Travel Diaries 2016: Where to stay in Myeong-dong Seoul, South Korea

You might be planning your next trip to South Korea and wondering where could be the best place to stay in- just in the center of tourist spots and shopping districts, most importantly budget friendly. After a lot of research over the internet where to stay, finally we reserved a room for 5 pax in Namsan Guest House, Myeongdong Seoul.

Address: Namsan Guest House, 35-2, Namsandong 2 ga, Jung gu, Seoul, Korea
Telephone Number: (02) 752-6362, (02) 752-6364
Fax: (02) 778-7812
Website: http://www.namsanguesthouse.com/intro.html

Here is the Lobby Area. This photo was actually taken by one of the owners of guesthouse. Haha!

We booked a room for 5-6 pax, and got the VIP 1 room. The pictures below was actually got from their website. (Honestly, I was not able to take pictures inside the room! Geez! But I swear, the pictures that they provided are true to life. Hehe!)

Just to give you an idea, we have booked the room for 6 days. Each one of us paid 120,000KRW ~ 5087.34Php for the whole stay (at today's conversion)

Upon opening the door, you will see these matresses.

This is the bathroom area. Before entering bathroom, there is a walk-in closet where you can place your luggage and hang clothes.

Amenities:

• Wifi Available
• WiFi Egg rental service (additional charge) *Wifi egg is a pocket wifi in South Korea
• outlet converter (additional charge)
• TV with cable
• Air conditioned room
• Cold and Hot shower
• Free toothpaste, soap, and tissue
• Hair dryer available
• Towels provided
• Free breakfast (Coffee, bread and instant ramen only)
• Available pantry (with water dispenser hot or cold, coffee maker, refrigerator, and oven toaster)
• Available laundry

Here I am making the best three coffees for my friends in Myeongdong. LOL!

You know you are in a korean house if you have unlimited instant ramen available in pantry. Haha!

Available spreads for your toast and of course, sugar or creamer for your coffee.

"Woah, that is one huge folgers though!" (reaction coming from a coffee lover)

There is no curfew actually since they will provide you the password lock of the main entrance door. So no need to be in hurry, you guys can stay up all night exploring the city.


GUESTHOUSE REVIEW:

Cleanliness: 4 out of 5 stars
Good: room and bathroom are very clean; no foul or stinky smell; area around guesthouse is overall clean
Needs improvement: no actual housekeeper, they will clean the room upon request.


Staff: 4 out of 5 stars
Good: very accommodating, warm and polite to customers; staff can speak English
Needs improvement: lobby area may be empty at times, no one will accommodate you


Service: 4 out of 5 stars
Good: happy to know that they are serving coffee and bread for breakfast
Needs improvement: sometimes bread is not available

Safety: 5 out of 5 stars
Good: neighborhood is safe even late at night. security lock of main door is provided.

Accessibility: 5 out of 5 stars
Good: Near Myeongdong subway station (100m away); near the shopping district and tourist spots. Convenience store is 100m away. Also, very convenient from airport bus station.


While going around the place...

Myeongdong crossing. This is just 100m away from the Guesthouse. In the picture that is the money exchange we used to get our moneys converted to KRW.

Shopping district in Myeongdong area during daytime.

Shopping district in Myeongdong area at night.

Enjoy your next stay in Korea! ;)

xo,
Lars

Travel Diaries 2016: Things to know before going to South Korea (For first timers!!!)

If you are wondering how to apply for a korean visa or what are the requirements before applying, here are the few things that I will tell you.

As a first timer to go to South Korea, I am really worried that my visa might not be approved. We have booked our ticket last year (October 2015) so it will be a waste of money if in case that may happen. Fortunately, me and my friends got our visas approved last September 2016, just in time for our trip. Yooohooo!!!

All set and ready to go! WOOT WOOT!

So if you are wondering what we did, here are the steps how to apply for a Korean visa:

1. Go to this website to check what are the requirements:
http://embassy_philippines.mofa.go.kr/english/as/embassy_philippines/visa/requirement/

There are a few choices that you need to specify before applying. Since I am an employee, of course I chose the option "For Employees".

2. Basically once you chose an option, it will provide a list of requirements. Below is the list that you need to provide (Option: "For Employees"):

Tourist/Business Visa Requirements for Employees
1. Application Form
2. 1 piece of Passport size colored picture
3. Original Passport (should be valid for more than 6 months)
4. Photocopy of Passport Bio-page (page 2)
5. Original & Photocopy of valid visa/s and arrival stamps to OECD member countries for the past 5 years (If applicable only)
6. Original Certificate of Employment
(must include applicant's position, date hired, compensation, office address, HR landline number(cell-phone number is not allowed), HR e-mail address)
7. Original Personal Bank Certificate
(must include account type, current balance, account opening date, ADB)
8. Bank Statement
(original or certified true copy of bank statements/passbook for the last 3 months)
9. ITR(Income Tax Return) or Form 2316 Copy
10. Copy of PRC Card or IBP Card (If applicable only)

* If personally invited by Korean
. Invitation Letter
. Photocopy of invitor's Passport or Identification Card
(authentication not required)
* If invited by Company in Korea
. Invitation Letter
. Photocopy of Korean Company Business Permit
(authentication not required)
* Frequent travelers who have traveled as tourist to OECD member countries within 5 years are exempted from submitting ITR.


3. After getting all the requirements that you needed, make sure that once you apply for a Korean visa, all requirements stated above will be provided. That is one tip that I am sure of that will help your visa to get approved easily. :)


Common FAQs:

1. Do we really need to provide "show money"?
Well, after reading a lot of articles and asking my friends or colleagues who have been there, they said that there is no such thing as "show money". They just need to ensure that your bank account can sustain your trip to Korea. But just to make sure, I allotted ample money in my bank account.

2. What type of paper I used in printing the application form?
I used an A4 size paper. Also, avoid making erasures. Everything must be well prepared.

3. What background did you use for the picture?
Just to be safe enough, use white background.

4. When should we apply for Korean visa?
You can apply 30 days prior your trip or within 30 days before your trip. A single entry visa is valid for 30 days only.

5. I am travelling with my friends or with my family, some of us do not have time to visit the embassy and pass the requirements, can I just ask them to pass my application?
Yes. Just make sure that you have provided all the needed requirements.

6. In the application form, how much should be the estimated travel cost?
Make sure that you put an ample amount of money that is very realistic which can sustain your whole trip in Korea. For me, I put 525USD = 25,000Php (Just to give you an idea, I travelled with my friends for 6 days).

7. Do you think I will be approved even though I haven't gone to any countries and as a first timer in Korea??
A very big, YES! To tell you honestly, this was my first time travelling out of the country in 25 years of existence. Haha! As what I have said, just make sure that everything that you will declare is true and all requirements needed will be provided. I promise, you will get your visa just in time.

8. Where is the embassy of Korea located?
Address : 122 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Town Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig city 1634, Philippines
It is better if you take C5 route, keep an eye once you passed SM Aura because that will be you cue that you are already near the place. Stay on the right lane and you will also pass by Jollibee or Petron. Straight ahead and before the Mckinley welcome signage, you will see the Korean embassy.

For more information how to get there: http://embassy_philippines.mofa.go.kr/english/as/embassy_philippines/mission/location/index.jsp

9. Where to get their application form?
You can download the app form here: http://www.mofa.go.kr/ENG/image/common/title/res/visa_application_form(15.06.15.).pdf


Please note that the links provided above may subject to change. It is better to visit the main page of korean embassy for more accurate information.

Visit their website: http://embassy_philippines.mofa.go.kr/english/as/embassy_philippines/main/index.jsp


I hope I was able to help in this article. Let me know how it turned out, and enjoy your next trip to Korea! :)

Travel Diaries 2016: 5 Things to do in Namsan Tower and Love Locks in Seoul, South Korea

It was our first night in Seoul and we really cannot hide our excitement to explore the city. One of the main attractions that you may want to check out when visiting Seoul is the Namsan Tower. We love the cool weather when we visited Seoul last October 2016. It is much easier to tour around and do a lot of walking!

The N Seoul Tower or commonly known as Namsan Tower or Seoul tower, is a communication and observation tower located on Namsan Mountain in central Seoul, South Korea. At 236m, it marks the highest point in Seoul. (Source: Wikipedia)

How to get there?

We are lucky enough that Namsan Tower was just 10 minutes away from our guesthouse. If you are within Myeongdong area, you can reach the cable car entrance by walking 10-15 minutes following the street of the right side of the Pacific Hotel, after coming out of the exit 3 of Myeongdong station line 4. I was not able to take a picture of the street, but your landmark will be 7 eleven at the right corner of the street then you will see Pacific Hotel straight ahead.

Going to Namsan Tower proper, you have two options: either climb uphill going to the tower or ride the cable car. It may take you 20 minutes climbing uphill, but still depends on how fast you will climb up to the tower. But when you ride the cable car it will take you 5 minutes to reach the tower and enjoy the beautiful city lights of Seoul.

BUDGET TIP: If you want to save, you can take a one way ticket going up to Namsan Tower then go downhill by foot. One way ticket costs 6,500 KRW. FYI, no entrance fee. Totally FREE!

For an updated list of cable car rides, visit http://www.nseoultower.co.kr/eng/visit/traffic2.asp

What to do in Namsan Tower?

1. Take a picture in there popular love bench. Seriously, you must not leave Namsan Tower without taking a picture in this bench! :)

2. Experience the love locks with your loved one. Well as what they say, you will be with your loved one forever after placing your locks here. If you happen to forget to bring one, you can buy your love locks there.

3. Enjoy the beautiful city lights of Seoul. It tends to get a little crowdy while enjoying the amazing site but who cares? It's not something that you will worry that much. Trust me, it is nothing compared to the crowds here in Manila. Hahaha!

4. Visit the Hello Kitty Island and buy souvenirs. Shoutout to all hello kitty lovers out there! Definitely you want to check this one out. I am not lucky enough to explore Hello Kitty Island since it's already closing time.

I will definitely come back for you.

5. Lastly, you can take pictures in what I call "lover's lane". You would not believe how many times we attempted to take a solo picture here. Photo bombers everywhere! Haha!

Annyeong cutie couple at my back! *seems like impossible to have a decent picture*

If you are wondering, yes there are a lot of restaurants and cafes in Namsan Tower. Though we haven't tried since we are looking for another place to eat dinner. But definitely there are restaurants that you can try.

Our only expense when we went to Namsan Tower was the cable car ride. Totally worth checking out to see Seoul at a different point of view! :)

xo,

Lars