Seoul Day 1: PJ Hotel & Dongdaemun

My brother drove us to Changi International Airport (Terminal 3) early in the morning to catch our flight to Seoul, South Korea!

SQ600

The hubby is a Singapore Airlines fan so it was no surprise that we will be flying by SQ again for our family trip (not to mention that we got our tickets at a low price of $705!). The journey took approximately 6.5 hours and we arrived at Incheon International Airport at 3.25pm, Seoul time (Seoul is 1 hour ahead of Singapore).

After clearing customs pretty quickly, we proceeded to the Arrival Hall to pick up the iPhone that we rented.

They gave us the latest iPhone 5!

Renting a phone allowed us to use unlimited data usage on the go without needing to use your own handphone.

The cheapest and fastest way to get to our hotel from the airport was via the Airport Limousine Bus No. 6015 from Bus Stop 5B or 12A. We bought our tickets at the ticketing counters, with each ticket costing us 10,000 won (SGD 10).

One of the many bus ticketing counters in the airport

Bus Stop 5B

Bus Number 6015

Our hotel was the 2nd last stop of the journey, which took approximately 45-60 minutes. It was quite a smooth ride all the way to our destination and when we arrived, a pre-recorded passenger announcement system would announce our arrival so that we would know exactly where to stop.

There was a signboard that pointed us to PJ Hotel, which we nearly missed as it was so tiny. Then it was another 10 minute walk before we reached the lobby.

PJ Hotel

Cool luggage belt at the loading bay of the hotel which brought our luggages up to the lobby

After checking in, we checked out our rooms, which were tiny to me but were probably considered large for a hotel in the city.

Our hotel room with twin beds

Balcony with a nice view of the city

Small toilet (but not as small as Japan)

Free masks only on the day of your arrival

We were super famished by the time we were done settling in so we had our first dinner in Seoul at a nearby BBQ restaurant.

Authentic Korean BBQ near the hotel

Our waitress was a lady from Mainland China so she was able to communicate with us and take our order. We ordered pork and beef, which were both tender and juicy. Super awesome! =)

Clockwise from left: Smoke from the BBQ of the pork was sucked straight into the pipe
so that the smell would not stay on our hair and clothes (Singapore should have this!);
The tray was tilted in such a way that the extra oil could flow out into a small pan;
The side dishes that accompanied almost every Korean meal

After a pretty satisfying meal, we decide to head to Dongdaemun Market as the night was still young. The cheapest and fastest way to get there was via Seoul's somewhat-complex subway system. First, you would need to buy a T-Money card (their version of our Ez-link card) from a vending machine at the entrance of their subway stations.

Vending machine for T-money card (3000 won each)

Select "English" and follow the instructions thereafter. After purchasing the card, you have to place it in the holder (the big rectangle on the right of the red button) in order to top-up or, as they call it, recharge the card. This card is useful as it provided us with an easy access to the subway and most of the public buses.

After purchasing and recharging our cards, we boarded a train from Chungmuro Station on Line 4 (light blue) to Dongdaemun Station.

On the train

Dongdaemun Station

It turned out that the night market we were looking for was at another station so we ended up just walking aimlessly until we spotted a Daiso and loaded up on snacks and chocolates that were cheaper than Singapore! =)

Despite not managing to shop much, it was fun just hanging out, strolling along the streets and discovering new things together. We went back early to rest as it was going to be a long day tomorrow.. looking forward! =)


Continue to >> Seoul Day 2: N Seoul Tower, Namsam Park, Myeongdong & Namdaemun

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Visit MADPSYCHMUM TRAVELS for the rest of my posts on Seoul, South Korea 
as well as other travel itineraries!

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