Seoul For Soul - Day 1

Arriving Into Seoul

I head straight to Seoul from Taipei. In my earlier posts, I wrote about how cheap my air ticket was (US208 via Korea Air, thanks to Expedia) and it was indeed a wise choice as the flight was only 2 hours compared with 7 if I have flown from Singapore.

My flight was at around 1.30pm and by 4pm I have touched down excitedly. I last visited Seoul 10 years ago and that was with a tour group with my two boys. Didn't see much of Seoul City then because there was simply no time.

When I arrived at  Incheon Airport I was surprised at how nice the airport is! It is very bright and very clean! And not messy at all! Everything is so in order!

Incheon Airport link: http://www.airport.kr/

K-POP GREETING YOU AT THE AIRPORT

As I have to wait for my buddy who should arrive 15mins later, I decided to look for the 'information counter' which is our meeting point. I had earlier posted in Tripadvisor asking for the 'best venue' for meeting up and someone suggested the  'information counter. But guess what? There was three !!!! One at each corner and the other one in the middle! And then I remembered someone mentioning I can buy the T-money card from the 7-11 in front of the information counter and so I decided to head to the one in the middle to wait for her!

THE BEST MEETING POINT IS THE INFORMATION COUNTER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ARRIVAL HALL

because there is a 7-11 there where you can get the T-money for your transport needs

I went into the 7-11 to shop and there are more K-pops greeting me!

And then I saw Delwyn's favourite pop corn too!

The famous Banana Milk and T-money

T-money is like EZ Link card in Singapore or the Octopus card in the UK. It can also be used in lieu of cash or credit cards in some convenience stores. The card costs 2500 won to purchase and I topped up with 20,000 won on the spot. In Seoul, train fares is very cheap. It normally costs around 1000 won from point to point. Since I'll be staying here for 7 days, I reckon 20,000 won is enough. Anyway, that's the minimum to top up.

T-money website: http://eng.t-money.co.kr/

My buddy finally arrived about 30mins after me and we chilled out in the airport quite a bit, enjoying our banana milk, before we decided we are ready to walk out of the airport to face the cold!!

To head to our guest house, Seoul Tower Ville, we just need to take airport limousine 6015 and alight at the LAST station, Sejong Hotel. The owner from Seoul Tower Ville will then pick us up in his mini van. The journey from Sejong Hotel to the guest house is less than 5mins.

The airport limousine buses are located on the same level as arrival hall. Once you walk out of the airport you'll see all the different bus-stops out there. To head to Seoul Tower Ville, just take bus number 6015 to Sejong hotel (it's the last stop so do not get worried if you fall asleep in the bus).

Bus Fare is 10,000 won and you went up the bus and just put a 10,000 note into the coin box.

Here is a voucher which you can print and present to the driver and get a 1,000 won discount :)
Which means you only need to pay the driver 9000 won for your ride into town.

Airport Limousine 1000 won discount voucher link: http://www.backpackers.com.tw/forum/showthread.php?t=285608
(just look for the pdf attachment and print that out)

Please note that the voucher can only be used one way - from Incheon to City

me waiting in Sejong under the cold

The ride into the City took about an hour with a slight jam. We got car-sick because the driver kept on jamming the brake!!

SEOUL TOWER VILLE

This is one of the best accomodations I've ever stayed in in my entire travelling years!!

When I shortlist for hotels, location always come first. I like something centralised where I can walk to everywhere (well, you know what i mean, not everywhere everywhere but at least to amenities or near star tourist spots). Next is cleanliness. Comfort is one big issue too but you won't know until you really live in there.

The owner owns a few buildings there and they are all guest rooms to travellers. It is just 8 mins walk to Myeongdong and 5mins walk to Mt. Namsan cable car tower. Upon arriving Sejong Hotel, you need to contact the owner at his cell: +82 2 318 2570 and his transport will appear in 5mins time to pick you up. 

They provide everything in the room but please take note the towel is quite small so I would suggest you bring your own bath towel. All other toileteries are provided, including hair dryer.

There is no wireless in the room but lan cable for your pc is provided. At the owner's reception area, they have a computer and a printer there in case you need them.

The room is huge (there are 2 single beds and 1 double bed and yet still a lot of walking space!) and the toilet is spacious! 

We paid 70,000 won  for a night for 2 and after I left, my travel buddy paid 50,000 yen for one pax (but they still put her in the same room).

The only con for this guesthouse is the slope that you have to climb whenever you return from Myeongdong or anywhere else (as long as you take the train). But if you take the taxi, you can tell them to head up to Namsan Tower (or Seoul Tower) but you ask the driver to stop before reaching the cable car station and from there, you just need to take a 1 minute walk back to your guest house :)

I highly recommend this place and it'll be my 'house' should I visit Seoul again.

They own this whole building and several others beside this, all beside one another

this is the building we lived in

if you take taxi, you'll take this easy walk from the main road

if you take train or walking to myeongdong, this is the exercise you cannot avoid

a view from bottom of the slope, ie, when you are coming back to your 'hotel'

another view from below

45m to your 'hotel' from bottom

there are many mini combinis just outside the hotel this is one of them

our beds for next 7 nights (for me) and 8 nights (for my travel buddy)

don't you love the space!

water dispenser ! Love it!

The above pictures are the configuration of our room. If you are lucky, you might even get rooms facing the Seoul Tower!!

We were surprised how fast it is to reach Myeongdong from our guest house. It is barely a less than 10mins walk and you are in one of the most happening places in Seoul. There were soooo many happenings in Myeongdong but what we really need now is only Dinner!! And what else to look for except BBQ !!!

We found this shop after a while, it's tuck in between of the streets in Myeongdong.

Gang Ho-dong's Baek Jeong

The name means Gang Ho-Dong's Meat Man. 

Gang Ho-Dong is a Korean Celebrity, a wrestler-turned-comedian, TV presenter and restaurateur.

This is Gang Ho Dong in cartoon character

We chose to dine al fresco; the menu includes beef and pork and cost about 11000w per serving. The meat is really tender and flavorful.

One of the unique things I really like about this place is the way they cook the scrambled egg. It is at the ring of the hot pot while the meat is grilling on top of the pot!! Other compartments can be used to cook garlic, onions, kimchi etc without worrying about charring it.

while waiting for the food to cook

we saw the table beside us ordering this and we decided to give it a try and it was very spicy!

we saw customers asking for bags to put their winter jackets/handbags so they wont smell, you know what to do next time when you head to Seoul :)

After dinner, we shopped around Myeongdong for a while before we decided to head back to our hotel for a good rest...

Seoul For Soul Day 1 → Seoul For Soul Day 2 → Seoul For Soul Day 3 → Seoul For Soul Day 4 →

Seoul For Soul Day 5 → Seoul For Soul Day 6 → What You Should Know About Travelling In Seoul