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Korean handphone : Is it a must?

2010년 9월 20일 월요일 오전 9:05 작성자: Korea Travel
It is an option; for me at least.

Jang Geun Suk or Samsung Corby? You can only choose one! ^^
The red or the blue pill..hehe.


Why?

1. The process of buying/renting is tedious
2. You have cheaper option; Skype!
3. Wi-Fi is FREE almost everywhere in Korea.
4. Try to be WIRE - less for a while folks! ^^

Handphone buying/renting process in Korea


1. At the Airport
Check online -> book -> pick up handphone in Korea -> use

Once you reach Incheon Airport, you could rent a phone. After you pick up your luggage, just walk towards the airport limousine pick up area and you will see the phone rental counter right before the exit. Check KNTO site for Incheon Airport layout here.

List of rental phone services which might help you:
SRoaming - Phone rental 1,400 won to 2,700 won per day.
SKTelecom - Phone rental 2,000 won to 3,000 won per day.
KT Show - Phone rental 1,800 won to 2,700 won per day.

2.At the Guesthouse/Motel/Hotel
Some guesthouses/motels/hotels have the phone rental facilities. Namsan Guesthouse offers one time fee 5,000 won per rental and you return after you use. You need to pay the consumption based on your usage.
Say if you stay for 7 days: 5,000 won/7 ~715won per day!
Cheaper than the airport rental.


3.At Mobile shop
I bought a Samsung flip phone for 15,000won and credit 10,000won. It lasted for 3 months. Just walk into any mobile shop/center and inquire for used handphone. Some are FREE phone and you just need to pay the credit; if you don't mind about NOT having a fancy/up-to-date gadget.
However, you may need to show your alien registration card before you can purchase one OR like me, I just tried my luck and showed my passport.

Samsung Corby anyone? I want pink!!

Skype
Those who have Wi-Fi enhanced handphone, make full use of Skype. In Korea, Wi-Fi service is FREE almost everywhere. Just login to Skype to make a call/sms back home. When I was in Korea, the internet speed for home was 100Mbps. Talk about downloading HD Movie of 4Gb in less than 15 minutes! OMG! You can't compare with that measly throttled speed UNIFI promotion which only caters maximum 20Mbps. Malaysia still has a longgggggggggg way to go.

What I did was a call or two in a day to my friends/family members via Skype. Check Skype rates here.
A minute call to land line in Malaysia costs about 20.119won ~ 5 cents
A minute call to mobile line in Malaysia costs about 75.815won ~ 20 cents
One sms/text to Malaysia is 91.443won ~ 25 cents.
For Maxis/Celcom/Digi roaming, international sms/text cost about RM2 if I'm not mistaken.

I'd rather do calls because it's cheaper than sending text. ^^
Note: Rates may change.

WIRE-LESS to be STRESS LESS
I know that you want to be reachable anywhere and anytime but unless you are a businessman or you are a VVIP and your presence is needed every single second, then try to be wire-less at least for your trip/holiday. It doesn't hurt to be wire-less for a while. Life is all about bonding more with what you are presented with in front of you rather than frequently updating your tweets or facebook's wall posts. Hehehe..no hard feeling to those twitter or FB addicts out there. ^^
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Don't Repeat My Mistakes

2010년 8월 18일 수요일 오전 9:05 작성자: Korea Travel
I list out some of my bloopers while travelling in South Korea which I could remember. Hope it helps! 

1. I didn't activate my ATM card for international withdrawal

Before I depart to Korea, I did call my bank to activate my credit cards. (Make sure you have two cards at least, Visa and Master each) I also called to activate my ATM card ( I only have one saving account, bad move :( ). The worst part was the card was not activated because I didn't send a formal letter to the bank stating the reasons for international withdrawal. I didn't know that I could not simply call the bank and get the card activated! 

I had only around 50,000 won for 1 week in Seoul. The moment I went to the ATM machine in Dongdaemun, the card was rejected. I tried three times, it was still rejected. Hmmm..later that night I emailed my friend in Malaysia asking her sister's help to activate my card. Luckily, she could uplift the block because she was the manager in authorization department. 

I wanted to thank my good friend Hassan for lending me his money while I was in dire need for cash. May Allah bless you. 

Moral of the story: Make sure you follow the correct procedure with banks. Don't assume!

2. I went to the wrong bus terminal and picked the wrong date 

Hanim and I decided to choose Gwangcheon for wwoofing. Since Seoul has 3 different bus terminals, I wasn't sure which one to go. So I checked with the guesthouse's owner. He said I should go to the Main Bus Terminal. We took a taxi because Hanim had a huge trolley bag while I had a 15kg backpack. We ruled out subway even though it's cheaper. It was too much hassle going from Yaksu Station to Main Bus Terminal Station with heavy luggages. We paid around 10,000 won for the taxi.

Once we reached the bus terminal, the ticket officer told me that I should go to Nambu Bus Terminal instead. "What?!! Come on..you're bluffing right?" so I thought. I had no choice but to take the subway and headed for Nambu. Aigoo.. I should have double checked and asked for second opinion.

To top on that, we had to wait almost 4 hours for the bus. There were so many people going back to their hometown because of public holiday. My mistake. Again and again. Should have picked another date instead of that day. Click the link here for our ticket to Gwangcheon. 

Check this link for more information on Bus Terminals in Seoul. 

Moral of the story: Get second opinion if you're not sure and plan your itinerary well. 

3. I didn't check the review of WWOOF's host

Before going to Gwangcheon I was a bit curious on the WWOOF's host detail. It was stated in the WWOOF's book that the host could accept 20 WWOOFers at one time. 20! Wow..so cool. I imagined that I could meet other people from around the globe volunteering there. I didn't think twice and choose Gwangcheon. 

It was different from my imagination. The farm was so huge and only the host,his wife, me and Hanim working on it. It means working your ass off from dawn to dusk. Harvesting is normally done during autumn. It was fun and bitter memories at the same time. Sometimes we received help from grandmothers living in the village. They were paid around 40,000 won for whole day. So cheap! I pity them. 

By the second week, (I don't know why I persevered. Maybe because I took it in good stride) I thought that this was too much and at that moment Yong Jun came to save us. Read the rest here. 

Moral of the story: Try to Google for a review on the host before going. WWOOF is supposed to be a cultural exchange thingy where you trade working for 4-6 hours per day for FREE lodging and food. It is not slavery. 

4. I didn't rent/buy a handphone

Vandalism is pretty nil in South Korea so I refused to rent/buy a handphone and opting to use public phone instead. However, it is very hard to locate them sometimes and I could not contact my friends or WWOOF hosts when I had an emergency. 

It wasn't until the third month in South Korea that I decided to buy a used handphone. It happened by accident. I was on my way to Dongdaemun but I chose to drop off at Dongdaemun Stadium because I thought of exploring the area around there and later walked my way to Dongdaemun instead. After walking around 100 metres from the exit, I found a stretch of shops selling handphones but the advertisements outside the shop was written in Russian. I was curious. Hmm..maybe they sell cheap handphones for Russian workers?

I hit a jackpot. ^^. I barged into the shop and bought a used Samsung handphone for 15,000 won and prepaid reload for 10,000 won. There was a trick though. Normally they need your Alien registration card for proof, but I told them I hadn't get mine yet and I wanted to rent the handphone earlier. My application went through. Yeay!

You could get a used handphone for FREE too but it doesn't have much function. If you failed to rent/buy one, get your Korean friend to buy/rent for you once you reach Seoul. They could buy from GMarket too. 

Moral of the story: Just rent/buy a used handphone. It's cheap. 

5. I forgot to bring medication

WWOOFing is not easy. I forgot to bring some analgesic cream or Yoko-Yoko for my sore muscle after a hard day farming ^^. Intentionally, I left my Tiger balm because I assumed I didn't need it here. You never know when you need one. I had a severe stomach ache and I wished I had one with me at that time. If you are prone to gastric like me, prepare your prescription ahead. 

Moral of the story: Prepare your medication ahead. 

6. I didn't learn sufficient Korean survival phrases

I know it's hard to learn a foreign language. It's much harder if the language doesn't use the same English alphabet. Aigoo..Before going, I tried my best to learn Korean. But it wasn't enough. I stumbled too many times for the first month but slowly I picked up the important daily sentences used by the locals. Some regions have their own dialects (Saturi). If you go to Busan, they speak totally different Korean from Seoulites. I love Busan saturi though. It's like music to my ears.

Moral of the story: Buy one good Korean survival phrasebook like Lonely Planet's.

                                                  
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    Essential Items for Backpackers

    2010년 7월 6일 화요일 오전 6:56 작성자: Korea Travel
    The Essential Items All Backpackers Must Take on Their Travels  

    So you've booked your trip to go travelling. You've paid for your ticket, you've researched where you're going and now you're just dreaming of getting on that plane. Before you go you need to pack your essentials.

    You need to pack wisely so you're not carrying too much unnecessary what. So just what will you need to help make your perfect trip?

    1. Scissors. You must have scissors on your travels. Things need to be cut. Toenails get long. Clothes fray. Scissors are in the bag.

    2. Sun Cream. You may be going to Antarctica or Bermuda. Either way you need sun cream. The sun never stops shining. Somewhere some place you will need it.

    3. Passport. In this modern age a passport is a must. Has to be in.

    4. Socks. You must have socks. Feet get cold. Socks get damp. Blisters can occur. Clean new socks are a must.

    5. Underpants. Same thing. You must have under pants. Keeps things healthy. Good to put on when meeting new people for example.

    6. A book. Any book will do. But you need a book. Long journeys can be boring. Break them up by reading trashy Jackie Collins/intense Frederick Forsyth/rubbish love stories/romance novels/thrillers/any old rubbish.

    7. Sunglasses. When the sun comes out you need sunglasses. It's just a fact. They keep your eyes working, you need them in all environments and they make you look good. So there.

    8. Antiseptic cream. If you're really traveling you'll need it. Getting tropical infections/lurgy in a remote jungle is no laughing matter. Take some. It will help save your leg from amputation.

    9. Toothpaste and toothbrush. Teeth are the route to health. Ya got to keep them clean. Make sure to take both on your travels. You should make new friends quickly that way.

    10. Money. Yes you'll have some in your pocket but keep some/a little in your bag too. You're then covered if you a) get mugged, b) drunkenly dive in the water fully clothed, c) have to run naked from the scene when a spouse comes home to find you in their bed!

    11. T-shirts. If you're traveling you'll need t-shirts. Light, quick and easy. Suitable for all sorts of events. Take 3 with you and Wash in rotation. Job done.

    12. Shorts. Take your pick from board shorts, swim shorts, bun huggers, athletic shorts, spandex shorts, walking shorts. Basically whatever you feel comfortable in. You'll need them.

    13. A hat. A hat protects you from the sun. The sun is hot. It can burn skin. It stops you dehydrating. If in doubt wear a hat.

    14. A compass. When lost in foreign lands a compass can help. I know it's old fashioned. But if you don't have GPS or a phone it's a life saver.

    15. A language phrase book. You will be able to communicate with the locals. It will stop you saying the wrong thing and getting into a fight. Also handy when trying to eat something that won't make you ill.

    Alex Haigh is a surf clothing designer and reporter. He covers the latest fashion trends from Animal backpacks to board shorts and more. Keep up to date with his latest reviews at the Havaiana flip flops video blog.

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    Friends of Budget Travel to Korea

    2009년 6월 8일 월요일 오전 4:32 작성자: Korea Travel
    Friends?

    Those websites or resources which can help us to reduce expenses and enjoy the sights and trip more in Korea deserve to be called a friend. Perhaps BFF? (Best Friend Forever)

    *Assuming you are not acquainted with any Korean natives


    List of friends would be:

    1. Newsletter from Airlines

    My advice is to subscribe to all applicable airlines. They would from time to time send a lucrative deal to grab for different sectors. The offer will be limited to certain travel period and most of the time you can’t refund if you cancel your plan. Nevertheless, through this you would be able to reduce your flight expenses significantly.

    For example; I went to HongKong on February 2009 for one week via Cathay Pacific offer equivalent to RM500 ~ USD138 for a return ticket. Normal ticket would double or triple of that price.

    You may subscribe to these Airlines (with online/e-ticketing), as I did:

    Malaysia Airlines

    Cathay Pacific

    Singapore Airline

    AirAsia

    2. Tour2Korea

    I am very impressed with their website. It is very informative and almost a one-stop destination of all the things that you need to know about Korea. Superb! Seventy percent of the information here is enough for you to track the places but for budget travel in Korea, you may need to rely on a few other resources.

    3. Lonely Planet

    Most of budget traveler definitely know what Lonely Planet is. I frequently visit their thorn tree forum for Korea to get some advice from experienced traveler and even locals who replied in the forum. It’s online and most of the time is the latest information that you can absorb. 100% helpful and definitely will help to reduce your expense with proper planning.

    4. Trip Advisor

    Research..research..research. I can’t stress enough on this word. Even before going that road, I would only survive with tips and advise from this website. They are really systematic and structure their website in a very user-friendly mode. I like it when all of those travelers joined ideas and experience for other newbie like me. Massive information can be gained from here and in fact I did a lot of research on budget accommodation from this site as well. All those reviews are pretty reliable. One more thing, don't forget to subsribe to their newsletter.

    5. Youtube

    Seeing is believing. Right? Glad that other kind souls out there put extra effort and broadcast their videos in Youtube. Youtube is really a work of art. In terms of budget traveling, the pros are all on us. The travelers basically giving advise through this videos whether a place is worth a visit or happening places that you just cannot miss during your travel. I’m glad that I surf through youtube.

    6. Fellow bloggers

    If you can see that I link to a few bloggers in my blog. This is for me to keep myself up to date on the places that I want to visit. For example, Gwangju is definitely going to be my spot. Thanks to Kimchi and Cornbread, I could keep abreast with what happen around that area. Most of the bloggers that I link to, they are either have been there or currently there. It would be better if you could find a native blog but finding an English written blog by native Korean is a challenge for me. A mission for me though.
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