마침내 나는 한국에 갔다! Finally I went to KOREA
During the rise of K-POP wave, I was in high school. The first Korean song I listened to during the time was Dong Bang Shin Ki aka TVXQ-HUG which was recommended by my crush that time aww. Since then I was deeply & crazily in love with them, not to be missed,my bias was Micky Yoo Chun ,then followed by Girls Generation.You wouldn't know how fanatic I was back then.Literally the whole Form knew I was a big crazy fan of TVXQ! I bet they must have thought that I was crazy for sure.
Till now, I am still very closely attached to KPOP, I still listen to them, still keep myself up-to-date with the latest songs. But you know old songs still the best at times. You would know what I meant if you've been through that time.Yeap, that's basically my own Kpop history and the reason why I make Korea trip as one of my bucket lists since then.
After 10 years, I managed to complete this bucket list with my family. We make it as a family free & easy trip and the whole trip was planned by me. Hell Yeah. So coming up will be my itinerary for the 8 days trip to Seoul & Jeju Island. I would love to visit again some day!
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Before that, I would like to mention that my purpose for writing this post is not solely because I wanted to shout to the whole world that I have visited Korea, it's not an uncommon thing to do in nowadays anyway, because everyone can fly now right! It's because when I was planning my itinerary back then I have read blog by blog to get as much as info which I needed. I am very thankful to all these good Samaritans for spending their time to write, especially for someone like me whom rarely travel abroad. HAHA. So, I would like to do the same to people like you whom like me! OK enough rubbish ,Shall we start?
DAY 1- Touch Down & Check in Hongdae
6 hours flight isn't too bad when you are so overwhelmed with excitement to begin your journey in the country. We touched down at Incheon Airport around 4.00 p.m. After all the usual custom inspection procedures, we took our luggage and headed to the arrival gate. First thing to do right after is to get a T-money card at the nearby convenience store which is an essential to travel in Seoul city. You can get it from either GS25 or CU store in the airport ,which is a very common family mart in Korea, you can literally see them everywhere on the street.
If you are travelling to Seoul station, you may consider to take AREX ( Airport Railroad Express ),it's a non-stop train travelling between Seoul station- Incheon Airport, the fares is slightly higher, but the travelling time is shorter, around 43 minutes.
We opt for commuter train( All Stop Train) instead of AREX cause we are travelling to Hongyik Station as our guesthouse is in Hongdae area, also it was because we found the travelling time is almost the same with AREX but with lower fares. From Incheon Airport to Hongyik St takes around 51 minutes ( 8 stations). Read here about AREX & All Stop Train. Passenger terminals are all located at B1 , just look for the railway sign and you are almost there. There are promotions at times for AREX, so be sure to check out their official website regularly.
We all know commuter train is the most popular transportation mode in Seoul. So before & during the trip, I have been depending on this app called "Korea Subway" to check on the subway line,travelling time & fares for my travel route. To be honest this is a very informative and useful app. You can check out the app below. But, as far as I know they have recently upgraded to a newer version where I have came across comments said previous version was better. Anyhow, it was my great helper back in Korea.
If you are still deciding where to stay in Seoul, I hope this could help you out a lil bit. My sister and I have spent quite some time reading reviews before we came to a mutual decision to choose this guesthouse as our accomodation in Korea. The reason being is because:
1) The location. This guesthouse is very close to Hongyik St. Exit 3, only 2 minutes walk.
2) Exit 3 is came with an escalator! Because no one wants to drag their luggage all the way up to the staircase right! And we are 3 ladies. Nope.
3)Close to Hongdae main shopping area. Around 7 minutes walk .No worries about food & shopping!
4) Easy to locate, walk straight after you came out from Exit 3 until you came to GS25 store, turn left after GS25 and walk further down then TA-DAH you will see the guesthouse at your right.
Just read all the reviews before you made any reservation, I'm sure you will find one which live up to your expectations!
Basically, the guesthouse is clean and providing all the basic necessities. It was a good stay I would say.
EGG Guesthouse, this is the double room. As we will travel to Jeju on the next morning, they allocated a room at the ground floor for us, which initially is a room to their staff. That's why you can see there's a fold-able bed for the third person. Just few hours after our arrival and we were welcomed with such a warm gesture, it makes me want to explore this country ASAP!
This is the triplet room after we came back from Jeju Island. Very comfy for 3 persons stay. As I mentioned, this is a guesthouse so technically there's no reception desk and staff who helped to check in will leave after 9 p.m. But I think you could still contact them via mobile though, which we didn't so we are not sure on this.
Image courtesy: Egg Guesthouse
After settled down, we went out to Hongdae area for dinner. Seriously, no words can describe my excitement that time because I have finally make myself to Korea and now I am strolling along the street in Seoul and it's not a DREAM! The unpleasant thing is ,it rained that night and we all soaked up :(
So,we went to this restaurant called Shimsontang 심슨탕,located in Hongdae. They served Korean style stew or named it Budae Jigae. The broth is made from beef leg bone and brisket and is brewed for 12 hours.Other ingredients are like cheese, ham, sausages, and various vegetables added in for a richer flavour. We ordered this set menu for 3 pax (W27,000). You can check out their menu here!
If you used to have Korean foods, I would say this is just average,but still worth a try.
After our dinner,raining heavily , strong wind and it was freezing!
Raining, still insists to buy snacks from the convenience store, as I mentioned there's a GS25 store just around the corner. Basically, we went to grab some foods every night. It's just that convenient!
Till now, I am still very closely attached to KPOP, I still listen to them, still keep myself up-to-date with the latest songs. But you know old songs still the best at times. You would know what I meant if you've been through that time.Yeap, that's basically my own Kpop history and the reason why I make Korea trip as one of my bucket lists since then.
After 10 years, I managed to complete this bucket list with my family. We make it as a family free & easy trip and the whole trip was planned by me. Hell Yeah. So coming up will be my itinerary for the 8 days trip to Seoul & Jeju Island. I would love to visit again some day!
========================================================================
Before that, I would like to mention that my purpose for writing this post is not solely because I wanted to shout to the whole world that I have visited Korea, it's not an uncommon thing to do in nowadays anyway, because everyone can fly now right! It's because when I was planning my itinerary back then I have read blog by blog to get as much as info which I needed. I am very thankful to all these good Samaritans for spending their time to write, especially for someone like me whom rarely travel abroad. HAHA. So, I would like to do the same to people like you whom like me! OK enough rubbish ,Shall we start?
DAY 1- Touch Down & Check in Hongdae
6 hours flight isn't too bad when you are so overwhelmed with excitement to begin your journey in the country. We touched down at Incheon Airport around 4.00 p.m. After all the usual custom inspection procedures, we took our luggage and headed to the arrival gate. First thing to do right after is to get a T-money card at the nearby convenience store which is an essential to travel in Seoul city. You can get it from either GS25 or CU store in the airport ,which is a very common family mart in Korea, you can literally see them everywhere on the street.
If you are travelling to Seoul station, you may consider to take AREX ( Airport Railroad Express ),it's a non-stop train travelling between Seoul station- Incheon Airport, the fares is slightly higher, but the travelling time is shorter, around 43 minutes.
We opt for commuter train( All Stop Train) instead of AREX cause we are travelling to Hongyik Station as our guesthouse is in Hongdae area, also it was because we found the travelling time is almost the same with AREX but with lower fares. From Incheon Airport to Hongyik St takes around 51 minutes ( 8 stations). Read here about AREX & All Stop Train. Passenger terminals are all located at B1 , just look for the railway sign and you are almost there. There are promotions at times for AREX, so be sure to check out their official website regularly.
We all know commuter train is the most popular transportation mode in Seoul. So before & during the trip, I have been depending on this app called "Korea Subway" to check on the subway line,travelling time & fares for my travel route. To be honest this is a very informative and useful app. You can check out the app below. But, as far as I know they have recently upgraded to a newer version where I have came across comments said previous version was better. Anyhow, it was my great helper back in Korea.
If you are still deciding where to stay in Seoul, I hope this could help you out a lil bit. My sister and I have spent quite some time reading reviews before we came to a mutual decision to choose this guesthouse as our accomodation in Korea. The reason being is because:
1) The location. This guesthouse is very close to Hongyik St. Exit 3, only 2 minutes walk.
2) Exit 3 is came with an escalator! Because no one wants to drag their luggage all the way up to the staircase right! And we are 3 ladies. Nope.
3)Close to Hongdae main shopping area. Around 7 minutes walk .No worries about food & shopping!
4) Easy to locate, walk straight after you came out from Exit 3 until you came to GS25 store, turn left after GS25 and walk further down then TA-DAH you will see the guesthouse at your right.
Just read all the reviews before you made any reservation, I'm sure you will find one which live up to your expectations!
Basically, the guesthouse is clean and providing all the basic necessities. It was a good stay I would say.
EGG Guesthouse, this is the double room. As we will travel to Jeju on the next morning, they allocated a room at the ground floor for us, which initially is a room to their staff. That's why you can see there's a fold-able bed for the third person. Just few hours after our arrival and we were welcomed with such a warm gesture, it makes me want to explore this country ASAP!
This is the triplet room after we came back from Jeju Island. Very comfy for 3 persons stay. As I mentioned, this is a guesthouse so technically there's no reception desk and staff who helped to check in will leave after 9 p.m. But I think you could still contact them via mobile though, which we didn't so we are not sure on this.
Image courtesy: Egg Guesthouse
After settled down, we went out to Hongdae area for dinner. Seriously, no words can describe my excitement that time because I have finally make myself to Korea and now I am strolling along the street in Seoul and it's not a DREAM! The unpleasant thing is ,it rained that night and we all soaked up :(
So,we went to this restaurant called Shimsontang 심슨탕,located in Hongdae. They served Korean style stew or named it Budae Jigae. The broth is made from beef leg bone and brisket and is brewed for 12 hours.Other ingredients are like cheese, ham, sausages, and various vegetables added in for a richer flavour. We ordered this set menu for 3 pax (W27,000). You can check out their menu here!
If you used to have Korean foods, I would say this is just average,but still worth a try.
Behind us is a wall full of autographs from all the celebrities.This is one of them ,Song Jong Ki has been here before, so I guess this place would worth a try? Don't deceived by it anyway, make your own judgment! HAHA
Image courtesy: 심슨탕 Facebook
Address:
심슨탕 홍대본점
서울특별시 마포구 서교동 355-21
Tel: 02-323-8310
Business Hour: 11:30 - 23:00
How to get there:
How to get there:
Exit from Exit 9 of Hongyik Station, and walk appx 4 minutes(Refer to map)
Raining, still insists to buy snacks from the convenience store, as I mentioned there's a GS25 store just around the corner. Basically, we went to grab some foods every night. It's just that convenient!
The so-called must-have snacks in Korea.
Here to sum up my first day in Seoul ! On the next day we will depart to Jeju Island, which is also one of my to-go places. Stay Tuned!
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