Our Videos of Korea

Videos we took during our trip to South Korea last March 2011.
1. At Changdeokgung Palace

2. Inside the Forbidden / Secret Garden

3. Inside one of the Royal Government Residences during the Joseon Dynasty

4. At Chyeonggyecheon Stream

5. At Myeong-dong Shopping District

Traditional Korean Hanbok Costumes

The whole time we were in Korea, Ria wanted to have a picture taken with a Korean woman in a Hanbok dress.  Unfortunately, we didn't see anyone in a Hanbok dress in Changdeok Palace or anywhere else in Seoul.

We thought all was lost, until we got to Incheon International Airport.  While looking for a place to have dinner, we discovered the Traditional Korean Cultural Experience Zone near one of the gates (West Wing, Gate 31).  Lo and behold, there were ladies in Hanbok costumes like this one!

Ria was ecstatic!!!  At last her Korean tour is complete!  
The Traditional Korean Cultural Experience Zone has a stage at one end, and all kinds of Hanbok clothes we could try on for FREE!  And so, the Korean tourism lady helped us in our Hanbok costumes and we clicked away!

Hanbok is the traditional korean dress associated with the Joseon Dynasty.  It is formal attire worn by Koreans during special and formal occassions like a child's first birthday, weddings and funerals. 
Here we are, Annette, Ria and I, pretending to be Korean Royalty.

Thanks, Incheon Airport!  You completed our Korean Experience!

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

Zip Line from Gapyeong to Nami Island

Having just opened last November 2010, very little has been written about Nami Island’s (Namiseom) latest attraction, the 940 meter long Nami Skyline ZipWire ZipRider (zip-line cable ride) from Gapyeong Wharf to Namiseom.  And their website is not helpful unless you know how to read Korean.

So, EJ, Annette, Ria and I had to discover it by ourselves when we went there.

Nami Island can be reached by Tour Bus from Insadong, Seoul.  Round trip fare costs W15,000 (or P600*).  However, They follow only one schedule.  The bus leaves Insadong at 9am and returns at 4pm.  I didn’t want to go there on a fixed schedule, so I decided to go there via Korail train.

From wherever you are billeted in Seoul, take the subway to Sangbong Station (using Line 7 or the olive green line).  Fare should be around W1,000 (or P40).  When you get there, transfer to the Gyeongchun Line and take the train to Gapyeong Station.  Don’t worry, directional signs are in Korean and English so you won't get lost.  Fare should be around W1,800 (or P70).  Gapyeong is 60 kilometers east of Seoul and the train ride should take about 60 to 70 minutes.

Once you get to Gapyeong Station, you take a taxi to Gapyeong Wharf.  Fare should be W3,000 (or P120).  The Nami Skyline Zipwire ZipRider Tower is next to the wharf.

From Gapyeong Wharf, you can reach Nami Island by ferry.  Round-trip fare (including entrance to the island) costs W8,000 (P320).

OR, you can take the Zipwire, which is what WE did.

There were no lines to the zipwire, compared to the line for the ferry.  Either the tourists were scared of ziplining, or they thought it was too cold to hang on a zipline 80 meters (260 feet) above the Cheongpyeong Lake.

According to the guy at the front desk, their zipline is Euro Standard compliant.  It was built by the same company who built ziplines in Utah, Colorado, California, New Hampshire, Vermont and Switzerland.

Ziplining from Gapyeong Wharf to Nami Island will set you back W38,000 (P1,500), including entrance and return ferry.

Feeling adventurous, the four of us tried it out.

You get to the top floor via elevator.  It was cold that day.  Temperature was about 4 degrees Centegrade (4°C).  The wind was blowing, but the tower did not sway--as I had earlier expected.  The tower was solid and sturdy, which was good.

Once you get to the top, you will be met by a guy who will brief you on what to do.  Basically, sit down and lift your feet when you land.

While waiting, there was a tent with a heater to warm ourselves.

Watching the couple ahead of us zipline to Nami Island.

When it was our turn, we jumped into our harnesses.  The zipline guys strapped us in.  And then opened the doors.  Only then do you realize how high up you are from the ground, and it’s too late to back out!

Annette and EJ getting ready for their turn.

Surprisingly, the ride down was not fast like a rollercoaster.  Ria and I glided on average speed (the website says about 35 mph).  The speed was just enough for us to take in the experience and enjoy the scenery.  I used my point and shoot camera to videotape the whole ride.  Will post it next time.

The zipline ride lasted for about 1 minute.  It was quick, but well worth it.  After all, how many of us can say that they ziplined a kilometer, 80 meters above a lake in South Korea?

My next post will be about our time in Nami Island.

Budget:

Item	Price
Subway Fare to Sangbong Station	P 40
Train Fare to Gapyeong	P 70
Taxi to Gapyeong Wharf	P 120
Zip-Line to Nami Island with Entrance and Ferry	P  1,500
TOTAL	P 1,730

 

*As of March 2011, currency exchange rate is W1 = P0.04