After more than 6 months of preparing and waiting, the day of our flight to Seoul finally came! Compared to last time,I was less stressed that day because by then I've already got the hang of travelling. 😁 I am now familiar and comfortable with airports. I have already memorized the stuff that I would usually need when travelling so I was confident that I won't leave anything behind (learning from all my travel experiences to date👍). This travel is just a bit different from the rest because the weather in my destination is way colder compared to where I am coming from. I had to pack several jackets and coats because I knew it would really be cold in Seoul during this time. (it's Autumn season!)
At the Airport
My friends still had other commitments for that day so we arrived at the airport at different times. We just met each other on the plane itself actually. 😂We were not seated with each other (coz you know selecting a seat would charge extra) so we just settled with that random seat that was given to us by our airline (we flied via Cebu Pacific by the way).
Travel time from Manila to Seoul is around 3 hours. We departed at around 3PM. I ordered in-flight meals (even though they were expensive) because I knew once we landed on Incheon, I won't have time to eat again, not until we've arrived at our guesthouse, which would be around midnight.
I think our plane landed at Incheon airport at around past 8PM (local time). After going through Immigration and getting our luggages (thankfully nothing was lost!), we went to our plans before hopping to the bus that would take us to our guesthouse.
Things to do upon arrival at Incheon Airport:
1) Exchange money to local currency.
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| one of the exchange currency counters at the airport |
There are several of these counters at the airport. We exchanged ours at KEB Currency Exchange. Later on we realized the exchange rate was cheaper in the other currency exchange counter - Woori Bank. So before you exchange your moolah, check the rates for a better deal!
2) Buy T-Money Card
There's a convenience store at the arrival area of Incheon aiport where I bought my T-money last time. I guided my friends to buy there. For me, I just reloaded my old card. 😊
3) Rent a Wifi-Egg
I knew this was not really necessary, as there are lots of wifi spots around Seoul (we didn't get one during our last trip here), but my friends still insisted. They didn't want to take the risk of getting lost and having no data connection. But personally, I think you won't need this, I promise you. 😀
Aboard the Incheon Airport Shuttle Bus - 6002! 💗
Our guesthouse, Cheonggye Haus, was located in Jongno, and based on our research, the bus that would have a stop there is bus 6002.
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| "6002" in Korean sounds like Yoochun. 😘 |
There are markers for each bus stop at the airport, so I'm sure you won't get lost. There are also time tables of the bus' schedules, which is very accurate. Our bus arrived at the exact minute that was indicated in the table! #wow
Based on Google Maps, our travel to Jongno would take around 2 hours. It was already past 10PM. Our estimate was right - we'd arrive at our guesthouse around midnight. Good thing we've already advised the owner that we'll be doing a late check-in. While on the bus, I messaged him that we were on our way already.
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| my room for the next 5 nights! (will be doing a separate review post about our guesthouse soon 😃) |
It was already midnight. We were all tired, but hungry, so after quickly settling into our rooms, we went outside and braved the coldness of the night again to get some snack! We walked around to explore the neighborhood of our guesthouse. There were only a few people outside by this time (unlike the Myeongdong area which was always filled with people until late hours of the night). We coudn't find restaurants so we settled for the nearest 7-eleven store. In fairness, the meals available there were good (and cheaper actually). I really enjoyed my meal. I don't know what it's called, but it's a rice meal, with meat filled with sweet-and-spicy sauce similar to that samgyeopsal bulgogi dish that is my favorite at Red Table.
And that's how our first night was in Seoul! I was happy that everything happened as planned (not much hullabaloo along the way) and we all arrived safely to our guesthouse.
Our Seoul trip was definitely now in full gear and ready to roll! 😁👏
~o~
Travel Notes:
- Compare exchange rates of different banks first before actually exchanging your money (check KEB vs Woori Bank).
- T-Money can be purchased on the convenience store at the airport (not sure if there are other stores who sold it there).
- Wifi Egg can be rented at SK Telecom.
- There are different ways to go to Seoul from Incheon airport - via subway, bus, or taxi. The cheapest one is via subway. Research on what route works best for you. Here's a link of airport buses and their routes, which might come in handy. It will also be helpful to ask at your accommodation for the best way to get there from the aiport.
- Fare for 6002 bus is 10,000 KRW, Ticket seller will ask for your destination so be sure you know it.
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