Little I know about Korean traditional culture as to compare with Chinese. My knowledge on Korean culture is rather limited to their entertainment industry. Who can deny the wave of KPop and KDrama, where one can be so fanatic and the other end shall utterly reject. Me myself is quite a fan of their music too, even though I have no idea what they are singing about. (Confession: I'm a SONE). I guess there is something about their music that get me hooked. Other than that, what inspires me for this trip is my personal bucket list to travel to the oriental countries.
No visa is required for visiting South Korea. The currency that is used in Korea is won. 10,000 won is approximately equal to 30 MYR. The notes come in 1000, 5000, 10000 and 50000. During our trip it was end of March, the end of Summer and the beginning of Spring. Sakura (or Cherry Blossom) which is more famously known in Japan can be sighted in Korea as well. Even so, the weather was still rather chilly at that point of time, around 20 degree Celcius during day time and falls below 10 degree as the night falls. Jacket is necessary if you decided to visit at this time frame. The time in Korea is one hour ahead of that in Malaysia.
Sakura spotted at Jeju Island
Our trip lasted for 8 days which covers three cities in Korea: 4 days in Seoul, 2 days in Jeju Island and 2 days in Busan. It takes 6 hours of flight to reach Seoul from Kuala Lumpur. Using midnight flight from KLIA2, we kicked off our trip in the city right after settling down at our hostel. All parts of the city are easily reached via subway, including trains to and fro airports and famous theme park that is 2 hours away from Seoul. There are two airports serves Seoul: Incheon International Airport (most international flights transit here) and Gimpo International Airport (mostly for domestic flights and with limited international flight routes). We traveled to Jeju Island and Busan via Air Busan, one of the local airlines. Other options include Jeju Air to travel across Korea. Early booking may permit cheap fares for both airlines. It is recommended to rent a car in Jeju Island for its public transport is limited to buses and taxis, considering the location among places of interest are rather distant from one another to save time. Busan, being the second largest city, is fully equipped with extensive subway network as well which makes commuting very convenient.
Me and the famous Metasequoia footpath at Nami Island
It will be best if you can pick up some Korean language before coming to Korea although most of the locals can understand English. Language is one thing, Hangul is another. Hangul is basically Korean alphabets in which I believe it is easier to learn compared to the language itself (regret didn't do that earlier) as most of the signage is in Hangul. You may not understand what it means but at least you get to know what it says, especially the name of the places. Anyway, our trip is pretty enjoyable with this limitation.
Korea Trip Journey:
1. Seoul - The Culture Capital
2. Jeju Island - The Island of Romance
3. Busan - The City of Beaches