An autumn trip to remember: My 2015 Visit Korea VIP Invitation Tour Experience

The best things happen when you least expect it. :)

Last week I was able to visit Korea for the second time via the VisitKorea VIP Member Invitation Tour, organized by Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and it was the best, unplanned trip I have ever experienced. It was also my first solo trip abroad, and I call it ‘my miracle trip’ because I kind of felt like all the odds were against it at the beginning. But I guess when you’re given an opportunity, you seize it and do your best (and leave the rest to God), right?

I am very grateful to Korea Tourism Organization for such a wonderful experience. I’ve learned a lot of new things about Korea in those 4 days, and 3 nights special invitation tour, and I’d like to share them in a series of entries here in my blog.

For this entry, I’ll be sharing with you some pre-tour experiences, as well as the summary of our itinerary for the tour.

Pre-Tour Jitters

It was about a month ago when Korea Tourism Organization made an announcement about the VisitKorea VIP Member Invitation Tour. They were calling on avid supporters of their website and of Korea tourism to apply as participants for the tour. I thought it was a good opportunity, so I took a chance and submitted my application.

It was around end of October when they announced the winners and my name wasn’t there, so I went on my usual business. But then, 5 days later, I received a PM in twitter from @KoreanTravel (KTO’s twitter account) telling me I’ll receive good news that morning, and then, I received an email telling me that one participant wasn’t available so they had another round of selection and chose me. I couldn’t believe it at first, and then I finally realized what that meant, and I was like, “O-M-G, I’m going to Korea!”… Haha! It felt so surreal, it did take a few minutes to sink in on me. The next thing I know, I was hugging my immediate boss and telling her that I won a trip to Korea. It was indeed one happy moment.

After that though, I became more anxious than ever, because that also meant getting a visa in less than 2 weeks, flying to Korea on the day of a major event that we’re organizing, and squeezing in all the preparations for the trip in my really hectic work schedule. At that time, I had my hands full at work and my schedule was filled with meetings. It was almost impossible to gather my documents, and apply for a visa in less than a week. Good thing one of my friends, as well as our admin department helped me. I gathered all my requirements in a week, submitted my visa application to the embassy, and got my Korean Visa after 3 days.

Got my Korean Visa 5 days before the trip :) 

And then, there’s the whole APEC dilemma too (and this is more stressful than getting paranoid over bullet planting rumors). The government implemented a no-fly zone in NAIA as well as road closures during the summit as safety precaution for international delegates. This caused a lot of inconvenience to so many, and I heard a lot of horror stories of people going to the airport and being stuck in traffic for 8 hours, or people having their flights cancelled last minute. I didn’t want that to happen to me so I had to call Korean Air here in Manila to make sure they’re not cancelling any flights and also checked travel advisories every day. 

On top of that, my event that day was from 3am till the evening of Nov 17 and my flight was on the same day. I was sleepless, ate very little, and was so tired. I had to apologize to my colleagues for leaving at 5pm so I can go home and get my luggage. My dad was with me on the way to the airport and at around 9pm, we were still stuck in heavy traffic. My flight was around 11pm so I was almost in panic since we were still far from the airport. And then, my heart sunk when I learned that 2 Korean Air flights to Incheon before my flight have already been cancelled. I quickly scrolled down my phone, and was so relieved that my flight was only 55 minutes delayed. And then, the traffic started moving too… Wow, I was going to make it to my flight after all. ^^

Traffic was so bad, people would get stuck on the streets for ours. Photo credit: Remate.ph

It took almost 40 minutes to queue for check in. I was able to check in my luggage around 10:30pm. I grabbed a quick meal and then went to the boarding area. Our plane left around 11:40pm here in Manila. At that point, I was just so relieved and tired as well that I slept all throughout my flight (and didn’t even eat! But it was a good flight and the crew were so nice, so thank you Korean Air ^^). Now, on to the tour! Let's #VisitKorea!^^

Photos inside the plane taken by eonni Jasmidar Aziz 

Visit Korea VIP Invitation Tour DAY 1

I safely arrived at Incheon International Airport at around 4:40am (KST) of Nov. 18. I was first among all the participants to arrive since my flight was only 4 hours. Took a walk around the airport, got some leaflets here and there and even took a selfie. It was great to be back. 

I was also so excited to meet everyone. It’s so cool to be sharing the tour with participants from other countries. My team mates actually added me in a chatroom at Kakaotalk a day before the trip, so I knew their names even before we met. That actually helped a lot because it kind of felt like I’ve known these girls for a very long time already (even though technically, it’s only been a day or two). That’s why when we met, there were no awkward moments. It was all fun already. :)

The assigned meeting place for us was at the benches in front of Starbucks. I went there around 6:30am. I was starving so I bought a sandwich and tea. I made sure not to commit the same mistake of buying Jamba Juice at freezing cold weather (because that’s the first thing I bought during my 1st trip to Korea in 2013 :))

Yay, breakfast!

The first person I met from my team was Vera eonni from Singapore, followed by Nat from Thailand, and Tere from Indonesia. We met our tour guide, Kim eonni from Hana Tours at around 8:30am. It was unfortunate though that our Jas eonni’s flight (from Malaysia) got delayed so we had to leave the airport at around 9am without her, and she will just follow us at the hotel. 

Oh my my face looks so huge in this photo. LOL. From L-R: Me, Vera eonni from Singapore, our guide Kim eonni from Hana Tours, Nat from Thailand, and Tere from Indonesia. 

The weather that morning was quite cold and a bit windy when we went outside the airport to board our shuttle bus. We were told to bring umbrellas that day because the weather forecast said it will rain.

Nope, that's not our shuttle bus. Our Kim eonni is waiting for our bus. 

Our travel time from Incheon Airport to Seoul was around 45 minutes and it was nice to see traces of autumn in the streets. Our Kim eonni told us that our team will be assigned a wifi so we can post and promote the places that we’ll visit and activities that we’ll do at our SNS accounts whenever we want, which is part of our tasks as participants for the tour.

We arrived for check-in at Center Mark Hotel in Insadong at around 9:45 am, which was also about the same time Jas eonni arrived at the airport. We were supposed to leave for lunch at 11:30 so we have about an hour and a half to relax and settle down. Each of us were given a room and my room was at the 10th floor, same as Tere.

I like my room since it was very nice and cozy, and the ambience is very relaxing It was actually big for just one person, and I tried to take a nap, but I was just too excited so I took a nice, hot shower instead.

All of us met at the lobby at 11:30am. That’s also where we met Jas eonni. Now our team, the English Team participants (because we post in our SNS in English), is complete and we’re ready for lunch! ^^ 

I think this was our first group photo, which we took at the shuttle bus.

It was starting to rain then, that’s why they gave us umbrellas while we were at the shuttle. Kim eonni also gave us our KSmile Supporter jackets^^

We had our lunch at Nature Kitchen in Hongdae, where a scrumptious Hansik Buffet was waiting for us. At the restaurant, we also saw the other participants from Japan (5 people) and Taiwan (4 people). At first, we all thought we’ll all be touring as a whole group, but at that time it was explained to us that we’ll be divided into 3 groups (so there’s an English Team, Japanese Team, and Taiwanese Team). 

Look at all that food! ^^ 

And then, my very own bingsu for dessert :)

Our group photo at Nature Kitchen. Photo Credit; Jeanne Theresia Kurniawan

After lunch, we walked from the location of the restaurant to the Trick Eye Museum & Ice Gallery. Our team was first to arrive, and we wore our KSmile Supporter Jackets for the photo ops. 

Look who I 'met' at the street on our way to Trick Eye Museum :) 

It was super fun to have your pictures taken with the 3D art in Trick Eye Museum. I’ve been wanting to go there since my last visit to Korea. The Ice Gallery was just as fun, and yeah, it was freezing cold there. I think my phone literally froze and stopped working for a bit while I was there. Good thing I was already able to take loads of pictures before it died on me. When we got out of Ice Museum, it was already time for group photo with all the other participants. 

Our group photo at Trick Eye Museum...say Kimchiii! :) 

After Trick Eye Museum, we went to the very cute Hello Kitty Café, which is also one of the places in my bucket list. It’s a puurrrfect hangout place for kitty fanatics as well as coffee and tea lovers. I ordered the Crunch Cookies and Cream, which was kind of new in their menu. 

Photo taken by Jeanne Theresia Kurniawan 

After Hello Kitty Café, we went to Kondae Common Ground Pop-up Store, which can be found in the near Konkuk University Station (Seoul Subway Line 2, 7). I read about it at the VisitKorea website before I went on the trip and it was amazing to finally be there. Common Ground is Korea’s first , and the world’s biggest pop-up container shopping mall. It’s filled with a lot of good finds, from accessories, clothes, caps, shoes, cellphone cases, and a whole lot more! And if you get hungry, there’s a whole roster of restaurants, cafes and food trucks in the area. Actually, we’re supposed to try food from the trucks there for dinner, but it was raining so our Kim eonni and the KTO Manager that we’re with brought us to Dore Dore Café, which offers a whole selection of yummy cakes and beverages.

So for dinner, we went to Omoni Saengseon (어머니생선), which is in Insadong same as our hotel. There it was my first time to try grilled mackerel with rice and nori wrapper and I really loved it. We also tried my favorite Haemul (Seafood) pajeon and Makgeolli. We were all so stuffed after dinner that some of us already decided to call it a night and go back to the hotel, which is just walking distance from the restaurant.

I chatted for a while with my sister that night, telling her of our adventures for the day. Sleep was quite elusive for most of us that night I think, since most of us slept late. Probably due to a little jetlag, or maybe because we’re all just too excited for Visit Korea VIP Tour Day 2. ^^

Visit Korea VIP Invitation Tour DAY 2

Day 2 of our Visit Korea VIP Invitation Tour was quite a sunny day, so no need for umbrellas anymore. It kind of felt like it’s a bit colder than the previous day though, probably because it rained the night before. We’re supposed to meet at the hotel lobby by 8:30 am, and then we’re off to Samcheong-dong for brunch. 

I just love the ambiance at Samcheong-dong. The area looks so quaint and serene. The yellow trees along the road and the unique architectural design of most of the buildings there, which are either cafes, restaurants, museums, or some cute craft shop, are quite a sight to behold. I think just taking a stroll there one lazy morning is a good pastime in itself.

Panoramic view of an area in Samcheongdong

We had our breakfast at Slow Park, a café that serves brunch all day. It is just across Slow Garden. The place looks so stylish yet has a homey feel to it, and it’s also quite spacious. I think my colleagues would love to hang out there because it looks like a good place to relax and de-stress...We had photo ops with the Japanese Team before having brunch :)

After brunch, we went to Holly Go Studio, which is also within Samcheong-dong, to learn candle-making with the Japanese Team. There, we also met the very nice and cool Mr. Chul Kang, the Senior Deputy Director of the International Smart Tourism Team, and the very sweet and kind Ms. 양세영, whom we love to call eonni Sera. They’re both from KTO.

Our teacher, Ms. Holly Lee was the one who taught us the steps on candle-making in Hangul, while our respective guides translated the directions to us. It was my first time to do such an activity and I really enjoyed it.^^ Our instructor was also so nice and pretty, and look at all her wonderful creations!

We had to leave our candles though, since they still haven’t hardened. They just asked us to write our names on stickers to identify the owners of the candles.

The next stop in our itinerary is the Wiki Café, which is owned by Super Junior Sungmin’s eomma (mother). I’m an ELF (Super Junior Fan) and so is my 동생 (younger sister), so you can just imagine how thrilled I was to be visiting that café. I’ve visited Mouse Rabbit, which is owned by Super Junior Yesung, on my first visit to Korea in 2013, so visiting Wiki Café is one item crossed out in my bucketlist. :)

Since we had to walk to go to the café, we passed by some really nice and interesting museums. And although the café can be seen from the main road and is near the National Museum of Contemporary Art, we had to go through some alleys in Samcheong-dong to get to the actual entrance, and it was delighting to see some Hanoks (traditional Korean house) along the way.

The café sits at a high spot in Samcheong-dong and has a good view of Gyeongbokgung Palace. It also has a cozy and warm ambience to it that will make any fan feel right at home J The cafe has 2 floors. On the ground floor, there is a photo op area, a wall with messages and letters from fans, a piano, and a mail box where fans can leave their letters to Sungmin. There's a lot of cute stuff around the cafe too. I especially like the miniature Sungmins and the cute pillows with his face. 

We also met Sungmin’s younger brother, Sungjin at the café. He was a bit shy, yet so nice, handsome and adorable. He’s as charming as his brother and if he can dance and sing like him, he’d make a good Super Junior member too :) We all had our photos taken with him and I also asked him for a selfie^^

Two people from TBS eFM Seoul also interviewed Jas eonni, Vera eonni, and me at the café. They asked us about the places that we normally associate with Korea, how we share Korean culture, and also about Korean drama. I forgot to have my pic taken while they were doing the interview so I just asked them for a selfie afterwards.

So after that it’s lunch time and we went to this quaint Ramyeon shop called 55 Beonji Ramen (삼청동 55번지라면). The place is a Hanok, so I really like the ambience and their Ramyeon was really good with big servings too. The one I chose has seafood and is quite spicy. It was a challenge to finish it, lol. Not to worry because there are dishes that are not spicy in the menu. ^^ This one is a must try and it’s another item crossed out in my bucketlist!:)

Next stop for day 2 was Grevin Seoul Museum, where we ‘met’ a lot of our favorite celebrities in person, or at least their wax versions. It was a great experience to have your photos taken with the wax figures, and imagine yourself actually meeting the celebrities. There were a lot of games too. I especially like the last room we were in, where we ‘hung out’ with oppas Lee Min Ho, Kim Soo Hyun, Hyun Bin, and Jang Geun Suk. :)

From Grevin Museum, we went to Deoksugung Palace afterwards to witness the Royal Guard Changing Ceremony at 3:30pm. Other palaces have such ceremonies too, but Deoksugung has the biggest ceremony. 

As part of the VisitKorea VIP Member Invitation Tour, part of our task is to accomplish 3 missions and one of that is to take pictures with the chief of the Royal Guards at Deoksugung Palace. That’s why when we got there, we immediately looked for him (and he is standing right in front of the gate) and had our photos taken. [Mission no. 2, accomplished!]

I think we experienced autumn best at Deoksugung Palace. The trees and landscape inside the palace were really nice. The structures inside are a mix of both traditional and modern. We saw the parade of the Royal Guards while inside.

Up next at our itinerary is Dongdaemun, where we had our free time. We went to the shopping section while some of us went to the rooftop park of Dongdaemun Design Plaza to see the LED lit roses. Waaa, how I hope I’ve seen them too :)

Flying at DDP^^

After that, it’s early dinner at N table where we enjoyed Shabu shabu Buffet with the other teams and KTO Staff. Bon appetite! 

Next and last in our itinerary for our Visit Korea VIP Invitation Tour Day 2 is Jeongdong Theater where we had the Janggu Drum Experience. It was one of my favorite activities in the tour because it was my first time to hold and use a Janggu, a traditional Korean music instrument and is a double-headed drum shaped like an hourglass. It was fun to learn a little about traditional Korean music. ^^

We also watched the Miso ('The Story of Secretary Bae' 배비장전) afterwards, a traditional performance showcasing Korean dance and music like Pansori (traditional vocal performance with drum), and Samulnori (traditional percussion quartet). I really like the dance routines, colorful costumes, and interesting plot. We even had the chance to take pictures with the main cast after the performance.

After that, we called it a day and went back to the hotel at around 10:00pm. 

Visit Korea VIP Invitation Tour DAY 3

I slept so well during our 2nd night that I woke up a bit late on our 3rd day. Good thing I was able to get ready in just 30 minutes so I can still catch the hotel breakfast.

Our call time (8:00am) was earlier that day because we’re going to Chuncheon. We travelled by bus with the other teams to Yongsan Station. And then from Yongsan Station, we travelled via the ITX-Cheongchun Train to Chuncheon Station. The ride was very fast and convenient. I think we reached our destination in more or less 60 minutes. 

From Chuncheon station, we proceeded to Gangchon Rail Park for the Rail Bike Experience. There we had group photos before riding the rail bikes. 

We also met Ms. Hana Lee and Mr. Jeon Han from Korea.net. Since one rail bike only has 4 seats, I was separated from my team and was assigned to ride with them together with Mari Yosumi from the Japanese Team and we were told that they’d be interviewing us along the way. It was a good coincidence though that just a week before the trip, I was also accepted as Honorary Reporter for Korea.net. ^^

**You can check HERE and HERE for posts about our experience in Chuncheon and the interview with Korea.net :)

From L-R: Me, Ms. Hana Lee, Mr. Jeon Han, and Mari Yosumi from the Japanese Team

It was my first time to try the rail bikes and I’d say it’s my favorite activity of all. It’s a good form of exercise while seeing the beautiful scenery of Chuncheon. I love it when we pass by tunnels, because some have glow in the dark things attached to the walls of the tunnels, and some even have music. It’s like having a party at the tunnels, lol. We were all smiles after the ride^^

Photo taken by Ms. Hana Lee of Korea.net

After 40 minutes of biking, we went to 강촌 옛터숯불닭갈비 (Yetteosutbul Dakgalbi Restaurant) for lunch to have Dakgalbi (Grilled Chicken) and Makguksu (Korean buckwheat noodle dish). They’re both so yummy along with all the side dishes :) I also had Makgeolli for the 2nd time in Korea.

We left Chuncheon after lunch to go back to Seoul. I think we arrived at our next destination, which is Myeongdong, at around 3pm. And right after we got out of the bus, we saw some tourist police!... One of the three missions that I mentioned earlier is to find the tourist police and take a photo with them. And there are lots of tourist police in Myeongdong. :) [Mission 1, accomplished]

Since it was our free time, we can do anything we want, so Tere and I visited the Myeongdong Cathedral, the birthplace for the Roman Catholic Church community in Korea. I really like the serene ambience and the grotto of Mother Mary at the back. We also said a short prayer and lighted a candle too!:) 

It was all shopping time afterwards. My favorite things to buy in Myeongdong are cosmetics so I went first to TonyMoly, and then The Face Shop. There’s this very nice sales lady at The Face Shop who answered all my questions and helped me a lot in my shopping (too many items on the list!). She even gave me loads of freebies and they gave me tax refund too (TFS is always consistent with tax refund!^^). That’s why I decided to feature her in my 3rd mission, which is to share the experience of being acquainted with the kind hospitality of Koreans during the trip, as part of the recently launched K-Smile campaign. [Mission 3, accomplished!]

It’s either we had too little time to shop, or I just have too much on my list, that I wasn’t able to buy Kpop stuff in Myeongdong. Well, there’s always a next time J

At 6:00, we had dinner at Todai Buffet Restaurant. The food was delightful, and there were a lot of varieties of my favorite sushi and a lot of dessert options too.^^ 

Since it’s our last night in Seoul, we went to the Seoul Lantern Festival at Cheonggyecheon. Love all the bright, and colorful lanterns! There's even a lantern featuring the Philippine Christmas Lantern a.k.a 'Parol’.

We went back to the hotel at around 11pm. Now, how to pack our luggages after buying so much? :)

VisitKorea VIP Tour DAY 4

Aw, we’re almost at the end of the trip now. :( We had the usual breakfast at the hotel. We went back to our rooms to get our luggages and then we all met at the lobby for check-out. Our Kim eonni gave Vera eonni, Nat and I some cute Line T-Money Cards. Since we have later flights than Tere and Jas eonni, we were given the option to stay at IFC mall (our next destination before we go to the airport) and then just take the bus to the airport when we’re ready to leave. Kim eonni also gave us the very nice souvenir photo from Hana Tours, and the scented candles we made at Holly Go Studio.

The International Finance Center (IFC) Mall is a huge international shopping area at the heart of Yeouido with a lot of shops, restaurants, and brands to choose from. The mall boasts of world class facilities, and modern architecture, and I'm sure shopping there would be a very remarkable experience. It is unfortunate though that we all have full luggages already that we really didn’t have room for more shopping anymore at that time. That’s why, we decided to explore the nearby areas instead. 

Just across the IFC mall is the Yeouido Park, where we took some more autumn photos. And then, near the park is KBS building, where we shot a few photos. We really wanted to go in, but no longer 

have the time. 

When we got back to IFC mall, Vera eonnie, Nat and I, all decided to just go straight to the airport with the other participants since bringing our luggages with us and riding a bus may be a bit inconvenient.

We had our last meal at Lotteria at the airport, where we bid our goodbyes to our Kim eonnie. Shortly, Tere and Jas eonnie also had to leave and check-in their luggages since they have earlier flights. 

Our last groupie with Kim eonni 

Vera eonnie, Nat and I were able to check in at around 3:30pm. We took our tax refunds first, and then since we had time to spare, we dropped by the Korea Traditional Experience Center at Incheon Int'l Airport before heading to our boarding gates. We painted our own souvenir key chains! This is a good activity for those who have nothing to do while waiting for boarding, and also a good activity for kids. There’s even a short procession inspired by Joseon Kings & Queens to complete the traditional Korean Culture experience.

At around 5:30, it was time to go our separate ways. Aw, time passed by so fast. We took one last group shot of all three of us before going to our boarding gates. :)

                                                                                ~~~

I have won all kinds of stuff from home appliances, to gift certificates, Kpop merchandise, etc. before, but I think this is by far, the best prize I have ever won- to be able to experience a beautiful country’s unique culture, explore interesting and exciting places for the first time, and gain new friends who share the same interest. 

My heartfelt thanks to all the wonderful people I’ve met during the tour: 

To my four new friends from different parts of Asia- Vera eonni, Jas eonni, Tere, and Nat- thank you for being such wonderful company! It was my first solo trip abroad, and you guys made it such an enjoyable and unforgettable one. We should definitely have a reunion trip! :)

To my new friends from the Japanese and Taiwanese teams, it was nice meeting you all and sharing such wonderful experiences with you :)

To our beautiful and talented Kim eonni (김 언니) and the other guides from Hana Tours, thanks for taking good care of us through the trip and sharing lots of valuable information about Korea and its culture ^^ I’m usually an independent traveler, but after this trip, I’m seriously considering taking on tour packages to Korea because of you guys :)

To all the lovely people from Korea Tourism Organization, especially the English SNS Team (hope to meet you guys next time!^^) and the International Smart Tourism Team, and Mr. Chul Kang, and Ms. 양세영 (our eonni Sera^^) who joined us during the tour, thank you for your warm company and hospitality.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much to Korea Tourism Organization for making this trip possible! It is truly an honor to be part of the fourteen bloggers that you invited for this tour, much more to be able to represent my country. 정말 감사합니다 and hope to see everyone again!

*** Detailed reviews of each place we went to, coming up soon!^^

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Interested about Korean Tourism? Check out the Korea Tourism Organization Official Website, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

For Filipinos, follow Korea Tourism Organization Manila at Facebook, Twitter, and KakaoTalk (@ktomanila) for the latest updates on Korea tourism, events, tour packages and promos. :)