anyway, since our main motive for going to Myeong Dong was to get the albums and then take the bus to the Seoul Tower, we didn't spend a lot of time in Myeong Dong itself. To put it very simply, Myeong Dong is the mecca of Korean cosmetic brands. You can find probably every Korean brands there, with more than one outlets most of the time.

Getting to Seoul Tower by bus. I know most people would want to do the cable car because it looked so romantic in dramas. I have not tried it myself but I have people telling me that they have to walk quite a distance. So to me, taking the bus is 1. cheaper (900won) and 2. it takes me to the foot of the tower. I have to climb up a very steep slope to reach the tower but that's fine.

To get to the bus, get out at Exit 4 of Myeong Dong Station. Walk towards the bus stop. You should walk past Paris Baguette. Wait for Bus no. 5. It's a special bus that travels from Myeong Dong to Seoul Tower. If you have T-Money card, just tap. If you have to pay cash, it should not be more than 1000won.

I have gone to the Seoul Tower on my own during the day but the view at night was really great. So my advice if you want to go to the Seoul Tower would be to do it when the sun is setting. The setting sun view is gorgeous as well. And then when the city landscape is lit up by the lights, it is really nice!

The highlight of Seoul Tower, other than the observatory is the locks left behind by lovers. We have seen it done on We Got Married (Khuntoria) and Si Ying was actually going to try looking for the Khuntoria lock. No, she was not successful.

I think more than the scenary, it was the company that matters. People who likes the same things as you, people who opened their arms to a stranger when there isn't a need to. So I really have to thank the 3 lovely ladies for a lovely time I had with them.

Life in Korea: Getting a phone line without buying a phone!!

OMG OMG OMG! I'm feeling invincible because I have a Korean HP number!! Seriously this is a question that a lot of people ask when it comes to traveling to Korea. And to be honest, I would never have found the answer if Danny had not told me about it. It's great that Danny is here as a foreigner, first as an exchange student and now as an intern. Because I think a lot of Korean didn't know about the change in rules either. And staying at the hostel helped since I hang out at the reception quite a bit.

So the conversation started because Danny mentioned that he brought his phone over from Germany and all he did was get a SIM card. I was 1. surprised that a phone from overseas can be used in Korea, 2. surprised that he can get a line in the first place (but then he did come on a student's visa so that's different)

After apologizing to him (I doubted his information about the bank account, so he made me apologise), he told me how to go about getting the phone line. Long story short, KT Olleh (or Korea Media rules) has changed since January 2011, you can read about it here.

I ventured to KT Olleh Square at Gwang Hwa Mun (Gwang Hwa Mun Station, Line 5, Exit 2) today, determined to get my pre-paid line since that's the easiest to get. All you need is your passport. But the line is only for use for 3 months. After that you would need to renew with your passport again.

The staff was not too sure that it can be done with JUST my passport and they were going to ask me to go to another store that can do the procedure. So I put on my 'tough customer' mask and told them straight in the face that this is like the MAIN KT Olleh, what do they mean by they can't do the procedure. And I knew my information was right. The shop they want me to go to is under renovation as stated on the website. So they have no choice but to work out how to help me. (They had to call several parties to get the procedure started, etc)

Have your IMEI and SERIAL number ready. For the iPhone, it's easy since you can find all the information in the settings. Not too sure about the other phones but these information should be readily available. Make sure that the country where you bought your phone did not lock your phone and that the phone is a model that's already available/in use in Korea.

The procedure for me is simple. KT Olleh GLOBAL have English-speaking customer service staff. So tell them you want to get a PRE-PAID SIM card for use with your phone. Show them your passport and if they insist that you need a Alien Registration Card, tell them it's NOT necessary for a pre-paid line. The SIM card cost 5,500won and minimum top-up is 2000won. Please have cash ready. You can't pay for the SIM card using credit card and topping up using credit card is only for KOREA-ISSUED credit cards.

Initially, the SIM card didn't work on my phone. But it worked on someone else's phone. I had to call Singtel (I hope I can get that call waived) to ask if they lock the phones. As far as I know, Singapore doesn't practice this. So no, it wasn't Singapore side. In the end, they realised that they typed in the IMEI number wrongly. So they quickly rectified the problem.

What could have been done in 30 minutes took longer than expected. I had to look for a bank since I didn't have cash on me and the whole mistake on my IMEI. But once we got that sorted out, it was a great sigh of relief all round! I don't know how long I can survive on a 10,000won top up but the cost for pre-paid isn't that high. I got the line because I'm going to stay here till June at least so it made more sense to have a phone line and not worry when I want to check my Twitter, etc.

If you ask me if it's necessary to get a pre-paid if you are simply traveling, I would say it really depends on how long you are in Korea. If it's for less than a week, you can opt for the more convenient though more expensive method of renting the phone. You could also choose to roam on your phone.

For foreigners who are coming to work here in Korea, if you have your ARC, you can get a phone line without having to buy a phone. The steps are pretty much similar but you will definitely need your ARC for that. To find out more read the KT Official English Blog.

KOREA LANGUAGE 101: Korean Verbs-Present Tense

In this blog, I would also try to share what I have learnt about the Korean language, hopefully in digestible bits. What happens is after I have studied the topic, I would try to summarize, provide examples and practice relevant to the topic.

Actually, tackling the verbs first might not be the smartest thing to do but I just want to get started on this because verb is a HUGE part of any language. One of the thing that I have not been able to find online is a list of useful verbs in Korean. So I hope I'm helping out.

You can download the 2 files below. One is the summary on the conjugation of Korean verbs-Present tense for both FORMAL and INFORMAL (Polite) form. The other is a table of verbs that you can use to fill in. Every day, I would 1. give the answers for the mini exercises in the summary 2. the answers for the tables for the verbs given in the previous day 3. provide more verbs to fill in the table.

The table of verbs is in Korean alphabetical order.

I know. I sound like a teacher. Trust me, when you see the files, you would know that I was really a teacher. ^^

Korean Verb Conjugation-PRESENT TENSE (Formal and Informal Polite) SUMMARY

Korean Verbs Conjugation Table-LIST OF KOREAN VERBS

A New Beginning: New Home and Family-Kimchi Hostel

People who have been reading this blog knows about my decision to come to Korea, how I missed my flight (wait, I didn't write about that YET but I think I would include that in a 'Incheon Internation Airport MUST-KNOWs' post), and eventually how I decide to stay in Korea. I really have to thank the good people at Hong Guesthouse and Kimchi Hostel for providing a shelter and lots of hospitality towards someone who was pretty much lost and left stranded in a foreign land.

So from today onwards, I will be writing on my life in Korea, from the perspective of a tourist, the difficulties faced, the places I have visited or visiting etc. And if you have any questions, do feel free to comment. If I have an answer, I will let you know. If I don't, I would ask around.

And I am going to write in Chinese too. Do help me spread the word around. :)

I have stayed in both Hong Guesthouse and Kimchi Hostel but now I'm pretty much settled in Kimchi Hostel. So I'd introduce my family in Kimchi Hostel first. The pictures will come a little later, have to give the guys some advance notice so they can put on their best shirt.

David: The man who runs both Hong Guesthouse and Kimchi Hostel. He shuffles between the two, organises dinner and weekend parties for the guests in both guesthouses. He's around most of the time and speaks really good English since he grew up in Vancouver.

Day Staff
There's a total of 3 daytime staff at Kimchi Hostel

Jun (Monday-Wednesday)
Daniel (Thursday-Friday)
Steve (Saturday-Sunday)

Night Staff
Danny

Danny is also my Korean language studying partner. So we spent the evening from 9 to 12 studying Korea while he looks after the reception desk. I might start a section on "What I have learnt today" about Korean language on this blog, so keep a lookout for that too.

I hang out at the 'living room' a lot since that's where the TV is. Steve is my TV watching partner when I'm around during the weekend. He'd ask me if I want lunch/dinner when he wants to order delivery.

So all in all, I'm very happy. Now I can spend my days exploring, writing and learning about Korea. I would say I'm at the best place right now.

---

About the author:

Singaporean who decided to pay Korea a visit after 2 long years of simply talking about it. Due to unforeseen circumstances, ended up staying in Korea.

Currently residing in Seoul, South Korea and staying at Kimchi Hostel.

People You Meet Directly or Indirectly Gives You What You Need...

Currently I'm sharing the 4-bed dorm with a lady from Malaysia. The lady is closer to my mother's age rather than the usual young travelers that I'm used to. So we talked a little more serious stuff beyond the "where did you go to today?"; "Which idols do you like?" topics. But I guess it's also because we are in a room together.

I spoke to her extensively on 2 occasions. Once about my supposed last day in Korea and why I'm still in Korea. I mean she cheered me on and that meant something cos it's difficult for the older generation to really understand this crazy, insane need to be daring. I did think it was just a consolatory thing for her to do that. But my chat with her last night cleared some doubts.

I'm making this announcement for the first time. I'm staying in Korea. Right now, it's 80% fixed. (Don't worry about the merchandise, it will get settled) The biggest qualm I have is I have not told my family about it. And I'm not answering any phone calls from them either. Sounds mean and all that right? But it's a "I don't know what to say to them" situation. Eventually I'd have to but yea. After I have enough money to buy myself a one-way ticket back to Korea, I would tell them because it means I'm going back to Singapore to settle a few things. But that also means that what I thought out to do is successful. Of course, it's not really fixed yet but the dispersed twinkle of light spots are gathering together to become clearer to me. So that will serve as a guide.

So how did the lady help me? The lady shared with me last night that her daughter did the same thing. Went to Taiwan and then kind of dropped off the radar. Initially, they were all afraid and what nots, not knowing what had happened to her but gradually, they calmed down enough and know that she had her reasons for doing so and just leave her be. On some levels, they even gave her their blessing but unspoken. They didn't know what she was going through then and she only started telling them after 2 years when she finally went back to Malaysia.

I cried last night while talking to her. The family part got to me, talking about the depression period I went through last year after my job evaluation. It always difficult to put what I feel into words when it comes to my family. A big part is the fear of disappointing my family, the other part is the idea that "it's my problem, why involve others?" And she said to me, "It's good that you are starting here at Ground Zero. Cos when you are there, the only place you can go is up." The other thing she said to me: "你的这个零不是空的." Basically translates to: "This zero you have is not empty" and that's true. It contained my dreams and desire for 2 years, my passion to make it work and be successful.

And that's exactly it. To me, if my ultimate goal is to stay in Korea in the long run, go through that language program that I have been talking about to become effectively tri-lingual, then I have to DO instead of TALK. I need to think about blog-shop name (suggestions?), how to go about getting it started, profit margin, products to carry, etc etc. And in a month I have met people from different places that could be my contact points in other countries. And I have an IT expert in the hostel as well. So maybe I can get his help with the website design, etc.

Because I'm here, I can't give myself anymore excuses. It's where I want to be, with the chance to do what I want. So yes. I'm doing it.

Maybe one day, I would look back and laugh at myself. But right now, it's full steam ahead.

Audrey! FIGHTING!

P/S: I'm sorry that this supposed 'travel blog' has evolved into a self-awareness/motivational(?) blog but I received a tweet the other day from @pjpeejay about how she was inspired after reading my blog and what I did. She went and applied for an exchange program in Korea and she got it. So she's gonna be here from June to August. I'm happy to hear this so I wish her all the best.

I'm going to the cherry blossom festival tomorrow so maybe I would have nicer pictures and what nots to show and talk about tomorrow.

Day 34: Realisations

I've been in Korea for more than a month now. Re-reading my entries in this blog, I realised and perhaps remembered again why I'm here and still here. It's a dream of 2 years. And when you have spent enough time being lost, you just want to find the destination.

A lot of people, including my family members would probably think I'm crazy, rash, unreasonable, insensitive, etc to continue being in Korea when there are more pressing things to see to: 2AM merchandise spree, AC hoodies, etc. But to be honest, if I had gone back when I'm supposed to, I think I'd regret it. Yes, I'm apologetic towards people who trusted me to bring the merchandise back and give it out to them on time. But at the end of it, once I have finished distributing those items, I would ask myself "what's next?".

Am I making excuses for my actions? Maybe I'm giving an explanation. You have read about my desire to come to Korea. I didn't want this trip to be in vain. I wanted a way out. The only way is to make sure that I act instead of talking about it. Ask yourself when was the last time you really wanted to do something yet when presented with the opportunity, you told yourself, "never mind, there's always a next time."

When you are 8, the 'next times' come quick and easy.
When you are 18, 'next time' comes quick but not as easy.
When you are 28, 'next time' is not something you would consider. You would just grab anything that comes your way. Because you would think that you don't have time anymore.

Anyway, through these 34 days, I have met many people/travellers.

Some came here, knowing it's a temporary respite, a holiday.
Some came here, knowing this is just a stop and where they are heading next.
Some came here, not know where they are going at all.

Some I talked to about my dreams. It might sound crazy but maybe it's the way I said it, people ended up cheering me on, praying for me, helping me along the way. It's actually quite amazing. Some listened to my story and probably would think that I'm derisive but I believe, one day down the road, they would remember that they once heard a crazy story and hopefully find some kind of hope in it.

To Do What I Have Always Wanted to Do: Blogshop based in Korea!

To be honest, I have played with this idea LONG enough. And since I'm just sitting around waiting for news about my job application I thought I would ask you guys if anyone is interested.

I want to be based in Korea and take orders for K-Pop merchandise, clothes, cosmetics, etc. I'm looking for contact points partners from around the world. I would run the blog shop on my own but what these contact points partners do is:

1. Collect money from people who can't pay through Pay-Pal. So it would be good if these contact points have access to Pay-Pal.

2. I will ship all the items to the contact point with all the items for each individual PACKED and LABELLED with address.

3. Bring the packages to the local post office and mail them out.

The contact person will get a percentage from the NET profit so if you help to promote and more people buys, then you get more. BUT being RESPONSIBLE is very important.

If you are interested and would like to find out more, please email me at iamfor2am@gmail.com. In the email pls include where you are from.