This post took the longest time for me to write up and publish as there is a lot of things to say about this country. I apologize for the late update >< i know it is not cool at all to upload this two month after my trip.
Winter season is new experience for me as a Malaysian and honestly winter in korea is wayyy beyond my expectation. IT IS VERY VERY VERY COLD. Before going there, i met my korean friend and ask her a few tips on what to prepare for winter holiday in korea. she was shocked to know that im going there during winter peak season as she said it was extremely cold. she couldnt bear the weather eaither. i didnt really take it seriously that time. but BAAMMMM, The night i arrived my airbnb, it was -22 degree. *shivering in korean* lol.
so basically korea has a unique winter phenomenon which it has 3 days of cold and 4 days of warmth. during the 3 days of cold, the wind is super strong. my nose and hands are all red and numb. but alhamdulillah during the remaining 4 days, the weather is super nice.
before i touch on the interesting places in Seoul, here's a few tips on saving if you are travelling to South Korea based on my experience :-
1) Book a place to stay at local's house instead of hotel.
we booked via airbnb, a highly recommended travel site if u are looking for a cheap and affordable stay. this is how my airbnb stay looks like. note that all these pictures are from the website, i didnt manage to capture on my own because it was freeeezing cold when i arrived and i cant think of anything at that time.
Overall the house is so warm and comfy EXCEPT FOR ITS TOILET. It does not come with heater. imagine taking a bath in a -10 degree cold. like extremely crazily cold. sabun syampu pun sejuk macam pegang ais.
also, additional notes. it will be very convenient if you find a place to stay near subway station.
2) Avoid buying flight tickets that arrived at night.
It was a huge mistake....seriously... We arrived Incheon International Airport around 11pm KST + we have to wait for our luggage etc. and their subway service closes at 12. So we end up having no choice but to take the taxi to our airbnb. GUESS HOW MUCH DOES THE TAXI COST??????? initially he said it was only 80,000 ₩ but when we were halfway through the journey, he apologized and said it is actually 150,000 ₩ (korang convertlah sendiri pergi ringgit malaysia)..... just for a taxi :((( i cant believe we've been fooled by that uncle. guys, just dont ever ever ever everrrr take a taxi in korea.
i recommend everyone who planned to go to seoul, avoid buying flight tickets that arrived at late night. subway services cost only 6,000 ₩ maximum, beza kan??????? pffffttt
3) Bring along tons of food supply
halal food in korea is expensive. we only ate at the restaurant quadruple times throughout our 10 days stay in seoul.
4) Buy T-money card instead of buying individual ticket
I dont really know if it saves more cost but by using the T-money card for subway, it is wayy more easier and faster.
5) Wear proper winter clothes
What to wear during winter in Seoul
since its super cold during that time of the month, i wore 4-5 layers.
1) Hot Pack
You can easily get this at all convenience store. cost around 1,000 won to 3,000 won depends on the quality.
2) Thermal Inner
3) Thick Wool Clothes
4) Winter jacket
the most trendish and updated winter jacket in korea is long padded jacket and trench coat. 90% of them are wearing the same winter jacket style haha.
5) sweatshirt
6) leggings
7) Jeans
8) Winter Socks
9) Muffler
10) Beanie
so thats the highlighted points kalau betul-betul nak berjimat bila travel. no.2 is veryyyy important.
Travel-like-local sites in Seoul
1) Take a stroll at the Naksan Park
2) Visit Art Museum + Exhibition
3) Birthday Ads Hunting
If you are into kpop, you would probably familiar with all these birthday ads. Im not a fan of some of the groups shown but it is interesting to see how fanatic their fans are.
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| Fyi, IN2IT Isaac is a Malaysian. i was surprised to see that he got quite a large fanbase in korea. |
4) Cafe Hopping
Must visit Cafes and Stores in Seoul
Korea is famous of their extra and unique themed cafe. Hence, it will take me forever to describe each and every cafe i visited.
I managed to go a few throughout my trip there. The cafes is quite difficult to locate because their street shopping is so packed and huge.
1) Stylenanda Pink Pool Cafe
The first cafe that was on my wish list is Stylenanda. I watched a few videos and pictures on instagram about this cafe. Definitely my kind of cafe, very insta worthy but unfortunately PRICEY.
Location : Hongdae
2) Stylenanda Pink Hotel
Another Stylenanda flagship store but with different theme. and i think the menus at the cafe is quite different too. The main attraction at this store is the rooftop chilling area. I came at night so there's nothing much to do up there.
Location : Myeongdong
3) SMTOWN Coex Artium
This whole building is a heaven for smtown fans. They have showroom, art gallery, cafes, gift shop and even audition centre! Im considered unlucky because i came a day before NCT came :((
Location : Samseong(il)-dong
4) Chuu
Located just opposite stylenanda, Chuu is also one of the famous local k-fashion brand among koreans and foreigners. The price is a bit cheaper compared to Styelanda as well.
Location : Hongdae
5) Coco Bruni
The price is not cheap but worth the quality and great taste. You guys should try the hot chocolate!
Location : Hongdae
6) Innisfree Green Cafe
Location : Bukchon
7) Line Friends Store
Location : Itaewon
8) Kakao Friends Store
9) Ader Error
Location : Hongdae
10) Rola Rola
11) Tomato Library
Sweater and hoodie heaven! Everything is 10,000 won :')
Location : Hongdae
Must Visit Tourist Site
1) Gyeongbokgung& Changgyeonggung Palace
2) Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP)
This is where they usually hold the annual Seoul Fashion Week.
SMTOWN Pop Up Store @ DDP
3) Hongik University (Hongdae)
4) Myeongdong
Seafood here in Myeongdong is very nice especially the cheese scallop T___T but harga dia is extremely expensive so think before buying it twice. Sekadar merasa bolehlah.
5) Namsan Tower
6) Nami Island
7) Itaewon Mosque
For different range of muslim halal food, you can find it around Itaewon Mosque area. From malaysian cuisine, turkey and even korean. They have everything there.
8) Ewha Women University
9) Hangang Park
EXPECTATION vs REALITY
I want to emphasize only on this two points. 1) Beauty
I was actually surprised by the fact that plastic surgery is very common in south korea. I was walking with my sis at Myeongdong and i saw a lot.. like a lot of people bloated and stitches on their faces. can u imagine how weird it is? haha . 80% of the girls literally wear makeup everywhere they go. So dont be fooled and having a dream to become as 'pretty' as them cos its just makeup anyway. I meant it.
2) Fashion
as expected!!!! their fashion sense is incredibly amazing. even in winter cold season, they managed to make themselves look presentable.
THINGS I LEARNT FROM THE KOREANS
1) is to support local brand.
i can obviously see how supporting their locals are towards their own brand. from drinks, makeup brands to fashion. korean cafes are everywhere in the city or outskirts and ALWAYS RECEIVED HUGE AMOUNT OF CONSUMERS. I visited a few of the contemporary museum and amazed by how unique is their branding, promotion and packaging. its so pretty and localized T_T they adopt and adapt.
2) think local, act global
i am amazed by how they promote their culture to foreigners. have we ever felt proud to be a malaysian after watching any of our local dramas? nope because there arent any cultural influence in the plot. unlike here in korea, they promote their hanbok, their local cuisine and even filming spots. As a foreigner, i am so anxious to try wearing their hanbok around the city eventhough its freezing cold.
if im given the chance to go there again, I WOULD!!! there are so many new things to explore!
and since everybody ask how much do i spent for this trip, its not in detail because i didnt manage to write everything down since its very cold. but here's the money allocation.
Overall budget for Seoul trip 2018(10 days 9 nights)
Flight ticket
RM1000+ two ways (Airasia)
Homestay
RM500 for 10 days (Airbnb)
[u can actually get a cheaper one, we booked a home for 3 person but one of my sis didnt manage to join us this time]
Shopping + Food
RM2000 aka approximately 553,406 ₩ for 10 days
Full course meal cost around 12,000 won.very expensive so avoid eating at restaurant so frequent.
Do drop comments if you want to know more about travelling to Seoul or if i didnt answer your doubts and questions :)
regards,
sara.
