TRIP TO KOREA: 8D7N WITH BUDGET LESS THAN RM3,000.00

Assalamualaikum & Salam Sejahtera u'olsss. 

Phewww. It's been awhile guys. It's been awhile. Lama sangat dah aku tak mengarang ni. Zaman memuda dulu rajin jugak la menghadap mieraaziz@blogspot.com tu. Dah delete lama dah blog usang tu. Tragis sangat. Ahaks. 

Straight to the point. Aku baru je pulang dari Korea. Baru beberapa jam yang lepas. Sementara those memories masih segar dalam ingatan, ingin aku tumpahkan segera di sini sebab next week aku dah kena fly ke Labuan dan Kota Kinabalu for business trip! T_T 

Aku punya post ni solely untuk mereka yang merancang untuk bercuti ke Korea buat PERTAMA KALI dengan member-member yang tak pernah menjejakkan kaki ke Korea (macam aku and the gang). Untuk pengetahuan korang, aku punya trip ni 100% diusahakan oleh aku and the gang in term of itinerary, tempat mana nak makan, tempat mana nak shopping, flight ticket, guesthouse, with total budget of RM3,000.00 (flight ticket, accommodation, entrance fees, transportation, foods, shopping) untuk 8 hari 7 malam. No tourist guide. 

Planning

1. Set the date.

- Pilih nak pergi musim apa. Kami pergi musim autumn. Cuaca cool-cool je, just nice. Autumn biasanya dalam bulan Oktober - November. 

2. Survey ticket.

- Bila dah ada date, boleh survey ticket either Air Asia, Malaysia Airlines or Korean Air. Kena selalu survey sebab kalau luck kau baik, kau boleh dapat ticket murah! Kitorang punya tiket RM1,500/pax which is quite expensive sebab ada member aku beli tiket RM800++ untuk return flight. Kalau sempat boleh beli direct dari Matta Fair tapi tak sure macam mana package yang mereka offer.

3. Pilih guesthouse.

- Korang boleh search guesthouse mana nak tinggal di Korea nanti. Paling penting cari guesthouse yang dekat dengan Subway station. I would recommend mine. Aku stay kat Namsan Guesthouse 2. 5 minit berjalan kaki ke Myeongdong Station. Very convenient. Dekat dengan Myeongdong Street Market, dekat dengan stesen bas, 7 Eleven, guesthouse ada dapur (boleh masak), ada washing machine. Mudah. Memudahkan urusan kau. Staff sangat cool dan friendly.

Tips: Kitorang bawak periuk nasi dan makanan dalam tin sebab believe me, bila kau kat sana, memang susah nak dapat makanan mcm kat Malaysia. Kalau kau jenis kena makan nasi macam aku, better plan dengan group korang pakat2 bawak makanan (later aku share okay).

If you wish to stay at Namsan Guesthouse, boleh follow steps dibawah:

1. E-mail to Namsan Guesthouse (e-mail ada di laman web). The details should contain check in and check out day, date & time of arrival, number of person, type of room. They will reply your e-mail within that day. Kalau boleh, e-mail kat dorang 6 bulan sebelum kau ke Korea sebab guesthouse dorang usually full.

2. Dorang akan reply e-mail kau and kau kena buat booking confirmation 1 month before kau fly. So, please be alert sebab kalau kau lupa buat reconfirmation, dorang boleh buat any cancellation without any notice. Full payment boleh buat upon check in.

3. Done reconfirmation, if you wish to use their airport pickup service, email to them 1 week before your departure date. Kau boleh naik Airport Railroad from Incheon Airport tapi akan jadi sangat leceh sebab kau kena jalan kaki nak ke stesen, tukar stesen, bawak beg berat, naik turun tangga, and you really have no idea how the place you are going to stay look alike. Kami guna airport pickup service, pakcik tu akan hantar sampai depan guesthouse. Kalau kau sampai awal sebelum check in time which is at 2pm, kau boleh letak beg kau kat guesthouse and take a walk at Myeongdong Street :)

Laman Web: http://www.namsanguesthouse.com/

4. Create itinerary

- Paling penting, kau memang kena buat itinerary kalau kau nak trip kau teratur dan kau tak mati kutu kat sana. Kitorang buat itinerary termasuklah kena study route subway, places to visit, where to eat. It's okay. Since aku tengah rancak menulis, aku akan provide korang aku punya itinerary yang super cool!

What to wear during autumn.

1. Light jacket should be good enough during autumn. Cardigan tak memadai sebab quite nipis. Light jacket I mean bukan jenis yang tebal untuk winter tu. Sebab time autumn kat Korea certain area tu panas sikit, tak perlu pakai jacket pun. Tapi ada certain area and days, akan jadi sejuk sangat. Kalau kau memang tak biasa dengan cuaca sejuk boleh bawak jacket tebal sikit. Macam jacket yang kami pakai dibawah.

2. Pakai kasut paling selesa dan jangan lupa bawa selipar! Semasa di Korea, kau akan berjalan, naik turun tangga for almost 12 hours setiap hari. I'm not kidding. Memang kau akan banyak berjalan. So, jangan fikir nak melawa je. Bawak kasut paling selesa kau ada dan selipar untuk solat.

What you should have/bring during your stay at Korea (IMPORTANT!)

1. Korea Travel Guide book
- Cari Korea travel guide book yang ada subway route. Ini paling penting for your references during your visit to Korea.

2. Travel adapter.
- Kami semua beli universal travel adapter tapi 1 pun tak leh pakai :( Nasib baik staff guesthouse to bagi kami pinjam their adapter. Kalau kau tak jumpa travel adapter macam ni, boleh cari kat Myeongdong Street, so jangan risau :)

3. Extension
- Bawak extension sebab kau memang akan memerlukan extension.

4. Iron
- Guesthouse ada provide iron tapi aku tak suka guna iron dia. So, kau boleh bawak iron sendiri.

5. T-Money
- T-Money ni macam kad Touch N Go di Malaysia. Boleh beli kat 7 Eleven di Myeongdong atau kat airport. Kau akan guna T-Money ni time nak guna subway & naik bas. Top up T-Money KRW30,000 pun dah cukup.

6. Periuk nasi/makanan dalam tin/beras/maggie/roti
- Sila bawa periuk nasi kalau kau tanak kelaparan kat sana. Beli makanan dalam tin dan bawa beras sekali.

7. Towel
- Guesthouse provide towel but too small (cant even wrap your whole body). Lol. So, sila bawa tuala sendiri.

8. Belajar bahasa Korea.
- Penting untuk kau belajar bahasa Korea yang basic punya contohnya tanya harga, tanya arah, sebab orang Korea memang tak faham sangat English. We were lucky sebab one of our friend can communicate with local people. Hehe. Orang Korea ni kau cakap English, dia akan reply dalam Bahasa Korea. Sudahnya dia pun tak faham apa kau nak, kau pun tak faham apa dia explain =.='

9. Install this apps to help you further during your trip.

XE Currency

Korean Lite

THE ITINERARY/PLACE TO VISIT/PLACE TO EAT:

DAY 1: 
Upon arrival, kau tak payah kalut-kalut nak jalan jauh-jauh sebab 6 hours journey is quite tiring, so you really need rest and enough sleep before you start your trip the next day.

1. Myeongdong Street
- 5 minutes walk from Namsan Guesthouse. Semua makanan kat bawah ni kau pusing-pusing Myeongdong street tu in shaa Allah akan jumpa :)

Local Food:

1. Nuttela Crepe - Myeongdong Street Market

2. Whole Fried Potato - Myeongdong Street Market (make sure bukan yang digoreng dengan any sausage or meat)

3. Fried Shrimp - Myeongdong Street Market

4. Deli Manjoo - Dalam Myeongdong Subway Station

5. Smash Cookies - Dalam Myeongdong Subway Station

6. Ice Cream - Near to 7 Eleven

7. Kimbap - Myeongdong Street Market

2. Dongdaemun

- Kat Dongdaemun ada kedai ikan bakar. Quite good jugak foods dia. A must try.

Route to Dongdaemun:

- From Myeongdong (Line 4), take subway to Dongdaemun (Line 4). At Dongdaemun Station, Exit 8. Walk straight until you reach Cheongycheon Stream at first bridge, belok ke kanan dan jalan terus sampai jumpa 2nd bridge, ambil kanan lagi dan kemudian cross the road masuk ada satu lorong kecil sebelah kiri. Ada deret kedai kat situ yang jual ikan bakar. Kitorang makan kat kedai yang pertama tu.


DAY 2:

1. Hongdae
- Hongdae ada free market, Coffee Prince and Hello Kitty Cafe. I would suggest you to go to Hello City Cafe and try their waffle. Terbaik! Kalau kau minat Coffee Prince, you can go to the place (which is quite far, about 30 minutes walk from Hongik University Station) but it's totally not worth it sebab kalau kau datang berempat dan nak lepak dalam situ, kau tak boleh mintak coffee for 2. Kau kena beli for 4 jugak and the coffee quite expensive. You cant take picture either kalau kau setakat nak datang bergambar.

Hello Kitty Cafe

Coffee Prince

Route to Hongdae:

From Myeongdong (Line 4), transit at Seoul Station (Line 4).
At Seoul Station, transfer to Airport Railroad (Airport Express) to Hongik University.

2. Gyeongbokgung Palace
-This is a very huge place to discover. Please bring some mineral water.

Route to Gyeongbokgung Palace:

From Hongik University, transit at Seoul Station (Line 4), then transfer to Chungmuro (Line 3). From Chungmuro (Line 3), take subway to Gyeongbokgung (Line 3). Gyeongbokgung Palace is at Exit 5.

Gyeongbokgung Entrance Fee: KRW 3,000 (RM9.23) per pax.
Closed on Tuesday.

3. Itaewon
- Muslim community. Ada masjid Seoul at Itaewon, banyak makanan halal.

Route to Itaewon:

From Gyeongbokgung (Line 3), transfer at Yaksu Station (Line 6), take another subway to Itaewon (Line 6).

* Return to Myeongdong

From Itaewon (Line 6), take subway to Samgakji (Line 6), tranfer to Line 4 to Myeongdong (Line 4).


DAY 3:

1. Nami Island.
- It's a long journey to Nami Island. So you will have to spend the entire day at Nami Island.

Route to Nami Island:

From Myeongdong (Line 4), transfer at Dongdaemun History & Culture Park (Line 2). Take subway to Wangsimni at Line 2. Transfer at Wangsimni (Line 2) to Jungang Line. Transfer at Mangu Station (Jungang Line) and take another subway to Gapyeong (Gyeongchun Line).

Upon arrival at Gapyeong station, take taxi or shuttle bus to the ferry wharf.

Cost:

- Taxi to Ferry Wharf: KRW3,000 per taxi.
- Nami Island Entrance Fee/Visa: KRW 8,000
- Rent a bicycle: KRW 6,000/couple bicycle (1 hour)

Note:

Kat Nami Island ada 1 Asian restaurant for Muslim. Tempatnya berdekatan dengan tempat sewa basikal. cari building warna kuning macam gambar kat atas tu. Nothing is better than chills with your friends while having our foods at Nami Island. Next to it ada library. Dalam library tu ada musolla (surau) so you guys boleh solat kat situ.

DAY 4: 

1. Namsangol Hanok Village

Route to Namsangol Hanok Village:

- From Myeongdong (Line 4), take subway to Chungmuro Station (Line 4). At Chungmuro Station, exit 2 to Namsangol Hanok Village (please refer directory at the station). At the exit, there will be a sign to Namsan Hanok Village. No entrance fees.

2. Namsan Seoul Tower

- You can take bus to Namsan Seoul Tower and to Namsan Cable Car.

Route to Namsan Seoul Tower from Namsangol Hanok Village:

- From Namsangol Hanok Village, take bus no 02 or 05 to Namsan Tower. You can stop either at Namsan Seoul Tower or Namsan Cable Car.

* Note:
- Naik bas pun kena guna T-Money. Time naik kena tap T-Money and nak turun pun kena tap jugak T-Money. Please press STOP button before your arrival. Contohnya, the next stop is Namsan Seoul Tower. So time bas tu on the way ke Namsan Seoul Tower, push STOP button. Dont worry, they do announce the next stop in English :)

DAY 5:

1. Lotte World

- Most tourists will go to Everland or Lotte World. Kitorang pergi Lotte World sebab lagi dekat. Hehe. Lotte World ni macam Sunway Lagoon and Disneyland. Sangat comel tempatnya tapi orang sangat ramai :( Kadang-kadang kau habis masa dengan queue saja.

Route to Lotte World

- From Myeongdong (Line 4), take subway to Dongdaemun History & Culture Park (Line 4). From Dongdaemun History & Culture Park, change to Line 2 and drop off at Jamsil Station (Line 2). Lotte World is at Exit 3, Exit 4.

Entrance Fees to Lotte World: KRW 46,000 (RM140) per pax.

DAY 6:

1. Bukchon Hanok Village.
- Kat sini best jugak jalan-jalan boleh tengok traditional house dorang. Since kitorang banyak masa free kat sana, kitorang pergi jugak Bukchon Hanok Village ni. And guess what, kat sini korang boleh sewa hanbook, pakaian traditional golongan bangsawan Korea.

Cost untuk sewa hanbook ni dalam RM21 per pax.

Route to Bukchon Hanok Village:

- From Myeongdong (Line 4), drop off at Chungmuro Station (Line 3), change to Line 3 to Angguk Station.

DAY 7:

1. Insadong

- Syurga membeli belah. Bila kau dah settle semua, inilah masanya kau nak pergi shopping dan menghabiskan segala Korean Won yang masih berbaki. Insadong ni kira macam Jalan Tar di Malaysia laaa. Kat sini banyak jual baju (boleh bargain tau), keychain, nail clipper, fridge magnet, sudu dan chopsticks.

Route to Insadong:

- From Myeongdong (Line 4), transfer at Chungmuro (Line 3). Change to Line 3 to Angguk Station. Insadong is at Exit 6.

Local Food at Insadong

- Kat Insadong ada 1 local foods terbaik habak hang! Kedai di agak tersorok sikit. Cari Woo Lim Gallery, ada satu lorong sebelah Woo Lim Gallery tu. Jalan terus masuk lorong tu sampai kau jumpa signage kedai nama MBC.

Ni building Woo Lim Gallery. You should be able to find this building if you are at Insadong Street Market :) Kalau tak jumpa jugak, tanya local people. Arrow merah tu laa lorong ke MBC :) Picture credit to Lady Dreamer :)

2. Namdaemun Market

- Namdaemun Market pun salah satu syurga membeli belah di Seoul. Tapi harga dia lagi mahal dari barang di Insadong. Namdaemun ada jual banyak rantai, cincin, keychain, leather jacket dan macam-macam lagi.

Route to Namdaemun:

- From Angguk Station (Line 3), take subway to Chungmuro (Line 4). Drop off at Chungmuro (Line 4) and change to Line 4 to Hoehyeon Station (Line 4). Namdaemun Market is at Exit 5.


3. Myeongdong Street Market

- Last but not least, your final destination would be Myeongdong. Myeongdong ada jual bermacam barangan kosmetik. Time ni you should spend every single cent to buy their mask which are super cheap!

Note: Since Myeongdong would be your last destination of your trip, you can refund your T-Money should there's any balance. Boleh refund at 7 Eleven. If dalam T-Money kau ada balance -KRW10,000, dia akan refund KRW10,000 and return back your T-Money card.


In case of emergency for example lost passport macam kawan aku tu, this is the route to Embassy of Malaysia.

Report for lost passport:

- Do police report.
- Go to Embassy of Malaysia. Bring along the police report and other document.
They open until 11 am.
- Collect the temporary passport 3 days after you submit the document to Embassy.

Route to Embassy of Malaysia:

- From Myeongdong (Line 4), take subway to Samgakji (Line 6). Change to Line 6 to Hangangjin Station. Keluar to Exit 2 and take bus no 110 to Hannam Shibeom Apetate (4th station from Hangangjin station). Bas akan stop betul-betul depan Embassy of Malaysia.

Seoul Public Transportation:

1. Subway

2. Bus

TOTAL COST PER PAX: 

Return flight ticket with 20kg baggage: RM1,500.00 (kau boleh dapat lagi murah dari ni)
Accomodation: RM500.00 (7 malam) - depends on what type of room you book.
T-Money: RM92.00
Airport Pickup Services: RM50.00
Entrance Fees Gyeongbokgung Palace: RM9.23
Entrance Fees Nami Island: RM24.63
Bicycle Rental: RM18.47
Taxi to Ferry Wharf: RM2.30
Entrance Fee to Namsan Tower: RM24.63 (Kitorang tak masuk Namsan Tower. Lepak kat luar tu je).
Entrance Fee to Teddy Bear Museum: RM22.80 (Yang ni pun kitorang tak masuk)
Entrance Fee to Observatory: RM25.65 (Yang ni pun kitorang tak masuk)
Lotte World: RM140
Shopping: Estimated RM300.00

Total: RM2,700.00 (tak termasuk belanja makan)

That's all from me. Should you have any further inquiries, please do not hesitate to drop your comment below! :)

Thank you Kinan teman kita siapkan 1st post kita!