Korea on a Budget (our expenses)

We stayed in Korea for 4 whole days.  These are our expenses (more or less, P50,000.00 for 2 people, shopping not included).  
The exchange rate we used was W 1.00 (Korean Won) = P 0.04 (Phil. Peso).

Item	Particulars	Individual Expense	Expense for Two
Plane fare	Cebu Pacific Round-Trip Ticket	6,500.00	13,000.00
	Terminal Fee	750.00	1,500.00
	Travel Tax	1,620.00	3,240.00
SUB-TOTAL		8,870.00	17,740.00
Transportation	Round-Trip Airport Bus	1,120.00	2,240.00
	Seoul City Pass	120.00	240.00
SUB-TOTAL		1,240.00	2,480.00
Hotel	Toyoko Inn 4D/3N (P3,080.00/day)	9,240.00	9,240.00
Meals	P280x2/day	2,240.00	4,480.00
Attractions	Changdeok Palace	360.00	720.00
	Nami ZipRider	1,960.00	3,920.00
	Nanta Theater	1,600.00	3,200.00
	DMZ Tour	1,850.00	3,700.00
	N Seoul Tower	620.00	1,240.00
	Lotte World	1,360.00	2,720.00
SUB-TOTAL		7,750.00	15,500.00
GRAND TOTAL		29,340.00	49,440.00

Hope this helps you plan your own Korea trip.  Good luck!

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

A trip to Korea is not complete without a visit to the Demilitarized Zone (more popularly known as the "DMZ").  For the uninformed, Korea is the only divided country remaining in the world, and it's the DMZ that separates it.

There are many outfits that offer the DMZ tour.  They say the best one is being handled by the USO and Koridoor because real US soldiers conduct the tour and they take you all the way to Panmunjeom/the Joint Security Area (JSA).  Meaning to say, you get to see North Korean  and South Korean soldiers face each other AND get a chance to actually step in North Korea!  But that tour takes up the whole day, and is expensive at US$77 (P 3,400.00).

On a budget, we chose the half-day tour given by Freedom Tours at US$42 (P 1,850.00).  It's got everything the Koridoor Tour has EXCEPT for the trip to Panmunjeom and the JSA.

A good thing about Freedom Tours is that your can reserve on-line and then pay at their booth in the arrival area of Incheon Airport.  It's simpler and easier that way.  You CANNOT do this with Koridoor.  Koridoor requires payment at least 4 days before the tour, otherwise the reservation is cancelled.

The tour bus fetched us at our hotel at 7:45.  Majority of the people in our tour were tourists from Belgium.  We had an english speaking female tour guide.  The ride to Imjingak took about 70 minutes.

Our first stop was Imjingak--a tourist information center surrounded by Korean war monuments and memorials.

I went up to the observation deck and looked at Imjigang Railroad Bridge and Dorasan Station.

This is the Freedom Bridge.  According to the guide book, this bridge was built to facilitate the release of over 12,000 prisoners during the Korean War.

This is at the end of Freedom Bridge where the prisoners were released and where they started their walk to freedom.

This is what was left of a steam locomotive after it was riddled with bullets and damaged by bombs by the North Koreans during the war.

Our second stop was the DMZ Theater and 3rd Infiltration Tunnel.

We watched a short documentary about the Korean War in the theater.

This is an aerial view of the miniature version of the JSA.  I think North Korea is on the left, while South Korea is on the right.

Mural of how the North Koreans dug tunnels to infiltrate South Korea.

Michelle is our english speaking tour guide.

"South Korean soldiers" protecting and guarding the "border."

Marker showing the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel.  The mouth of the tunnel is located just 52 kilometers away from Seoul.  It is the closest to the capital amongst the other tunnels.  According the the brochure, an army of 30,000 soldiers can pass through the tunnel and invade Seoul within 1 hour.

Everyone entering the tunnel must wear a helmet.  And you really need it to protect your head from hitting the low ceiling.

This is NOT the 3rd Inflitration Tunnel.  This is just the access tunnel to that tunnel.  You cannot take pictures in the real tunnel.

Our third stop was Dora Observatory.  From here you can see, through telescope the Gaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea, and the propaganda villages of both countries.  You'll also see the world's tallest flagpole, which belongs to the North Koreans.

Unfortunately, you can't take a picture from the telescope.  You can only take a photo behind the yellow line.  (I was told it was for security purposes).  So I took out my camera extender and took a photo from as high as I could reach.

This is what I was able to take a photo of.  Nothing much.  Just farmlands of North Korea.

The fourth and last stop of our tour was the Dorasan Train Station.  It is the last train station of South Korea before the DMZ.  It was built in anticipation of unification, but this was stalled when South Korea elected a new president last 2008.  His administration is anti-North Korea. Even more so today, after the attack on that South Korean island early this year.

South Korean males are required to render military service for 2 years.  EJ and I stand next to one of them.

Anyone care to join me take a train ride to Pyeongyang?

After the Dorasan Station stop, the tour bus went home.  We got dropped of at Yongsan Electronics Market in downtown Seoul at around 1:30pm.

For US$42, sulit na siya.  Freedom Tours provided a pretty decent tour of the DMZ.  However, if you really want the complete tour (visit the JSA) and have the extra money and time, then the USO/Koridoor tour is your best bet.  

Whatever you choose, make sure you go on a DMZ tour.

Budget:

DMZ Tour by Freedom Tours          P 1,850

Changdeokgung (Changdeok Palace)

Seoul has many palaces.  There's Gyeongbokgung, Deoksugung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung, and Gyeonghuigung. If you have a lot of time on your hands, you can go visit all of them.  But Ria and I were staying in Korea for only a few days, so we chose to go to one.

We decided to visit Changdeokgung because it was the site for the Koreanovela, Jewel in the Palace (Dae Jang Geum).  It was built in 1405 to serve as the royal residence for the Joseon Dynasty.  It is also known as the Eastern Palace, and is registered under the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

Here we are at the Donhwamun, the entrance to the palace.  It was very cold and windy.  I think the temperature was 8 C.  This was freezing weather considering we live in Manila where the average temperature is 32 C.

They have markers in front of every building with a map and a description

This is Injeong-jeon, the throne hall.

Hiding behind the corridors at Huljeong-dang, the residence of the King.  The color scheme there is green and red, with dark blue tiles.  The tour guide told us that the tiles were replaced every so often because of wear and tear.  Also with the paint--they get retouched when they fade away.

Ticket office before entering the Secret Garden (also known as Forbidden Garden and Rear Garden).  Entrance to both Changdeokgung and Secret Garden (with guided tour) cost W8,000 (around P320.00).  That day there were only 2 scheduled English tours, 11:30am and 2:30pm.  We took the 11:30 english guided tour.

Posing with my brother-in-law, EJ, at the walls of Seongjeong-gak.

English Guided Tour of the Secret Garden.  Our tour guide spoke excellent english and explained to us each place.  Here, Ria is trying to figure out where we are.

EJ and Annette with other people in the tour.

This is Buyongji and Juham-nu.  It's a place for study and meditation.

Still in Buyongji.  This pavilion used to be a library of a prince.

Our group photo before entering Aeryeongji.

This is Yeongyeong-dang.  A traditional mansion of a government official with separate buildings for men and women.

The male quarters.

Ria swore she recognized this place in a scene of Jewel in the Palace.  I didn't watch that show so I just believed her.

The temperature in Korea can really drop, so they heated the rooms by burning wood underneath the houses.

This is Jondeok-jeong walkway.  You can notice how serene this place is.  There's a lotus pond and a gazebo to help prince and princesses relax, meditate and enjoy nature.

Trying to relax and meditate like the Joseon princes did over 100 years ago.

Walking down to Ongnyucheon.

All gazebos had tiles on roofs, except for this.  I call it the "Dap-ayan ti Korea" because it resembles the huts in my province.

Chandeokgung can be reached by subway (Line 3) and getting off at Anguk Station.  Train ticket should cost you approximately W1,000 (P40.00).

Budget:
 

Item	Price
One-way Subway Fare	P 40
Palace Entrace	P 120
Secret Garden Tour TOTAL	P  200 P 360