11/23/2017 0 Comments How Cheap is Seoul, South Korea?What comes to your mind when someone mentions South Korea to you?
Well, besides North Korea, other things like Samsung, Hyundai, K-Pop, Kimchi, and Soju might pop into your head. South Korea, particularly Seoul, its capital, is one of the most advanced countries in Asia in terms of economic development, technology, society and government. Many of you may find that hard to believe if you’ve never visited South Korea. I, for example, thought it was going to be another country in Asia that became hooked to a capitalist model, much like China, where it still had lots to improvements to do; I thought it would be cheap. I was completely wrong. South Korea – Seoul – blew my mind. Besides the delicious food, and the outstanding modernity of the city, I was never expecting it to be that advanced. This means I was in for a surprise. Now, I’m not saying this to complain, but for a guy that had a budget, and I mean a LOW budget, Seoul is kind of expensive. The South Korean currency is the Won. It has a 1 to 1 but keep in mind the denominations are in thousands – for example, 1 USD equals 1084 Won. So basically, it is as if you were in the US. Below I will detail some common expenses for a tourist that you should keep in mind when you’re making a budget for Seoul. This is all based on my expenses during my 5-day stay in Seoul Subway: 1,350 Won ($1.25 USD) – One way Taxi: Fares start at 3,000 Won ($2.75 USD) + 700 Won ($0.65 USD) per km Hostel: 15,900 Won ($14.67 USD) – I stayed in Hongdae, which is a popular area Food: Average is 9,000 Won ($8.30 USD) Any other expenses will depend on personal preference. I bought a shirt at the famous Namdaemun Market for 20,000 Won ($18.45 USD); snacks were typically around 6,000 Won ($5.50 USD). By now you get the point. Keep this in mind when coming to visit Seoul. I should’ve done better research but the excitement of going to this places made me forgo that. During my 5-day trip I spent around $700 USD (not taking into account the flight to get there). This was me being very conservative and selective about where to go. I am sure when you come visit, you will have better budgeting skills than I did.
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11/22/2017 0 Comments Where to go in Seoul?1) Gyeongbokgung Palace Enjoy traditional Korean architecture while roaming around this beautiful site. The area includes residences, pavilions, and both the National Palace Museum of Korea and the National Folk Museum of Korea. There are also English tours available at: 11am, 1:30pm & 3:30pm Price: 3000 Won (est. $2.75) 2. Noryangjin (Fish Market) Now this one is not for everybody, but, if you would like to try fresh seafood, the Noryangjin Market is the place to go. It had everything from octopus, different kinds of fish (obviously), king crabs, squid, and some weird stuff I've never seen before. Best part is, you can bargain (maybe just get 10% discount) and have your selection cooked right in front of you at the upstair restaurants. I must warn you, English is barely spoken here, so if you know someone who speaks some Korean, you will do better than if you didn't. You can find this place by taking going to the subway and getting on line 1 and line 9. Tip: If you don't like seeing fish or other animals here slaughtered, then I would suggest not to buy anything but just walk around. 3. Sungnyemun Gate Take a walk around one of the eighth gates of Seoul. Take a brochure and learn how it was destroyed during the x dynasty and by arson in 2008. If you're lucky, you can catch the 4:30 performance of professional martial artists (See below). 4. N Seoul Tower This one is really hard to miss. The N Seoul Tower is located in Namsam Mountain - hence, the "N" in "N Seoul Tower" - where you have two options of getting to the top. I) Take the cable car on Hoehyeondong all the way up the mountain. You would then have to walk up five more minutes to actually reach the tower itself. This option saves you time, and the hassle of having to walk/hike all the way up a steep hill in order to get to the tower. It takes around 10 minutes to arrive at the top. One-way ticket = 6,000Won (est. $5) Return ticket = 8,500 Won (est. $7.62) II) You can walk/hike/run/crawl, whatever means of getting to the top by only using your legs. Not a bad way to exercise if you ask me, but be warned, it can take at least 30-40 minutes depending on where you start, and you physical condition. One of the best thing about walking all the way up, is the different viewpoints you get to see. Plus, once you reach the top, you will spot a nice little restaurant with incredible views of Seoul. Maybe you can even grab a beer to celebrate like I did. Tip: Go during the sunset, but be sure to reach the top before the sun goes down. Walking/hiking/running/crawling = FREE (but bring water) 5. Gwangjang Market Gwangjang Market is home to traditional clothing, fabrics, and lots and lots of delicious FOOD! It is a must visit during your stay in Seoul. Obviously these are not the only places to go to when visiting Seoul but they usually were the ones that stood out the most to me. Everybody has their own preference of what to visit. This is my list.
Feel free to let me know of other cool locations around Seoul. Usually, people go on vacation for three to four days – Thursday to Sunday or sometimes Friday to Sunday – but for Seoul even five days might not be enough. Obviously, every individual has a different goal and plan in mind when travelling but for me, I wanted to explore Seoul AND South Korea in just five days; obviously unrealistic expectations.
Here I will share some tips as to how to maximize your time when going abroad to a vibrant and busy city like Seoul.
There you go. I hope this short list helps you with your travels to Seoul or any other destination of your choosing. Remember to always keep a positive attitude and an open mindset. You WILL be culture shocked no matter what. Just learn to take anything (if possible) with a grain of salt, move on, and you’ll be fine. Plus, think of it this way: Most travel headaches turn into great stories after. 9/17/2017 0 Comments Seoul SearchingDuring my third day in Seoul, I realized a few things: South Koreans are friendly, fashionable, and respectful, Seoul is more westernized/developed than I thought, Soju, young people like to party, hard, Soju, and more Soju. When I first arrived at Incheon International Airport (after losing my flight in Hong Kong – long story) it was 2:30am. The Korean Train Express (train that takes you into the city) was closed and would open at 5am, restaurants were closed, I barely saw any people besides those from my flight and the currency exchange workers. I thought I was going to have to sleep at the airport (again) until I saw a similar store to CVS. I sat down and began looking through my options: Sleep, wait it out and do some work, Uber or Taxi. If you’ve ever slept at an airport you know how uncomfortable that is, so that option is off the table. Waiting it out to do some work wasn’t good either. It was 2:30am and I was exhausted (first flight was supposed to be at 6:40pm). Uber didn’t work since I didn’t have a phone number and taxis weren’t working except unofficial ones, which…HELL NO! After debating (with myself) for 5 minutes, I decided to go exit the airport and see what I can find – Maybe hitchhike? Once outside I saw people lining up at what appeared to be bus stops. I asked a couple that was walking behind me if this was a bus to Seoul. “Yes” – they said. I felt saved. For only 8,000 Won (1 USD = 1,113 Won), this was a no brainer. It took around 30 minutes to get to Seoul station. It was almost 4:30am. What should I do now? Well, I decided to take a taxi. Taxis were parked right next to the station. I pulled out my phone and showed the driver the direction of where I was going. He nodded and signaled me to hop on the back seat. I could tell he didn’t know much English due to his one or two words answers to my questions about Seoul. Driving in Seoul is done on the right side like the U.S. Taxis are metered as well but this one had three phones hooked up to the car. One was displaying the fare, another was the GPS and the last one I have no idea what it was for. It just displayed a bunch of information, obviously in Korean, that I couldn’t read. Looking out the window, I saw modern skyscrapers, buildings with LED lights, clean road signs, and 7-elevens everywhere. Approaching my hostel, the drivers asks for my phone to clarify where I needed to go. He pointed in the right direction but where he pointed was pitch black. I put on a face of confusion that prompted the driver to drive a bit further (5 min.) to exactly where I needed to go. In other areas I’ve visited, this would definitely had not happened. The street was narrow, with low light, and barely any cars passing by. Sensing my fear of “lost tourist” the driver got out of the car and walked me to my hostel. Isn’t that great? All for the same price (9,000 Won). I walk in to the hostel building. The hostel itself was located on the sixth floor. To go in, I had to input this four-digit code into a lock that was part of the door and it would let me in. Kinda fancy if you ask me. I go up, elevator doors open and bam, there was the hostel. The hostel’s name Is Mura. As soon as I got out of the elevator, I noticed the wooden ceiling, floors, and walls. It felt cozy to say the least. I saw the TV on and thought someone (the host) would be awake. But I was wrong. I sat down on the couch across the TV and waited 5 minutes for someone to show up; no one did. I emailed the host and messaged him several times through Whatsapp and KaKao (the Korean equivalent of Whatsapp or WeChat). No reply… It was 6am and the sun was starting to rise. Being exhausted, hungry, sober, and carrying a heavy backpack, wasn’t the best situation to be in at the time. I left my backpack on the couch and decided to look for a 24-hour convenient store. Guess which one I found: 7-ELEVEN!! I bought a bunch of snacks and water to at least trick my stomach into thinking it got real food. I went back to the hostel and still no one in sight; no messages either. This situation was sh*tty. I grabbed a pack of Oreos I bought, and decided to take a tour of the neighborhood. There were small shops and restaurants left and right. I head north for 5 minutes until I see humans once again. Young humans to be precise. They were young people appearing to be leaving bars and heading home. The street I was in was lit. Literally lit; there were bars and clubs everywhere all with huge, bright signs. People were all over the place. I saw some guy one the ground, sleeping or passed out I couldn’t tell. A girl was fighting with whom I presumed was her boyfriend because whenever she walked away, he would grab her and try to hug her as she tried to pull away; interesting scene, very entertaining. I get to this hip-hop club called NB2 or Noise Basement. Apparently, it is one of the most popular clubs in the area, and it was still open. I asked a guy, who was smoking a cigarette about the club and the area. This dude was hammered; he could barely talk but I got some information out of him. This is the “best” club in the area, closes at 7am and Koreans go out at 1am to wherever they want to go. He also said that foreigners are not seen that much in this area, which surprised me a bit. Fast forward to 8am back at the hostel, still not a single person in sight. Suddenly, a guy walked out of one of the rooms and I hurriedly went up and asked if he was the host. “No, he is not here” – he said. WTF?! Really, I could’ve at least gotten the memo. I told him about my situation of being here since 5am. He takes out his phone, dials a number and hands it over to me. He reached the host in less than one minute! Anyways, to be done with this post because it is a long one, I just asked for my room number and bed. I walk towards the 12-person room with bunk beds, get on bed (top bunk) without even settling my stuff down and just pass out. Lesson to be learned here: Don’t miss your flight and never arrived after midnight because you will literally be screwed until 8am. 9/8/2017 1 Comment Back to China!I know I've been M.I.A. for the last month or so but I was figuring out how to manage this blog, travel and studying at the same time (yes, it is as hard as it sounds or maybe I’m just lazy who knows). I hope to start blogging more regularly now that some of the traveling has subsided. On that note, let’s get to it: BEIJING BABY! I came to Beijing in 2015 to study abroad for one semester. Let me tell you, it was one of the best semesters of my college life. I met people from all over the world, made some great friendships – some I still maintain up to this day – learned how to speak Chinese (Mandarin) in three months, visited The Great Wall, and beer, lots and lots of beer!! CHEAP BEER! Yes, I love beer that much. Anyways, after returning from studying abroad, I got bit by the famous “travel bug”. So much, I began looking for ways to return to China before graduating. I was going through several changes in my college path until I finally found a major I knew I would love: International Relations. Fast forward half a year and I found out I could study abroad, AGAIN! This time in Hong Kong! Hong Kong is technically part of China; it falls under the one country two systems principle. I’ll explain more of that in later posts. Right now, the bottom line is: I’ll be in Hong Kong until December. You know what that means right? TRAVEL TRAVEL TRAVEL! Where did I go to first? You probably guessed it (or not): Beijing! I was able to do this as part of a signature seminar with my school. Over the course two weeks, we would travel around Asia, specifically to Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, and Singapore. Of course, not everything is all pleasure (or is it?). These two weeks were also part of a course where we had to find out what an Asian identity is. I’m not going to bore you with the academic aspect of this trip but I will write relevant information that I feel most people don’t know, which I believe you, the reader, will enjoy. Until next time 8/4/2017 0 Comments Tales of the NYC SubwayOh the NYC subway...Where do I even begin? I apologize if what I'm about to write might seem a bit harsh but I am doing so because of experience. I have been living in New York City for two months now and honestly, it doesn't feel like that at all. Every day there is something different going on in the City that Never Sleeps: Whether it is street performances done by locals, a food fair, DJ Khaled arriving at the Sony building surrounded by thousands of screaming fans, or the New York Philharmonic playing in Central Park on a Tuesday evening, wherever you are in the city I'm sure there is something going on.
Now, getting there is the real adventure. Sure you have the obvious means of transportation which are: walking, driving (not recommended), renting a bicycle (or using your own) or riding an Uber, Lyft, Via or Curb. But the real big daddy of them all: the subway!! Choosing to take the subway to go anywhere in New York City is not a hard decision to make. The subway lines go from The Bronx to Downtown Manhattan; to Queens; to Brooklyn; even to JFK Airport. Convenient, right? Well, let me tell you what you don't see in movies and TV shows: Disabled carts, overcrowding of people, running to make sure you don't miss your train, LEARNING the subway map itself, understanding which lines are express and which ones are local, the constant reality of having someone stand an inch apart from you, train traffic (yeah, there is such a thing), train jams, and the scorching heat that inundates the entire subway platform. Now, it may appear as if I'm complaining about the subway system, which in a way I am and believe there is a planet room for improvement but let me highlight the pros about taking the subway on a daily basis. Since there are more than 10 different lines that take you anywhere around the city, you don't necessarily have to take a specific line to get where you want. Unless, of course, you want to go to a place like Columbia University, which you need to take line 1 to 116th St., but you can also take the B and C lines to the same street and walk over. This is if you like walking around and really experiencing the city to its full capacity. Most people (meaning myself), prefer to take a ride to my desired location directly. It is true, there are some interesting, weird, odd, and just plain crazy sh*t that goes on every day on the subway:
Per the MTA website the fare for a one way ride is $2.75. You pay by purchasing a metro card available at each station. Metro cards can also be used to take local bus rides. In addition, the MTA also provides good deals for those that live in the city or are temporarily living staying over the summer, like myself. Here are some of the deals they have:
Another factor to keep in mind is weekends...Oh, I love (hate) taking the subway during weekends. In general, this is when the city decides to do most of their construction and repairs. It doesn't make sense how, in a city of 8.5 million people where 4.3 million ride the subway every day, the city decides to massively slow down, and sometimes shut down lines in order to make repairs. This causes a lot of problems not only for me but for locals and tourist alike. You have to pay close attention to what the MTA workers say on the platforms, if they say anything at all. Occasionally there will be an announcement updating people about the different services the metro will be providing on a given day. There are also wallpapers on each platform with details about which services will or will not be working for a specific date. The good news is you can avoid having this headache. Here are some apps that I found useful for the NYC Subway:
Overall, living in New York City is an adventure of itself. There is no other city like it and every day is bound to expose you to something new, exciting and fun because in the City that Never Sleeps, adventure is just around the corner, literally. Woke up just like any other day ready to face whatever challenges my internship had for me. I started with four eggs accompanied by ham and delicious swiss cheese. Sometimes I feel weird when making this since I rarely see anyone else doing it. But, I still do it anyways, it is delicious! Can we agree on that? GOOD! I love breakfast to be honest. It is the most important meal of the day, at least to me. After breakfast, I used the stairs to get back to my room, on the 18th floor. Breakfast was on the 15th. Now, you might not think it to be much but after a good meal, being out of breath is normal, or maybe I should exercise more? Anyways, I finally got to my room. 8:15am struck. "I'm going to be late" I thought. So I quickly dressed up: Black shoes, black socks, white button-down, navy pants and coat. Next, I grabbed my red and blue Adidas backpack, hoping everything was there; following with my Canon T5i and Rode mic Go (with the dead cat obviously). Out I was. Fast forward to my place of work: Brookfield Place. An area located on Vessey street right in front of the One World Trade Center. Here you will find a variety of restaurants, retailers and cafes. To be honest, this places is waaay too expensive for my taste. Don't get me wrong, I do like to buy certain brands but the ones at this places are ridiculous: Club Monaco, Paul Smith, Theory just to name a few. I've never heard of any of these stores but by doing a little bit of window shopping, I know these are not cheap. Before heading up to officially start working being its 8:55am, I decided to look outside towards the marina. The stage was already set up and ready to go. So was I, at 9am. "Oh crap, I'm late for work" I fast-walk towards the elevator to start my day. I'm not going to bore you with what I do, so lets pretend to fast forward through time to 5pm. Before I even got out of the building, you could hear music. Outside were fans, security, people who work in my building and obviously the production crew talking to customers. Restaurants were full, people has drinks already in hard. Some were in front of the stage under the scorching sun others were in a separate area were food and alcoholic drinks were being served. I walked around for a while and spotted a nice seating area with a sideview towards the stage. I asked the woman sitting if she was holding a spot. "No", great! Guess this is where I'll be all night. I didn't grab any snacks or water due to not losing my spot. 6:45pm and the first performer, Lion Babe, came out. Lion Babe is a New York City soul duo. The've been performing since 2011, according to Wikipedia. I stayed for a couple of songs but my stomach was growling. It came to a point where I felt very uncomfortable waiting there for Common, who was supposed to come out at 8pm. But, knowing artists are rarely punctual, I decided to leave instead. I might've wasted my only opportunity to watch rapper Common, but then again, I am not a huge fan of him anyways. |
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