Seoul in Winter

Why go to Korea?

1) For the Food (If you are into Kimchi, Rice Cake, bbq Pork, Beef and Cafes sort of thing)
2) Shopping (Facial, Cosmetics, Lotions, Cheap winter clothing/accessories and decent bugis street style bags)
3) Attractions (Theme Parks, Cafes, Culture, Landmarks/Exploration, Winter sports)
4) Serenity (Spas, Nature, Animals)

Language 

The younger generation of Koreans can speak a little bit of English. In some facial shops/restaurants, the employees are from china, so they can speak mandarin.

Culture (Foreign to Singaporeans)

1. You can eat food in the buses and trains! (Eg. the snacks they sell at the food stalls in the station)
2. Supermarkets, daiso and some outlets charge money for their plastic bags! (Bring your own)
3. Keep right on the escalator

So, lets begin with the Top 3 tips (For Packing) I have for my friends and families who are planning to go to korea in the winter.

1. Pack sufficient sets of innerwear(top and bottom).
2. Forget about needing your sleeveless shirts/jackets or shorts/ berms / slippers (wont even use them, trust me) ~ DO NOT overpack. Chances are the things you think you might wear, you won't even touch them.
3. Definitely need lots of moisturizer for everything; (Lips, face, body, foot, hands - I bought all of them in korea)

*disclaimer: be prepared to experience static everyday due to dry weather!
*Tip: Place a cup of water or wet towel in your room before you sleep to add moisture into the air - so you will not get a sore throat when you wake up.

Overview

7 Dec 2014 - 27 Dec 2014 (3 weeks) - Winter Exchange Programme - Korea University (NTU)
27 Dec 2014 - 6 Jan 2015 (11 Days 10 Nights) - Holiday - Jeju + Seoul

Highlights:

Christmas & New Year 2015

Exchange rate: Using 1SGD : 825WON

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Winter Language Immersion Programme at Korea University (3 weeks)

- Took Korean Air (Direct Flight 6h10m, 23kg luggage) SGD$1.2k (It was on the high side)
- Stayed at CJ International House (Hostel in Korea University)
- Wonderfully planned out itenary by the School




(Korea University, first day orientation tour)

I did/went to (Main Events during the exchange):

1. Make Kimchi at Myeongdong
2. Taekwondo Class
3. Nanta Performance
4. Skii resort and lesson
5. City Tour (Namsan tower & Palace)
6. DMZ Tour (North Korea)
7. Traditional Korean Music

& Korean class every weekday 9am~1pm or 4pm.

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Everyone will have their preferred Travel Itenary.

So instead of bundling places I went everyday, here's a few places you can consider to go and recommended places to go back to back to fully utilize your time.

For this trip, my expenditure was approx. sgd $2200 (excluding hotel, air tickets)



When you touchdown, First few things to do are:

1. EGSim Card (For Android/iPhone)



(Prices of android/iPhone sim card at Incheon Airport)

(For android, 1GB with 40 min call time - 30 000 won)

- Buy at Incheon Airport gs25 (Convenience store)
- Off the shelve and DIY
- Follow instructions carefully on the pamphlet. You will need to go to a website to activate your sim and only during their office hours (stated in card), if you do it after, it will be activated the following day.
- don't worry about the bunch of Korean text messages they will sent to you after activation, i just disregarded them
- For my iPhone, it cost 55000won as I got the most expensive one, 2GB with 80mins call time. (Approx. $66).


2. Transport Card (T-Money)

- Buy off counter at ANY convenience store
- At the airport, it costs 3000won for the card + whatever amount you want to top it up with (eg. 10 000won) = 13 000won

BUT, at convenience stores elsewhere, the card costs 2500 won with different designs.

*You can use it for the trains, buses and taxis.

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For (11D10N), you will need:

1. At least SGD$1.5k to happily spend on Food, Shopping and Travel ($1000 change to won + sgd $500 for backup + Activate credit card for emergency)
2. A selfie stick with button (A norm in Korea and handy to snap wonderful pictures/videos)
3. An extra foldable bag in your luggage for your loots and bulky clothes

*Korea's food and transport costs almost the same as Singapore.

Food

Kimchi, Red, Spicy, Kimchi, No fish, Red, Kimchi (all day, everyday)

The cheapest decent meal i could find was kimchi ramen(Like maggi) which was within korea university's vicinity; 3000won which is around $4. Average meals like bulgogi and simple bowl of ramen costs 5000won and above and that is around $6. Korean BBQ is around 10000-15000won/pax.

*Bring some tomyum maggi over! or kaya spread!

Transport

Just a few reasons why you will not like transport in Korea:
1. Mostly staircases (if you have a luggage)
2. Stations are spoken in Korean, and difficult to hear due to loud train noises
3. (Some) Pushy older generation people who bump into you without saying excuse me (which is very common and my Korean buddy told me she is used to it).

If you are very alert, and don't miss your stops in the train, unlike me, then perhaps you'll save much more money.

When you tap in the gantry, 1050won is deducted straightaway from your card. when you tap out, depending on the place you are going to, it will either be an extra charge of 0 or 100 or more.

If you miss your stop, some train stations are not too forgiving, you have to go back up, tap out, and cross over to the other side by tapping in again(Bye to another 1050won).

But, it is convenient to travel as the subway maps are easy to understand, transferring to another line is idiot-proof (Something like SG). Go out the right Exit no. to your location and it is easy to navigate. It is also clean and has seat warmers during winter.

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