Korea (Thread 7)

[katniss]

Yes I would like to agree with you @theflygirl! There's no required amount in your bank account. I think depende rin talaga kung sang consul ka matatapat para maapprove ang visa mo. But more importantly, dapat lang talagang ma-prove na malakas ang economic ties mo sa bansa natin thus COE and ITR are really the most important requirement.

Hi sis!

Thanks for the info
Pero yung bullet train nila, mga how much?

Thanks!! 

you can try mock booking here: http://www.korail.com/en/

ticket prices range from ~1900-2800 depende sa class.

when are you going to take the bullet train sis? please inform me if before April. kasi itatry din lang namin to sa April from Seoul to Busan.

[honeypurple24]

Thank you sis @theflygirl i will try to apply around November and hopefully I get approved. Thanks

[wanie]

been back reading here, and just made an account.

plan kasi namin nung friend ko mag SK this April. feasible po ba ang Nami Island morning then Full House in the afternoon? or kelangan talaga magkaibang araw sila?

Hi sis,its better if magkaiba araw,pareho kaseng malayo yun and mahirap ang bus sa fullhouse...like kami inabot ng syam syam sa paghihintay ng bus pauwi baka gabihin na kayo papunta nami island....

[nicolelaloo]

Yes I would like to agree with you @theflygirl! There's no required amount in your bank account. I think depende rin talaga kung sang consul ka matatapat para maapprove ang visa mo. But more importantly, dapat lang talagang ma-prove na malakas ang economic ties mo sa bansa natin thus COE and ITR are really the most important requirement.

you can try mock booking here: http://www.korail.com/en/

ticket prices range from ~1900-2800 depende sa class.

when are you going to take the bullet train sis? please inform me if before April. kasi itatry din lang namin to sa April from Seoul to Busan.

Sis, sa april din kase kami aalis ng family ko.. Magtatry ako mag mock booking din

[marson]

hi mga sis. tanong ko lang. do i need to go personally sa embassy to submit my documents or pwedeng ipasabay ko na lang sa friend ko? first timer here. tia!

[lakwatsa]

^pwedeng ipasabay mo lang sis

[travelling_daisy]

Hi sisses!

Ask kolang po RE visa application -- yung letter of support po ba need na notarized or di na?

Thank you. 

[lakwatsa]

^mas ok kung notarized pero may nabasa ako dati na hiningan sya tapos dun lang sya gumawa din mismo. tinanggap din naman.

[lstaralmira]

Hi sis,its better if magkaiba araw,pareho kaseng malayo yun and mahirap ang bus sa fullhouse...like kami inabot ng syam syam sa paghihintay ng bus pauwi baka gabihin na kayo papunta nami island....

Thanks Sis. Most likely isama na lang namin sa Full House ang Lotte World. and hopefully may makita na aming Cherry blossoms. 1st week kasi ng April ang trip namin, and sana ma-approve ang visa application namin. Please pray for us sisters!

[greize]

joining! we'll be spending our holy week at Korea. kasama namin ni hubby yung 1yr old daughter namin. marami bang kid-friendly places dun like sa singapore? hehe.. one of my concerns lang din kasi we'll br bringing strollers. wala pa kaming itinerary kaya major backread muna. hope you can also help us out

[travelling_daisy]

^mas ok kung notarized pero may nabasa ako dati na hiningan sya tapos dun lang sya gumawa din mismo. tinanggap din naman.

Thank you sis. We'll have it notarized na lang siguro.

[bagaholic_chewy]

Just found this thread, and medyo kinabahan naman ako sa visa application... We're going in May, April namin plan mag-apply ng visa.. Sana ma-approve..

Wala pa kami itinerary, wala pa din hotel booking.. magba-backread muna ako sa thread, hehe..

Sang area ba ok mag-stay? Husband and i usually just walk around or take public transpo pag nasa abroad.. So hopefully makahanap ng ok na area na safe maglakad-lakad kahit gabi..

[travelling_daisy]

Hi mga sis. I hope you can help me create an itinerary. I have listed the places we want to cover during our 5D/4N visit. I hope you can help me group the places we can visit per day. Di ko kase kabisado kung alin ang magkakalapit or dapat magkasama at kungilang oras ang dapat i-allot for that particular place. Ito po ang mga lugar na gusto namin puntahan (we are 7 in the group, 2 are seniors and 2 kids).

Everland
Charlie Brown Café / Coffee Prince / Paris Baguette
Hello Kitty Café (Hongdae)
Petit France
Nami Island
N. Seoul Tower
Namsan Park - Cable car, Observatory, Aquarium and Teddy Bear Museum, Love Lock Trees
Lotte World
Gyeongbukgung Palace
Gwanghwamun Square
Cheonggyecheon Stream
Ehwa University
Namsangol Hanok Village or Bukchon hanok Village
Myeongdong Cathedral
Myeongdong for some shopping


Thank you in advance for the help, sisses. 

[lakwatsa]

^sis eto suggestion ko.

Everland - allot 1 day

allot 1 day din for the ff:
Petit France
Nami Island

Lotte World - allot 1 day din siguro para sulit at kung keri pa. kung hindi naman e pwede nyo na rin siguro i-skip since mage Everland din naman kayo.

eto pwede pagsama samahin:
Gyeongbukgung Palace
Gwanghwamun Square
Cheonggyecheon Stream
Namsangol Hanok Village or Bukchon hanok Village

then sa gabi, pwede isingit pagpunta dito:
N. Seoul Tower
Namsan Park - Cable car, Observatory, Aquarium and Teddy Bear Museum, Love Lock Trees

or kung pagod na sa temple tours, isama na lang dito yun dalawang yun:
Myeongdong Cathedral
Myeongdong for some shopping
Paris Baguette

suggest ko rin Trick Eye Museum kasi kabilang street lang daw nun e yun Hello Kitty cafe na.
Hello Kitty Café (Hongdae)
Trick Eye Museum

no idea ako san ito:
Ehwa University
Charlie Brown Café / Coffee Prince

[travelling_daisy]

^ Thanks, sis.

Based on your suggestion, is the itinerary I drafted below OK. By ok, I mean, feasible and hindi mala-Amazing Race... hehe... I am considering kase my 2 seniors and 2 kids.

Day 1 Wednesday      - ETA Incheon 8:45 PM
Day 2 Thursday            Gyeongbokgung Palace
                                            Gwanghamun Square
                                            Cheonggyecheon Stream
                                             Namsangol Hanok Village (or is the Bukchon Hanok Village better? Ano difference nilang dalawa?)
                                             Trick Eye Museum
                                             Hello Kitty Cafe

Day 3 Friday                 Everland

Day 4 Saturday            Petit France
                                            Nami Island
                                            N Seoul Tower / Namsan Park - Cable car, Observatory, Aquarium and Teddy Bear Museum, Love Lock Trees

Day 5 Sunday              Paris Baguette
                                            Myeongdong Cathedral
                                            Myeongdong shopping

Would you also have the directions going to these places, sis? We'll be staying at Hotel Astoria in  13-2, Jung-gu, Namhak-dong, Myeong-dong. They say it's near the Chungmuro Station.

Thanks a lot, sis!

[lakwatsa]

^sis check mo sa google maps or naver map yun location ng hotel nyo pero kung malapit sa subway mas ok para di pagod mga "young once" mo. yun Chungmuro e next station lang sa Myeongdong kaya ok yan sa shopping hehe:)

bonggang lakad kasi yun mga palace tours e. at depende sa weather kung keribels nyo. yun punta kasi namin last Dec e ma-snow. kung sa palace tours eto lang napuntahan namin sa isang araw:

Changdeokgung Palace / Huwon (Secret Garden Tour) -- may oras ito so hinintay talaga namin
Gyeongbokgung Palace - para sa changing of guards
Namdaemun (shopping)

ni-skip na namin yun bukchon kasi uber ginaw. dapat kasi uunahin namin yan before yun Changdeokgung palace e. yun Gwanghamun Square di ko na maalala kung nadaanan ba namin sya parang some other day siguro nadaanan namin pero di namin alam na yun yun..hmmm tapos dapat NSeoul kami after mag palace kaso kinailangan namin mag Namdaemun para makahanap ng money changer kaya napashopping na after.

pero tingin ko feasible naman yun Day 2 mo (pero di ako 100% sure kung keri yan talaga esp given mga kasama mo) tutal yun Gyeongbokgung lang yun palace na pupuntahan nyo. tapos yun sa Trick Eye, kelangan mo rin ng oras dito dahil kaka excite mag pose pose at tipong ikaw na mapapagod at magsasawa. hehe.

Day 3 - ok
Day 4 - ang nagawa lang namin dati e Nami + NSeoul. nidrop namin yun Petite kasi maginaw. tapos nag ITX kami para mas mabilis at di palipat lipat ng train. kung magp petite france pa kayo baka sobrang pagod na abutin ng mga kasama mo. suggest ilipat mo na lang N Seoul sa ibang araw.

yun shopping sa myeongdong, pwede mo naman yan isingit sa ibang araw tutal late naman magsara mga shops dun. tipong iwan mo muna mga young once and young ones sa hotel para maka bonggang shopping ka. that way, maccross out mo na sya sa Day 5 mo at pwede mo ilipat yun ibang places dun sa Day 5.

btw yun pagsuot ng hanbok, i suppose balak nyo gawin yan sa Gyeongbokgung tama ba? may pila din daw kasi dun. other option mo e sa KTO office mismo para may free pang korean writing ng name mo PERO need mo muna icheck sa site nila kung timing ang punta mo kasi 1 week per month lang yun sa KTO. 

[travelling_daisy]

^ Thanks, sis for the detailed comments.

Pwede ko makuha yung directions/ transpo guide you use going to Nami usingthe ITX? Yung going to Nami ba ang kelangan na magreserve ng bus? Or are there other options like taxi?

So my revised itinerary will be this:

Day 1 - arrival / check in
DAy 2 - Gyeongbokgung Palace (changing of the guards and Hanbok wearing), Gwangwhamun Square, Cheonggyecheon Stream, Trick-eye museum and Hello Kitty Cafe
Day 3 - Everland
Day 4 - Petit France and Nami Island
            Myeongdong shopping (actually, di naman talaga shopping... gusto lang namin tumingin-tingin plus my companion ask that we try the street food there.)
Day 5 - Paris baguette, Myeongdong Cathedral, N Seoul Tower, Teddy Bear Museum, Love Lock Trees

Sis, mga ilang hours ba ia-allot dapat for this sites:
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Nami Island
N Seoul Tower + teddy Bear Museum

Salamat ng marami ...

[lakwatsa]

^here sis:

How to go?:
-   via subway+ITX: Take subway from Line 4 Myeongdong to Cheongnyangni (18min, 1050krw, transfer to Line 1 at Dongdaemun) then transfer to ITX train [need to buy tickets from the vending machine] to Gapyeong (Cheongnyangni to Gapyeong is KRW4000 Est Travel Time: 40mins / {ITX train departs every hour only}
-   From Gapyeong Station, take a cab to Wharf (Est Fare: KRW2700).
-   Pay  the entrance fee to Nami island including the RT ferry ride (KRW 8000)

ganyan lang din yun ginawa namin pabalik. pero kung gusto mo mag Petite France muna, from Gapyeong pagbaba mo ng ITX, hintayin mo yun regular na subway at sakay ka going to Cheongpyeong station kasi dun yun babaan papuntang Petite France. tapos from that station, dun naman yung may bus going to PF na may timetable. ewan ko lang kung may taxi at kung magkano aabutin kung meron.

Palace - 2-3 hrs siguro kasi depende yun sa pila ng hanbok wearing e. unahin nyo na lang yun. tapos kung sasama kayo sa guided tour i think 1 hr din yun.
Nami - 2-3 hrs excluding travel time
N Seoul + teddy bear - 3 hrs din including cable car ride to/from.

[travelling_daisy]

Maraming, maraming salamat sis.

You're such a big help!

[lakwatsa]

^welcome sis. na-warning-an ako kasi di ko napansin na nag text speak pala yun spelling ko ng "pwede" dun sa una kong reply sa iyo hehe. pero na-gets mo naman di ba? hehe. pag may tanong ka, post ka lang. enjoy SK!

sa street food, meron sa subway ng myeongdong, may stall si lola dun sa kanya kami kumain nung minsang inabot kami ng gutom. may odeng, gimbap. sarap! ang bait nya kahit di kami nagkakaintindihan hehe. may baon kasi kaming strawberries tapos naisipan namin kainin na dun. kala namin bawal kasi nagsalita sya bigla tapos kinuha nya. yun pala huhugasan nya tapos ni-serve sa min. haha!