11:00am Got up early in the morning (yes, 11am is early when you are on a holiday, well, sort of a holiday) Met Joshua to discuss about cooperation between Singapore and Korea on Bioinformatics. Both of us are from the respective regional societies are we were meeting up for the first time to discuss about possible collaborations between the 2 countries. I am hopping for a milestone project to come around soon. We had initially planned to get some lunch from Insadong, but he was unable to find the place that he was looking for. In the end, we settle for some good old 1970s korean food tucked away in a little known place. =) Following that, we had coffee at Coffee Bean near Deoksugung where we discussed about singapore-Korean ties.

4:00pm Joshua had to return to Daejon for the day while I, well, went to Myeongdong to get more stuffs. Haha… yes, this was trip #2 to MyeongDong. I got some pants from there, which apparently went for a rather good price. Got some sweaters and coats as well because it’s usually hard to find them in Singapore, and even when you do, it’s usually rather expensive. Had ginseng chicken soup there, which hardly tasted anything near it. I guess they watered it too much such that it tastes a little like… chicken dipped in hot water. Oh well, for 10,000 won, I can’t expect too much, can I?

7:00pm Continued shopping in MyeongDong. Yes, when it comes to shopping, women can usually walk the distance of a 16km road much, in full battle order armed with bags of purchases and not complain about being tired at all. More walking entailed for the rest of the evening. But for once, I decided to retire a little earlier because tomorrow is weekend! And weekend means…. more shopping! Heh heh…

9:30pm Finally reached The Resting Place where I tried on the pants that I got. It was a perfect fit! Great! I’m going to get more tomorrow! Weeeeeee! And the top seems really good. Wished I can post some pictures up now… but oh well. =) The ginseng chicken soup turned out not to be too filling, so I had to get some instant noodles from the family mart downstairs. Thank goodness I got some spare chopsticks else I’d be eating with bare fingers!

The weather is rather cold outside @ 12 deg, if I am not wrong. Blankets! I need blankets! Sigh.. this is the only time that I miss Singapore… and oh, because it’s not winter yet, they do not turn on the floor heating. Argh!

Here’s more stuffs about what you can expect in Seoul. Actually Singapore and Seoul are very metropolitan and have very modern facilities. The only thing that is glaringly different is the language that is spoken. Korean is very common in Korea because a lot of the people do not use English as the main language. In fact, it is taken as a foreign language and most people do not have a chance to use it outside classrooms. Another factor is that the older generation do not speak English, so it’s hard to propagate the English language into the culture or population.

Foodcourts

Yes, there are foodcourts in Seoul and quite a number of them too. They are usually located within shopping malls, pretty much like those in Singapore. The cost of food is around the same numerically, e.g. for something you can get for S$5, it’s around 5,000 wons. Typically, it’s US$1 = 1,000 won, so it’s actually more expensive to eat in foodcourts in Seoul. The alternative to this is to eat at roadside stalls, which is usually very hygenic and very much cheaper. For about 3,000 won, you can get quite a good meal; soup included. =)

The exception to this is eating at Namdaemun. They are usually out to make a radish head out of  you.

Bookstores

There are no Times The Bookshop, no MPH, no Popular bookstores in Seoul. The bigger brands are Kyobo (at Gangnam and a few other places), Yoongpoon (at Express Bus Terminal Station) and Bandi’s and Luni’s (at COEX Mall, Samsung Station). They sell international books (English included) as well as my favourite Biological Sciences books. Most books are reasonably priced, with some costing much lesser than what you can find in Singapore. However, there are also some that are pretty costly. If you want to get some books from Seoul, you’d need to:

1. Find out how much it costs in Singapore
2. Find out how heavy the book(s) are
3. Find the nearest EMS post office in Seoul; Fedex Kinko is not really ideal costwise

But they do have unique books that you may not be able to find in Singapore. You should try to exhaust your search in Singapore first before contemplating about getting books from Seoul. They are not exactly the lightest things to carry back nor to check in. The overweight charges are 12,000 won per kg overweight at Incheon Airport.

Shopping and Departmental Stores

There are many departmental stores in Seoul, the most common being Hyundai Department Store (yes, they have other businesses besides making cars), Shinsegae and Lotte. However, these are big brand stores and are usually very costly to get anything. For good bargains, you should try MyeongDong for clothes and cosmetics (they have Giordano’s too), Namdaemum, Dongdaemun and all the different “underground shopping centers”. They are not “underground” as in illegal, but they are literally at Basement 1 - pretty much like the ones you find at Dhoby Ghaut and Raffles Place MRT stations. A particular stretch usually offer the same stuffs at usually the same rates.

If you are looking for shoes, clothes and luggages, you should try the underground shopping centers at Express Bus Terminal Station. It’s just outside the basement of Shinsegae (the expensive mall), and they offer good prices if you are genuine about buying - you might just need to bargain a little. You may also have a better chance with Mandarin than English sometimes.

If you are looking for electronic stuffs, you many want to consider Yongsan (Korean: 용산) (Chinese: 籠山), which is located at Yongsan Station. At the entrance of the station is I’Park Mall, which is an electronics mart cum furniture mart cum megamart all squeezed into one building. The megamart is at the basement (B1/B2) and is good for getting groceries (if you are planning to stay for about 1.5 to 2 weeks) as well as getting a feel on the prices of general goods in Seoul.

If you walk further down, there is another mega electronics shopping mall as well as a Sim Lim Square look-alike. Things there are priced variantly, so, do exercise discretion when buying stuffs from them. The general rule is, if you think it’s too expensive, it probably is. =)

The other place where more Caucasians frequent is Itaewon. This is generally a good place to look around, but beware of touts who tend to offer sky-high prices for things that are relatively cheaper in other districts. Most of the people here understand a little English and usually have a calculator for you to bargain with them. There are also a lot of International eateries here, so if you are really not used to Kimchi, or would like to try some Indian/Parkistanian/West Asian/Middle Eastern food, this is probably your best bet.

Another thing about Itaewon is that the houses are located on a slope. So, if you know the right turns to make, you can actually grasp a scenic view of the Han River in the evening. It’s simply beautiful. =)

Hotels

Okie, there are hotels and there are motels. If you know how to book, you can get hotels at motel rates. What’s the trick behind this? You’d have to email me to find out. Heh. And it usually works for other countries before. Sorry, can’t say much here.

But the best time to get hotels is during Winter and Summer. Yes, Winter. Most people will think that hotel rates peak at Winter seasons, but it’s really not the case. You just have to make advanced reservations.

Winter Sports

I don’t know how this falls under “common places and facilities”, but oh well, the nearest place you can get snow and ski is at Bears Town, which is just a couple of hours north of Seoul. Another place you can get good snow fall during Winter is YongPyeong (not PyeongYang, that is in North Korea). However, it is usually packed during Winter and it is often fully booked. If you are intending to go there for winter, do book early. Do a google on Internet and you should be able to get some bookings.

Rates are usually quite high, so the best option is to opt for the hostel, which really isn’t that bad, but you’d have to sleep on the floor though. Soft blankets and quilts are given though. The flood is water-heated, but it’s really nice because it’s around freezing temperatures outside.

There is a Starbucks and a foodcourt at YongPyeong and the rates are pretty reasonable. I tried building a snowman the last time I was there during winter. Well… didn’t turn out quite well because all I got was a stump. =( Oh well, better luck this winter, perhaps.

Interstate travel

The best way to travel besides domestic flights (from Gimpo Airport) is to take the KTX. There are 3 main types of trains - the bullet train, the express train and the commuter train. I took a train to Pohang once and it was about 4 hours by express train because Pohang is a rather quiet town and not a major city - and hence no bullet trains. =( And they do not have Starbucks or McDonalds! Oh well…

Yes, so, back to KTX. You may take the KTX either from Yongsan Station or from Seoul Station, depending on your destination. Be sure to go to either station to confirm your timing and to get your tickets in advance, especially during peak periods. You may get 1 way or return tickets. I got 1 way tickets because I wasn’t sure of when I’d be returning. Haha…

Ed: Okie.. a little too long for this post. If there are more things that you’d like to know about Seoul/Korea, just drop me a comment and I’d be glad to post on it

Well, this is sort of a response blog to Sheylara’s post on how yellow lines make Singaporeans look stupid. If she’s talking about the yellow lines and arrows, yes, I tend to agree that no one seems to follow it in Singapore. Everyone will stand behind the bended lines until the train arrives, and everyone will just start crowding the door! This is just so silly.

But I do have to say that the line demarcating the edge of the station is really necessary, because people do fall into the tracks accidentally; especially when they stand too close to the edge - the speed on the incoming train may make a person feel giddy, if it doesn’t really blow him away. =P

And the difference between the subway in Singapore and Seoul? Well, Seoul has those familiar yellow lines demarcating the edges of the station, but instead of the yellow lines and arrows, they have cute little footprints - 4 pairs, 2 on each side where the doors are supposed to be, and people automatically queue up behind the footprint stickers! Maybe some photos to proof my point later. The thing is, most of them don’t crowd the train doors when they open. Sometimes, I wonder too, why SMRT bothers to print those yellow lines and arrows when all people do when the train arrives is to clog at the door.

In addition, some people walks right to the front of the door while people are queueing by the sides. These people probably have no sense of shame - and I am not talking about preggy women or the elderly who always ended up getting pushed behind. I am talking about healthy young chaps, and people who run into the train literally when the doors open. I wonder what happened to their manners, if there were any at all in the first place.

Tsk!

Some things have changed since I last went back to Seoul, but most of the stuffs still remain the same. Ya-kun has finally tumbled, partly because the Koreans are probably not used to having toasted bread with kaya and half-boiled eggs. It’s just too…. Chinese? But a lot of things still remained the same, with new additions!

Hooters!

Yes, there is now a Hooters in Seoul. Located in Apgujeong near Sinsa-doing, this branch is pretty much the same thing that you get in Singapore, and perhaps anywhere else in the world. I didn’t peek in too much, just in case I end up looking like a chekopek, female version. I have not tried their food before and am still wondering how good it is. As for pretty girls, there are plenty in Seoul, yes, plenty, and I sometimes wish for the earth to open up and swallow me in.

Starbucks and Coffee Bean

Yes, we have Starbucks and Coffee Bean in Seoul as well. So, how do you order a Tazo Chai Tea Latte in Korean? Well.. it’s just Tazo Chai Tea Latte. But since there is no “F”, “L”, “Q”, “V”, “X” and “Z” in Korean, or at least not in their actual pronounciation, you get them replaced with “B”, “R”, “G/K”, “B”, “S” and “C” or variants of it. However, as more Koreans, especially the younger generation pick up English, it will probably be less of a problem in the future. In fact, I find more English speaking Koreans this trip than the last one last year, so things do evolve pretty quickly.

McDonald’s and KFC and Pizza Hut

Yes, you can find all of them here. Most of the menu is the same, but if you fancy a kimchi pizza, this is probably the right place to be at. Actually I am not sure if they do have kimchi pizzas, but I’d guess a good amount of localization will produce that out in no time. =) The foldovers here in Mac is fried instead of broiled/steam/don’t-know-how-they-do-it-in-Singapore, and it’s a little hard. Do give it a miss here. =P

BBQ Wings and Kimbab

Basically, it’s just deep friend chicken wings, but they have done it quite well and it’s pretty delicious. If you are tired of the local food in Seoul, this is a good option. If you need rice as your staple diet, then perhaps you might want to consider getting a roll of Kimbab which is rice, pickles, ham, veg wrapped with seaweed. Pretty good stuff; and don’t forget the chopsticks. Take 2. You’ll need it.

7-11 stores and other 24 hour convenience stores

Yes, there’s plenty of them. In fact, they have family mart, buy the way, 7-7, mini-stop, and other variants of these brands. Like the local 7-11 in Singapore, the pricing is usually higher than most. So the trick is to look for those corner shops that is like a supermarket and has everything inside. They usually give the best price in any town. Usually.

Train services and EZ-link cards

Yup, they have a completed subway known as the Metro/Subway or simple kicha; and they use RFIDs as well, pretty much like EZ-link, except that the RFID need not always be a card - it can be a small token, a memo-something (the things you hang on your handphones), or your credit card (e.g. Citibank SMRT). We call the card the T-Money card, probably meaning Transport-Money, but it can be used to pay for virtually anything nowadays - coffees, purchases, supermarket, petrol, etc. The buses use the same thing as well but the debit/credit system is slightly different.

When you first go through the gates, they deduct 900 wons from your card, then upon exit, they deduct any extras that’s needed. The way it works in Singapore is different. They deduct the MAXIMUM in Singapore and upon exit, refund you what’s not used. That’s why you have to panick and call Transitlink for your refunds. Till date, I’ve not got my refunds from Transitlink yet. Hmmph!

Ed: Oops.. gotta rush off. Will continue with part 2 later.