First stop on Sunday morning was the Myeongdong Catholic Cathedral for mass.
The English mass was already starting when we got there and there was a sign outside telling us to wait for the next mass because the doors were closed. Fortunately, a Korean lady arrived and she opened the door and went in. Of course we followed her. There were a number of people standing at the back of the church. An usher led us to available seats in front.
The church is really nice, like the old churches we have here. The brochure we got says the style is Gothic Revival. There were no kneelers inside, probably to maximize the space. The mass was over in less than an hour.
We took some photos inside the church after the mass but we could not stay long because the churchgoers for the next mass were already coming in.
We took some more photos outside. The entire place is very picturesque. Rafael thought the church was the Big Ben. He bought a small rosary from one of the vendors outside.
Afterwards, we decided to have some drinks (as in coffee and hot chocolate ha, not alcoholic hehe) at a nearby Leonidas. Everything was sooo good. It was probably the richest chocolate I've ever tasted in my life. :D
We explored the shops in Myeongdong. Rhuel got his Liverpool jersey from New Balance. Too bad it was not yet available in Rafael's size.
We were worried about the extra goodies we've been buying so we decided to buy another luggage. It was reasonably priced and we got a huge discount, if we are to believe the vendor who showed us a price tag twice the price we paid. Echosero si manong hehe.
Next stop was Gyeongbokgung Palace. I can't remember why we opted to take a cab but I'm glad we did. The driver was very nice. When he learned we were Filipinos, he took us to the Sunday Filipino Market. According to Tripadvisor, it's located in Hyehwa-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. The driver said it's beside a Catholic church. A Filipino priest was assigned there and that started the market.
Rhuel wanted Rafael and I to wear the traditional costume. Good thing we didn't find any rental place inside the palace. Ang init kaya. :D
It was lunch time when we finished exploring the palace. I wanted to visit Insadong. We got lost a bit (as in alleys with scary looking guys hehe) going there but we eventually found our way. We had lunch at a Korean restaurant in Insadong that served really nice soup and stir fried pork and squid. Ang sarap lang ng sticky rice hehe.
Then it was time for us to visit Gangnam to feel the vibe. We're not K-pop fans but we still had to check it out, right? Rhuel wanted to stay at the COEX mall, maganda daw eh. But my research says it was not Gangnam "proper" hehe.
We eventually found the overcrowded Gangnam area. Pretty much like Hongdae the other night but I liked the Hongdae vibe more - crowded but not exhausting. Or maybe we were just really exhausted already.
We had to sleep early because we had an early tour the following day.
May 27, Monday
We
woke up to a rainy Monday morning. Our first rainy day in Seoul and also
the day we were taking a tour to see four different places. :D
We were finally able to use our jackets/raincoats. We did not have any umbrella. The walk from the hotel to our pick up point was okay. There was just a slight drizzle that our raincoats were able to handle.
The pick up point was a bit confusing. We saw a bus with the name of our tour operator and we thought that was our bus. We attempted to board it but the driver did not allow us to do so. Turns out there were about three tour groups at that pick up point and we're supposed to find our tour guide first.
Our tour guide was a nice guy named Ben of KTourStory. He said he has a degree in History, which probably made him qualified to be a tour guide. After all the confusion, we settled down and waited for our bus to arrive. Good thing we were one of the first groups to get on the bus so we were able to pick good seats. Similar to the DMZ tour, Rafael and I sat together while Rhuel had to share a seat with another person.
First stop was Petite France. It's in an area just outside Seoul.
According to our tour guide, the owner loved French culture and decided to make replicas of some French spots.
The Little Prince was also a dominant theme at Petite France.
This time, our raincoats could no longer handle the stronger rain. I asked Rhuel to buy an umbrella or the full-body raincoats from the convenience store. He got us a nice transparent umbrella for KRW100 (?).
Rafael
loved seeing the fake Eiffel Tower. Buti mababaw pa kaligayahan ngayon,
hehe.
There were so many nice things to see and take photos of.
Unfortunately, the roads were very slippery so we could not move around too fast. We were only given about an hour to explore the area so it was really a mad dash to see as much as we can.
I don't think we were able to visit all the areas. I wish we could have spent more time here than in the other areas we visited for this tour.
Just
a few minutes before we had to be back on the bus, Rhuel thought of
getting some souvenirs from Petite France. He managed to buy two cute
Little Prince notebooks. They're too pretty I don't think I'd want to
write on them.
As Rhuel was rushing back to the bus (Rafael and I went ahead because we had to walk really slow), Rhuel chanced upon an old Chinese lady who slipped. Her fellow elderly companions were trying to help her get up but she was just too heavy and they were just too weak. Rhuel helped them and he said the lady was really heavy. They were finally able to get her up. The lady had her photo taken with Rhuel and said she'll "rag" him. She probably meant she'll tag him on social media. Unfortunately, they forgot to get each other's names. Baka viral na pala si Rhuel in some part of the world today hehe.
Next stop was Garden of Morning Calm.
It's a huge garden with lots of mini gardens that contain many pretty flowers and trees.
The mood was really soothing and calming. It helped that they played relaxing instrumental music in the background. Parang ang sarap mag-meditate. :D
Again,
I don't think we were able to explore all parts of the Garden. It was
still raining and we left our maps on the bus. We didn't want to get
lost and be late so we made sure to stay near the exit.
Rafael loved seeing all the beautiful flowers although at one point he exclaimed that they all looked the same (taas ng standard!). His favorites were the Heaven and Moonlight gardens with the white flower.
I loved how the garden had worship places. The chapel looked really cute.
Around 15 minutes before departure time, we headed back to the bus.
Third stop for the day was Nami Island. A popular Koreanovela was shot there, which transformed the island into a famous tourist spot.
We had to take a 3-5-minute ferry ride to get to the island. Rafael loved riding the ferry.
The island was okay. It had nice things to take photos of too. The only problem was it was sandy and the rain turned most of it into mud. Our pants and shoes were all muddy. Rafael was complaining because the sand was getting inside his shoes.
My sister-in-law, Mel, who lived in Korea for 12 years said the best time to visit Nami Island is actually during autumn. The colors must be wonderful during that season. :)
After
a bit of walking, we finally saw a restaurant and decided to have
lunch. Who would've thought we'd have our first (and only) Korean
barbecue lunch at Nami Island? Dumayo talaga. They say prices in the
island are a lot more expensive. But we were tired and hungry and we
didn't really want to get any muddier.
I know Korean barbecue's a big hit here in the Philippines but we've never tried them before. Medyo tamad kasi magluto. Rhuel's rationale: why would I go to a restaurant and pay for food that I have to cook myself? May point naman.
And true enough, nangawit kami sa pag-ihaw, hehe. Rhuel did most of the cooking because I had to help Rafael eat. We got assorted meat to cook and Rafael loved the hotdog. I loved the duck. It was a very filling lunch. It gave us energy to take the muddy walk back to the ferry terminal.
We had a very leisurely lunch that it was already departure time when we got back to the bus.
Final stop for the day was the Gangchon Rail Park.
This stop made me anxious the night before. It would entail riding a bike for four people. The pictures I saw had two people seated in front pedaling. I was not sure if two people had to be in front. Did that mean Rhuel and I had to sit in front and leave Rafael by himself at the back (unless a fourth person joins us and pedals with Rhuel in front)? It didn't help that when I told Rhuel about the bike ride, he was asking if we could skip that part. I was torn because I've read great reviews about it - how it's a good bonding time for the family, how exquisite the view was, etc. I thought of asking the tour operator the night before if we could opt not to join this part. Buti na lang tinuloy namin. :D
When Rhuel saw the bikes, he exclaimed, "Sus, 'yan lang naman pala. Eh kaya natin 'yan!" Perhaps he thought we had to ride bikes that required balancing. Eh pareho kaming hindi marunong mag-bike haha. I asked if we had to leave Rafael by himself at the back of the bike. Rhuel said he'll sit in front and Rafael and I could sit at the back. Each passenger had his/her own pedals so everyone could actually help. Problem was, Rafael could not reach the pedals yet. I tried to help pedaling but whenever Rhuel pedaled, I felt that my pedaling was actually useless. Probably the front pedals had more force?
The
view was really lovely. It helped that the rain stopped and we just had the
cool breeze surrounding us. It was so nice to see Korean countryside
with crops, mountains, animals, etc. We even had to cross streets with our
rail bikes. We all had fun admiring the view.
We wanted a leisurely ride but the rail bike behind us was a bit too near us. I was pressuring Rhuel to pedal faster. Rafael thought we were on a bike race and he was asking his father to bike faster too haha. The first part of the rail was easy. The latter part was a bit exhausting though, especially the elevated parts. We really had to exert effort in pedaling.
There were tunnels to distract us along the way. I loved the tunnel with bubbles. There was also one with bright lights and loud music. Rave party ang peg 'ata. It was okay but I didn't like it as much as the bubbly one.
Rhuel
wanted me to take photos but our tour guide's warning about dropping
and losing phones on the rail scared me. So we were not able to take
photos of the nice view.
After about 30-40 minutes of pedaling, we finally reached our stop. We had to move to a tram that took us to another location where our bus waited for us.
It was a very exhausting day. We spent roughly 12 hours on that tour but it was all worth it. I was proud of how Rafael was able to stand joining something that long. :D I loved the rail bike experience the most. :)
Tour guides in Korea are a bit different from Filipino guides. Rhuel and I were used to Filipino tour guides who would be with you the entire time. In Korea, they give you useful info about the spots on the bus then give you instructions (meeting point, time, etc.) before getting off the bus. Then you're left on your own to explore the area. So yep, they're more like facilitators. But it actually worked for us because at least we were free to see the places we wanted to see and were not forced to go to areas that didn't interest us.
The bus dropped us off at Myeongdong at around 8 p.m. We were too exhausted to find a nice restaurant so we ended up eating at McDonald's. That was actually a good thing because I'm curious about how different McDonald's menus are in different countries.
Rafael had a nuggets Happy Meal. It was interesting that their toys were the same as the ones here in the Philippines. I had a barbecue bacon burger and it was good. Rhuel was scared of trying something different. Baka daw 'di magkaintindihan. So he ordered a quarter pounder. We loved their fries because they tasted good. We usually cannot finish the fries we order here but we were able to finish three large fries there. Or baka pagod and gutom lang kami? :D
There was a nice Korean man who doted on Rafael at McDonald's. He was so formal. He welcomed us to the Republic of Korea and shook hands with Rafael. :)
After dinner, we regained some of our energy so we decided to explore Myeongdong a bit more.
We were lucky to come across the Seoul Comics Road. Rafael had a great time having his photos taken with his favorite characters. :)
We ended up getting dessert at Sulbing Korean Dessert Cafe.
We had some chocolate brownie patbingsu. As expected, daming yelo,
hehe.
We then headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest. :)
May 28, Tuesday
We were finally able to use our jackets/raincoats. We did not have any umbrella. The walk from the hotel to our pick up point was okay. There was just a slight drizzle that our raincoats were able to handle.
The pick up point was a bit confusing. We saw a bus with the name of our tour operator and we thought that was our bus. We attempted to board it but the driver did not allow us to do so. Turns out there were about three tour groups at that pick up point and we're supposed to find our tour guide first.
Our tour guide was a nice guy named Ben of KTourStory. He said he has a degree in History, which probably made him qualified to be a tour guide. After all the confusion, we settled down and waited for our bus to arrive. Good thing we were one of the first groups to get on the bus so we were able to pick good seats. Similar to the DMZ tour, Rafael and I sat together while Rhuel had to share a seat with another person.
First stop was Petite France. It's in an area just outside Seoul.
According to our tour guide, the owner loved French culture and decided to make replicas of some French spots.
The Little Prince was also a dominant theme at Petite France.
This time, our raincoats could no longer handle the stronger rain. I asked Rhuel to buy an umbrella or the full-body raincoats from the convenience store. He got us a nice transparent umbrella for KRW100 (?).
There were so many nice things to see and take photos of.
Unfortunately, the roads were very slippery so we could not move around too fast. We were only given about an hour to explore the area so it was really a mad dash to see as much as we can.
Inside replicas of French houses
I don't think we were able to visit all the areas. I wish we could have spent more time here than in the other areas we visited for this tour.
As Rhuel was rushing back to the bus (Rafael and I went ahead because we had to walk really slow), Rhuel chanced upon an old Chinese lady who slipped. Her fellow elderly companions were trying to help her get up but she was just too heavy and they were just too weak. Rhuel helped them and he said the lady was really heavy. They were finally able to get her up. The lady had her photo taken with Rhuel and said she'll "rag" him. She probably meant she'll tag him on social media. Unfortunately, they forgot to get each other's names. Baka viral na pala si Rhuel in some part of the world today hehe.
Next stop was Garden of Morning Calm.
It's a huge garden with lots of mini gardens that contain many pretty flowers and trees.
The mood was really soothing and calming. It helped that they played relaxing instrumental music in the background. Parang ang sarap mag-meditate. :D
Rafael loved seeing all the beautiful flowers although at one point he exclaimed that they all looked the same (taas ng standard!). His favorites were the Heaven and Moonlight gardens with the white flower.
I loved how the garden had worship places. The chapel looked really cute.
Around 15 minutes before departure time, we headed back to the bus.
Third stop for the day was Nami Island. A popular Koreanovela was shot there, which transformed the island into a famous tourist spot.
We had to take a 3-5-minute ferry ride to get to the island. Rafael loved riding the ferry.
The island was okay. It had nice things to take photos of too. The only problem was it was sandy and the rain turned most of it into mud. Our pants and shoes were all muddy. Rafael was complaining because the sand was getting inside his shoes.
My sister-in-law, Mel, who lived in Korea for 12 years said the best time to visit Nami Island is actually during autumn. The colors must be wonderful during that season. :)
I know Korean barbecue's a big hit here in the Philippines but we've never tried them before. Medyo tamad kasi magluto. Rhuel's rationale: why would I go to a restaurant and pay for food that I have to cook myself? May point naman.
And true enough, nangawit kami sa pag-ihaw, hehe. Rhuel did most of the cooking because I had to help Rafael eat. We got assorted meat to cook and Rafael loved the hotdog. I loved the duck. It was a very filling lunch. It gave us energy to take the muddy walk back to the ferry terminal.
We had a very leisurely lunch that it was already departure time when we got back to the bus.
Final stop for the day was the Gangchon Rail Park.
This stop made me anxious the night before. It would entail riding a bike for four people. The pictures I saw had two people seated in front pedaling. I was not sure if two people had to be in front. Did that mean Rhuel and I had to sit in front and leave Rafael by himself at the back (unless a fourth person joins us and pedals with Rhuel in front)? It didn't help that when I told Rhuel about the bike ride, he was asking if we could skip that part. I was torn because I've read great reviews about it - how it's a good bonding time for the family, how exquisite the view was, etc. I thought of asking the tour operator the night before if we could opt not to join this part. Buti na lang tinuloy namin. :D
When Rhuel saw the bikes, he exclaimed, "Sus, 'yan lang naman pala. Eh kaya natin 'yan!" Perhaps he thought we had to ride bikes that required balancing. Eh pareho kaming hindi marunong mag-bike haha. I asked if we had to leave Rafael by himself at the back of the bike. Rhuel said he'll sit in front and Rafael and I could sit at the back. Each passenger had his/her own pedals so everyone could actually help. Problem was, Rafael could not reach the pedals yet. I tried to help pedaling but whenever Rhuel pedaled, I felt that my pedaling was actually useless. Probably the front pedals had more force?
We wanted a leisurely ride but the rail bike behind us was a bit too near us. I was pressuring Rhuel to pedal faster. Rafael thought we were on a bike race and he was asking his father to bike faster too haha. The first part of the rail was easy. The latter part was a bit exhausting though, especially the elevated parts. We really had to exert effort in pedaling.
There were tunnels to distract us along the way. I loved the tunnel with bubbles. There was also one with bright lights and loud music. Rave party ang peg 'ata. It was okay but I didn't like it as much as the bubbly one.
After about 30-40 minutes of pedaling, we finally reached our stop. We had to move to a tram that took us to another location where our bus waited for us.
It was a very exhausting day. We spent roughly 12 hours on that tour but it was all worth it. I was proud of how Rafael was able to stand joining something that long. :D I loved the rail bike experience the most. :)
Tour guides in Korea are a bit different from Filipino guides. Rhuel and I were used to Filipino tour guides who would be with you the entire time. In Korea, they give you useful info about the spots on the bus then give you instructions (meeting point, time, etc.) before getting off the bus. Then you're left on your own to explore the area. So yep, they're more like facilitators. But it actually worked for us because at least we were free to see the places we wanted to see and were not forced to go to areas that didn't interest us.
The bus dropped us off at Myeongdong at around 8 p.m. We were too exhausted to find a nice restaurant so we ended up eating at McDonald's. That was actually a good thing because I'm curious about how different McDonald's menus are in different countries.
Rafael had a nuggets Happy Meal. It was interesting that their toys were the same as the ones here in the Philippines. I had a barbecue bacon burger and it was good. Rhuel was scared of trying something different. Baka daw 'di magkaintindihan. So he ordered a quarter pounder. We loved their fries because they tasted good. We usually cannot finish the fries we order here but we were able to finish three large fries there. Or baka pagod and gutom lang kami? :D
There was a nice Korean man who doted on Rafael at McDonald's. He was so formal. He welcomed us to the Republic of Korea and shook hands with Rafael. :)
After dinner, we regained some of our energy so we decided to explore Myeongdong a bit more.
We were lucky to come across the Seoul Comics Road. Rafael had a great time having his photos taken with his favorite characters. :)
We then headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest. :)
May 28, Tuesday
It
was our last day in Seoul. Boo! Rafael cried in the morning when I told
him we were going home the next day. Why can't we live there daw? I
said we had no house there. He said maybe I should call the people
making buildings in Korea and ask them to build us a house. I said we
cannot stay there legally because we had no work there. He said Rhuel
and I could work anywhere with our laptops so we should be able to work
there. Hay buhay. I can't remember how I pacified him.
First stop for that day was the Doota Mall.
It was time for Rafael's date with Tayo.
He had so much fun playing, especially because he had the entire place to himself probably around half the time he was there.
It was very timely that some of the Netflix cartoons that Rafael discovered were from Korea (Tayo, Robocar Poli, Pororo). I know there's also a Super Wings Cafe but he had not watched it for quite some time so I no longer included it in our itinerary. (Pero surprise, surprise, he's watching it again now.)
Rafael wanted to eat lunch at the Tayo Cafe. We tried to discourage him but I can't really blame him. It had all things Tayo. Rhuel didn't like his soupy spaghetti. My spicy squid was okay (because again, their sticky rice is really yummy so anything you eat with it will definitely be heavenly). Rafael liked his chicken tenders.
We bought a really nice Tayo sticker book and we got some free Tayo coloring drawings.
After the Tayo trip, we checked out some Dongdaemun shops because it's allegedly a popular shopping spot. We didn't really like the things we saw. Again, might be a matter of taste.
We moved to another popular shopping place - the Namdaemun Market. Our DMZ tourist guide recommended buying traditional Korean stuff here because they're cheaper. Bigo pa rin sa shopping. Although Rhuel managed to buy a fake Korean football jersey for Rafael here. Echosero ulit si manong. He showed us a sticker and claimed it was an official licensed product and we were getting a huge discount daw. :D
First stop for that day was the Doota Mall.
It was time for Rafael's date with Tayo.
He had so much fun playing, especially because he had the entire place to himself probably around half the time he was there.
It was very timely that some of the Netflix cartoons that Rafael discovered were from Korea (Tayo, Robocar Poli, Pororo). I know there's also a Super Wings Cafe but he had not watched it for quite some time so I no longer included it in our itinerary. (Pero surprise, surprise, he's watching it again now.)
Rafael wanted to eat lunch at the Tayo Cafe. We tried to discourage him but I can't really blame him. It had all things Tayo. Rhuel didn't like his soupy spaghetti. My spicy squid was okay (because again, their sticky rice is really yummy so anything you eat with it will definitely be heavenly). Rafael liked his chicken tenders.
We bought a really nice Tayo sticker book and we got some free Tayo coloring drawings.
After the Tayo trip, we checked out some Dongdaemun shops because it's allegedly a popular shopping spot. We didn't really like the things we saw. Again, might be a matter of taste.
We moved to another popular shopping place - the Namdaemun Market. Our DMZ tourist guide recommended buying traditional Korean stuff here because they're cheaper. Bigo pa rin sa shopping. Although Rhuel managed to buy a fake Korean football jersey for Rafael here. Echosero ulit si manong. He showed us a sticker and claimed it was an official licensed product and we were getting a huge discount daw. :D
From
Namdaemun, we miraculously found ourselves back in Myeongdong after
using an underpass. Galing! Rafael was tired of all the walking and he
wanted to get some snacks.
We
ended up at the Innisfree Green Cafe. It had a really nice ambience. We
had coffee and brownies. Rafael loved the brownies, which I found a bit
"healthy-tasting," hehe.
We
walked around afterwards to soak in the Myeongdong experience. Rhuel
tried the kiwi juice, which was yummy but too filling for him. Purong
kiwi ba naman.
I
finally tasted the lobster. Ang sarapppp!!! Pero ang mahal!!! KRW15,000
for one lobster. But it was soooo worth it. I would have gotten more if
it were cheaper (and if I was not scared of getting an allergy hehe).
Sobrang mahal, share na lang kaming tatlo sa isang lobster. :D
I
also tried the octopus. It was okay but overcooked. It was difficult to
chew. Sayang, Rafael wanted to eat more but I was afraid he'd get an
indigestion.
I
had to buy some Korean clothing. Sayang naman ang punta ko 'dun 'di ba?
But after going inside lots of shops, I had to admit that Korean style
is really not for me. So I ended up with a plain looking shirt from
Uniqlo. Hehe.
We
saw the Line Friends store that our niece, Marga, asked us to visit.
Rafael loved having his photos taken with the huge bear and the other
characters there.
After
all the walking, it was time to go back to the hotel.
Lovely background of the N Seoul Tower from our crosswalk to the hotel
We decided to try the restaurant at the hotel for dinner. It was our last night after all.
I'm glad we did because its outer dining area had a splendid view of the N Seoul Tower. We were not allowed to eat outside though because we had a child with us and some drunk people might get rowdy according to the restaurant staff. It was too cold for us anyway.
The food was great and we had a nice time looking at the city lights.
When
we were about to finish eating dinner, Rafael asked us what day it
was and what fun thing we were doing the next day. I told him it was
already Tuesday. He knew we were leaving Wednesday. So he started crying
again and ranting about not wanting to leave Seoul. Kawawang bata. Good
thing the great view outside distracted him.
After Rafael fell asleep, it was time to cram all of our stuff into our suitcases. Kumasya naman, phew.
May 29, Wednesday
Our
flight was at 12:55 p.m. so we checked out at around 9 a.m.
Checkout was a breeze again and I was surprised that we also got a tax refund for the hotel stay. Cool.
We rode a taxi to the airport and the driver was a very gracious old man. He gave us candies and he played soothing instrumental music videos. Rhuel was probably getting a bit senti too so he was taking videos of the places we were passing by on the way to the airport.
The driver was very thoughtful. He changed his videos to Baby Shark in Korean, probably thinking that the little boy is into the Baby Shark craze. When he saw that Rafael was not paying attention, he switched to Baby Shark in English. Sorry, kuya, he's not into Baby Shark. Hehe.
We dropped off our bags then returned our pocket WiFis and had our T-Money card loads refunded. Refund was a breeze at the convenience store at the airport. Looking back though, we should have done it at the convenience store near the hotel the night before to avoid the airport rush.
After passing thru immigration, Rhuel began looking for his phone. I didn't know where he put it because he went thru the security x-ray after Rafael and I did. We checked his pockets and bags but it was not there. We only had less than 30 minutes before boarding time. And we still needed to process our tax refunds. We concluded that he probably left his phone at the security x-ray. We could not figure out how he could go back there. Good thing there was a nearby information counter. We decided to split up to get more things done. He went to look for his phone while Rafael and I processed the tax refund. We agreed to meet at the gate where the tax refund counter was located.
The tax refund was easy. You just need to show them your passport and receipts then you can get your money back. Galing.
When we were done, I tried sending a message to Rhuel. Baka lang nakuha na niya phone niya. I felt something vibrate but I ignored it because I was holding my phone and Rafael was holding the other phone. After a few minutes, I sent a message to Rhuel again teling him that Rafael and I might need to go to the boarding gate first to alert airline staff that he was still looking for his phone. Again, I felt another vibration. And when I lifted up Rafael's toy bag, I saw Rhuel's phone there. Just around that time, I also saw Rhuel rushing towards us. Kaloka. The security guy at the x-ray told Rhuel that he recalled seeing him put his phone inside his bag. Turns out he was right. We totally forgot about Rafael's toy bag haha.
Rhuel was impressed with how helpful the airport staff were. The information personnel accompanied him back to immigration where he was told to go back to the security x-ray. They showed him a log of all the items left behind and they helped him recall where he put his phone. If that happened elsewhere, Rhuel would have probably missed the flight (and lost his phone if he really left it behind) because nobody could figure out what to do. Their efficiency was really amazing.
We made a mad dash to the boarding gate. We had to take an airport train shuttle and climb escalators. I asked Rhuel to carry Rafael so we could move faster. Grabe ang hingal namin. We were just in time because boarding was about to start when we got to the boarding gate. Never mind the duty free shops and Incheon being the second best airport daw after Changi. At least we had Rhuel's phone and we were not missing our flight. :)
The flight back was okay. Rafael did not like his roasted chicken so he just had nuts for lunch. After watching his videos, he slept until we landed. :)
Epilogue
Bye, bye, room!
Checkout was a breeze again and I was surprised that we also got a tax refund for the hotel stay. Cool.
We rode a taxi to the airport and the driver was a very gracious old man. He gave us candies and he played soothing instrumental music videos. Rhuel was probably getting a bit senti too so he was taking videos of the places we were passing by on the way to the airport.
The driver was very thoughtful. He changed his videos to Baby Shark in Korean, probably thinking that the little boy is into the Baby Shark craze. When he saw that Rafael was not paying attention, he switched to Baby Shark in English. Sorry, kuya, he's not into Baby Shark. Hehe.
We dropped off our bags then returned our pocket WiFis and had our T-Money card loads refunded. Refund was a breeze at the convenience store at the airport. Looking back though, we should have done it at the convenience store near the hotel the night before to avoid the airport rush.
After passing thru immigration, Rhuel began looking for his phone. I didn't know where he put it because he went thru the security x-ray after Rafael and I did. We checked his pockets and bags but it was not there. We only had less than 30 minutes before boarding time. And we still needed to process our tax refunds. We concluded that he probably left his phone at the security x-ray. We could not figure out how he could go back there. Good thing there was a nearby information counter. We decided to split up to get more things done. He went to look for his phone while Rafael and I processed the tax refund. We agreed to meet at the gate where the tax refund counter was located.
The tax refund was easy. You just need to show them your passport and receipts then you can get your money back. Galing.
When we were done, I tried sending a message to Rhuel. Baka lang nakuha na niya phone niya. I felt something vibrate but I ignored it because I was holding my phone and Rafael was holding the other phone. After a few minutes, I sent a message to Rhuel again teling him that Rafael and I might need to go to the boarding gate first to alert airline staff that he was still looking for his phone. Again, I felt another vibration. And when I lifted up Rafael's toy bag, I saw Rhuel's phone there. Just around that time, I also saw Rhuel rushing towards us. Kaloka. The security guy at the x-ray told Rhuel that he recalled seeing him put his phone inside his bag. Turns out he was right. We totally forgot about Rafael's toy bag haha.
Rhuel was impressed with how helpful the airport staff were. The information personnel accompanied him back to immigration where he was told to go back to the security x-ray. They showed him a log of all the items left behind and they helped him recall where he put his phone. If that happened elsewhere, Rhuel would have probably missed the flight (and lost his phone if he really left it behind) because nobody could figure out what to do. Their efficiency was really amazing.
We made a mad dash to the boarding gate. We had to take an airport train shuttle and climb escalators. I asked Rhuel to carry Rafael so we could move faster. Grabe ang hingal namin. We were just in time because boarding was about to start when we got to the boarding gate. Never mind the duty free shops and Incheon being the second best airport daw after Changi. At least we had Rhuel's phone and we were not missing our flight. :)
The flight back was okay. Rafael did not like his roasted chicken so he just had nuts for lunch. After watching his videos, he slept until we landed. :)
Epilogue
In hindsight, Rhuel getting sick was actually a blessing in disguise. I originally planned to do DMZ on day 1 and Nami Island on day 2. Imagine having two consecutive days with very tight schedules and lots of walking, after a very late arrival from our flight. We would have all been very cranky and tired. So sabi nga ni Catriona, there is always a silver lining. :)
Now here are some things I learned from this trip:
- Just like the locals, Google translate will be your friend. We were amazed by the camera feature where you can simply scan the Korean characters with your camera and it will give you an English translation. Of course it won't always be accurate. On the way to the airport, I asked our taxi driver if most people in Seoul live in condos/apartments or in houses. He used Google Translate to reply, "Many construction companies are barking." I suppose he meant building, hehe.
- In relation to number 1, love your language. Korea welcomes a lot of tourists. And while they try their best to communicate in English, it's not something they're so fixated on. Kumabaga, tayo daw ang mag-adjust. Which makes sense. Let's stop being so biased in favor of English speaking people. Korea and Japan are prosperous countries with tourism booms despite choosing to stick with their native languages. This is something worth considering.
- Most restaurants in Korea practice what we call "self-service" here in the Philippines. However, they call it self-retrieval there. We were confused initially. I was asking Rhuel to get water from the self-retrieval area of Domino's, thinking that we could retrieve water ourselves there. Turns out it was an area where you can spill your excess drinks. :D
- While Korean weather was mostly cool during our stay, Rafael and I still got slightly sunburnt. So don't be deceived by the chilly air. The sun's just lurking behind the clouds.
- Korean air must be clean. Rafael's doctors were concerned that his allergic rhinitis might flare up due to the pollen. But despite the cold weather and even if he got a bit soaked from rain during our Nami Island trip, his allergies never showed up. So it's probably the dirty Philippine air that's giving him allergies. Boo.
- Their toilets are all serviceable. They're not all squeaky clean but I didn't mind using them. I'm usually averse to public toilets but I didn't have any problems here. Clean public toilets are a must if you're traveling with a child who still needs to strike anywhere so this was really helpful.
- Korea is not as clean as Singapore for example. There were some trash on the streets but these were all confined to one particular area. So medyo orderly ang dating hehe.
- Their subway stations were not consistent. Some looked really new, nice, and clean. Some looked old and a bit dirty. Some were easily accessible, some were not. But the trains were all clean. And even the most overcrowded stations were still orderly and never chaotic. Rhuel says he could probably live in Korea because it's quite similar to the Philippines, na mas maayos and malinis, hehe.
Web check-in saved us from long waiting times at the airport. It is so convenient. I used to ignore this feature in the past. But it's definitely useful if you're traveling with a child. :)
I'm just glad we had a smooth trip. Nobody got sick and we all got back healthy. Yes, traveling can be expensive. But after all the things we had to deal with at the start of this year, I honestly feel we deserved this break.
And I know it's worth it because Rafael can't seem to get over the trip. He recreated his own little Seoul here at home, improvising with his toys. He used his airplanes to build an airport with a tube, his trains for the subway, his boat for the Nami Island ferry, his bus for the one we used during the tours, his taxi for the taxis we rode, and his Paw Patrol lookout as his N Seoul Tower. He insisted on learning about the places we visited. He can't stop talking about Myeongdong and he keeps on mentioning Chungmuro, Dongdaemun Cultural and History Park, Dongguk University, etc. He's imitating the train announcements. And he would ask to watch vlogs about Korea. So yep, I know it was a memorable trip for him. And even just because of that, sulit na ang gastos.
Add to that my husband's appreciation for all the work I put in for this trip. He's normally not appreciative (read: makontra and maangal). So his kind words really meant a lot to me.
I hope we could take more trips like this in the future. There's something so refreshing about exploring a new place where we only have each other to rely on. Next time ulit. In the meantime, back to reality muna and time to focus on our next big challenge - our homeschooling journey. :)
