KOREA 101

I just got back from my one week trip to Korea. Here are some tips and my itinerary for your reference! Hope you can enjoy Korea as much as I do.

3 things you have to know before visiting Korea :
1.  In Korea, Mandarin is more useful than English, increase your Mandarin skill and you are good to go

2. If you are planning to visit Jeju, be ready for the worst. Since it is not a big city like Seoul, you can only find some people that can speak Mandarin or English. You better find a car rental or local guide there so you can travel conveniently, because the distance between point A to point B may take up to more than 1 hours by public transportation, besides if you are not staying at Jeju city (i.e Seogwipo) and it is not in the high season you may or may not find other pedestrian to ask for direction

3. Prepare everything before you go, especially your itinerary. Plan everything well and learn some basic Korean!

5 things to do in Korea:

1. Go to the palace // Bukchon cultural village and experience wearing hanbok and strolling around this place!   

2.  Watch Nanta show! There are 5 energetic people that performing interesting story line with cooking theme

3. Shop bunch of Korean make up and skincare product! Korea is the heaven of good make up and skincare with affordable price, even one of my friend said that it is easier to find Innisfree here in myeongdong than 7-11


4. Eat the local street food! Korea has a lot of delicious street food such as tteotbokki, fish cake, fish ice cream and many more! You can find them easily in the shopping district

5.  Drink soju! Do what locals do and you will feel like locals. Drink as much as Soju as you can because soju is so freakin cheap! They even have the 2 L size of soju there!

Day 1 JEJU  (rent jumbo taxi + driver, it costs about 170.000 won)
Jeju airport
Halim park 

this park is divided into several theme such as bonsai tree, cave, cactus garden

Hyeopjae beach

crystal clear water, it is located in front of Halim park

Osulloc 

there are cafe that specialized in green tea dessert

it also has innisfree store and tea garden

Cheonjiyeon waterfall

Hotel : BK jeju hotel

Day 2 JEJU (strolling around hotel)
Olle market

this place has a lot of local street food!

Hotel : BK jeju hotel 

Day 3 JEJU- BUSAN (rent jumbo taxi + driver, it costs about 165.000 won)

Seongsan ilchulbong (sun rise)

Manjanggul cave (it is one of UNESCO world heritage)

Haeundae beach

Hotel : Melon House Busan

Day 4 BUSAN- SEOUL

Gamcheon Culture Village

train to Busan Seoul  

Hotel : Benikea Flower Hotel 

Day 5 Seoul

Gyeongbokgung palace

changing of guards

Bukchon hanok village

there are a lot of people that wearing hanbok here and strolling around

Gangnam shopping street

Hotel : Benikea Flower Hotel 

Day 6 Seoul 

Nami Island

front gate

winter sonata statue

Petite France

puppet show

Myeongdong

(L to R line friends store, myeongdong, 3ce pink hotel)

Day 7 Seoul

Shopping at Lotte Mart

Ehwa University

Myeongdong again for Nanta show

Hotel : Benikea Flower Hotel 

Day 8 Seoul

Insadong

sidewalk by the river near insadong

flight back to home

we used MRT during our trip in Busan and Seoul, you can buy the T-Money at any convenience store. The MRT is not complicated at all.