So i actually skipped 2017, and went straight to 2018 is it? Ha ha
Assalamualaikum and hello pals!
Have been wanting to write for so long but me being myself, delaying and procrastinating, well, to this day and here it goes! I am not gonna spend so much of your time to listen to my crappy thoughts and sayings. Gonna save it all to another day in another entries.
Just, for short.
I. ACTUALLY. TICKED. OFF. ONE. ITEM. IN. MY. BUCKETLIST!
I am so excited to share this news with all of you but yeah, would just share a part of it here and the rest will follow. Maybe for any of you who'd plan for a trip to Seoul, can use my itinerary here as one of references kan hihi.
Day 1 (8/8/2018)
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06.50am
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Boarding – Air Asia X D7 504 (KUL – ICN)
+ checked baggage 20kg + in-flight meal +
preferred seat (window)
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RM453.85
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07.50am
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Departing
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6 hours flight zzz
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03.20pm
(korea time)
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Landing. Collected baggage.
Collected SIM card that i purchased online a week
before, at SK Telecom official website. Purchasing online is much
cheaper than offline.
Korea SIM Orange with 4G LTE Unlimited Data Only
(No outgoing call but can receive calls)
T-money reload.
I got my T-money card for free from Korea Tourism
Organisation Malaysia by registering and answering survey from the
website. You can buy T-money card in Seoul for 3,000won anyway.
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Must bring together
the SIM card voucher attached in the email during purchasing.
There is a
multi-faith prayer room available at the airport, near the public
center at level 2.
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RM91.29
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05.00pm
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Took an airport train (all stop) from Incheon
Airport to Hongik University
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T-money deducted
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KRW4,050
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06.00pm
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Changed train to Sinchon.
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One stop away.
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KRW1,250
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06.30pm
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Arrived at ICOS Hanok Guesthouse 1 – for
females.
Found and booked this guesthouse through Agoda
with the option Pay at The Property. Special Single Room at 20%
discount. Note that this is a guesthouse for females only with
three type of rooms; single, double and dorm, all with shared
bathrooms. So convenient and clean and everything about the stay
is 10 out of 10!
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5 nights stay fee
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KRW124,800
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08.00pm
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Bought 2 onigiri and 2 banana milk only at the 7e
as i was too tired.
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KRW6,500
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TOTAL DAY 1
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RM545.15 +
KRW136,600
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Day 2 (9/8/2018)
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08.00am
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Gwanghwamun Square. Learnt about Korean history in
the exhibition hall below the square.
Took the train from Sinchon to Chungjeongno, then
from Chungjeongno changed train to Gwanghwamun.
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T-money deducted
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KRW1,250
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09.00am
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Walked to Gyeongbokgung Palace.
Toured around the palace. Free entrance if wears
hanbok. There would be Palace Guard Changing Ceremony at 10.00am,
11.00am, 1.00pm and 2.00pm. The palace is closed every Tuesday, so
planned your visit well.
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Admission fee
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KRW3,000
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11.30am
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Walked to Insadong street.
There are a lot of souvenirs shops here. And a lot
of cafes too. Walk forward and you will see an entrance to another
building on your left. That is Ssamziegil.
Went to the rooftop of Ssamziegil and popped by
the Poop Cafe.
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Mineral water
Iced latte
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KRW600
KRW5,500
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12.30pm
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Walked to Bukchon Hanok Village.
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02.00pm
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Walked down the street of Samcheongdong.
Feet were getting tired of walking, so i decided
to head over the nearest train station which is Anguk. Had no
lunch yet because i was too absorbed with my walking view i did
not feel hungry although my tummy was empty hahaha!
Anguk to Euljiro Sam(3)-ga, then changed line to
Sinchon
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02.30pm
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Back to guesthouse, showered, performed my prayers
and rest before going out again.
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T-money deducted
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KRW1,250
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05.00pm
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To Dongdaemun Grilled Fish Alley.
Took the train from Sinchon to Dongdaemun History
and Culture Park, then changed line to Dongdaemun.
Initially planned to enjoy the view of
Cheongyecheon Stream but nvm the view was awful.
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T-money deducted
Samchi-gui (Japanese Mackerel Fish) set with side
dishes
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KRW1,250
KRW8,000
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07.00pm
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Back to the guesthouse.
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T-money deducted
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KRW1,250
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TOTAL DAY 2
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KRW22,100
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Day 3 (10/8/2018)
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08.00am
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To Gapyeong.
From Sinchon, i took a train to Hongik University,
then changed line to Sangbong and changed line again to Gapyeong.
Pheww it took almost 3 hours, through 29 stations and i regret for
not waking up earlier.
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T-money deducted
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KRW2,350
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11.00am
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Took the Gapyeong City Tour bus. This is a
hop-on-hop-off bus so you could get into the bus anytime for the
whole day with only one ticket.
The bus route is Gapyeong Station – Jarasum –
Rail Bike – Nami Island – Petite France – Cheongpyeong
Station – Garden of Morning Calm.
So i planned to go to Namiseom first, then to
Petite France and lastly Garden of Morning Calm but.......waiting
for the bus and the journey itself was time-consuming hence i only
got to cover nami island and Morning Calm. :(
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T-money deducted
(for the city tour bus tix purchased from the bus
driver)
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KRW6,000
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12.00pm
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Took the ferry to Nami Island. Exploring Nami
Island during summer was no joke. The heat almost kill me hahaha.
Lunch at a halal restaurant in Nami Island,
located near the prayer room. I think the name of the restaurant
is Asian Restaurant. You can see a halal certified logo at the
front door.
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Ferry and Island entrance fees
Dakgalbi + fried egg
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KRW13,000
KRW12,000
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02.00pm
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Took the ferry back to Gapyeong Wharf. Waited for
the bus and headed to Garden of Morning Calm.
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03.00pm
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Explored Garden of Morning Calm.
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Entrance fee
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KRW9,500
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05.00pm
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Waited for the bus and the waiting game was about
one hour :(((( there was no way i can get to Petite France in
time.:(
so i hopped off at Cheongpyeong Station and got
into the train and decided to go to Myeongdong Cats' Cafe.
From Cheongpyeong i got off at Sangbong to change
line to Hoegi, then changed line again at Dongdaemun to
Myeongdong.
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T-money deducted
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KRW2,150
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07.30pm
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Headed to Myeongdong Cats Cafe. Just find a guy in
cat costume and he'll show you the cafe. To play with the cats,
must order a drink.
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Iced mocha.
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KRW10,000
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09.00pm
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Back to the guesthouse.
Myeongdong station, changed line at Dongdaemun
History and Culture Park to Sinchon.
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T-money deducted
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KRW1,250
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TOTAL DAY 3
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KRW56,250
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Day 4 (11/8/2018)
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09.00am
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Took the train to Myeongdong station.
From Sinchon, i took the train to Euljiro
3(sam)-ga and changed line to Chungmuro and changed again to
Myeongdong.
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T-money deducted
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KRW1,250
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09.15am
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Bought snacks for breakfast but i don't remember
the name but they tasted like kaya balls but with red bean inside.
Halal, no worries.
Walked to the Cable Car station to get to N Seoul
Tower. Can also opt for a free shuttle bus that will take you
directly to the N Seoul Tower. But the cable car got no seat like
the one in Boys Over Flowers pun? And i didn't see any name of
Jandi and Junpyo on the wall pun? Dah kena padam dengan authority
kee hhahaha no just kidding, of course lah tak ada >.<
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Snacks + mineral water
Cable Car (return ticket)
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KRW3,500
KRW9,500
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10.30am
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Explored N Seoul Tower and wow so many couples
haha.
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11.45am
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Got down the hill from Cable Car station by Oreumi
at the leftside of the station.
Walked to M Plaza in Myeongdong street to book for
hanbok free experience session. My session would be at 2.00pm so i
took the golden opportunity to spend my money on all those masks
and aloevera gels and hand creams and sanitizers and moisturizers
and all those skincaresssss damn it was heavenly! I love
Myeongdong! I got so many freebies too from the shopping, so yeah.
It was definitely a win-win situation >.<
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Shopping (with immediate tax refund)
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KRW150,000
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02.00pm
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Hanbok free experience at Seoul Global Cultural
Center, M Plaza. 10 mins per session.
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02.10pm
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Went back to guesthouse. Showered, prayed, rest.
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T-money deducted
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KRW1,250
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04.00pm
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Planned for a late lunch at Itaewon. Took a train
from Sinchon to Hapjeong then changed line to Itaewon.
Walked towards the Seoul Central Mosque. The
famous Eid Restaurant is located around 3-minute walk over the
mosque. Itaewon is a city with quite the most Muslim population so
there are sooooooo many halal restaurant here! As well as
nightclubs and bar.........huhu.
I ordered Jjimdak and a glass of peach juice.
Guys, i beg you to come and eat here as the food is so delicious.
Highly recommended! So tasty urghhhh why didn't i go here since
Day 1. I would love to try all the dishes T.T
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T-money deducted
Jjimdak and drink
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KRW1,250
KRW15,000
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05.30pm
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Walked to the mosque to perform my Asr prayer.
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06.30pm
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Walked to the subway and went back to the
guesthouse.
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T-money deducted
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KRW1,250
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09.00pm
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It was weekend and decided to walk by Hongdae
street.
Took the train from Sinchon to Hongik University
which is only one stop away.
Bought some snacks too. Watched the street buskers
and performers, and went back to the guesthouse.
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T-money deducted
Snacks
T-money deducted
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KRW1,250
KRW4,000
KRW1,250
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TOTAL DAY 4
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KRW189,500
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Day 5 (12/8/2018)
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09.00am
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Took the train to Gangnam to go to COEX Mall. I
planned for a leisure and relax kinda day since this was my second
last day before returning home on 13th.
From Sinchon, i took the train to Dangsan and
changed line to Bongeunsa.
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T-money deducted
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KRW1,450
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11.00am
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From Bongeunsa station, i walked to COEX Mall to
search for the Marvel Shop.
Had my lunch at Kervan Restaurant and ordered my
lunch urr i did not remember the name but it was not really my
taste.
Bought an Ironman powerbank from the Marvel stores
but i totally forgot to record the price.
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Lunch set
Powerbank
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KRW12,000
KRW40,000
(estimate)
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12.30pm
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Walked to SM Entertainment and what did i expect?
To bump into SNSD members or SuJu? On a broadlight Sunday? The day
where people usually spend on sleeping and resting? Haha
Planned on going to JYP building too but since the
have moved out (before this it was near to SME), i cancelled the
plan and took a train to Konkuk University from Cheongdam.
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T-money deducted
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KRW1,250
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02.00pm
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Explore Konkuk University.
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03.30pm
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Took the train to Ewha University. From Konkuk
University station, directly to Ewha Univ Station.
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T-money deducted
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KRW1,350
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04.00pm
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Walked towards Ewha Womens University. Explore
Ewha streets and campus.
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05.00pm
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Walked back to the guesthouse.
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06.30pm
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Went out again.
Took a train to Dongdaemun Cultural and Historic
Park. Explored Dongdaemun Design Plaza, and also the park. The
park has all these light led flowers at night so i waited till
then.
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T-money deducted
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KRW1,250
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08.00pm
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Took the train to Myeongdong for the last shopping
haul.
From Dongdaemun History and Culture Park station,
to Myeongdong station.
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T-money deducted
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KRW1,250
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08.15pm
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Bought souvenirs for my family, officemates,
students and friends in Malaysia. Fridge magnets, nail clippers,
t-shirts, pens, tote bag and Park Seo Joon memo pad for myself >.<
i also bought 8 banana milk to bring back to
Malaysia hahaha
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Souvenirs
Banana milk
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KRW120,000
KRW10,400
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10.30pm
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Went back to the guesthouse.
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T-money deducted
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KRW1,250
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TOTAL DAY 5
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KRW190,200
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Day 6 (13/8/2018)
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10.00am
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Checked out from ICOS Hanok Guesthouse :(
So it was really the last day i was so sad. I will
be back, Seoul <3
Took the train from Sinchon station to Hongik
University and changed line to Incheon International Airport
Terminal 1.
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T-money deducted
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KRW4,050
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05.00pm
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Departed to Kuala Lumpur.
Air Asia X D7 505 (ICN – KUL)
+ checked baggage 20kg + in-flight meal.
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RM623.11
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TOTAL DAY 6
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KRW4,050 +
RM623.11
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Total Expenses 6 Days 5 Nights Seoul Summer
2018
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In Malaysian Ringgit
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RM1,168.26
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In Korean Won (converted to MYR)
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RM2,221.85
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Travel insurance (AXA)
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RM39.00
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TOTAL
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RM3,429.11
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I really hope my itinerary would help any of you roughly in planning on places to go and how to get there. There are a few places that i would really like to go; Namdaemun Market, Petite France, Everland, Gwangmyeong Cave, and many other places. maybe you can plan for a longer visit and add these places into your itinerary.
As for how did i manage to get here and there, i installed two apps on my phone; Korean Subway and Naver. The Subway apps was so helpful and informative and accurate in term of time of arrival and T-money you would spent on. Meanwhile Naver apps is for you to walk from the subway station to your destination.
I really enjoyed travelling alone as this was my first time doing it abroad but to have a partner would be very nice as well. What i learnt from my journey? I learnt to love myself more. I learnt to know myself more as well! I am so glad I chose Seoul as my first country to do solo travelling. The people i met were so nice, the food i ate were so tasty, i am missing the place even more as i wrote everything down.
Guess that is all, folks. I will see you in the next entry (if i don't procrastinate anymore >.<)
Till then!
XOXO
