We left for Seoul on 24th March 2016, arriving at Incheon International Airport at around 3 pm. The airport is very easy to navigate around and the lady at the information counter was very nice and patient and spoke very good English. We took a few maps and travel guides (Koreans are not cheapskates when it comes to their tourism industry) and then we made way to the airport limousine counter to buy bus ticket to our hostel. We planned to take the AREX (equivalent to KLIA Express) but considering the amount of luggage we were carrying with us, we decided to go with the bus as it stops directly in front of our stay. All these instructions were given by our kind host at the Bong Backpackers so we just followed it and we arrived at our stay around 6 pm and it was almost dark and SO CHILLY!
We got lost at first, going to the Bong Hostel only to be told that we got the wrong Bong. So, a few minutes walk away, we reached our stay, checked in, organize the place, took a nap and then we ventured into the vibrant and sleepless Hyehwa neighborhood. The place is filled with youngsters as the Sungkyunkwan University is just a couple of blocks away. Our stay is surrounded with so many fast food chains, restaurants, convenience stores, street stalls even a huge Daiso so I pretty much pat myself at the back for picking a hostel with such prime location.(HAHA)
We decided to have the famous grilled fish for dinner so we took the subway to Dongdaemon, which is just a station away from Hyehwa station (we could walk, but getting lost while you're hungry was never an option). We were googling our way around using this guide, and surprisingly it was easy to locate, the grilled fish street. So, we tried looking for this stall named Honam Jib as it is quite famous and we found it. Look out for the second stall with the ahjuma (aunt) standing in front grilling the fish. We ordered grilled Mackarel and Tilapia and it was soooooo delicious, with the unlimited banchan (side dishes). My favorite were the beansprouts and kimchi!
We walked around a little bit after dinner (and bought the biggest, juiciest strawberries) and then head back to our stay because the next day, we had an early morning.
So, for Day 1, cost as below;
Airport Limousine (bus) : 10,000 KRW
Bong Backpackers : 91,800 KRW
Top-Up T-Money : 20,000 KRW
Dinner : 7,000 KRW
Strawberries : 3,000 KRW
7-Eleven (BANANA MILK IS LYFE) : 5,720 KRW
Rice cake : 3,000 KRW
Total = 140,520 KRW (around RM500)
