Travel Log - South Korea Day 1

Day 1: SG ↦ Myeongdong, Seoul

7 June 2018, Thursday

어서 오세요 "eoseo oseyo" [translation: welcome] to a brand new travel log series:

South Korea!

Incheon Airport (Arrival Hall)

With the kiddos scooting off to Japan with the sister, it was an opportunity to bring the parents travelling. For the past decade (?) or so now, we had been immersed in the Korean Wave of music & dramas here in Singapore, hence, we thought it might be a good idea to visit the Land of Kimchi and experience what it is really like in their physical land. 

I spent a couple of weeks planning and worrying about everything that could possibly go wrong (since it was our 1st ever trip to Korea, we were with the parents, and there was a language barrier), but thankfully, it went quite smoothly. 

Taking the morning flight at 08:00 SGT (SQ600) out to Incheon, we arrived in Kimchi Land at approx. 15:35 KST. Flight tickets for the flight cost SGD 848.50 due to the timing that we picked (there were cheaper options in the ~SGD650 range, but we decided against the midnight flight as we thought it would be better for the parents so they don't mess with their body clocks right from the start).

T-money card (a.k.a EzLink)

Upon arrival, we went ahead to grab their T-money card (the card itself cost 4000₩ each, and we topped up another 10,000₩ per card for a start), which is essentially an Ezlink, that could be used over the entire South Korea, according to the counter staff at the Korea Plaza in Singapore.

(Quick note: yes, there is a Korea Plaza (map link) in Singapore where you could get brochures/maps prior to the trip. You could even have a hanbok experience for free at the Korea Plaza and there are other activities lined up monthly as well. For more information, you could visit their official website @ link) 

Google maps are relatively useless in Korea (as they are all in Korean 😐)... so, having an old school map on hand is really handy. Of course, translated maps are available at the airport (I think) and at most hotels as well. There are also mobile apps that you could download prior to the trip that offers translated maps/GPS kinda services. 

Shuttle bus tickets from Incheon Airport to Westin Chosun Hotel (in Myeongdong, Seoul)

Our first hotel for the trip, Crown Park Hotel, Seoul (recommended by my sister's colleague) is conveniently located next to Westin Chosun Hotel in the heart of Myeongdong. With parents in mind, we decided to take an airport shuttle service (64,000₩ for 4) so we don't have to lug our luggage around the subways and it was slightly cheaper than taking a taxi (90,000₩ for a medium taxi for 4-6 people) to downtown Seoul.

Bus 6701 route

Issued Luggage Tag

Its a fuss-free way to get to Seoul from the airport (esp. with the parents). The ride takes approx. about 1 hour 20 min~ depending on traffic conditions.

Crown Park Hotel, Seoul
Map (Nearest Metro: Euljiro-1, Exit 8)

Hotel Amenities & Look

Our view from the hotel room 

My travel buddies

After a quick rest at the hotel, we headed out to Myeongdong for dinner - STREET FOOD (entirely unplanned, but it was pretty good)!

Myeongdong, is also, hands down... a paradise for beauty products.
(I shall do a separate post on the products I picked up during my time in Korea 😆)

Street food in Myeongdong

Brand after brand of beauty products

It was quite yummy... (& pretty cheap)

Next post: Travel Log - South Korea Day 2 (Nami Island & Petite France with Klook)