Friday 16 March 2018

South Korea Trip Day 1 - Seoul

We took an early morning flight from Singapore, and landed in Incheon International Airport at about 3.30pm (Korean time). After completing the custom clearance, we went to the convenient store at the arrival hall to buy a T money card and added some value into the card. Initially, we also wanted to buy a mobile SIM card at the same store, but we noticed that the price seems to be on the high side based on the researches we had done prior to the trip. As such, we walked to the Information Counter situated in the middle on the arrival hall to ask where we could possibly buy a SIM card, and they diverted us to a kiosk near the exit gate. This kiosk is near the exit gate where bus 6001 and 6015 stops, and they sells and rents tourist's SIM cards and Wifi eggs. Since the price is reasonable, we purchased a SIM card which is valid for 10 days.


K Money card
Our very cute K Money card

We are staying at Hotel New Oriental Myeong Dong, so after purchasing the SIM card, we waited for the airport bus that goes to Myeong Dong station (both bus 6001 and 6015 goes to Myeong Dong). The driver came down and assisted everyone in putting our luggage into the storage department of the bus, and we paid for the bus fare using our T money card. There are announcements on the name of each bus stop and the hotels nearby the stop in different languages including English and Chinese, so it is not difficult to alight at the correct bus stop. As it was the peak period, it took us about 1 hour 30minutes to reach Myeong Dong station. Hotel New Oriental Myeong Dong is across the street from the bus stop, and after checking in, we headed straight to Gaehwa, a Chinese restaurant famous for its jajangmyeon, to find a cure for our rumbling stomach. 

Gaehwa
Gaehwa
Address: 107-1 Myeongdong 2(I)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea

After a 10minutes walk, we found Gaehwa, and ordered a jajangmyeon (black bean sauce noodle) and a jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup). True to recommendations, the jajangmyeon was fabulous and rich in flavor, and in fact, it was the best jajangmyeon we ate throughout our 10days trip. The jjamppong was, however, not some thing that we could fancy.

jajangmyeon
Jajangmyeon (black bean sauce noodle)

jjamppong
Jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) 

After our dinner, we went for a walk along Myeong Dong street before heading back to the hotel to rest for the day. Hotel New Oriental Myeong Dong is conveniently situated just opposite the busy Myeong Dong street, away from the bustling actions but close enough to enjoy its convenience. Additionally, there is a subway exit near the hotel connecting to Myeong Dong station, and Namdaemun and Namsan Orumi (which leads to the Namsan cable car to N Seoul Tower) are also within walking distance. We were lucky enough to get a room that faces the N Seoul Tower, and we could see the iconic tower right from the comfort of our room. The rooms are also cosy and clean with firm beds that help us sleep well and be recharged for our next day of adventure.

Hotel New Oriental Myeong Dong
Address: 1 Toegye-ro 14-gil, Hoehyeondong 3(sam)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea



Hotel New Oriental Myeong Dong

Hotel New Oriental Myeong Dong

Hotel New Oriental Myeong Dong

N Seoul Tower
View of N Seoul Tower from the hotel room

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