Korea

[chamonique]

Hi Jasermine,

I paid $1549 (tour) + $216 (airport tax). If u r going to CTC, I would recommend you go to their main branch in Mosque Street and ask for Christina. She is very helpful

Hi Puppylove,

Initially I did think of booking a cheaper tour with Hong Thai and then extending for a few more days but it is very much more expensive. You need to pay additional $150 for air ticket extension becos the agency tickets are group blocking hence cheaper + you have to pay about $80-100 plus per night for 3 stars hotel. After adding all these costs, it becomes too expensive.

 

[poshlim]

Hi, anyone going to korea in early feb 2006? I have enquired many agencies, and Ananda has well planned itinerary at reasonable price, $1138 excluding taxes, by Korean Air.

 

[jasermine]

Hi puppylove,

yap as what chamonique the extension is expensive. chk with chan bro, the airfare ext will cost $150 and the hotel also abt $100. kind of "bo hua". no worries, nt gg to bk with them. still chking out. my another couple fren gg for honeymoon too. so mayb 4 musketeers will try to F&E. ned to do more research.

hi chamonique,

guess u r most prob gg for the 8 days tour rite? cos tts abt the price for chan bro also. will drop by few other tour agencies this wkend at people's park to chk out their itinerary.

 

[chamonique]

Hi Jasermine,

yeah, I took up the 8 days tour without Jeju. Decided to give Jeju a miss cos my friends said there is nothing much to see there during winter.

 

[eugo]

Anyone knows if there is anything to shop in Jeju? Like any major shopping mall or district? Thanks!

 

[sinkor]

Low,

I am back from Korea..... hmm.... so far i only shop in Dongdaemum, Namdaemum & Myeongdong leh..... as for the merchandise that you are looking for, my advise is go to Dongdaemum to shop (till u "die"). Remember, to shop there after 11pm hor, as that period is the best shopping times (as all shops are opened)...

btw, if u need more info, maybe i can help u to check again in Jan'06 as going there again during CNY....

Cheers

 

[eve21]

hi Sinkor
Is Dongdaemum really that good??

Dongdaemum is not included in my itinerary leh... My friend also advised me to go Dongdaemum also. She advise to take a cab to there while the tour back to hotel rest at night. But my only stay at seoul - Sheraton Walker Hotel which is not near to Dongdaemum at all. I afraid that I maybe lost

... Any advise??

 

[sinkor]

Hi Eve,

It is really advisable to go Dongdaemum if you really love shopping..... U may go there by taking a cab there but need to warn u that in nite time, traffic in Dongdaemum most of time is jam leh.... or why not you ask your tour guide to advise you where to take subway from your hotel to Dongdaemum station....

If you really take a cab there, REMEMBER not to take Black colour cab hor as think is 2 or 3 times more exp than the other colour cab. Black colour cab is normally taken by those "ignorant" tourist and drunkard korean.

Another thing is Dongdaemum closed on Sunday....

Cheers

 

[eve21]

Thanks Sinkor
Whether going to Dongdaemum also must depend how much won I have left on my 6th day (Sat)of my tour...kee kee..

Or maybe too tried to go

Are the things at Dongdaemum worth buying?? I heard that the things are expensive, it is true??

 

[eve21]

Hi Sinkor
Have you been to korea in Jan b4?? I heard that its the coldest period in korea. Wondering is it necessary to get a 100% wool long john?? It cost $59 per set as compare to $29 cotton one. I will be going in Jan06. A salesgirl ever advice me that a cotton long john can tahan till 5 degree. Plus a winter jacket will be good enough for below 0 degree. Is it true???

 

[sinkor]

Hi Eve,

Typically, things in korea are expensive... except cosmetic (Korean brand), seaweed (must buy) and beer....

hmm...i went to korea in late dec before, really depend on individual on the coldness. ya, the coldest period is Jan/Feb. If u going to Jeju, Jeju not as cold as Seoul... really hard to say as imagine NOW in autumn, mt sorak already start snowing liao leh! its surprised all korean people as first time that mt sorak snowed so early!

like Pusan, normally not as cold as seoul and who know this year jan/feb, pusan kena snowing the heaviest and serious in Korea....

if for me to choose, will buy the $59 set as i really scared cold but if for my hubby, he dun wear long john (which most korean dun wear long john).... think u better buy something that keep u more warm as last time my friend went to korea, he didnt wear the long john and caught cold on the first day and end up sick for the rest of the holidays in korea.....

Cheers

 

[eugo]

Eve,

I think you can take a cab to the nearest subway from Sheraton WalkerHill and take the subway to Dongdaemum. Its pretty easy and fun to travel by subway. ^^ My last trip to Korea is April 2005 and my hotel is not near to Dongdaemum but the subway is walking distance from the hotel so we took subway to Dongdaemum and shop till 3AM! It's very relaxing and fun to shop during the midnight..not much people and you can take your time to search for the stuffs you want.

Anyway.. I read from the Walkerhill website that there will be a shuttle bus from Walkerhill to Dongdaemum / subway but not sure if they still provide this shuttle bus service.

Dongdaemum is a shopping area not to be missed! ^^

 

[eve21]

Thanks Sinkor & Eugo...

 

[lilieswhite]

hi all, can i check if cab in korea is ex?

cos aft the end of the tour, we intend to walk ard on our own but worried that its not easy to travel by subway.

 

[sinkor]

Hi Lilieswhite,

cab fare is similar price as singapore (slighter higher) BUT BUT BUT korea traffic is horrible amd high possiblity jam if you go to those popular place like Dongdaemum, Namdaemum, Myeongdong, Gangnam, Appeudong etc..... if jam, the cost of course will be higher...so my advise, if can try to do some "homework" and take subway.....

Cheers

Cheers

 

[lilieswhite]

hi sinkor,

do u know if lotte world hotel in seoul is near any subway station? does the subway station have the station names in english or any free travel guide for travellers?

btw, want to ask what is worth buying in korea beside ginseng & cosmetic?

 

[sinkor]

Hi Lilieswhite,

If not wrong, the lotte world hotel is near jamsil subway station (Green line).... yes, the subway station have name in English so not to worry but may have hard time looking at the subway map as very messy and confusing...

for me, i feel its worth to buy seaweeds too! haha...

P/S: Dongdaemum subway station is in blue line

 

[eugo]

Hi sinkor,

Have you been to Jeju? Is there any major shopping area there? Thanks! ^^

 

[sinkor]

Hi Eugo,

I went to Jeju once in F & E.... I staying at something like "oriental Hotel" if not wrong. There is a shopping centre there but hor i didnt buy much from them as not as fanciful as Myeongdong & Dongdaemum shopping centre....

Cheers

 

[eugo]

sinkor,

Is it Cheju Oriental? how is the hotel? Is it near to the sea? Oh.. which means my two days trip there will be for sight-seeing only ba.. hehee.. By the way, what is/are the local specialty (food) in Jeju?

 

[sinkor]

Hi Eugo,

yaya...is cheju oriental! i forget whether it is near the sea or not leh....but i think so...

Now i recall (if i not wrong) that there is some rows of shopping shops in Jeju. Maybe u can try to shop there. Sorry that cant give u much info on Jeju as i spent most of the time in coffee house as they really have those good atmosphere!keke...

specialty food in jeju is the seafood esp abalone porridge and the "mandarine" orange as really nice.... i saw many korean (not from Jeju) bought boxes of orange back to seoul....

but jeju really diff from seoul....so quiet and refreshing....super good atmosphere for those honeymoon couple.......have those "ALL IN" feeling..

Cheers

 

[eugo]

sinkor,

Thanks for these info.. its gd enuff.. at least i know what i can look forward to.

Wow.. where do they sell the abalone porridge? the street stalls? hehee.. think i will buy some oranges during the trip for vitamin C intake. hehee..

So those shopping areas u mention is near to the hotel right? walking distance right? Thanks... ^^

 

[sinkor]

Hi Eugo,

If you staying the Cheju Oriental, nearby have shopping centre and shops but expect too much bcos my impression is like those Giant shopping centre lor.

and in Jeju, the street very little people during nite time leh so dunno wat time the shops closed.... or maybe that time i went is weekday...
anyway, dun worry and just enjoy as much as possible....

Oh ya...just for general information, jeju speaking korean language is different from Seoul korean language....

haiz...i really miss jeju but keep stucking in Seoul! haha.....

Cheers

 

[eugo]

sinkor,

okie okie.. i hope i will.

oh.. the pple in Jeju speaks their own native korean lang. Then i guess i will have to use sign language. hehee..

Howcome you are stuck in Seoul?

 

[sinkor]

EuGo,

Dun worry, Jeju still can understand Seoul Kor Lang. i "stuck" in seoul is bcos hubby is Korean from Seoul so everytime go there, only go Seoul....

 

[eugo]

Wow! Cool! So Fortunate! So you will be visiting Korea every year right? soooo gd!! ^^

 

[summersnow_ger]

May i know roughly how much the seaweed cost? i always see pple buy those 6 small pack in 1 big bag? Cos need to estimate the money i need to bring to buy souvenier.. thanks!!
and Dongdaemun got sell wat? did they sell necklace, bracelet like HK Nu Ren jie? Thanks! n

Also, is 1 set of long john enough? the long john so ex ar...

 

[eugo]

Hi Lee Yan,

My tour-guide brought us to a local food shop b4 we left Korea, I think one big packet of seaweed costs abt 10,000 won and each big packet consists of 4 or 5 packets of seaweed. They have the bundled price like you buy 4 or 5 big packets (can't rem the actual figure) you will get 1 free packet. Hmm.. actually during my 1st trip to Korea, I went to buy from Namdaemum market. More varieties and can bargain the price with them. But this time round we didn't go to Namdaemum so didn't buy from there. And our tour guide told us that some stalls in Namdaemum sells expired seaweeds they just stick a new expiry date's sticker on top. I am not sure how true is it. Anyone can verify it? For me, I only know that tour guide's words cannot be trust 100%. They wanna earn commission so they will tell you cannot buy this from here and there. And will encourage you to buy things from the shop they recommended but we ended up paying alot more $$ only. Sorry if i am too harsh.. just be careful..

Dongdaemum sells alot of products like Clothes (Women, Men, Kids), Handbags, Accessories etc. I have not been to HK so I am not sure if it is the same as Nu Ren Jie. hehee.. normally if i go Dongdaemum, I will shop at Doota. ^^

 

[jasermine]

hi sinkor and eugo,

ur trip sounded so excited. esp the shopping portion. cant wait to go to korea. bt im still hesitatin abt gg F&E or pkg. any opinions? guess will only be moving ard seoul and mayb gg for skiing. will a 8days trip be enough to cover?

is it true tt koreans cant speak eng? tinkin of extending my trip if i take pkg, bt the agency dun seems to encourage due to the language. also is exp to extend. n agnecy cant gurantee there is flight bk if i extend.

 

[eugo]

Hi Jasermine,

My previous trips to Korea, I go by package tour cos its cheaper. Hmm.. so far I think people in Seoul speak english and Korea Lang. For this I think sinkor will be a better person to ask. Hehee..

My fren went to Korea F&E in June and she stayed in the small hotel at Myeongdong. She said the overall expenses are abit higher than package tour but you have the freedom. For Package Tour more restriction becos the tour guide is responsible for the tourist safety and you need to join the group tour during the day. But you still can go and shop on your own during the night (for some package tour, their daily tour ended early but some ended late, normally for group tour, the tour guide will only bring you to the hotel at the end of the day tour).

I would like to opt for F&E but becos I am going with my family so I opt for package tour. Cos easier to plan... and mostly the places we go are sceneries which might be quite cumbersome if we go for F&E.

Which ski resort do you intend to go? because I prefer YongPyong so normally when I book package, I will look for agency that will go to YongPyong. ^^

 

[sinkor]

Hi LeeYan,

If not wrong, the 6 small rectangle packets of seaweeds in one big bag cost around SGD7-8. As for Eugo mentioned those package, i think is those very big packets kind. My advise to u all is try not to buy seaweeds from those tourism shopping area like Dongdaemum, Namdaemum, etc bcos it is super EXPENSIVE and the taste so-so. So if you really want to buy seaweeds, it is best to purchase from those supermarket in the department store. But my recommendation is go to "E-MART" supermarket and now they are going to operate in 24hours leh!!! E-Mart is cater korean houshold and the things they sell is fresh and cheap....i bought my carton of seaweeds from E-mart and remember to take note of the expiry date!
There are tons of brand for you to choose and if have chance, try the korean tidbits too!!! super delicious....

Hi Jasermine,

If going to korea for the first time, it would be better to go by tour package and extend 1-2 days in Seoul if you want. while extending your stay, you may book a guesthouse at myeongdong which is quite cheap. If you need the contact, PM me.

If 8 days staying in Seoul only, will be abit boring...so best is you take a 6days tour package and extend 2 days, will be more fun!

As for English speaking korean, if need to ask direction, best to "aim" those high school or university youngster. If they still dun understand you, dun panic, try to write it in a paper and ask other youngster bcos Korean READING English really good but come to speaking, abit hard....

 

[chamonique]

Hi,

I went to the Korea Tourism office which is near to my office just now. They have a lot of free brochures and maps. For those of you who are interested in doing F & E, maybe you can engage the "Good Will" volunteers who will show the tourists around the city. I saw this offering in one of the pamphlet. You do not have to pay them any fees. However I am not sure if you need to pay for their transports but you can call the tourism board to enquire. Basically these good will volunteers want to interact with tourists to learn foreign languages.

 

[chamonique]

forgot to mention the tourism board is in Clifford Centre -Raffles Place

 

[eugo]

sinkor,

Where can I find the E-Mart? Thanks!

 

[sinkor]

Hi EuGo,

E-mart can be found at alot of place leh..... btw, where are u staying in Seoul? so that i can tell u the nearest Emart that you can go...

 

[eugo]

sinkor,

The place I will be staying is not that accessible.. its Sheraton Walkerhill Hotel.
Another night will be at Incheon Best Western Premier which is quite near to the airport.
Thanks!

 

[puppylove888]

eugo u book ur trip wif hong thai also as mine also got walker hill and westin?

 

[puppylove888]

sinkor
since u just back wat thh temp like in seoul?
dun wanna bring too much clothing there
tot of 1 leather jacket enough liao

 

[eugo]

hi puppylove888,

yeah mine got Walkerhill. Westin? no leh..

When is your trip?

 

[sinkor]

Hi Eugo,

Will need to go home check with hubby first on the Emart location.

Hi puppylove888,

Ya, i just back from Seoul but i cant tell u the temperature now as heard from my korean friends telling me now very cold as compare that time i went there! Korea weather really unpredictable one! But take note Seoul definitely MUCH colder than Jeju and Pusan....

Btw, when are u going there? so I can "agar agar" tell u how cold it is! haha...

Cheers

 

[peaches]

hi all!

i'll be departing for Korea this coming Sunday for 8 days!

been keeping track of the temperature the past few days and within a week...temperatures fell from 8 - 14 degrees to -1 - 8 degrees this morning...

any advice on winter clothes?? pretty worried :/
2 layers plus winter jacket enough?

 

[sinkor]

Hi Eugo,

The Emart at chunho-dong is near the Sheraton Walker Hotel... As for near incheon airport area, it seem that dun have any Emart.... Think u better check with your tour guide...

Cheers

 

[eugo]

Hi sinkor,

Thanks for your help ne! Will try our luck there... btw...what is the operating hours? Is it like Singapore? Closed at 10pm? Thanks alot!

 

[eugo]

Hi sinkor,

Check with you again.. do you know if there is any e-mart near to Dongdaemum, Myeong-dong and Nandaemum? Thanks!

 

[jasermine]

hi eugo,

is true tt F&E is generally more exp. though tour pkg cover more areas bt restrictions is also my concern. if gg F&E, will moving ard seoul n the ski resort only. nt so much into the scenery cos travelling may be a prob. arrghh..hard to decide. so when r u departing? yap yap Yong Pyong ski resort is on my list. heard is better rite as compare to the rest. norm do u stay over a nite at the ski resort? will it be more fun?

hi sinkor,

after chkin out few agencies, most of the 8 days pkg seems more attractive as in the itinerary. hmmm...bt will consider abt 6 days pkg n extending. then move ard seoul shopping. does guesthse hv proper bed? ok noted abt the tip of asking for direction. thks...

hi chamonique,

ok thks for the info...will chk out and 'coup' some brochures.

hi chloe,

u mean the weather nw is already so cold? -1 deg??? oh no...wonder hw will it be like in dec or jan. me also headache abt getting winter wear. nt sure how much is enough. was tinkin buyin thermal wear, winter jacket, plus bring sweaters. cos very afraid of cold.....do enjoy ur holi. bet u gettin very exicted. remember come bk and share abt ur trip ok...

 

[eugo]

Hi Jasermine,

That's what I heard from my fren. I still din try F&E yet. But shd be quite fun. hehee..like what sinkor said.. if this is your 1st trip to Korea.. its better choose the tour group. Mine tour pkg is 12th Jan 2006. ^^ I been to Phoenix Park in Spring.. but I still prefer Yong Pyong.. the last time i went to Yong Pyong I stayed there for 2 nights. The 1st night we attended a Concert Festival something like the Concert Fest. in winter sonata.. then 2nd Day we had skiing and 2nd night just stroll around. Nothing much. This time round the itinerary includes 1 night stay @ YongPyong what I think is gd enuff. ^^ Which agency do you have in mind?

 

[puppylove888]

eugo
typo error lah not westin haha
hong thai hotel all standard wan esp u take the ALL-IN package
leaving end of nov and extending my stay too
how abt U?
or we are in the same tour gp?

my extension flight still not cfm

 

[puppylove888]

sinkor
me will be end nov till early dec
me no have down-jacket onli lamp leather jacket
u tink can tahan?

 

[sinkor]

Hi Jasmermine,

Have give u the contact on the guesthouse.

Eugo,

Will need to check with my Hubby again..... as for operating hour, i think they just convert to 24hours leh...normally is till 11 (if not wrong).

puppylove,

last year i went on mid dec, but dun think as cold as -1 degree leh. but this year, really VERY COLD as per my korean friends said... so i think u better get a down-jacket and thermal wearing.... as i think leather top jacket maynot able to tahan if u keep staying outdoor...

although u can see most korean wearing not as much as we wear bcos they keep staying indoor (like restaurant, cafe, subway, etc) so they can take it...as for us as tourist, we keep staying outdoor viewing scenery etc... it would be better to wear thick.

 

[eugo]

Hi puppylove,

Hehee.. I booked the 8 Days All In.. you booked that rite? but mine is 12th Jan 2006 leh. How long is your extension? How much you pay for the extension? Thanks!

Hi sinkor,
Sorry to trouble you again... Thanks! ^^