The Grinch(es) take Seoul for Christmas

[bPeteb]

With the death of my mum in mid-December 2023, and both of us on enforced summer shutdowns, Christmas/New Year in somewhere new every year is to become our norm.

When Jetstar announced in Feb it's new direct flights to Seoul, our summer break destination was set.

Between Feb 20 and 25 the trip was booked -
Jetstar Y Brisbane to Seoul Incheon on Christmas eve
Three nights at Fraser Place Namdaemun Seoul
Korean Air Seoul Gimpo to Jeju
Three nights at Hotel Alice and Trunk Jeju City
Korean Air Jeju to Busan
Three nights at Mipo Oceanside Haeundae Busan
Transport tba Busan to Gyeongju
One night Y Collection by Unboundi
KTX (booked mid-December) Gyeongju to Seoul
Two nights Ibis Ambassador Seoul Insadong (second night just to have room for whole day until we head to airport for late flight)
Jetstar Y (exit row) Seoul Incheon to Brisbane

In November we booked two days on Jeju with an English speaking taxi driver. These Global Taxis are through an initiative with the local government. All managed through WhatsApp. Our assigned driver Hamee was in touch straight away.

As some of you know we were trying to sell our house in the second half of last year. Contract was finally signed in November, subject to sale of our purchasers' house, with a provisional settlement date of Jan 10, five days after we got home. Then we signed a contract on what is our now new home, with settlement on Jan 6, the day after we got back. We booked movers for Jan 8. I was back at work on Jan 7. bAlt had the rest of the week off. Nothing like some stress to start a holiday.

We had to be mostly packed up before we flew out on Christmas eve. Miraculously we got rid of nearly everything in the house we decided we didn't want to take (truly ruly nearly everything). When we walked out the door the house was a jumble of packing boxes, a couple of tvs, two beds and some chests of drawers.

Away we went.

 

[Flyerwin]

K-drama - subscribed.

(PS sincerest condolences on your mum, hope all is well)

 

[bPeteb]

K-drama - subscribed.

(PS sincerest condolences on your mum, hope all is well)

It's a year now Flyerwin. I kept thinking while we were away I should give her a call. I guess that might happen until we stop travelling. Mum loved to hear what we were up to.

 

[bPeteb]

It was timely that Wilson published his report on Jetstar economy SYD-ICH as I was finishing editing photos. We have no issue with flying Jetstar, or economy. Sure a splurge in business is nice but we have better things to spend our not unlimited cash on.

We booked and paid for the pack that gives sc, bag, and meal before it was devalued, so it was 80sc return. For our return trip I also booked exit row seats so we could give getting some sleep a red hot crack. I chose our meals and got us both entertainment.

We're light travellers so even with our extra jumpers and jackets our bags were both under 15kg.
The queue for security was hugely long but not long enough to stop us getting a couple of drinks in at the lounge.



our chariot awaits. Am I the only person who thinks that a 787-8 is an awkward, stumpy looking plane?


group boarding was well policed and we were moved up the line when they checked our boarding passes, as we were right down the back, sadly not in one of the twos though.

The young guy who was sat in the window seat got up I think twice in the 10 hours of the flight. bAlt's entertainment unit had troubles from the get go but that can happen in a J seat on a full service airline. The crew were super attentive and kept resetting every time it froze. I could see them checking everytime they walked past.

Meals were teriyaki noodles for both of us and it was pretty ok. I bought a couple of beers along the way. I forgot to take a pic of our second meal. Maybe the sausage role and pie? Who knows



The seat is reasonably roomy and comfortable and we just had no issues apart from bAlt's entertainment. Crew were super nice and wandered around that cabin constantly, unlike some J crews who disappear into the galley after service never to be seen again.

Our bags came out towards the end and immigration took forever. Incheon is a busy airport. Why only have six or seven agents when you could have 16 or 17.

We are public transport people and the express train into Seoul was our choice, but the next was nearly an hour away when I went to buy tickets. The 'all stops' express only takes an hour to get into Seoul Station, left in 10 minutes, and was a whole lot cheaper, so all stops it was.

bAlt was in charge of planning the subways and decided we needed to get onto the blue line and go to the City hall stop. There were lots of steps and long corridors to get off and on platforms and out of the subway and in hindsight we could have just walked 15 minutes straight up from the station to Fraser Place Namdaemun Seoul Fraser Place Namdaemun Seoul | Luxury Serviced Apartments

It was Christmas Eve and we had our Christmas jumpers on and the receptionist loved them. We were bloody exhausted. No first night in Seoul for us.

Our standard queen room


and lovely personalised card and welcome gift

 

[bPeteb]

We usually plan like crazy but neither of us had the time or mental bandwidth to do it for this trip. We booked Global Taxi on Jeju only when we realised we had no other option except for hellishly expensive private tours. For Seoul we wanted food tours and I booked two on Dec 23 - two different providers, one for Christmas Day and one for Boxing Day.

We decided to get breakfast in the hotel, and again dressed in our Christmas jumpers, down we went. bAlt's jumper got some great reactions. KRW36,000 each and it was quite a spread.

A chilly Seoul awaits


LOTS of choices



um, no

 

[VPS]

I do like BigAl's jumper - always enjoy your TR

 

[bPeteb]

Our tour wasn't until 11 so we had a wander around the immediate area as our tour meeting point was Namdaemun Market, pretty much behind our hotel.

Nandaemun is a great location. A huge eating area behind, subway stations, Seould Station a 15 minute flat walk away and right in the centre the Sungnyemun Gate that suffered a terrible arson attack a few years ago.

Off we went out into the cold - thermals, beanies, gloves and our maybe not thick enough Uniqlo puffers

 

[bPeteb]

We'd booked Withlocals and it did not live up to our expectations. You can choose from a number of guides and I chose wrong.

Jason was a lovely young guy but his tour was not for us.

We started in a coffee shop where we had an ordinary coffee and he quizzed us about our lives in Australia. He then went into great and long detail about his entrepreneurial endeavours.

Once we got out of the coffee shop the market tour was good but still not what we expected. Most of you know we like a drink, and the blurb for Jason'the tour indicated that they would be offered, but we got nothing. Jason's heart was more in shopping than eating and we both think he was thrown that we had no interest in shopping of any kind. He even took as to a pharmac_ on the pretence of buying something really cheap (panadol) but it was really only so he could buy skin whiteneing cream! Bizarre

To the food. Offered a good selection, and there was plenty of it


but the sit down lunch was rushed and we had no explanation provided as to how we eat what was dished up


the little pancake things were a definite highlight, especially the sweet one with nuts (hazel nuts?)