Korea (Thread 14)

[_Jasmin_]

^May night time bus nga akong nakita pero 12:15am yung first trip pero until Seoul station din lang. Kung ano na lang siguro maabutan namin after we clear immigration and get luggages don na lang kami kase Seoul Station din naman pareho ang baba. Then taxi na lang after. Mahirap lang kase sa subway eh yung akyat baba ng train platform and palabas ng station with all the luggages. I'll explore nga yang option to change to Hongdae. Medyo familiar na kase ko sa Myeongdong kase don kami nag stay during my first visit kaya don ulit ako sa area nag book. Yung pabalik ng airport ok lang kami kase there's a bus stop near our hotel. Yung papunta lang talaga ang problem.

[MS_JanDel]

I'm currently working on our itinerary for our end of March travel. Anyone who recently traveled via Cebupac with 10:40PM arrival?

Sis nagbus kami, N6001 to Seoul Station. Tapos TAxi from Seoul Station, nasa EXIT 5 siya ng arrival hall. 9000krw yung fare sa bus. pero hanggang Seoul Station lang. Tapos taxi namin nasa 5000krw papuntang YongSan, may night charge kasi ang taxi na 20% ata.

Maaga kami nagboarding, 5:20PM Boarding na kami, pero nakalipad kam 7:00pm. Pinilit pa din ng piloto na hindi super delayed pero dumating kami sa Incheon 10:50 na. Nagtaxi pa yung plane papuntang arrival hall, may shuttle train pa plus pila sa immigratoin and antay ng luggage. Nakalabas kami 11:50PM na. So bilis akong kumaripas ng takbo sa bus stop. Every 50mins kasi yung bus, pag di ka nakasakay sa 12:15AM na trip, wait ka ng 50mins. Sayang time.

Bus 6001 is until 10:30 lang ata, yung train is until 11:45 PM lang. Nasa basement pa siya ng Airport so malayong lakaran. Ayun.


I'M BAAACK!! FRESH FROM KDRAMALAND! HAAHAHA

[_Jasmin_]

^Thank you sis. This is very helpful. Late-night bus nga ang maabutan namin if ever. We can use T-money card sa bus noh? May pwede bang bilhan ng T-money card near the exit?

[summer888]

Wow! Ang haba na pala ng pila ngayon sa Korean Embassy. Pag dumating ka ba dun say mga 5am or earlier pwede ka ng magpa lista sa guard para balik ka na lang ng mga 8am? Or talagang mag stay ka sa line until mag open sila?

Our 3 year ME Visa just expired and we're planning to apply again this year. We got our ME visas after 2 SE visas as there were no credit card promos then. Has anyone experienced being granted another ME visa again and 5 years naman... again without availing the BPI or BDO credit card promo? Most of the stories I've been reading lately that were granted ME visas kase availed the said promo.

Thank you.

[ayami]

Good luck! Walang palista AFAIK. Pero pag preggy, senior, and may baby pinapauna. I think nagsstay sa line yung mga tao. Bilad kung bilad. https://imgur.com/a/XezNt ito yung kuha ko the other day.

[kabes]

nung nagpavisa kami around january, super dali, siguro 20 lang kami sa loob, kasama si manong guard. dumating kami around 9am

last week nagpavisa officemates ko. 8am sila dumating. di na daw tumatangap. so next day bumalik sila, ganun ulit. tapos may lumapit na fixer sa kanila. yung mga agency pala o whoever, puputa ng maaga ang palista galore, hangang maubos ang slot. then they approached my officemates. 800 per head! pinatulan na nila kasi 2 days na sila nag halfday.

[Ghell06]

Wow. Ang habaaaa. Last year nung kumuha kami ng visa hindi naman ganyan kahaba. omg.

[_Jasmin_]

Hay naku, kaya naman pala ganyan. Travel agents are taking advantage of the situation. Ganyan din nangyari sa passport appointment system kaya nagkakaubusan ng slots kaya tinigil muna ang travel agency assistance for passport renewal. Pero I've overheard sa pila kahapon na last week daw di naman ganyan. Baka daw kase maraming applicants ngayon dahil maraming holyweek vacation travels. So hopefully, the situation will normalize after holyweek.

[MS_JanDel]

^Thank you sis. This is very helpful. Late-night bus nga ang maabutan namin if ever. We can use T-money card sa bus noh? May pwede bang bilhan ng T-money card near the exit?

Sis wala akong nakitang bilihan ng Tmoney Card, magbayad ka nalang sa driver ng 9000KRW tapos yung Tmoney card pwede mo bilhin sa mga convenience stores and ibang train stations kinabukasan. Ganun ginawa namin kasi pumila kami agad sa bus stop,di na kami naghanap ng convenience store sa may departure.

Parang konti palang may alam netong late night bus kasi halos wala kaming kasabay na pinoy. Sa bus namin parang kami lang pinoy, nagtataxi ata yung iba or nagbabakasakali sa train. Sayang kasi pag di mo naabutan train, aakyat kapa ulit papunta sa bus stop. Kaya magmedyo alanganin na I suggest magbus ka nalang. 70mins din naman byahe, walang traffic tapos 4 stops lang.




Re:Pila, ngayon lang ata yan. kais kami Feb8 nagapply hanggang pagalis namin ng mga 10AM may na-aaccommodate pa din naman. Baka peak season talaga kasi.

[_Jasmin_]

Thank you sis sa advise. So pwede pala i hand over sa driver yung bayad. Naalala ko lang kase during my first visit na bumili kami ng T-money card sa isang convenience store before we went out of the airport. But that was way back in 2011 pa. Nakita ko lang yang late night bus information sa website ng Incheon airport but at least now I have other information na from someone with first hand experience.

[MS_JanDel]

^Yep sis pwede na sa driver nalang magbayad. Yung ticket booth kasi nila sarado na tapos yung vending machine di namin malaman pano gamitin. So nagask kami sabi nung parang barker nila, sa driver nalang daw magbayad.

Ako din sa website ko lang yan nabasa. Pagdating ko dun, nagtanong ako sa guard kung saan yung bus to Seoul Station, siya nagturo sakin na sa labas daw ng exit 5. Hanapin mo lang sis yung N6001, yun yung bound to seoul station. Dalawa kasi yung pila, yung isa bound to Gangnam, yung isa sa Seoul Station.

[summer888]

Naku, so pipila pala talaga.  Anyway, sa December pa naman ang balak namin bumalik sa Korea so mga Oct or Nov kami mag apply ng visa. By that time siguro kahit marami pa rin ang nag aapply is nakapag release na ng bagong procedure / system ang Korean Embassy to address that concern.

@jasmin  If you still have your T-money card nung 2011 you can still use that. Pa load ka lang sa convenience stores sa arrival area. We've been using the same T-Money card (also purchased nung 2011) when we go to Korea.

Ang gawain namin now since we know we'll be going back to Korea again is nagtitira kami lagi ng enough load sa T-Money namin kase madalas Cebupac kami and gabi lagi dating at laging naghahabol sa All Stop train. Kakain din kase ng mga 15 to 20 mins yung pag bili at load ng T-Money. 

[oolong1]

Will be travelling to Korea in November for the first and I am starting to get worried on Visa approval now.  I will have a new passport by then since had a schedule to renew it by June.  Would it matter if current passport do not have any travel history during application?

[mysterioza_me]

Dagdag sakit sa ulo na requirements 😂

https://www.facebook.com/thepoortraveler/posts/10154671565127824

True ba na hindi na nagsstamp ang immigration sa korea? Paper na din binibigay tulad ng sa HK.

[summer888]

Will be travelling to Korea in November for the first and I am starting to get worried on Visa approval now.  I will have a new passport by then since had a schedule to renew it by June.  Would it matter if current passport do not have any travel history during application?

there's a part on the application form where you will be asked to state countries you've visited within the last 5 years. if you have valid stamps & visas from OECD countries, you need to provide  photocopies & original (meaning the old passport) as proof.

[MS_JanDel]

Dagdag sakit sa ulo na requirements 😂

https://www.facebook.com/thepoortraveler/posts/10154671565127824

True ba na hindi na nagsstamp ang immigration sa korea? Paper na din binibigay tulad ng sa HK.

Yep sis wala ng stamp. Papel nalang. Pero nagstamp sila sa visa ng "USED". Nakakalungkot, I love stamps pa naman.

[mysterioza_me]

^Thanks sis. Gusto ko din sana ng stamp lang.

[_Jasmin_]

@jasmin  If you still have your T-money card nung 2011 you can still use that. Pa load ka lang sa convenience stores sa arrival area. We've been using the same T-Money card (also purchased nung 2011) when we go to Korea.

Ang gawain namin now since we know we'll be going back to Korea again is nagtitira kami lagi ng enough load sa T-Money namin kase madalas Cebupac kami and gabi lagi dating at laging naghahabol sa All Stop train. Kakain din kase ng mga 15 to 20 mins yung pag bili at load ng T-Money. 

Thank you. Di ko alam kung meron pang laman yung T-money card ko. Matutuwa ako kung meron pa. I also need to purchase another one for my son. Kung kulang sa oras baka sa labas na lang kami magpa load and bumili kase hahabulin namin yung late night bus.  Wala din akong makitang convenience store sa floor map ng arrival hall.

Di ko pa rin magawa yung itinerary namin. Meron ba kayong pwedeng i suggest na destinations na matutuwa ang 12 y/o boy? Nasa list ko na ang Everland and Lotte World pero wala na kong ibang maisip. Feeling ko di nya naman ma appreciate ang Nami Island so di na namin pupuntahan.

[MS_JanDel]

^Bear Museum and Alive Museum sis? Heheh

Wala din akong nakitang convenience store sa may arrival hall. Paglabas kasi ng immigration, gates na agad palabas sa mga bus stops. Sa train station kung saan kami sumakay the next day na kami nagpaload.

Pagdating namin, around 2AM pumunta pa kami convenience store para bumili food, gutom na gutom kami. HAHAHA

[_Jasmin_]

^Thanks for the suggestion sis. Magdadagdag na lang ako ng isang palace, park and some spots for cherry blossom viewing. I saw my former boss who's a Korean today, sabi nya ang lamig daw ngayon don. I should be prepared daw for a below 10deg weather next week. Akala ko pa naman light jacket weather na!

Naalala ko din during our first visit gabing-gabi na rin dating namin ng Seoul, naghanap kami ng makakainan after we checked in our hostel. We ended up eating ramyeon sa outdoor drinking tent yung usually makikita sa mga kdrama na iniinuman nila ng soju. 

Nakuha ko na visa namin from our office's travel agency. Sabi ng nag assist sakin ang strikto daw ngayon ng embassy. May 2 daw siyang applicants na denied.