Inspiring Korea ~ Yes! We made it!

          This was an extraordinary and memorable trip! I was lucky to be invited by Korea Tourism Organization Kuala Lumpur as a blogger cum frequent traveller to many countries. My sincere gratitude to KTO KL for offering me this great chance, especially a Korean Air return ticket for my very first Korea trip. Kamsahamnidah! :) (one of the Korean words I learnt during the trip :P)

This was my first flight experience with Korean Air. 

           Traveling along was Yee Pei, the Korea Plaza Event Manager who is also a Korean culture tourism expert fluent in Korean language. However, this time around, we were given a mission, which was to plan a 5D4N Free and Easy itinerary (as a first timer) that is most suitable to Malaysian travellers. Therefore, apart from the itinerary planning and some common tips that were provided by KTO, she actually acted like a REAL FIRST TIME TOURIST, such that we could experience and encounter possible challenges that will be faced by fellow Malaysians, find solution to it, and share it here. She was prohibited from speaking Korean there :D Of course, being a Korean tourism expert, whenever there was a must-see, must-eat, must-do or must-buy, she would highly recommend (this time not like a first timer :P) so that I won't miss out any terrific moment . It's fun to see how she role-played between a first time tourist,  Korea tourism expert and my home town's friend :D 

Smart and beautiful Korea Plaza Manager, Yee Pei. 

            This is my first trip without a gentleman companion. It's not as hard as I imagined before. It's a piece of cake :P We talked a lot, shopped a lot, ate a lot and fully enjoyed our trip in this fashionable country.  So, what are you waiting for? Grab your friend along and rock this beautiful land of Kimchi. Who knows if you are lucky enough to meet your idol in the Korean drama? Too bad I did not meet any :( That would be an excuse for me to visit Korea again in near future XD

Korean food!Finger licking good!!

Shop-maniac! :P

            "Is language a barrier?" a popular question asked by my friends after the trip. Well, honestly most of them couldn't speak English or Mandarin especially the street hawkers and restaurants run by locals. In that case, hand language could help. Anyway,  language is not a problem at any tourist destination. The ticket counter sales person can communicate in English. If you have any inquiries, you can seek help at the tourist information counter. There are quite a lot of tourist information counter in Seoul and they are very helpful.

A Creative Tourist Information Counter in Insadong.

            "What if I can't find tourist information counter?" my friends tested on me. We did face the problem. When we were planning to take a bus from Gangnam to Korean Folk Village, we couldn't find the bus stop according to the information we collected.We were actually on the right track, and the bus stop was just a few meters away, but we were confused by other bus stops. My brilliant partner suggested that we called up the Korean tourist information hotline,1330. This is a 24-hour service to assist traveler. They provide detailed information on attractions, transportation, accommodations, shopping, festivals, events and more in Korean, English , Chinese and Japanese language. And yes, we found the bus stop after we made the call :)

No doubt. She was communicating in english on the phone. She obeyed the rules we set :)

           "Is it safe for two female travellers to visit korea on backpacking?" My friends were doubtful about us. Seoul is regarded as one of the safest major cities in the world. Female travellers would be comfortable to travel alone and they do not need to take extra precautions compared to other countries such as Italy and Spain.  But of course, walking in dark alley late at night shall be best avoided and personal belonging should be always in check.

          As a first time visitor, Korea can be categorized as a tourist friendly country. English signboard and map is available at all the tourist attractions and subway stations. Besides, tourist information hotline is on standby 24 hours for help. If you plan to travel free and easy to Korea, just do it!  We made it, why wouldn't you? :) 

English signboard  in one of the subway station.

       

WELCOME TO SEOUL!!!!!