LDR No More | South Korea

Daehan Minguk Manse!

Impulsive flight-booking again! For Php 4,000, I booked a round-trip flight to and from Incheon through Ceb Pac for a 10-day winter trip in Korea~

After I convinced the #TravelNowPulubiLater squad, we joined the How to Seoul Facebook group where we saw the information needed for the trip (like what kind of fabric material to wear, how many layers of clothes, winter skin care, etc.)

Korean Visa application was free for tourists. We head out to the Embassy in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. There's an interview for passport holders who travelled to OECD countries (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) for the past five years, like me. For first timers, you'll just submit the requirements.

It was 11:00 p.m when we arrived at the Incheon International Airport. Unfortunately, aside from taxi cab (which is not a budget-friendly option), there was no other mode of transportation going to Seoul from the airport. So, we've waited for the earliest trip~ in our case, it was 5 am.

As expected, the resting area there has charging stations with sleeping bench so we attempted to nap (Common! 2°celcius noon kaya di kinaya magpanggap. Puyat tuloy.)

Episode 1

From the airport, there's a train that will bring you to the subway station. (Lupit! 4th Industrial Revolution!) We used the Kakao Metro app for navigation. (Bes umulan pa, ang lamig na nga. Ang sakit hanggang bone marrow~Bulalo yarn?)

(Ayan naaaaa, naririnig ko na ang OST ng mga KDramas habang hinahanap namin ang bahay ni Chae Hwan)

Chae Hwan's AirBnB home is located at Jandari-ro, Mapo-gu. For Php 12,000 (4 pax), we stayed there from December 2 to 11, 2017.

The first destination was Every Nation South Korea. Located at 187 Chungjeongro 3(sam)-ga
Seodaemun-Gu, Seoul, we took the bus to get there.

Couples, couples, couples everywhere! *Ahjjuma cry

Have you ever felt so lonely before? A strong desire to be with your beau (e wala nga e) because Seoul feels like Paris on that cold and numbing night 🥲

Next stop~ the shooting location of the famous umbrella scene in Goblin.

King Sejong, thank you for inventing Hangul~ 

Endless Love: Autumn in my Heart. Char!

We decided to stroll around Insadong. It is a perf place to chill out, eat, and enjoy the artistic vibes of the city. We ate a poop-shaped dessert there and Korea's version of KFC chicken (syempre walang rice).

While waiting for the arrival of the other #TravelNowPulubiLater squad in Mapo, I went to a nearby café where anyone could rent and read books. Oh how I love my own company!

Episode 2

As a travel habit, I woke up early to witness the morning life in Seoul. The cold was unbearable that my skin was stinging in pain (kaya pala kailangan yung parang headset na isusuot kasi masakit sa tainga. Kala ko kaartehan lang. Haha)

The laziest day~

Authentic Korean products buying experience~

Authentic Cafe Americano palpitation experience~

Authentic Korean food experience~

Episode 3

Eaaaarly call time! Guess what... we missed the Petite France tour by Klook that day. Bye 10,000 KRW.

Because we are the #TravelNowPulubiLater squad, we tried to make habol (konyo!) to the other tour which is the Nami Island.

The skiing area in the island welcomed us.

Endless Love: Winter Sonata

#TravelNowPulubiLaterSquad

Episode 4
My favorite episode! Haha! Ang pogi ng mga sundalo sa NoKor at SoKor border, parang mga idol o artista!!! Muntik na akong mag volunteer military service lol

Train station that connects North and South Korea (a.k.a Where's Dora?)

North Korea

Sadly, photos are not allowed in the area for security reasons (kaya sinigaw ko nalang Kakao Talk ID ko hahaha)

But, not only we enjoyed the view but also learned a lot about Korean history. We were melancholic and at the same time, hopeful that someday... NoKor and SoKor will be united as one country.

I can't remember the name of the Korean officer who assisted us during the tour. My friend, Sherwin, just called him Captain Yoo Shi Jin (from Descendants of the Sun). He brought us after to a Ginseng museum.

Four days have passed pero hindi parin namin naeexperience (natitikman 😅) ang snow. We went to Namsan Seoul Tower, just in case.

Larvaaaa!

First snow fall experience.

My deformed snow man.

Merry Christmas indeed.

The bustling Myeong-dong was our next destination. The famous shopping area in Seoul features luxury stores of cosmetics, fashion and street food. We scoured the shops and collected free face masks. Haha!

Episode 5

Fangirls/fanboy mode on! At Korea's broadcasting networks...

There's an interactive theme park inside. (Ito yung araw na limang oras kaming nakatambay sa Starbucks diyan kaya wala akong makwento.)

The futuristic architectural structure of Dongdaemun Design Plaza.

Ang ilog na di namin malaman bakit hinanap namin ng ilang oras.

Episode 6

Disclaimer: the following photos contain KDrama and KPop related stuff.

Free entrance!

Noryangjin fish market (kung saan ako nangarap makakain ng buhay na octopus kaso mahal).

I never imagined that I was able to go to a place like Gangnam District.

Waldas pera alang alang kay Jong Suk.

Episode 7

We went to Deoksugung Palace, National Museum of Korea, Namdaemun market (where cheap items can be found), Bukchon Hanok Village and Sinchon area in Mapo.

Sa lahat pa ng araw, noon pa sila nag rally sa labas ng palasyo. Dahil diyan, di namin na experience ang magsuot ng Hanbok for free.

Since this trip happened two years ago, I can't remember the exact details. Well, feelings linger as memory fades... what I felt during the trip remains.

If you have questions/reactions about this Korea trip, just send me a message or comment below.