Day 2 - Yangpyeong Rail Track

Oh yeah! lets skip the hassle of first day. On the second day, we went to Yangpyeong. How did we know about Yangpyeong?
OK seriously, no kidding... before we planned our trip, roughly 4month before we go to Korea, the first thing that we did was to study the map of Korea. How many states? Districts? how to get there? places of attractions, where can we get Halal food and I dont do it alone. We divides our work. by WE, I mean my travel partners and I. We split our tasks and exchange infos. That's how our dream trip starts. hahah

Then, Once you arrive at the subway area in Korea, find tourist centre and takes as many brochures of different districts as you can. That way, you can plan and plan and plan your trips again. By this, what I am trying to say is, our itinerary was not fix. We planned, but it changes depending on the weather, distance and our strength. hahaha in another way, we are creating Plan A, B C and maybe D.

So Yangpyeong is a little bit far from Seoul. There are lots of attractions in Yangpyeong. Basically outdoors activities. If you are heading to Yangpyeong, you can notice in the train that many are wearing outdoor gears. they are either hiking, cycling or trekking. As for us the beautiful tourists... hehee we wanted to try the RAILBIKE. just like the one that Runningman did. But the exact place of the one RM went was too far. so we choose Yangpyeong.

This is the address:  277, Yongmun-ro, Yongmun-myeon.
Directions: Get down at Yongmun Station. Some advices you to get on the bus to go to the railbike. But as we walk and try to get the bus, we already reached the railbike park. hahah so, in another words, you can just walk. its not that far..

as we walk, we found beautiful murals along the way... ^^

Having a fling with King Sejong..hihihi I love the murals! terasa ala2 bigung..keh3

Nice scnery and pitstop.

From here, I guess there was around 800m left before we arrived? hahhha

We were finally here. The rail trek.

Finally, we were there. The rail trek runs for 6.4km. you have to cycle on your own. xde gerak2 sniri okey. and this thingy managed to get me sweaty..hahahha and dont forget cramps!! but i'm excited!! and it is exciting!!

The wind was cold enough. so I had to put a mafla around my mouth. hahah As you can see, you cant cut out other people from the lane. you either can continue to cycle slowly or if the person at the back cycle veryyyyy fast, then you have to continue cycle faster than they were. My advice, keep the momentum!

The one way trip was around 3.2 km. then we made a pitstop. they turn the bike and we strike a pose! hahaha 

there's also a coffee shop at the end of the rail track, so we just join them and ate our own lunch. can you see the korean at the back? Yes we are in korea..hahaha the Korean and the tent should be the tagmark. 

After that, the journey continues for another 3.2km haha this time we feel like T.T hahahha

These are some of the sceneries. couldnt upload everything right? hahah 

oh hell yess!! there's a tunnel and you have to cycle through it. hehehhehe

Doo Hanok Guesthouse review

  

Anyyeonghaseyo!!!

So, chinguya, for your information, this was our second place that we stayed. We only stayed here for one night. it is a bit pricey. but we stayed there for the sake of experiencing bits of Korean culture and their house. 

Back in the 2004, I use to stay at a hotel with floor heated system. Honestly guys, to compare staying at a hotel with floor heated system and hanok house is like saying staying in a tent during winter with a hot water bag and staying in a house with a fully functioning heater! the experience is totally different!!! How and what ?

jajjang!!

Okey, first of all, this Hanok house has an open air concept in the middle. It would be nice during summer. But since it was winter, the cold air was kinda extreme for someone who lives at the equator, i'm seriously not a winter person. plus the -'c, it makes me a quilt person. i just want to cuddle with my quilt on the heated floor. hahahha but guys, it was nice to experience it for one night. hihihihi

secondly, can you see the blue basket? Next to the blue basket is the toilet. ooo yes! the toilet and bathroom is outside. Guess what? despite the cold, I still took my midnight bath just to keep myself warm. Can you imagine how long I stayed in the bathroom? hahhahaha  *luckily Malaysia is a warm country*
P/s: can you see the water on the cement, it froze. yes.. *shiverrr*

Third, the room! yesss my comfy quilt!! warm on the floor, chilly on the surface and around the room.. obviously, that is the difference between floor heated system in the hotel and hanok house.

instead of laying on the comforter, i decided to lay directly on the floor because it was too cold. hahhahah but overall, it was nice to experience this. 

This is the entrance/exit door. they have bulletin boards, pictures and messages left there. sweet arent they? hihihi


P/S : the manager and all their staffs are very friendly and hansome too.. hahhaha this place is near Hanok Village. and just a few alleys after Heartstrings hanok house where PSH and yonghwa acted.

Mori Guesthouse Review

Sorry for the late updates..I was out of town and busy attending to my personal life..haha

So, for the first 9 nights in Seoul, We stayed at Mori Guesthouse.

If you asks me to rate this hostel, i'd be glad to rate it to 5 stars! Why?

Allright, lets get down to the details. 

1. This hostel is near a train station, taxi stand, and just a few minutes from Sinchon (the place where we ate Grilled Mackerel). It is located near the Gwangheunchang Train Station. Just a few minutes walk. 

P/s: When I said few minutes walk, it refers to Malaysian walking pace. LOL. If  Korean said, the place is only 30minutes walk, be ready to multiple it by 2 or 3.hahaha They are accustomed to walking, therefore, they walked pretty fast. Compared to us, it will take some time to reach our destination. 

2. Those who stayed here were 99% girl/women/lady. only 1% men exists here. Why? We didnt expect that this place will be full with girls. We did asked the owner, and he said that it just happen to be so. There are lots of students staying here and they were mainly women. Somehow, Mori's area is near to a fashion street or so, therefore, lots of arts & design students renting at Mori's. (that was what i've been told). So, for a Solo traveller and you are afraid of your safety, this is the place. they are veryy nice people.

3. The train route can be divert to upper part of Seoul and the downpart towards Seunyodu Park (tempat RM main kapal kertas tuuuu)

4. Sinchon, a place where you can eat Grilled mackerel is just around the corner. We took taxi twice from sinchon to the hostel and it costs us aroun 3,800won. Then only we knew that the eating place was near..hahaha

5. There's a makeup room (nampak tak betapa ramainya ladies sampai ada makeup room?) . they provide facial cotton, hairdryer and a biggg, wideeee mirror for ladies ^^ hahahaha

6. Next, for muslim, maybe you will feel delighted over this news. You can take off your shoes. Put yours on the shoe rack and wear the slipper provided. in the basket.

7.  They also provides a room to place your luggage. If you lived in a dormitory, there wont be enough space, though you can put your bags inside. But, it will surely block the path. Unless you are pretty self-centred, you can just put it on the floor inside the room. If you are not comfy to do so, there's a place for your bag. Safety guaranteed as long as you lock your own bag. hahahha

8. This is the dormitory room. 4 double-decker bed. that makes it for 8 people. They have curtains put up for privacy. a personal bed lamp and a plug for you to charge your tech. They provides bedsheet, pillow, quilt and the room itself was pretty warm. Based from experience, they really are keen at keeping silence after 9pm. Sometimes, if your roomate is kinda selfish, they will just switch off the main lights though you are still doing something. Well, it was something to experience right? How to be thoughtful and ignore the selfishness of people. hahha learn a few things myself as backpackers. Beggars cant be choosy. you just nag in your native language so that they dont understand. hahhahaha 

9. Finally! the kitchen and lounge room. The students studied in the lounge room and watch tv's here. They also eat here. This is the only place where there will be no issues raised. Fooddddd.. No one wants to fight over food kan.. 

You can cook here. Breakfast were provided by the hostel. They provides fresh orange, bread, eggs, butter and jam, coffee and sugar. Basic necessities, FULFILLED. hihihi we brought our own sabun samak and we just samak all the utensils, we cook and eat. ^^ 

10. That is the owner, James. He is very helpful and you can just asks him anything. He will surely be glad to help. And the board behind is Memory in Mori. James snap every pictures of his customers and put it up there. This is indeed a very warmth place to stay. 

I asked James what does Mori means? He said, his sister studied in Japan. Mori means forest in Japanese. so, I was playing words with him, I thought Mori is part of the word memory. Mori of Memory. Forest of memory. Seems like he would make a collection of memories and appreciate it all. Isnt it nice? 

 Seriously, of all the 3 places i've stayed during my visit in Korea, I am gonna miss Mori the most. ^^ Thz James for the nice and warm welcome given to us.

4 Days Itinerary for Busan

Annyeonghaseyo! ^^

This is the second part of our trip.  on Day 10, we started heading to Busan.

Day 10 - 7th Dec (Sunday)

Morning - Check-out Doo Hanok Village
               - Go to Seoul Station by Taxi and take a KTX back to Busan
Afternoon - Arrive at Busan and head to Popcorn Hostel around 2pm
                 - Check in Popcorn Hostel. Had some light meal.
Evening  - Stroll around BIFF square, Busan Tower, Yongdusan Park
               - Dinner at Jagalchi Market

Seafood stew

Day 11 - 8th Dec (Monday)

Morning  - Gamcheon Cultural Village

Afternoon - Taejongdae

Evening   - Gwanggan Bridge

Long story cut short, for Taejongdae, i've walked 19,390 steps! it's winter and i'm sweating!!!

Day 12 - 9th Dec (Tuesday)

Morning   - Yonggungsa Temple

                 - Haeundae Beach

                 - Shinsegae World's Largest Department Store

Afternoon - Oryukdo Island (glass bridge)

Evening    - Gwanggali bridge (Diamond Bridge)

Day 13 - 10th Dec (Wednesday)
Morning   - Geunjeongsangseong Fortress
Evening    - Busan Tower
                 - Souvenier shopping at Gukje Market

Day 14 - 11th Dec (Thursday)
Morning - just relax at the hostel, had breakfast and pack our bag. Head to airport around 12pm

* our flight was at 5pm KST, so we decided not to go out n rush anywhere plus there's no more place to visit in Busan.hahaha habis tawaf. so, we just spent our time at the airport. 

10 Days Itinerary for Seoul

Annyeonghaseyo ^^

Remember previously I said that our trip was for 14 days? gonna break it into two parts. The first part will be about Seoul and the second part will be the IT for Busan.

Day 1 - 28th Nov (Friday)
We reached Busan at 8am, Friday 28th. From Gimhae Int Airport, we took the train to Busan Station and bought the KTX tix there. Don't worry about where to buy the tix and etc. Their tourist info centre are able to speak in Eng and even if you did not find the tourist guide, their citizen kinda helpful as well.. i wont say that language can be a big barrier. we survive our 14 days trip hahah
So basically,

8am   - arrived at Gimhae Int Airport
12pm - KTX Busan-Seoul
3pm   - arrived at Mori Guesthouse. Check-in then settle down a bit and eat.
5pm   - went out strolling at Dongdaemun Cultural Plaza. Since it's winter. The day was shortened.  
            but nothing can stop us hahaha

Day 2 - 29th Nov (Saturday)
7.30 am - starts our journey by train to YANGPYEONG, Gyeonggi-do region
8.30 am - reach Yongmun St. and then, we just walk and enjoy the scenery until we reached
                Yangpyeong railbike trail.
12.00 pm - headed to Dumulmeori Lake. Take a taxi.
7.00 pm - we enjoy the nightlife in Myeondong.

Day 3 - 30th Nov (Sunday)
 Morning    - Seunyudo Park (tempat RM main bot kertas tu)
 Afternoon  - 63 Building and enjoy the panaromic view from the top.
Evening      - KBS ( our initial plan was to visit the museum but because it was winter, the place
                     closed early :( )
                   - Gangnam (visited JYP ent., SM Ent., FNC ent., and Cube Ent.)
[toldya this is a kpop trip]

Day 4 - 1st Dec (Monday)
Morning    - Nami Island
Afternoon -  Petite France
Evening    - Garden of Morning Calm

bebajet 'My love from the stars' 

Day 5 - 2nd Dec (Tuesday)
Morning - Gwanghamun sq.
               - Cheongwadae (Blue House - tak blue pun ><)
               - Samcheongdong-gil
               - Bukchon Hanok Village ( Personal Taste and Heartstring filming site )
Evening - Cheondogyo Central
              - Ssamziegil Mall (open concept mall and ada mcm patung2 animal ats bangunan)

Day 6 - 3rd Dec (Wednesday)
Morning    - Korean Folk Village
Afternoon - Suwon Hwaseong Fortress
Evening    - Myeondong (again)
                 - Dinner Murree restaurant

Day 7 - 4th Dec (Thursday)
Morning - Gyeongbukgung
               - National Folk Museum
Afternoon -  Ihwa Murals Village
Evening    - Nakhsan Park
                 - Sinchon, Dinner at GOSAME (grilled mackerel die 'daebak!!')

Day 8 - 5th Dec (Friday)
Morning - Namsagol Hanok Village
               - Time Capsule
               - Namsan Park Road
               - N Tower
Afternoon - Deoksugung Palace
Evening - dinner at Sinchon, GOSAME againnn!!

Day 9 - 6th Dec (Saturday)
Morning - Check-out Mori Guesthouse and headed to Doo Hanok Village
               - Check-in Doo Hanok Village
               - Visit Changdeukgung and Huwon (secret garden in the palace)
Afternoon - Aaiins World

Budgets to Korea

Annyeonghaseyo~~ ^^

It's the D-day.. ahah! after 11 years, we met again Korea!!!

Just an overview. I went to Korea with 2 friends that makes the trip for 3 including myself.
It was a 14 days trip to Busan and Seoul and this trip is not a shopping trip. it is more towards sightseeing and k-pop tours. hahhaha

Many asks about the itinerary (IT) of my trips and how much did I spent right? n so for the first post, i'm going to share our expenses for 14 days trip to Seoul n Busan.

Mind you, we purposely took a to n fro flight from KUL- PUS because at the time when we wanted to book our tix, a flight from INC-KUL costs around RM1200 one way. Therefore, in order to try to cut our costs, we choose to buy a to n fro tix from KUL-PUS.  and it does help us despite having the chances to try KORAIL bullet train.. haha it goes at 300km/h and it took around 2hours++ from Busan to Seoul

Budgets for 14 days

Transportation

Flight tix to and fro KUL-PUS = RM1,100
(inc. bag weight n food)

 KTX to n fro                            = 51,600won + 52,400won
                                                  = 104,000 won (RM 312)
(pergi balik different price because we bought it on the spot and did not buy it online)

T-money                                   = 5,000 won (harga t-money) + 100,000won
                                                  = 105,000won (RM315)
(T-money ni mcm kad touch n go, boleh guna for taxi, train, n bus. T-money kami mahal sikit because we bought it through machine.dia bg dlm bentuk keychain hp. the cheap one you have to buy at the convenience store.we were rushing that day, so we just bought this one and buat pnyedap hati as souvenier je jdnya nnti :P )

Food
We allocated 10,000won per day x 14 days = 140,000won (RM420)

Accomodation
Mori Guesthouse, Seoul         9D8N  = 129,000 won (per person)
Hanok Village, Seoul                  1N  = 33,333won    (per person)
Popcorn Guesthouse Busan    5D4N  = 44,800won    (per person)
Total                                                   = 207,133won  (RM659)

Overall = RM1100 + RM312 + RM 315 + RM 420 + RM 659
              = RM 2806

Starting again

G'day mate!

Wow! I left this blog for almost a year.
My last entry dated back to December 24th and today is already 22nd Dec..
2014 is coming to the end.. This year is really a challenging year to my family and all Malaysian..
still praying for justice towards MH17 and MH370.
it may take years for truth to be revealed. but be it may be, though generations after generations might passed, we will surely pray for the truth and justice to be revealed. be it now or later.

My energy was draining pretty bad this year. coping with all the stuff that was and still going on. 
The first year I officially started working, and the first time ever involved with such a national crisis. 
At times, I thought, 'is this a joke or something?' haha Couldn't express how low my energy went off. However, not gonna rant about what's going on with my life. This blog is aimed at sharing my pictures and travelling experiences. hihihi

Luckily, everyone was responding well when I said I need to recuperate from the overloaded stress by going out for a backpack. and so now, my story will begins. as for the stories in Aussie, it will continue later.. Just because, the memories of my newest trip is still fresh and I feel the needs to share with everyone of my experience ^^