Sarah's Travelogue - Korea 2015 Part 1 (Free & Easy in Jeju)

Just came back from our Free & Easy Korea trip 2 weeks ago. Been so busy with work that I can only start to pen down on the fun and adventure we had during our time in Korea.

First thing first, we booked our Flight tickets from Singapore Airlines. Honestly speaking, this is my first SQ experience, and I was quite excited about it. Tell me who's isn't when you kept seeing posts on Facebook about getting world class services on a SQ Flight.

Promotion tickets cost us about S$700/pax

We took the 0805 Flight which will take us to Incheon Airport by 1500 (local time) about 6.5 hours of flying time. 

First time getting a menu on board a Flight :)

 My first meal on board the SQ

Cleared the immigration within an hour, and we went looking for our Pocket WiFi. We booked it through their online website here. It costs us US$5.25/day (all around Korea, including Jeju Island) with a refundable US$50 deposit (in case you did not return them the router after using). It's quite reasonable-priced as we didn't want to change our SIM card to a local one. Singtel is charging S$15/day for unlimited usage for the data roaming package. So all in all, we decided to rent from the Pocket WiFi.

We took quite a long time to find them as we were expecting to collect from a counter. However, they're just sitting at the passengers seats with 2 luggage full of the routers.

To be precise in locating them, you can find them at Exit 7 on 3rd floor of Passenger Terminal in Incheon airport.

After which we made our way to Gimpo International Airport for the domestic flight to Jeju Island. Initially we wanted to buy our tickets online first, but after much considerations, I decided that we should buy over the counter. It might be more expensive but we didn't want to risk missing our flight due to unforeseen situations, like flight delay, cannot clear immigration on time, etc. 

Airport Railroad (AREX) is the most convenient way to get to Gimpo International Airport. They have 2 types of tickets, Express Train (Non-Stop all the way to Seoul Station) or the All Stop Train. Just need to be careful when buying the tickets if you're going to Gimpo International Airport. 

Fare Cost: 3,550 WON (S$4.45)/trip/pax

Once you reached Gimpo International Airport, all the airlines there will have flights to Jeju Island. We took the Asiana Airlines as they have the earliest flight out (7:25pm) and return tickets cost us 389,600 WON (S$243.50/pax).

 

50 minutes of flight time and we're in Jeju Island, temperature was quite cold around 3°C. We put on our coats and sweater and waited for the Shuttle Bus which will take us to the KT Rental.

Self-drive in Jeju Island is highly recommended, as the buses are on schedule and frequecy is about an hour. You will need an International Driving Permit (IDP) in order to rent a car there. Even though the Singapore Driving License is an international license, in Korea they do not accept that. You can always get the IDP from the Automotive Association Singapore. There is a validity period for this IDP, so I suggest you to apply an least 2 weeks before your actual trip. 

Shuttle bus is free services by KT Rental, about 10 minutes drive away from the Airport.

 

When you make the online reservations, you do not have to make any payment yet. Payment is made over the counter and they only take credit cards (no cash payment).

5 days of rental cost us 185,100 WON (S$236). If you calculate daily, it's around S$47.20/day. It's so much cheaper to rent a car in Korea! The rental comes with insurance & English GPS navigation to bring us around.

2736! We love this car so much! :)

 

We rented the Hyundai Avante (automatic) and we had a great time driving it. Both of us had our first time driving on the left hand side (opposite to Singapore) and initially we kept taking reference from the right side. It takes us some time to get use to it, and after that it's a breeze to drive around Jeju.

Our accommodation in Jeju for 4 nights is at Dreaming Forest Pension. We booked through Agoda and the rates are quite reasonable. S$348 for 4 nights for a standard double house. It's about an hour half drive from the Airport, located in Seogwipo (2nd city in Jeju Island).

GPS Coordinates: 738-1010

FYI, the telephone number is the GPS coordinates used in Jeju Island. Similar to our Postal Codes in Singapore.

 

 

 

This is not exactly the kind of hotels room that we booked. It's more of a 2-storey house with Kitchen, bathroom & living room. The bedroom is on the upper deck (with dressing table & hair dryer!) whereas at the lower deck, we have a living room, dining table, kitchen and bathroom.

We also have a small balcony to enjoy the scenery outside, sipping coffee and having breakfast. Kitchen comes equipped with pots and pans, utensils & even plates. So we can actually cooked our meals if needed. 

When we arrived at the house, we were too tired to go out for food, and were really surprised to find a basket with instant noodles & eggs in it. The owner prepared these for us and we were so glad to have something to eat. 

Had our dinner, cleaned up and fell asleep before a long day out tomorrow.

Penang 5D4N Getaway: Part 2 - Spice Garden, Helena's Cafe, Living Room Cafe Bar & Gallery

Kicked start our 2nd day bright and early! Since we didn't took breakfast in the hotel, we went out searching for some food first. Stopped for roti prata along one of the shop houses, about 3 minutes walk away. 

Mr Lin with his roti prata :)

Started raining heavily so we went back to the hotel to hide awhile from the rain.

First plan of the day was Tropical Spice Garden (which was listed #1 attraction on TripAdvisor). It's quite a distance from Georgetown, so we need to take Bus 101 from Komtar Bus Terminal (10 minutes walk from Hotel). The whole journey will take about an hour half to reach so you can enjoy the scenery along the way (or sleep).

You will be able to recognize the garden as many cars will park outside. You can just ask the bus driver to drop you right in front of the entrance.

At the Tropical Spice Garden

Each person cost RM35 (inclusive of entrance fee & guided tour). I strongly recommend guided tour as the guides are knowledgeable and you really can learn a few new things. 

The Tropical Spice Garden
Lone Crag Villa, Lot 595 Mukim 2, 
Jalan Teluk Bahang, 
11100 Penang, Malaysia

It's about 1 hour tour and after that we make our way back to Batu Ferringhi for lunch. Initial plan was to eat at The Living Room Cafe and Gallery. However, they're closed for the day so we dropped by Helena's Cafe (right beside only). 

They served mainly Indian cuisine, of course satay and penang food are also available. 

 

Our lunch, satay, Tandoori chicken and fries. 

The curry for the Tandoori chicken is homemade and awesome! I super like. Thick and fragrant. The satay comes with big chunks of chicken, unlike those in Singapore. Small pieces of meat with lots of fats. Ohh, it's actually ranked #5 on TripAdvisor. :) Not too bad, reasonably priced, will be back for other food too! :)

Helena's Cafe
43B Jalan Batu Ferrenghi | opp Yahong Gallery, 
Batu Ferringhi, 
Penang Island, Malaysia 

Took Bus 101 back to Georgetown as the rain keeps coming. Took a break before we leave for the Living Room Cafe again. Do take note that the traffic is quite bad in the evening time, so our bus ride was longer as compared to morning. 

We were quite lucky that we do not need to wait too long for a seat. That's the good thing about traveling as couples! *YAY!* 

Cosy atmosphere, and the furniture used are some old sewing machines and tables are craved straight from the wood. There's a live band that night, but I'm not too sure whether they're always there or happened to be performing that night. 

 Satay again! :) The sauce is slightly more watery.

Our sumptuous dinner :)

We ordered a stirred fried mixed vegetables and a thai-styled fried dory fish. The fish is quite similar to the normal Fish 'N' Chips, but it's the sauce that really make it very appetizing! :) We spent about RM49.90 for this meal. I would say it's slightly more expensive compared to the street food, and rest assured that freshness is guaranteed! 

Just so you know, The Living Room cafe is ranked #1 on TripAdvisor! :):):)

This is definitely my favorite shot at the cafe. 

The lighting just blend nicely with our smiles! *LOVE!*

The Living Room Cafe & Gallery

43 C Batu Ferringhi, 

Batu Ferringhi, 

Penang Island 11100, Malaysia

After dinner, you can continue walking towards the Holiday Inn Hotel, and right in front is the Batu Ferringhi Night Market. It's similar to our Singapore Pasar Malum, selling clothes and "branded" bags, etc.

Bus-ed back to our hotel, and we called it a day. Slow day, but it was definitely interesting because we sort of asked our way through the bus route and also getting all confused because the arrival time on the bus app is not quite accurate. *LOL!*

I guess that's what make budget traveling so adventurous.You don't know whether this bus you're taking is correct until maybe the bus driver make a turn and went into some wulu place. Of course, safety is number one, so make sure you're traveling with someone you can trust. 

I know I can count on my boy to bring me back safely. :):):)

Penang 5D4N Getaway: Part 1 - Arrival

:) This was a last minute trip as Mr. Lin needs to clear his leave before embarking on another new job. Initial plan was to drive up to Port Dickson and laze around at the beach side. But we decided to change to Penang as we heard lots of good feedback from friends. 

We got our air tickets from Jetstar Asia during their Friday Frenzy Sale. Return trip cost us $226.44 for 2 pax with checked in baggage. Definitely cheap cheap! :)

It was an evening flight, departing 6:55pm and arriving around 8:20pm. So we can't plan much for the 1st night. 

 On board flight, waiting for the plane to take off! :) 

PS: It's been a long time since we our last trip together, just the both of us. So we're very excited!

Upon arrival, we found an airport taxi which cost us RM44.70 to get to Georgetown. It's about 20 minutes drive from the airport (depending on traffic) to our hotel stay at Sunway Hotel Georgetown, which was just newly renovated

I definitely recommend this hotel because of it's location and also there's a night market just outside the hotel. The night market has one of the best street food there. :)

After settling in with our stomach crumbling, we made our way down to the street market. 

Lots of local food there, Chee Cheong Fan, Wan Tan Mee, Poh Piah, Fried Carrot Cake, etc

 Something light first, egg pancake. Nothing fancy, taste so-so

The poh piah has different fillings as compared to Singapore's. Here the auntie add mashed tofu together with the normal poh piah must haves. The overall taste is good, soft tofu and crunchy peanuts together!

Most of the shops and malls are closing so we didn't explore much. Right after the supper, we turned in for the night as we wanted to kick start early the next day! 

Spice Garden on the list! :)

Short & Sweet :)

:) We got our medal! :)

:) National Vertical Marathon 2013! We conquered 41 + 3 levels down to the finishing point! 

This is the 2nd year we joined the race and thus, we sort of know what to expect but it really is tedious to go against gravity! -.-" Like the title, short and sweet because we can complete the whole race within 20 minutes. 

But I'm not sure about others, going horizontal seems to be easier for me than vertically! ^_^!!! Nevertheless, I make it up in time, faster than last year timing too! :):):) 

This is the first warm-up for my Mount KK trip. We'll be going to Malaysia to have a short hike up at the end of the month before the actual trip! :) 

Hopefully the ride up Mount Kinabalu will be smooth and easy on me!

Packed Saturday! ^_^

Sunny Saturday, sunglasses is a MUST! :)

:) Mr decided to drive out for our weekly Saturday date! 

Picked me up slightly later because he missed the exit and went all the way to NTU. -__-" I guess can't blame him too much since I usually drive myself home and he, on the other hand, will be busy with his iPhone. 

Anyway, first stop was to get some food for a late brunch. I came across this cafe: Department of Caffeine from Instagram and decided to give it a try. 

1-page menu

We did not make any reservations and tried our luck with walk-in. It was quite crowded partly due to a birthday party celebration which took up most of the seats. 

So we had to wait, and in the end, we were only left with the bar seats facing the road, aka beside the main door. Limited varieties on your menu, but enough to be spoil for choice. Usually when it's my first time to a cafe, I couldn't make up my mind on what to order. It's like you wanna try something new, but also want to eat something simple and see whether it's up to the standard. *LOL!*

We ordered a starter, a main & a cup of Mocha since Mr. is not feeling too well that day.

Starter: Soba noodles, wakame & herb salad, $12 (regular)

Very refreshing and the soba are just nicely cooked. Simple, yet easy on your taste buds. *Like!* Portion is quite big, so would recommend to share this if you're planning to order another main for yourself. :)

Main: From the Kitchen: D.O.C Breakfast Platter, $18

The picture said it all: Scrambled eggs & bacon with the meatloaf on toasted brioche, served with tomato confit & cheese bocconcini. 

Ok, so I'm supposed to comment on the brioche, but my 1st bite was the tomato and it was so soft and juicy. HAHAHA! Scrambled eggs are quite normal, tasted like just another sandwich. Not too bad, but have tasted better. :) 

Definitely going back to try out other main courses. ^^

I'm not a caffeine addict / lover, just occasionally have the urge to have a cuppa. :)

*Caffeine will eat my iron away! NOOOOO!*

Coffee art is quite standard, not sure was it because the place was crowded and the art done is simple to cater to everyone. I have seen some 3D art works and definitely wanna go see them! I know I would not want to drink and destroy all the art work! *LAUGHS!*

:) Enjoying his breakfast platter, and always on the lookout for the Summon Auntie! *LOL!*

Department of Caffeine

Address: 15 Duxton Road, Singapore 089481

Telephone: 6223 3426 (remember to make a reservation!)

Opening Hours: 10:30 am - 7:30 pm

After the quick brunch, we went to collect some stuff near Central, and we had no choice but to pass the ERP which cost $2!!! *OMG!* Seriously, driving in Singapore is not CHEAP! For the sake of convenient? No, I would still prefer public transport. *_*

2nd part of the day: Garden by the Bay to visit the Tulipmania! ^_^!

While on our way, the magnificent Singapore Flyer

The iconic Super trees at GBTB

The trip was supposed to be see all the tulips bloom, but the day before, they changed all the buds so most of them were not fully open yet. Quite wasted as I wanted to see a whole field of tulips. 

Some random photos of the flowers........

:) Weather is good, and inside the dome is quite cooling. 

The Holland-themed pavilion with lots of wooden clogs hanging around :)

We managed to clear both domes within 2 hours, before rushing down to Kallang for the Nike She Runs 2013.

Here's a preview, will upload more in the next post! :)

And also, more on the Taiwan trip, which is super long overdue! -______-"