Seoul 2014: Day 1 (Dongdaemun)

Finally! Day 1 in South Korea, Seoul!

21 MAY: Arrived at Incheon Airport

 Get the Wifi Egg

Dongdaemun    

My flight arrived at the Incheon Airport around 4pm and we had to get the Wifi Egg before 7pm which was the closing time for their office near Gyeongbokgung.

To get to the city area, there is basically 3 different choices from what I know.
1. Taxi
2. Bus
3. Subway

We figured that we want to travel on budget so we decided against the taxi as it is definitely be more expensive than the other two choices.

For the bus, you don't have to purchase the T-money card to board it. You just have to drop 10000KRW into the money box infront of the driver. I heard that if you take the bus from the airport, it will be crowded and you may not get a seat so we decided to take the subway.

When you arrive at the train station to buy the tickets, you can opt between two choices: The normal subway or the express train.

The normal subway works like the normal Singapore MRT, stopping by every stop till you reach your stop. On the other hand, the express train goes directly from the Incheon Airport to the Seoul Station where you can switch to the normal subway. Also, the express train allocates a seat for you and there is an area where you can place your luggage on the train.

However with the convenience and comfort, you have to pay a higher price at 8000KRW for the express train compared to the normal subway which should be less than 3000KRW.

When you are buying the tickets from the ticketing machine, ensure that you are buying the right tickets. The ticketing machine for the two different trains are located at two ends.

Where you can board the Express Train

An example of the ticket for the Express Train

When you reach the Seoul Station, follow the signs to get to the platform to board the normal subway. On your way there, you will see a ticketing machine and counter on your right and on your left are various shops. However, that is not where you buy the ticket!

Continue walking till you see an escalator moving downwards with a lift beside it. You will see a convenience shop on your right when you go down the escalator and that is where i bought my T-money card (ard 2000+ KRW). You can top up your card later near the entrance to the subway.

At the subway, take note that there is a larger entrance gate on the right so that it will be easier for you to get through while lugging your luggage. Their normal entrance gates are turnstiles so it will be super difficult for you especially if your luggage is big.

After the episode at the Wifi-Korea office, we decided to walk to Banana Backpackers as the map stated that it was around 1km away. Without Wifi and thus no google maps, we just blindly walked based on our instincts and from asking locals and policemen. Anyways, I would really recommend you to take the train to Anguk Station instead cause it is less taxing on the brain and less time consuming.

Banana Backpackers!

By the time we reached Banana Backpackers, it was nearly 8pm and we just dropped our luggage down and headed to Dongdaemun!

To get there: Dongdaemun Stadium (동대문역) Line 4 - Exits 8, 9

Doota Shopping Mall

Honestly speaking, I haven't really figured out Dongdaemun. I went there twice but I have only visited three shopping malls: Doota, Migliore and Hello APM. (in the order from the most expensive to the least) My friends and I didn't manage to find much of the night market shopping there besides the shopping malls which are mostly opened throughout the night.

If you are going to Dongdaemun on your first day like me, I would suggest to you not to buy anything first. There is high chance of you finding the same or similar clothing at Ehwa at much cheaper prices. Go back Dongdaemun another day to get what you want if you really can't get it elsewhere.

If you want to catch the train back, 11pm would be a safe time to get back to the train station.