Hey! I hope you enjoyed my first "When In Korea" post, as promised I'm back with another one. This time I'll be sharing some tips on how to get discounts. :)

After my Vacation in Korea people keep on asking...

"How much was the damage?"
"Isn't it expensive there?"
"Is it budget friendly?"

and about 20 "How much" questions

Most people I know have this thinking that visiting Korea will cost you a lot. Surprisingly if you've been to other Asian countries (i.e. Hong Kong, Thailand etc.) you can actually allot the same budget, Why? because Korea is quite generous on giving tourist discounts. Since I travelled alone I made sure that I'll be able to make the most out of my budget. I've read sole travelers tend to spend more specially for food. So before flying to Seoul I did my homework and researched on how to avail tax refund/tourist discounts and I was delighted to discover that they offer a lot. It might sound as if I'm exaggerating but compared to other countries I visited
Seoul does offer a lot.

KTO Coupons:


Oh! how I love Korean Tourism Organization's website, there's definitely more to KTO than what I expected. Yes they have a lot of information that will come handy on planning my trip, but to my surprise I got discount coupons after registering. Yay! more discounts more fun!

Hey! So Last month I had a 6-day vacation in Seoul, Korea... Alone! I had a lot of fun and thought it'll be nice to share some things that I learned about Korea. Unlike most travelers does I would like to focus more on giving some tips on how you can get around Korea comfortably. Before going there I sure did a lot of research but still there are things that I only learned/discovered during my trip. That's the main reason why I'll be posting a couple of tips, hoping that future tourists will come across my post while planning their trip.

So here's my first tip...

Don't we all hate it early morning or late night arrivals? the agony of waiting for the "check in" time to our respective hotels?. The time wasted on going straight to our hotel to leave our luggage before we can jumpstart our trip?. And for some isn't it a hassle to go around pulling our luggage or looking like a turtle with our huge backpacks?



When in Korea you need not to worry about this things anymore :) You can head straight to your travel plans without thinking about your luggage. All you have to do is use the Digital lockers found in Seoul's subway, I tried this after checking out to my hostel during the afternoon for my 10:00 p.m. flight. If only I knew this before I could've used one  before checking in as well, but hey at least I was able to use it before heading back home.

While going around Seoul I noticed that there's this locker like thing in every subway station, so I checked it and found out that it's a Digital locker. At first I was like "Who will use such locker?" I mean it's in the subway where anyone can access it. But I noticed that most of it are occupied, so when I went back to my hostel I asked the owner if it's safe to use and I got a positive reply. He even told me that it's widely used in Seoul specially in the shopping district, which makes sense. He said that it's safe as long as you make sure that you locked it, and if I'm still hesitant just don't leave valuable things (i.e. money, travel docs etc.).

Then I googled it, I found some instructions on how to use it in KTO site (link below) which made me think that it must be safe to use since it's in KTO site.

Here are the details on how you can use the digital locker as stated on KTO site,

Subway Lockers

Many of the subway stations on Seoul Subway Lines are equipped with paid lockers. In addition to storage, these lockers provide diverse services including shipping and receiving, express delivery, and laundry.

• Locker Usage Fees

1. 1. Storage: Small lockers 2,000 won / Large lockers 3,000 won (based on 24 hours; extra charge for additional hours)
2. 2. Home delivery service: Small lockers 2,000 won / Large lockers 3,000 won (based on 24 hours; extra charge for additional hours)
3. 3. Shipping & Receiving
   • - Shipping: General 6,000 won / Jeju Island 8,000 won / Other islands 10,000 won
   • - Packing (separate charge): 2,000 won (extra charge for weights over 10kg)
4. 4. Transferring to another station/storage: 10,000 won per box(based on a small box weighing less than 10kg)
5. 5. Long-term usage: 100,000 won per month (Inquiries: 1588-2625)

• Features of Subway Lockers

1. 1. LCD screen storage & pick-up information
2. 2. T-money Card payment
3. 3. Credit card payment
4. 4. Receipt pick-up
5. 5. CCTV video recording

• How to Store Belongings

1. 1. Locker Usage Options. Select “1 물품 보관하기 (Storage)” on the screen.
2. 2. Locker Selection. Select your preferred locker, and select “확인 (Confirm).” Available lockers are shown in blue boxes.
3. 3. Payment Methods. The first row indicates the locker usage fee. (Picture: 2,000 won for a small locker) Select the method of payment: 1) T-money Card; 2) Credit Card; 3) Cell Phone; 4) Cash. Payment with cell phones may be limited for foreign visitors.
4. 4. Payment. Pay the locker usage fee. (Picture: After selecting payment method #1, place your T-money Card on the T-money Card reader. Make sure there is enough money in the T-money Card balance.)
5. 5. Open Locker. When your locker opens, put your belongings inside.
6. 6. Close Locker. Make sure to put your belongings on the red circle inside the locker. Close the locker, and it will lock automatically.
   * Do not lose the card you used to pay with, as you will need it to open the locker again.

• How to Pick Up Stored Belongings

1. 1. Locker Usage Options. Select “5 물품찾기 (Pick-Up)” on the screen.
2. 2. Pick-up Options. #1: 본인이 보관한 물품 찾기 (Pick up my belongings) / #2: 타인에게서 전달 받은 물품 또는 택배물품, 다른 역 이동 물품 찾기 (Pick up delivery packages)
3. 3. Payment Methods. Select the method of payment you used for storing belongings in the locker.
4. 4. Payment Confirmation. Confirm the payment of the locker usage fee. (Picture: Place your T-money Card that you used for payment on the T-money Card reader)
5. 5. Pick-up Options. #1: 예 (Yes; Pick up my belongings) / #2: 아니오 (No; Restore my belongings). Extra charge applies for extended use of the locker.
6. 6. Open Locker. When your locker opens, take out all your belongings.
7. 7. Close Locker. Take out all your belongings, and close the locker if no longer using it.

Will be back with more "When in Korea" post, hope you liked this one ;)


Reference: KTO

It's not a secret that Korea is one of  my dream destinations, a year ago I was able to book a cheap flight so last month I was able to realize that dream. The thing is this'll be my first time to travel out of the country alone... yeah I'm excited about that but my main concern was who'll take my pictures??? eeehhhh it's not as if I can ask a stranger every single time I want to take a snapshot. Plus the lens of my DSLR is manual, so I decided to get a new toy.  Gopro Hero 3+ black edition, It's probably one of the most compact camera around plus it does produce quality pictures. Getting one isn't that easy I've searched for it over a month but to no avail I resorted to a trusted Sulit.com seller. Got it a week before my Korean trip so what I did was I brought it everyday to the office and play with it during my lunch break as a practice. :)

Will be sharing some of my shots from Korea soon :) and probably a review if I have a chance

"Why do you love the beach?"

I often get this kind of question from my friends and it's funny how I was asking myself the very same question yesterday. So I tried my best to sort of decipher my love for the beach, never thought how it'll turn out. So I found myself getting giddy in front of my computer thinking that "yay! I have something to write about" lol the kid in me laughed.

Contrary to what other people think most of my beach getaway are unplanned, meaning I don't just book a flight 'coz there's a seat sale. In fact last year I booked 2 flights wherein the flight schedules were within the next 24 hrs. crazy huh?.

I love the beach because...



... there's this "I'm not here forever, I need to make the most out of this trip" thinking that will give you a certain high whenever you got to do something new during your vacation. May it be a water sport or even as simple as sleeping on the shore during noontime. An experience that you can take with you and relive once you're back on your daily routine.


... you can do whatever you want or do nothing at all, of course since you're on a vacation you don't have the need to follow a certain schedule. You have the freedom to make use of your time. :)



... you get a chance to meet new friends, people you don't usually meet at work. People with similar agenda as yours... to relax lol I've tried travelling alone many times and it seems like people are much friendlier when you're alone. And for a timid guy like me I become more approachable whenever I'm on a trip lol



... breathtaking sceneries... it's always refreshing to watch a dramatic sunset by the shore. I mean it gives you that certain calmness that you won't get on a city sunset. I think that what makes it more special is that everyone on the beach just like you takes time to stop and watch the sunset, while when you're in the city no one gives sh*t about it.



... good food!!! hell yeah! when you're on the beach foodtripin is a must. Not only because of the seafood but for the island's specialty as well. Most beaches have loads of restaurants strategically located at the shore. Nothing beats eating by the beach, not even dressing up to have a dinner on a fancy restaurant. Here you can have a sumptuous meal without the need of your suit & tie plus you'll have an ass kicking view of the beach. :)



... sound of the waves... not everyone appreciates it... actually not everyone goes to the beach to catch the wave... I love the waves simply because I enjoy surfing... not that I'm good at it but it's fun... I have 2 favorite moments when surfing... one is when you're waiting for a good wave, 'coz it makes you forget everything as you are focused on reading the waves. The other one is a given it's whenever I catch a good wave. :)

Yo! sa two years na pagkawala ko... (katamaran magpost) eh kung san san na rin ako nakapaglakwatsa... ang pinakahuli kong napuntahan eh ang Vietnam...
Kumpara sa ibang lugar na napuntahan ko kakaiba ang Vietnam...
nasa kanya yung hinahanap kong "culture adventure" di katulad ng iba na ang pakay lang sa kanilang mga bakasyon ay mamili at magrelax... gusto ko ring makita kung ano ang akultura ng lugar na aking binibisita...

At nakita ko yun sa vietnam mula sa uri ng transportasyon na kanilang nakasanayan hanggang sa trip nilang gawin kapag gusto nilang magpalipas ng oras....

Kape at Motor...

Mahilig ang mga Vietnamese sa kape... iba't ibang uri ng kape... hot, cold or iced... pero ang kinaibahan sa kanila hindi tulad sa Pilipinas na gustong gusto ng mga taong uminom ng kape sa loob ng mall or ng mararangyang establishment... mas gusto o baka sadyang nakasanayan lang ng mga Vietnamese na magkape sa kalsada... tumambay kumbaga.... nakakatuwang tignan na bawat kanto may nagkukumpulan at nagkakape... kung dito sa atin may mga tomador sa kanto sa kanila may nagkakape :) astig... napansin ko din na lahat halos ng tao sa kanila ay nakamotor...napakadalang makakita ng mga lokal na naglalakad... ang cute tignan na halos lahat ng pumapasok ng mga malls, fastfood at iba pang establishment eh nagpapark ng kani kanilang motor... at take note maayos ang sistema nila :)

Ayun naikwento ko lang :) sa susunod tungkol naman sa bakasyon ko sa HK at Macau ang ibabahagi ko sa inyo :)