BFF RAMBLINGS: January 2016

Perghh...tebal gils sawang kat sini weh...

Sementara tengah ingat ni baik aku note down kat sini for uols punya future reference, knowing uols ni memang kang tanya berkali2 mintak reference :)

This 12/2015 school holiday we opted for something different. We wanted a WINTER HOLIDAY. So, ke Korea kita. Why? Tambang pun tak mahal sangat..all in dalam RM10K with MAS for 5 of us. Kalau book awal sket dapat la RM7K on Air Asia. Jangan lupa amik travel insurance for those unexpected emergencies (cam iklan lak).

Sampai Incheon Airport, Seoul on Saturday 6 am. We chose to use AREX, the airport railway to get to Seoul. 45 minutes on the express train. Fare pun tak mahal..dalam KRW6900 per adult. Dalam RM30 sorang la. Dalam perjalanan tu excited dah bila nampak tepi-tepi jalan & bumbung2 memutih covered by snow. It snowed the night before (unfortunately, it didn't snow when we were there..kecewa ok!!). Turun kat Seoul Station. Kat sini kena naik subway pulak. Seksanya nak mengangkut luggage around Seoul Station. Its a huge place & ada parts yang takde lift & escalator so we had to drag up & down the staircases. Kalo tau ini macam, baik naik bas je. bas dari airport ke Seoul depa panggil Airport Limousine. Dalam KRW10,000 per person.

Inside AREX train - very clean, spacious & cozy. 43 minutes from Incheon Airport to Seoul Station
(Pix credit: AREX)

This is the apartment that we rented. Very clean, cozy & convenient.

Kami stay in an apartment book through airbnb. First time tried airbnb ni. Alhamdulillah, for about RM450 per night, we had a very cozy apartment with 2 queen beds, enough to fit 5 of us. Ada kitchen, washing machine & dryer. Siap bagi portable wifi lagi! This apartment is located 2 minutes walk away from Jonggak subway station (Line 1). Very convenient location as on the same line lies Dongdaemun & Seoul Station. We need to change subway only 1X to go to Myeongdong or Namdaemun Market (both Line 2), and change subway 2x to Itaewon (Line 6). Basically, these are the most frequented locations for us. To ride the subway, we bought T-cards from the convenience store, KRW3,000 per card and we loaded some monies in. Per ride would cost us KRW1250 for adult & KRW500 per kid. Quite reasonable juga lah. So kalau uols nak cari accommodation,cari yang located around the subway lines.

Seoul subway map. Nampak cam complicated kan, tapi tak. Sama je consept cam LRT kat KL.

Day 1:
Gyongbokgung Palace, Gwanghamun Square, Cheongyanggi Stream

Since kami sampai apartment pun dah dekat tengah hari, we got to go to Gyongbokgung Palace and sekitarnya saja. Jalan kaki dari apartment je, sampai. Sejuk boleh tahan. Maybe dalam 6 deg celcius kot. Sisa2 snow berlonggok kat pinggir2 jalan. Apa ada kat palace tu? Istana lama, ada la change of guard session, admiring the architecture..gitu2 la...istana tu kosong je pun, But that's one of the places u need to go la...touch & go dah le, janji sampai. A landmark of Seoul gitu..Everyone were tired from the lack of sleep in the plane. So we retired early. Heran jugak kat budak2 ni, sampai apartment, segar bugar plak main lompat2 sana sini.

Day 2:
Seoul City Tour.

We choose to ride the Seoul City Tour red bus, the hop-on-hop-off kind. KRW12,000 per person. Tour starts from ticket booth sebelah Koreana Hotel (near City Hall station). Bas ni banyak stops but we choose only selected few. Maklum lah, askar kecik2 ni tak larat jalan banyak2 n kena ikut interest dorang. Selain red bus ada gak green bus nama "Namsan Tour"..start dari mana tak pasti.

First stop was the War Memorial of Korea. Very interesting place. We went to the external exhibits (FOC) - get to see life sized war jets, planes, kereta kebal, ships etc. They were used during the Korean War. The kids were amazed & enjoyed themselves. Max 1.5 hours is sufficient. Kat sini gak la Rayn terseliuh kaki..dah terdengkot2 cam pakcik tua berjalan...slowed us down.

Lots of tankers, fighter jets n ships at the War Museum

Next stop is the Bukchon Hanok Village. Its a sample of old Korean houses. Tengok tu je. Could have been better if they have performances / explanation etc. Not very informative. Ambik gambar je sudah..

Next stop is Namsan Tower. Alaa...cam Menara Kuala Lumpur tu...Went up the tower (quite a long distance walking up from where the bus stops) & had a birdeye's view of Seoul.

Next we decided to stop at Dongdaemun, get on the subway & went to Itaewon for early dinner. Kami makan kat Muree Restaurant. We ordered Beef Bulgogi, Kimchi Stew & Chicken masak apatah cam masak merah sket..To me boleh tahan je la, tak banyak variety though. Orang kata Eid Restaurant is better. Tapi mlm tu kids dah tak larat nak mendaki bukit (Eid tu atas lagi dari Muree). Selain daripada a mecca for halal food kat Korea ni, Itaewon juga terkenal sebagai "international suburb"..zaman dulu2 sini lah tempat askar2 omputeh duduk..Hamilton Hotel kat Itaewon ni cam dah lama gile wujud sejak zaman Korean War. Selain ada masjid, pubs pun berlambak gak.

Lepas makan kami naik subway ke Myeongdong. Shopping barang mekap..Sinonim ngan orang Korea yang memang azalinya cantik2, flawless & hidung mancung, memang syurga kosmetik la Korea ni, Nature Republic, Face Shop, Skin Food, Innisfree, Tony Moly, Hollika Hollika, Laneige & tah hape2 lagi berlambak2 kat Myeongdong ni..murah plak tu. Tapi tu lah, kena careful gak tengok ingredients sebab ada gak terjumpa "pig collagen" mask kat Tony Moly. Ewwww...terus larikkk pi kedai lain. Kat Myeongdong ni banyak street food..tapi aku makan yang aku confirm tak was2 je..i.e. Hotteok (KRW3,000 pastry isi red bean paste -sebab penjual tu ckp "halal" halal"), sweet potato bakar (KRW5,000 for 2 ketul - yang ni memang sedap gila, makan panas2 dalam cuaca winter & Kul-Ta-Re (KRW8,000 per box of 10 little pieces -gula tarik cam meehoon tu, isi kacang).Tapi yang tak boleh miss is this ice-cream bunga ros. KRW6,000, flavor choc, green tea & strawberry. Dah la cantik, SEDAPPPP plak tu! Tak murah la makan2 kat sini walaupun setakat street food. We left when the shops closes at 10 pm.

A feast to the palate & the eyes...yummmyyyy...

Day 3:
Nami Island Tour

Since its not snowing, makanya Nami Island hanyalah dipenuhi pokok2 kaler ceklat. Tak best langsung! Cukup la sekali ni aje. Dah le nak sampai Nami ni agak jauh gak..last2 tengok pokok je..haha...I think tak berbaloi. Lagi2 kalo amik tour, it would cost around RM350 per pax. Kami gi sendiri je. Kami naik train ITX dari Yongsan station. Turun kat Gapyeong. Travel time about 40 minutes kot. Pastu naik bas / taxi ke jetty Nami, pastu naik feri 5 minit ke Nami Island tu..Feri every 15 minutes camtu kot..dekat je jaraknya..sebab ada orang pakai "flying fox" je dari jetty ke Nami. Kat Nami kami lunch, solat, naik basikal, amik gambar, then balik. Basikal plak sewa yang naik 4 orang..menyesal gue..last2 kami tolak aje basikal tu. Lunch kat Nami ada a few halal restuarants. The one yang kami pergi is a really nice restaurant, right next to the library. Sedap pun sedap! saya makan Bibimbap Sotong (rasa cam sambal tumis). Pedas! Nyummeh! Per dish is about KRW10,000. Semua dish yang kami order hari tu sedap.

Octopus Bibimbap

Kami singgah gak Petit France. Alaa...cam Bukit Tinggi punya French Village tu..tapi lagi tak best. Haha..tak yah la pegi, membazir je. Dah le dalam 20 minit gak naik bas nak ke situ. Siap jalan pusing2..sampai2 wa muntah...haha!

Day 4:
Lotte World

Indoor theme park..ala2 kat Genting. Located in Jamsil station, subway ride dalam 30 mins, sampai. Tak suka sangat la Lotte World ni sebab sume penakut nak naik rides yang mencabar. Rugi! Paknya yang membayar tension je...hihi..Selain theme park, sini ada gak Lotte Mart (supermarket food -kat sini la nak beli Kimchi murah & pelbagai, banana milk, seaweed) , Lotte Fitin (fashion department store) & lain2. Seharian kat sini...balik kul 9 pm, masak kat apartment & pack our luggage for
tomorrow.

Lotte World Theme Park

Day 5-6:
Alpensia Resort, Pyongchang

I think this is the highlight of our trip. Alpensia is a ski resort in Pyongchang, about 3 hours by bus (no traffic). Kalau traffic jam, 4.5 hours gak. We took the Purple Ski Bus..dedicated to send skiers from Seoul to Alpensia & YongPyong ski resorts in Pyongchang. Too bad it didn't snow while we were there, but the ski slopes are open for the season...nasib baik! Alpensia ni will be hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics. Hotels kat sini cantik - Holiday Inn resort (hotel rooms), Holiday Inn Suites (apartment style) and Intercontinental (hotel rooms), all located within the same compound. Pilih je mana2, semua close to ski slopes. We opted for Intercontinental..with room overlooking the ski slopes..cantik! We can see that Alpensia dilengkapi dengan facilities yang sesuai untuk world class events. We arrived at about 12 noon. We got our room early, alhamdulillah. Lepas pekena Maggi, we headed to the sled area. For KRW20,000 we had unlimited sled rides..naik turun tak berhenti for like 2 hours kot. BEST sangat! Lagipun sebab ada "escalator" tak payah mendaki bukit. Malam makan nasi beriani ayam Brahim bawak dari Malaysia. Rendam air panas je. Boleh tahan sedap..makan ngan Kimchi & telur rebus. Family kami kalo travel ke negara yang susah makan memang bawak dapur, Insya Allah tak kebulur..tanpa was2 gitu. Kat sini kalau nak tawakkal je makan, ada lah Dominos Pizza & Lotteria (Shrimp Burger). Esoknya the kids & their dad enrol private ski lesson. After 4 hours of lesson, they already able to ski at the beginner's slope..hebat jugak la tengok, cam tak caya je kanak2 tu naik chairlift bertiga (non-skiers not allowed to go on the chairlift, sebab memang kena ski yourself down the slope). Puas la sebab ski sampai kul 10 malam. Oh, paknya tak ikut sebab FAIL ski lesson walopun dengan cikgu cantik. Esoknya nak balik dah...on the day we left for Seoul, it rained.. but water, not snow (sob! sob!). Punah harapan nak tengok snow turun,..so much of Winter Sonata, eh..

Alpensia Ski Resort slopes for night skiing

Inside Intercontinental Deluxe Room facing the ski slopes

Day 7:
Namdaemun Market & Dongdaemun

Sini lah sorga membeli belah..One should not miss this place. Ada satu complex kaler ijau tu tempat borong brooch & accessories pompuan. Kat luar2 tu cam pasar malam..jual clothes, socks, bags...unfortunately, its winter so memang sume dok jual winter wear..tapi memang nak puji la design korea ni..lawa2..very elegant looking trench coats, pants etc they have there. Kalau time summer mau kopak la sopping kat sini sebab MACAM2 ADA! Kitorang beli gak korean red ginseng tea kat sini..mmg femes ginseng ni. Btw, ingin diingatkan bahawa kompleks yang jual borong (cam tempat brooch tadi) closes at 1pm on Saturday, and because of that, we did not get to borong the brooches :( :( :( sayang sangat..brooch Korea memang terkenal dengan kualiti. Iskk..awatlaaa takde orang habaq kat kami! Tak jauh dari Shinsegae Department Store (dedekat Exit 5 subway Hoehyeon station) ni ada kebab halal lagi sedap. Simple, nice & only KRW4,000.

Inside Namdaemun market, kompleks ijau, tempat borong brooch. Sesak napas!

Kebab halal near Namdaemun market. Sedap, sedap!

Kul 2pm kitorang blah ke Dongdaemun plak. Shopping complex hopping. Doota, Goodmorning, Lotte Fitin' - konon nak cari backpack untuk sekolah, tapi tak beli apa pun sebab kanak2 ni tak berkenan. Kat korea trend beg square now & to the kids, it looked weird. Depa tak berani nak jadi trendsetter. Aku rasa lawa je. Shoping complexes kat Dongdaemun ni mostly tutup pukul 5am. Buka kul 10 am. Haaa....mau tak muntah! Balik kami singgah Seoul Station sopping Kimchi & sekutu2nya. Esok nak balik KL dah..

Backpack Korea..lawa je aku tengok..

VERDICT / TIPS :

1. Personally, aku tak berapa enjoy Seoul ni sebab its a modern city. Attractions dia biasa2 je la. Kalo nak compare, Melbourne lagi banyak attractions kot. Even Alpensia pun not as picturesque as Mt. Buller. Pastu banyak sangat shopping complex, tak tau nak focus kat mana. Last2 penat je kaki dok shop hopping.

2. Mahal belanja kat Seoul ni. Accommodation around Myeongdong / Dongdaemun / Seoul Station averaged about RM400-500. Nak murah sket boleh cuba guest house. Food pun on average is about KRW8,000-10,000 per person. That's about RM30-RM40. Portion kecik. Strawberry Korea famous for its sweetness satu tub KRW10,000. Tapi kalo convert, tak murah. Tapi kalo untuk sopping clothes ke apa..maybe tak mahal sangat kot..ikut gak la kualiti & beli kat mana..Brooch yang cantik2 average around KR5,000. Yang murah lagi ada, tapi tak lawa sangat la.

3. Culture is usually embedded in local food. Unfortunately, halal food is not everywhere. Kena travel agak jauh untuk ke Itaewon. Pastu kali ni tak sempat rasa Tteokpokki kat Sindang & Ikan Bakar kat Gorami Restaurant, Sinchon. Agak kecewa gak la.

Ikan bakar & sotong cili kat Restoran Gosami, Sinchon
(credit pix:http://airanggi.blogspot.my/)

Tteokbokki - rice cakes in sos manis pedas.

4. Jangan takut untuk travel sendiri kat Korea ni. Although tak ramai speaks English, but subway & train station dorang ada tulisan rumi / English. Pastu pakai la translator app / google translator kalau perlu. Ok je..cakap ayam itik pun boleh paham. Asalkan ada handphone & wifi, ok je. I installed their subway map kat iPhone. Takkan sesat punya. Plus, portable wifi dorang laju!

Ni la portable wifi nya..boleh masuk nadbag, share pakai ramai2. Kalau nak sewa sendiri boleh cari kat airport.

5. Tapi kalo nak gak pakai tour guide, cari la kat internet / fb..ramai students sana buat freelance. Untuk free & easy nye itinerary, fee tour guide malaysian ni starts from KRW100,000 per day.

6. This trip kami tak drive. Tapi ada kawan drive, dapat sewa keta kat Lotte Car Rental for KRW80,000 per day untuk keta kecik. left hand driving ye..

7. If we had more time, I would love to watch the Nanta Show - main music pakai piuk belanga & also pergi Korean Folk Village (outside Seoul). This time round we also gave Everland a miss. Tak sempat.