DAMA IN DAEJEON

It started with my bucket wish list that needed to be checked. Riding a bullet train has always been a lifelong dream. This should have been checked in 2010 courtesy of Shinkansen (japan express rail) but I just couldn't justify the p100k expense.

So the KTX opportunity came during our latest trip. Originally, the plan was to exit Sokor through Busan. But the travel time was longer, fare was more expensive and not much to see in Busan (compared to Seoul) so we settled with Daejeon. There was not much to see either in Daejeon but fare was cheaper.

So we were in Daejon in day 3 of our tour. The ride from Seoul to Daejeon was abt 1 hour with speeds reaching 305 kph. As expected, there was not much to see in Daejeon so we settled with Hanbat Museum of Education. It was a memorable experience though since I had a chance to play dama (checkers) with B5. After 3 games and almost 2 hours, the score was tied 1 – 1 with the 3^rd game going to a draw.

We would do that trip and adventure anytime again. 

SOJOURN IN SOKOR

As long as budget permits, DyLac and family will not stop exploring. Now as we gain experience in travelling, the factor per person per day should decrease. That is the challenge. Here is a journal of the family’s 8^th country.   

Day 1, April 8 – Manila to Incheon

·         Air Travel from Manila to Incheon via Jeju Air.

·         We left MNL at 11:30PM Tues and arrived in ICN Wed at 5:30AM.

References:

www.joinenjoy.com.ph

www.jejuairph.com

www.hotels.com

Day 2,  April 9 – A World Heritage site

·         Upon arrival at ICN, the first order of the day was to buy a T-MONEY card for our transportation needs. 

·         Breakfast was in McDo, Seoul Central Station.

·         After discovering the location of our hotel, we left our things at KPOP Guesthouse conveniently located near Seoul Station (Exit 11). Savings was:

·         Our first and only World Heritage Site visit in Sokor was the Changdeokgung Palace.

·         Next up was a visit to Myeongdong shopping area where we had late lunch. Believe it or not, we were so tired that we had a quick sleep in the resto.  

·         The tour guide for the day was DyLac.

References:

http://eng.t-money.co.kr/

http://ss.kpophouse.co.kr/

http://eng.cdg.go.kr/main/main.htm

Day 3 April 10 – Run DMZ.

·         Imjingak park

·         3^rd tunnel, 300 meter walk down and incline and 300 meter horizontal walk. The end of the tunnel was 170 meters from North Korea.

·         Dora Observatory

·         Dorasan Station

·         Ginseng factory

·         Seoul City Hall

·         Lunch was at KFC near Seoul City Hall.

·         Deoksugung Palace

·         Seoul Plaza

·         Cheonggye Plaza

·         Cheonggyecheon Stream

·         Starbucks for my wife’s 8th coffee cup

·         The tour guide for the day was Patrick.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Demilitarized_Zone

http://www.deoksugung.go.kr/index.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheonggyecheon

Day 4 April 11 – KTX

·         KTX 123 from Seoul to Daejeon, track 13, car 17, seat #s 4A to 4D, 930AM, 4-11-2014 worth 67800 won RT.

·         Hanbat Museum of Education

·         KTX 144 from Daejeon to Seoul, track 15, car 14, seat #s 6A to 6D, 352PM, 4-11-2014.

·         World Trick Museum at Myeongdong

·         The tour guide for the day was DyLac.

References:

http://www.korail.com/en/

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1853439 

Day 5 April 12 – Nami Island

·         Nami Island

·         Petite France

·         Coex Aquarium & Coex Mall in Gangnam.

·         We had to brave the 14 stations from Seoul to Samseoung in Gangnam.

·         The tour guide for the day was Jun.

References:

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1853439

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=815994

http://www.coexaqua.co.kr/

Day 6 April 13 – Lotte World Adventure

·         We heard mass at Myeongdong Catholic Cathedral at 11AM. The mass was in Korean.

·         Picture picture in N Seoul Tower entrance.

·         Short Stop at Gangnam station.

·         Lunch was at Friday’s in Lotte Mall.

·         Dinner was in McDo Seoul Central Station. A quarter pounder cost P270 compared to P152 in Ph.

·         The tour guide for the day was Dylan.

References:

http://www.lotteworld.com/ 

Day 7 April 14 – Hangang River Cruise

·         After checking out early at the hotel, we went to Yeioudo.

·         We rode the E-Land Cruise which took us from Yeouido to Yangwa and back. The views include Hangangcheolgyo Bridge, Seogangdaegyo Bridge and Bamseom  Islet, which is a habitat for migratory birds.

·         The tour guide for the day was Dylan.

References:

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=266932

After almost 7 days, we were back to reality. And like the eighties song says, there’s no place like home.