South Korea: Seoul: Hongdae: Cocoon Stay Guesthouse

Cocoon Stay Hongdae Guesthouse 코쿤 스테이 홍대 게스트하우스
34-4, Yanghwa-ro 18an-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
서울특별시 마포구 양화로18안길 34-4 (동교동)
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2017 Oct: South Korea: Seoul: Chrysanthemum Festival at Jogyesa Temple

2017 Oct: South Korea: Seoul: Chrysanthemum Festival at Jogyesa Temple

At the time of our visit, Jogyesa Temple Chrysanthemum Festival is being held. Different figures were displayed using various colors and sizes of chrysanthemum. Little did I know that Chrysanthemum is a classic autumn flower, good thing events like this exists so that people can enjoy the beauty and scent of autumn chrysanthemum in the middle of urban city.

Kpop Travel Itinerary to Seoul, South Korea

A fusion of tradition, culture and k-pop experience. This itinerary is to cater first time travelers who are too fond of k-pop and idols over the traditional places to see in Seoul.

Accommodation:  Where to stay in Seoul?

If looking for an affordable (roughly 3,600 - 4,000 php/night) room for 5 persons, check out airbnb.com.

Guest House: "Good Morning Korea,HongDae." 

Host: JoongKeun(John)

Location: The exact location will be disclosed upon your reservation. May not  be located in the middle of the busy streets, but instead on a quiet back road and a long walking distance from Exit 5 or Exit 6.

Korean Demilitarized Zone

We booked the DMZ Tour thru sunburstkorea. Pick-up is at Hongik Univ. Station, Exit 3, there we joined other individuals joining the tour. We took a mini-bus all the way to Paju area.

First stop, Imjingak and Freedom Bridge, here one can see a lot of photos and articles showing life in North Korea. If includes ware fare and other remnants of the war. [Reference]

South Korea: Shopping Zone in Seoul

Aside from Myeongdong and Namdaemun markets, finally was able to visit other places on this trip.

Dongdaemun

Include visit to underground shopping stalls, street food, Doota Mall, etc.  

DDP (Dongdaemun Design Plaza) offers exhibit who can see arts.  It may be expensive, but items extremely depict art on it's own.

South Korea: Seoul: Namsan Tower (N Seoul Tower)

Cable Car
Others will prefer cable car to oversee the mountains and trees.  I tried it on 2011, but seems like the distance from the ground is not that high.  If you don't care about the budget, you can opt for this transportation.

South Korea: Seoul: Insadong

Insadong is very close to Changdeokgung Palace, it a good stop for a market happening and for those who like to experience culture and buy traditional goods.

South Korea: Deoksugung Palace

2014 Oct: Deoksugung Palace Night Lights

During spring and autumn, 2 grand palaces in Seoul offers special open night tickets, where tourists and locals can get inside until late night.

South Korea: Gyeonggi-do: Gapyeong-gun: Petite France

In reality, Petite France is a historic city in Strasbourg, France.  But it Korea, it is a famous filming location as seen in Secret Garden, Petite France (Running Man Episode 40, guests: Taecyeon and Nichkhun), others.

South Korea: Gyeonggi-do: The Garden of Morning Calm

The Garden of Morning Calm
아침고요수목원
Location: 432, Sumogwon-ro, Sang-myeon, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do (경기도 가평군 상면 수목원로 432)
Link: http://www.morningcalm.co.kr/_ENG/html/main.php

South Korea: Gangwon-do: Chuncheon: Nami Island

Options on how to reach Nami Island

Manila Art 2017

An art fair showcasing the local and invited artists with their contributions to arts and culture.  Below are some that caught my attention.

Budget Travel: How much does it cost to travel to South Korea

Hi traveler!  You may be asking - How much does it cost for a trip to South Korea?  How much does it cost to eat in South Korea?  How much should I budget for a trip to Korea?  What would probably be your spending pattern in your upcoming Seoul Trip?

If you are in the middle of filling-up your visa application on Page 4 Section 10.1 Estimated travel cost, the quickest answer would be a safe estimate of 5,000php (100 USD) per day. With minimum of 500-600USD per person for a 5-7 days trip.

If you would like to know more details on budget planning, continue reading.  This will not promise you the cheapest value of the trip, but a smart spending when travelling abroad.  This entry was inspired by the recent inquiry in Trip Advisor.  Hopefully this can help you plan your budget for your trip.

South Korea: Seoul: Folk Miniature Museum

Folk Museum, is a miniature of old villages and a total package that shows Korean history. I must commend this place as they were very good in creating those miniatures as the details are so intricate. The place is so huge, a lot of things to see, I think we had it for an hour and a half and ended like an ‘overload’ of miniatures and history in mind – but the artistry in this place is so amazing! Wow!

South Korea: Gangwon-Do: Seoraksan

How to reach Seoraksan from Seoul?