Slept at 0200hrs and woke up at 0400hrs. Such a dread to be staying at the opposite side of the airport, it took me almost an hour to reach!
Flight departed at 0800hrs via Singapore Airlines and reached Incheon Airport at 1530hrs. To get to Seoul from the airport, one of the ways is by AREX (Airport Railroad). Non-stop express train is at KRW8,000 per trip. It brings you to Seoul Station - main subway station of Seoul. From there, you can continue to wherever you are going.
Our airbnb is located just outside Dongdaemun History and Culture Park subway station, 4 stops away from Seoul Station. We really love our apartment as it is super accessible, 1min walk to subway station and the bus stop is just right in front of us. There are many eateries, convenience stores and malls around us. Some are even 24hrs or closed late at night. There is even popular bingsu place, Sulbing, located at the 2nd floor of our building.
The apartment is very well equipped. Everything that you need in a home is well provided for. They even provide a free WIFI router!
Airbnb
32 Euljiro 6(yuk)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul
8 nights for 2pax = SGD721
Subway: Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station Exit 12 (line 2), Exit 9 (line 4)
After setting down, we headed out to the streets of Dongdaemun. The first two malls were disappointing. It is some sort like Singapore's Bugis Street or Bangkok's Platinum Mall. There were also many street stalls around. Down the street is Doota Mall (shopping mall). This place is awesome! Lots of trendy fashion wear, Korean cosmetics, eateries and boutique brands.
Dongdaemun 동대문
Euljiro 6(yuk)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul
1900-0200hrs (daily)
Avoid Mondays and Sundays as some are closed
Subway: Dongdaemun Station Exit 8 (line 4)
Doota Mall 두타몰
275, Jangchungdan-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
1030-0500hrs (Mon-Sat), 1030-0000hrs (Sun)
Subway: Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station Exit 14 (line 2, 4 or 5), Dongdaemun Station Exit 8 (line 1 or 4)
Lastly, we went to Kyochon Chicken for dinner. Kyochon Chicken serves one of the BEST Korean Fried Chicken in Seoul and is a great place to have some 'Chi Mak' (chicken + beer) experience. The place was super crowded and we waited for about 30mins for our chicken! We ordered the half-half series of wings and drumlets that cost KRW19,000. It comes with regular Kyochon fried chicken and fried chicken coated in red pepper sauce (I guess it's gochujang?). It was really really good and worth waiting for, and the portion is HUGE! We could not even finish it!
Kyochon Chicken (Dongdaemun) 교촌-동대문
464-6 Changsin-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul 1500-0200hrs (daily) Subway: Dongdaemun Exit 6 (line 1), Exit 7 (line 4) Instagram: kyochon_official www.kyochon.com
#1: Kyochon Chicken.
#2: Half-half Wings and Drumlets, KRW19,000.
Made our way back and really loving where our Airbnb is located. Went to grab some snacks at the convenience store before we head back and saw minion cup noodles, so cute!
That's it for day 1!
Pre-trip Expenses
Flight: SGD668.80
Airbnb: $721 (÷2) = SGD360.50
WIFI Router: SGD39 (÷2) = SGD19.50
Travel Insurance: SGD44.25
Total: SGD1,093.05
Expenses of the Day
AREX: KRW8,000
Banana Milk: KRW1,300
Korea Tour Card: KRW4,000
Top-up: KRW50,000
Kyochon Chicken: KRW19,000 (÷2) = KRW9,500
Peach Jelly Drink: KRW1,300
Minion Cup Noodles: KRW1,500
Matcha Ice Cream: KRW2,500
Total for day 1: KRW78,100 = SGD94.20
Balance brought forward: SGD1093.05
Current total: SGD1,187.25