10 Things To Do in South Korea

If you think watching Korean dramas all day everyday is enough to get to know the land of fermented cabbage and epicanthal folds,  I must tell you that are wrong. There is more to South Korea than kimchi, BB creams, insanely unblemished pale people and KPOP.

Below are the list of the things I did to get to know South Korea and eventually fall in adoration with this amazing country.

1. Visit Jeju Island.
Jejudo a.k.a. Jeju is one of the most magical place I have ever been to. No trip to South Korea is complete without a stop at Jeju. If I am going to visit Korea again, I will skip Seoul and head straight to this breathtaking place. The following are the must visit places in Jeju. 

Jusangjeolli Cliff

Itinerary for Seven Days and Six Nights in South Korea

First things first, Filipinos need a visa to visit South Korea. Below are the requirements to get a tourist visa:

1. Application form
2. Passport (should be valid for not less than 6 months)
3. Photocopy of the 1st page of the passport
4. Passport size photo
5. Photocopy of ITR
6. Certificate of Employment
7. Bank Certificate (you should have at least Php 50,000 in your bank account)
 
Note: 
- Visa processing is free.
- Visa will be released 7 days after the requirements were completed and submitted.
- Make sure that the email address on your certificate of employment from the company you work for will not be changed soon because the Korean embassy will do a background check and will require them to reply. In my case, it took me almost a month to get my tourist visa because the HR personnel put in a soon to be phased out email address on my certificate of employment. PFT.
-South Koreans DON'T NEED a visa to visit the Philippines. UNFAIR!!

We booked our flight to Korea last June via Zest Air/Air Asia, fare is Php 5,000. As compared to the promo fares in Cebu Pacific, this is more expensive but at least I only have to wait 3 months and the best part is that there is free food during the flight. :)

My Favorite Place in South Korea

“Don't you think it's better to be extremely happy for a short while, even if you lose it, than to be just okay for your whole life?”

― Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler's Wife

Aside from Girls Generation, there was nothing about South Korea that I liked. I am not fond of watching Korean dramas and I think Koreans in the Philippines are rude, loud, and annoying. I actually can't remember the reason why I agreed to book a flight to Incheon last June, probably just out of pure fandom of Chyng Reyes. 

Then a month after, a fateful day came and I met the most amazing guy in El Nido who happened to be Korean. I fell in love with him but he eventually broke my heart so it just made things worst between me and the land of BB creams.

Mt. Cristobal: In Limbo at the Devil's Mountain

WARNING: This is a very Dashboard Confessional post. If you are looking for hike tips to Mt. Cristobal please stop reading and click HERE.

This is probably the first time I ever traveled without doing much research. I just followed the itinerary that Kirk of Kirk Anatomy laid out. Maybe it is the travel fatigue and therefore I thought a mountain, just like it always does, could change my current mindset. After all, Mt. Cristobal is also called the Devil's mountain being that it is beside the holy mountain, Mt. Banahaw, so I expected a faith-changing experience.
 
As compared to Mt. Maculot and Pico de Loro, this is the most exhausting. The ascent is a constant assault but even so, I tried to keep up with our veteran guide, Tatay Jaime (the uncle of the Mt. Cristobal guide kuya Lucio - 09993903350). I distanced myself from the other 3 people I am with and opted to stay closer to him and talk to him instead. Partly because I wanted to get to know a local and to challenge my endurance to keep up with his pace, and mostly because my antisocial juices are overflowing that day.

With Tatay Jaime

Urbiztondo: On Wiping Out, Riding In and Running Away

 

I want something else, something more. I want to go and never go back. Because bite size travels don't suffice my hunger anymore. Because I know I should be somewhere else but here.

Dayhike Haywire: I Shouldn't Be Alive Experience

Reading back on my blog post about my first climb:

180 by Mount Maculot. I guess mountaineers will find the saying "Do not change the mountains, let the mountains change you." such a cliche but it is exactly what Mt. Maculot did to me. It challenged me, it dared my limits and most importantly, it humbled me. 

If Mt. Maculot gave me a 180, Pico de Loro gave me a roller coaster ride.  It took me to my highest highs and my lowest lows. This is an experience I would, and should, never forget.

As far as I could remember, it all started when I felt like someone is following us. I somehow saw a light of a cellphone at the corner of my eye and I thought that someone hidden in the woods is planning on capturing us and making us the main characters in an award winning suspense thriller movie. 
At that moment I asked my friend if someone back home knows where he is, he said no. This got me a little worried because no one knows I am at Pico de Loro either. We have one friend that we invited to go with us but we told her that this trip wouldn't push through because she is not able to join us. I ignored that feeling and we continued traversing the trail. After all, we already passed by the base station and we are an hour away from safety, or so we thought. We talked and talked and talked until the time we realized that we are not seeing trail marks anymore. We saw a couple of hints that we are on the wrong direction such as a water buffalo that is blocking the way and is staring at us, but we ignored it.

Dayhike Haywire: Mt. Palay-Palay/Pico de Loro The Descent

While on our way back to the summit and the campsite, the view of the coastline and Mt. Palaypalay are still very visible. We do not want to go down, I mean who would with these view in sight.

Dayhike Haywire: Mt. Palay-Palay/Pico de Loro The Ascent

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go."
-- T.S. Eliot

I intended to stay home until my foray to South Korea in September to conserve money and energy. But I just can't say no to an opportunity for a great adventure simply because I know how bad it feels to be filled with excitement and later on be turned down by your friends when all is set, so I halfheartedly agreed to do a day hike in Pico de Loro. Thank goodness I agreed because on the eve of the climb, life gave me a blunt dose of reality and left my pride and heart broken so I am in dire need of an adrenalin rush to revive shattered self.

Solo in El Nido: Romancing Nature in a Honeymooner's Paradise

Sometimes we get lost, sometimes we find love.

Read title again: Solo in El Nido: Romancing Nature in a Honeymooner's Paradise. I came up with this line a week before my flight to Palawan. It is because this is how I envision my trip will be like. Sitting alone in the beach staring at the horizon in the midst of couples holding hands while walking by the sea shore.

I arrived in Puerto Prinsesa morning of June 26 without any expectation. All I wanted was to meet a few interesting people and to have a new destination to write about. I never thought that in this trip, I will turn out to be not so alone.

Solo in El Nido: Things To Do

I am not adventurous when I am alone so this list is not out of the ordinary. Just a number of things I did/should have done in El Nido with my own opinion on how I can do them better next time.


1. Island Hopping

This is a no-brainer since it is what this place is famous for. 45 out of the 7,107 islands in the Philippines can be found in El Nido. People from all over the world travel thousands of miles just to swim in its waters.
Unlike the other island hopping destinations I've been to like Pangasinan, Sorsogon and Boracay, island hopping in El Nido will require you to choose from Tours A, B, C or D. Every corner of El Nido town has a travel company that offer these tours. 
If you are alone, you do not have to worry because they are going to be the one to create a group for the tours. If you are on a limited time and budget, there are combinations tours A-C and B-D. If you are on a group, you could also rent your own boat and choose your own island adventure. 
The most popular tour is Tour A-C and being the mediocre traveler that I am, it is what I choose. Although in my opinion, Tour A-C is too fast paced as you only get to stay at every beach for 30 minutes so you don't really get to enjoy each one. Combination tours is good if you are just after taking a lot of good pictures to show off but if you want to relax, swim and appreciate nature, doing tours A, B, C and D separately would be ideal. Or better yet, rent a kayak and explore.

7 Commandos Beach