READ THE SUBJECT: Literally what I planned to do when I decided to go Seoul, the Capital City of South Korea. A modern city with skyscrapers and subways with 9.86 million population, famous for their good-looking boy and girl bands.
Whenever I get back from travelling, I get asked the same question a lot “How was it?” and I, being myself, love explaining everything from A- Z. I will give an honest review about the country that I visited.
Before I start sharing about Seoul, Korea, bear in mind that this is based on my personal experience and my own view. You may agree or not agree because different people have different opinion and preference but we are here to share 😊
I’m going to break it down to segments for easy viewing.
- Accommodation
Since Airbnb surfaced, I have forgotten the last time I search for hotels when I travel. I feel that Airbnb is much cheaper, flexible and makes you feel like home when you are away.
When I was searching for a place to stay in Seoul, there were tons of houses available, every single house looks decent and most of the houses were rated above average. I didn’t have a problem choosing.
During my 7-day trip I was staying at Fill House, in Dongdaemun. Perfect location and value for money! Small room but cozy with bunk bed and the toilet is huge for my sister and I! 1 min walk from the subway station (access to all main districts and suburbs), 3 min walk to the airport bus stop (you can shuttle from airport back and forth)
2)Language
When I first landed, I was glad the officials can converse in English - the immigration officer, security guards and police officer at the airport. It was a breeze for me to get through the arrival gate.
However…after exiting the arrival gate. Things got interesting.
BUS SITUATION: It took me more than 5 minutes to purchase bus tickets for two. Went to the counter and I told the operator “2 tickets to Dongdaemun” with hand gesture, he shook his head. I kept on repeating “Dongdaemun” for 5 times and he kept on shaking his head showing that he does not understand what I’m saying. at this point I wanted to give up Until I showed him the address on my phone and he goes “ ohh Dongdaemun”. Should have just took out my phone at the first place!
TRAIN SITUATION: After arriving the house, I dropped my bag and went out straight. Why not right? The subway is just 1 min walk from the house and I don’t want to waste my day. I googled and found a nice café in Hongik to have some coffee. With full confidence, I went down to the subway and searched for the information counter to ask them how to get to Hongik. Which line, which route etc cos it was my first time. Which I did. But again, they are having problem understanding my questions. I even showed them the café address in my phone. It didn’t help. Until a Korean lady came up to us and explained the route. Even with her Korean accent and my Malaysian accent, we can understand each other.
By then, It hit me that not everyone can converse in English, which is normal. Same thing in Malaysia. It’s my bad for assuming and I don’t blame them as their first language is Korean. Before going to Seoul, It’s good to learn some basic Korean so that things will be easier for you 😊
Part 1 DONE. Part 2 will be about the delicious foods and public transportation.