Spring Break in Korea Day 15 (11 April 2015) - how to claim tax refund

Wow what a rush! Let me tell you, I have never in my life, had to cut this close to catch a plane. And its all thanks to the slow check-in counter & tedious tax refund process!!!  

We started our day on schedule. Although we had 5 luggages, my helpful sister was sending us off so she helped us with one luggage and we could take train from Seoul Station all the way to the Incheon Airport.  This convenient train journey only took about 45 minutes and we were at airport by 8:30am, almost 2.5 hours before departure time.  

Oh dear, the Vietnam Airlines check-in counter was extremely slow and inefficient, that we had to wait 1 hour to check in.   Arghhh

Anyway, if you purchase more than 30,000 Won in one single receipt, you can request for tax refund receipt, be it from cosmetic shops or shopping centre or even supermarkets. Thus, its advisable to combine your purchases with your friends' to hit that minimum 30,000 Won value.  However, there were different tax service providers so not all the businesses will be partners with the same company.  The most common were Global Blue Tax Free (Blue), Global Tax Free (Orange) and KT Tourist Reward (Red).

Spring Break in Korea Day 14 (10 April 2015) - Part II

The bus promptly dropped us off back at Seoul Station around noon and we walked back to our flat  for lunch. We went overboard buying food the previous night and didn’t even get around to tasting beef rib soup and rice ball.  With fresh Korean strawberries, Starbucks coffee and black bean milk, they made for an appetising lunch. 

Afterwards, we headed out to Yeouido Park for Seoul cherry blossom festival.  If you are armed with a great DSLR camera, you can also go there at night to enjoy over 1000 cheery trees lighted up to create a romantic ambience. After visiting both Yeouido area and Jinhae, I prefer Jinhae cherry festival though.  Nonetheless, Seoul has many places for you to catch these lovely flowers during their fleeting blossom season. For instance, at Namsan Mountain, the view of cherry trees must be stunning with N-Seoul Tower in the backdrop.

How to get there: Yeouinaru Station, Line 5, Exit 1 OR

                      National Assembly Station, Line 9, Exit 1 or 6

Spring Break in Korea Day 14 (10 April 2015) - Part I

SO EXCITED TO BE VISITING THE FILMING SET!!! Its not just any set, its THE set used in My Love From Another Star!! Remember the mysterious alien Do Min Joon & adorable actress Cheon Song Yi? That was definitely my favorite drama in 2014.  I even shared about it to Mister, friends and colleagues and they became fans too. Can you feel my excitement? I just couldn't stand still :D

Spring Break in Korea Day 13 (9 April 2015)

Today, we planned to meet my dear friend from my KU days as an exchange student.  As she was working near Samseong Station, we decided to grab lunch at COEX Mall around 12:30pm.  It was really really far from Seoul Station though.

Naeng Myeon

This is a special summer treat, unique to Korea. Fresh, handmade noodles were submerged in ice cold soup and served together with sliced cucumber and pear, to chase away sweltering heat of the summer. 

Spring Break in Korea Day 12 (8 April 2015) - Part II

Su Yeon San Bang (수연산방) tea house

After late lunch, we headed out to suyeonsanbang (수연산방) tea house in Seongbuk-Dong. This quiet traditional tea house used to be a hanok residence of the late Korean author Lee Taejun. This classic abode, with its unassuming beauty, is indeed an ideal place to take a respite from the hustle and bustle of hectic city life. Their noteworthy menu items include blueberry makgeolli and patbingsu (shaved ice dessert, excellent for summer).

From udon restaurant near Jonggak station, we took buses 150 and 2112.  Alternatively, you can take subway to Hansung University Station then change to bus.

How to get there: Hansung University Station, Line 4, Exit 6

                            Then take bus 03 or 1111 or 2112

                            Alight at Dongbang Graduate University

                            Tea house is just 3-4 min walk away

Opening hours: 11:30 - 22:00

Seriously, Google Map knows the best.  Even bus arrival times were very accurate!

We were so sad to discover upon our arrival that suyeonsanbang was closed for renovation T.T

Spring Break in Korea Day 12 (8 April 2015) - Part I

We had a pretty late breakfast at Paris Baguette (inside Seoul Station) around 11am before taking the subway to visit the National Museum of Korea. This was my first visit and many of you might recognize it from the comedic variety show Running Man. 

The National Museum of Korea

This is the largest museum in Korea as well as the sixth largest in the world.  Its a beautiful marble building which houses thousands of national relics and artifacts, which depict a compelling history of Korea. The museum also includes The National Hanguel Museum (offering a glimpse to gain a better understanding of Korean alphabets) and The Children's Museum with several hands-on activities. If time permitted, I'm sure we could have easily spent the entire day in the museum. 

How to get there: Ichon Station, Line 4, Exit 2

Opening Hours: Closed every Monday & New Year's Day

                                Tue, Thur, Fri 09:00-18:00

                                Wed, Sat 09:00-21:00

                                Sun, Holidays 09:00-19:00

Entrance fees: Free entry for permanent exhibitions but visitors need to purchase a ticket for blockbuster shows such as Pompeii. 

Spring Break in Korea Day 11 (7 April 2015)

I had meetings the whole day today so the only photos from today were of food! 

Simple yet mouth-watering breakfast, I'm craving for it even right now!

Spring Break in Korea Day 10 (6 April 2015)

We left our apartment around 9:30am to explore Paju area today.  Paju is located further north of Seoul, pretty close to North Korea.  During the bus ride, we were driving along the river at some points and we could see across the river into North Korea! Anyhow, we didn't have to wait long for bus 2200 and reached English Village around 10:45 am. No traffic at all too! haha :D

Gyeonggi English Village, Paju Camp

The most effective way to learn a new language is for you to be put in an environment which forces to you utilize that language for your daily activities. That's how I managed to improve on my command of the English language as I lived and studied in Singapore.  That's also why my sister went to Seoul for a few months of intensive language program.  

I guess that is the main purpose of this English Village - to help Koreans learn English language in a setting similar to a typical English neighborhood, complete with  City Hall, post office, bank, theater, police station, hospital, market, restaurants, cafes and last but not least, schools! This surrounding facilitates learning in terms of role-playing and in the context of daily life, as opposed to the usual boring way of memorization and regurgitation.  

Other than its educational value, this place is beautiful and quite a lot of couples go there for their pre-Wedding photoshoot. Also, a lot of you might recognize this as the shooting location for variety show Running Man. 

We came here as we had ample time and it was on our way to Paju Premium Outlet.  If you have been to Europe and are not a big fan of Running Man, you can skip this.  There are other places in Seoul you should explore, especially if you are in Korea for the first time.

Opening Hours: 09:30 - 18:00

How to get there: Hapjeong Station, Line 2 or 6, Exit 2

                            Bus 200 or 2200 (10-15 min interval)

Entrance Fees: 3,000 Won per adult on weekday

                       5,000 Won per adult on weekend

 View of English Village as seen from the bus stop

Spring Break in Korea Day 9 (5 April 2015)

Sunday = Lazy Day (yes, it applies even when you are on holiday :D)

Our simple yet yummy breakfast at noon

All 3 of us slept in and had late breakfast around noon! Then we set out around 2pm for Hongdae.  God, it was extremely crowded in Hongdae. I couldn’t remember Hongdae streets being this packed, except while I was chasing Jang Geun Seok during the filming of drama "Marry Me Mary" and Yoon Shi Yoon  (from drama "Baker King Kim Tak Gu") during the filming of Guerrilla Date, back in 2010, as a exchange student at Korea University.  Hahaha I did spot quite a few of Korean celebrities then.  I was such a cray cray girl for K-Pop & K-Drama back in 2010 but I'm much calmer now :D

2 of us outside Seoul Station Exit 4, nearest to AREX line

Spring Break in Korea Day 8 (4 April 2015)

After non-stop touring for the whole week, it was time to sit back and relax.  Our friends left for airport quite early around 8am. As we were waving bye to them and wishing them safe flight, we felt like we were sending off our house guests!  Haha :D

After they left, we packed our bags, cleaned up our cozy AirBnB apartment, made sure nothing is left behind then called our landlord to let him know we were ready to leave and to thank him.  He called taxi for us so that we could move to a smaller apartment right behind Seoul Station.  There was not much traffic around 11 am and we spent just 10,000 Won on taxi fare. 

NUS Gang in Korea Day 7 (3 April 2015) - Part II

After a satisfying lunch, we continued onto Samcheon-dong neighborhood from Tosokchon (the place marked with a red pin at the bottom left corner of the above map).

In my previous trip 2 years ago, we walked the other way round, from Samcheon-dong towards Tosokchon.  Either way is fine, depending on your schedule.

http://musingsofmissn.blogspot.com/2014/01/mr-missy-in-korea-day-13-28-may-2013.html

Samcheon-dong

We took a stroll from Tosokchon, back to the main gate of Gyeongbokgung, and along the palace walls on the Eastern side. Then cross the road into Samcheon-ro street, marked in the above map with a red line.

Alternatively, you could take subway for 1 station from Gyeongbokgung to Anguk and begin the exploration of the area from Anguk Station, Exit 3. That was our starting point of the Bukchon+Samcheondong stroll during Mister exchange student days. 

http://musingsofmissn.blogspot.com/2014/01/mr-missy-in-korea-day-13-28-may-2013.html

Samcheon-dong is a quaint area dotted with many unique museums (Owl museum, anyone?), cozy cafes, organic beauty shops and pretty boutique stores. 

Spring was admittedly more beautiful. This was taken 2 years ago in May 2013.

NUS Gang in Korea Day 7 (3 April 2015) - Part I

After a couple of days of simplified breakfast at our Airbnb accommodation,we went back to the small eatery located inside the Yeongdeungpo station for breakfast around 9am. Their menu is limited to stews, udon and kimbab but food is pretty tasty!  

Gyeongbokgung Palace

We reached our first sightseeing spot slightly after 10 as we did enjoyed our leisurely breakfast. Construction of the Gyeongbokgung Palace was completed in 1395, 3 years after the Joseon Dynasty was founded by King Taejo. The Palace as the heart of the capital city of Seoul flourished as a small city, with over 500 buildings covering 64 hectares at the height of its glorious past. Sadly, it was destroyed by the Japanese invasion not just once, but twice in 1592-98 and 1915. Since 1990, there has been an ongoing enormous effort (a 40-year project) to restore this once-stunning palace grounds to its former glory. 

NUS Gang in Korea Day 6 (2 April 2015)

Day 6 was definitely the highlight of our entire Korea trip. Jinhae Cherry Festival (Jinhae Gunhangje Festival) was the sole reason why we timed our visit to coincide with cherry blossom season. In order to avoid the crowd, we chose to visit Jinhae on a weekday.

To get to Jinhae from Busan, take the subway to Sasang Station, walk towards Exit 5 and you will see Seobu Intercity Bus Terminal as soon as you get out.  Well, McDonald's was the huge clue for bus terminal since the terminal sign was in Korean.

Buses depart to Jinhae from Busan every 15-20 minutes and run from 6am to 9pm daily. If you don't speak Korean, no worries as some staff speak basic English. Although buses depart at scheduled times normally, today they departed as soon as there were enough people due to the high demand for bus tickets to Jinhae.

Tickets for this one-hour journey cost 5,100 Won per pax. Upon our arrival around 10am, we were greeted with breathtaking sight full of cherry blossoms.

Right outside the bus terminal! Welcome to Jinhae!

NUS Gang in Korea Day 5 (1 April 2015)

Wake up call was set at  7am.  Wanting to set aside at least 1 hour of travel time to get to Seoul Station during morning peak hour, we planned to leave our place at  8am, to catch our  9am train to Busan.  However, we left our place later than planned and reached to train platform just in the nick of time, 5 minutes before departure!!! Even then, Mister and Kyaw Kyaw still rushed to convenience store on the platform to buy breakfast.  Apparently, simple breakfast we had today wasn’t fulfilling enough for them haha :D Well, if you plan to have breakfast during train ride, buy before reaching the platform as the items at convenience stores there are quite over-priced. Supply and Demand I guess. 

Our Simple Breakfast 

Anyway, we really did enjoy our KTX ride.  The seats were comfortable and the leg space was quite roomy.  Charging points were available at every row and there was free WIFI on-board as well (although we could only connect during the first 30 minutes of the trip).  There was a space dedicated for large luggages in every cabin while there is also overhead racks to store your smaller bags. The cabins were really clean and the journey overall was a smooth one. The trains were very punctual since they depart and arrive exactly at the times printed on our tickets. So yes, please don’t be late as trains will not wait for you.

 On board KTX

NUS Gang in Korea Day 4 (31 March 2015)

A ha! Finally the day that we 2  girls were looking forward to!  DMZ tour was the perfect distraction for the guys, which allowed us to enjoy the whole day of shopping! mwahahaha 

After dating me for a couple of years, Mister knew me well enough (at least about my tendency to go a bit overboard while on shopping spree) that he lent me his cabin luggage to bring on our shopping day!  My friends were shocked and surprised but we both utilized it so well! I was thinking we couldn't fill it up and yet, we did! 

Ewha Women University (Edae)

A busy day for us started with shopping at Edae.  Being located in the university area means clothes here are trendy and in style for the youth and are relatively cheaper. Trust me, clothes on offer here are more fashionable than those found in other shopping zones (which could be tacky sometimes).  Except for Dongdaemun, I guess.  Clothes in Dongdaemun are chic and stylish but they are on the pricey side.  Remember to explore the narrow side alleys of Edae which are littered with pretty boutiques!

Hongdae, Sinchon & Edae are 3 neighboring university towns, bustling with youthful energy of college crowd.  Hongdae is known for busking, bars, clubs and nightlife in general while Edae is famous for shopping and beauty treatment at hair saloons and nail spas.  Ewha is a university for women afterall ^_~ I might be slightly biased but to me, Sinchon has the best food among these 3 university areas.

Best to shop for: 
1) Cute, customized, handmade items
2) Shoes for ladies
3) Accessories
3) Fashionable, feminine clothing at affordable prices

Must-try snacks:
1) Egg muffins (not the ones with egg on top of the bread, try the ones with egg inside the bread)
2) Spicy fried chicken with rice cake & hash brown (Cup Dak)

How to get there: Ewha Women University Station, Line 2, Exit 2 or 3

At beautiful Ewha Campus

( I'm being biased but I still think my alma-mater Korea University is still more beautiful :D )

NUS Gang in Korea Day 3 (30 March 2015)

Noryangjin Fish Market

We headed out around 1030 am towards Noryangjin Fish Market.  This vibrant market is connected to Noryangjin Subway Station via an overhead bridge.  It was a bit smelly but it was pretty intriguing to observe the happenings at this traditional fish market. We felt a bit bad having to pick out seafood (they were still alive) for our lunch.  But we figured its just one meal?  

We purchased salmon, one big crab, mini octopus and spoon worm (or more commonly known as 'penis fish') for 65, 000 Won. Bargain okay?  Its perfectly fine to check the prices at various stores first before finally negotiating with the sellers. There were usually ushers from restaurants who would lead you to their restaurants. These restaurants in the market can prepare your purchases into fresh seafood sashimi or stew or fried dishes.  Again, check prices first before following the ushers.

One of the restaurants helped us prepare our food into salmon sashimi and crab stew.  The octopus and spoon worms were cut into tiny pieces to be eaten raw with salt and sesame oil.  Lunch service including rice, makgeolli and side dishes for 6 of us set us back another 45,000 Won.  While it was definitely one of the most expensive meals we had in Korea (around 18,500 Won per pax), we thought it was pretty good deal considering fresh seafood would cost us at least 3 times more in Singapore.

How to get there: Noryangjin Station, Line 1, Exit 1 
                      (cross the overhead bridge & follow that fishy smell!)

Opening Hours: 01:30 am - 10:00 pm

The largest selection of fresh seafood in Korea - be prepared to face a full-on assault of your senses (smell, sight, taste, and touch if you are particularly feeling brave)

Our spread of fresh salmon sashimi, spoon worm and baby octopus (which were still squirming even after they were chopped up!)

The highlight of our meal: Korean-styled fresh crab stew

NUS Gang in Korea Day 2 (29 March 2015)

Day 2 was spent exploring the Gapyeong area. It is located outside Seoul city area and is most known for Nami Island, filming location of the drama Winter Sonata which started South Korea's soft power - Hallyu Wave. Both I and Mister had been there (3 times for me) and our companions didn't feel like there is much to see at Nami Island, so we visited Petite France and Garden of the Morning Calm instead. 

Petite France

What is it: a French cultural village set in the Korean countryside, which is dedicated to the Little Prince story. The village consists of 16 French-style buildings where visitors can lodge and enjoy French food, try on clothing and experience household culture (Credit: Visit Korea Website)

Why is it famous: Its picturesque surrounding paves way for it to be featured in numerous Korean variety shows and drama.  Most famous were Running Man (with guests from 2PM  - Nichkhun & Teacyeon), Beethoven Virus, Secret Garden & My Love from Another Star (where Do Min Jon & Cheon Song Yi shared a kiss).

How to get there:  
From Seoul: Take subway to Gapyeong Station or Cheongpyeong Station then take Gapyeong Circular Tour Bus (5,000 Won for one-day unlimited ride) or taxi.

Opening Hours: 9am - 6pm

NUS Gang in Korea Day 1 (28 March 2015)

Wow back to Korea for the 4th time and many people kept asking me why I go there so many times! Trust me, I wonder about it too :D  The land of K-Pop, cosmetics, fashion and of course, some of the best tasting and healthiest food around!

As I have blogged before about my Korea trips, I requested Mister to be my guest writer, for a change in tone & perception. So here we go!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We departed Singapore at 9pm the night before and reached Incehon Int'l Airport at 730am with a short transit in between at Ho Chi Minh City.  

At Changi Airport, just before our departure

The moment we stepped out from the plane, we already started feeling cold! The end of March usually signals the beginning of Spring but it definitely felt more like winter!

After passing through customs, we had a driver waiting for us to take us to our AirBnb accommodation which was just fantastic. It was so cozy with a living room and a full kitchen!

Our cozy little place in Yeongdeungpo

Mr & Missy in Korea Day 14 (29 May 2013)

My last day in Korea T.T

We met at Sinchon only around 10 am to give me enough time to pack everything.  Then, we walked over to Slow Garden for brunch.  It's actually just 5 minute walk away form Yonsei's SK Global House and 3 minute walk away from Ewha Women University's back gate.  If you are in the area, you should consider going there! I love the cozy, comfortable atmosphere and food there was great!!!

Some selfies while waiting for our brunch

Mr & Missy in Korea Day 13 (28 May 2013)

Rainy weather continued :(

Oh well, what to do? We gotta do what we gotta do! I was determined to find all the photo spots in Bukchon Hanok Village today haha Bukchon refers to the area between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace featuring well-preserved traditional Korean Hanok houses. During the Joseon era, this village was populated by royal family members and aristocrats. Today, it is a popular spot for shooting films and TV dramas (Personal Taste, 2Days1Night).

Relying on the "Pleasant Tour of Seoul on Foot" Map (courtesy of Seoul City), we started our walk from Exit 3 of Anguk Station, Line 3. 

http://www.visitseoul.net/en/article/article.do?_method=view&art_id=58509&lang=en&m=0004004004001&p=04

Tada! We found our first spot! It offers a very nice view of the Changdeokgung Palace.