DMZ Tour - Korea

During my stay in Korea, DMZ tour was probably one of the best things I've done. For those who have absolutely no interest in war history and your only purpose in visiting Korea is shopping, then sadly this tour is not for you~~

I've researched extensively online on the agencies that provides the tour and after some comparison, I recommend http://www.koridoor.co.kr/

2 simple reasons:
- Price (They are the cheapest)
- They are affiliated to USO (United Service Organizations)

And of course, they did not disappoint as well.. It was $$ well spent~~

Be sure to sign up the DMZ/JSA & 3rd Tunnel TOUR. It costs USD 80 or KRW 96,000.
They have another DMZ Tour which costs USD 36 but does not include the JSA. I would not recommend that since I enjoyed JSA the most.









Officially on the "North" side~~



Was told not to be funny with the soldiers or else face the consequences~~



North Korean Soldiers on the "other" side



The Bridge of No Return - Where POWs made the choice of settling in the North or the South and their decision is final...



A tree which was blocking the view of the North from the South, which resulted in the "Axe Murder" was chopped down at this spot... The North retaliated instantly by having the 2 US soldiers killed. This is in memory of the 2 slain soldiers



Rice planted and harvested within the DMZ, by the villagers living in one of the 2 South Korean villages

We couldn't take pictures of the 3rd Tunnel which apparently some of the tourists could not understand or do not want to.. I decided to respect the rules and so, did not take any pictures..

It's not as scary as what the tour guide said it would be before we went down.. But the climb up was seriously taxing~~ For someone like me who dislike exercising and of cos do not exercise, I do not like to go down again~~ But I did manage to climb up alive.. You are warned thou~~

The rest of the area you get to see this:



The Propaganda Village

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We also went to the Dorasan Station which was a gateway to North Korea from South Korea. Of cos, that did not happen.. The station is still there thou..

Some pictures and details of the tour is omitted so that you can experience it yourself.. But all in all, I would definitely recommend DMZ tour as one of your "must do" list in Korea~~

Korea - Travelling to and around Jeju

I had been to Korea twice and for the 2nd trip, I've stayed for approx 6 mths and there are so much things that I can blog and write about..

For a start, I will post on Jeju.. Someone told me that that place is a rip-off and I shouldnt go.. But how wrong that someone is.. In my opinion, Jeju is the best trip I've made in Korea..

Travelling to  Jeju

For a start, I recommend taking a plane to Jeju.. It's just an hour from Incheon by flight..
Besides Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, there are a few domestic airlines for you to choose..

1. Eastar Jet - www.eastarjet.com
2. Jinair - www.jinair.com
3. Jeju Air - www.jejuair.net
4. T-way - www.twayair.com

Depending on the timing and dates you've chosen, pricing may differ. You need to check all the websites to see which airline provides the best pricing..

We went Jeju late march and ticket cost was only S$90+ (return ticket with all tax, fuel surcharges, etc included)

Next, travelling around Jeju..

There's a shuttle bus within Jeju but I strongly strongly recommend renting your own vehicle.. It's more convenient, the roads are easy to access and price friendly..
There are a few car rental website like axis, hertz etc. But I really like KT Kumho (www.kumhorent.com). But pls sign on as their member, you will get about 50-70% off the rates publish on their website. Their membership is free.

I rented the cheapest car for about 2 days and with Full CDW (Car Damage Waiver) included, it cost only 68,000 won+ (about S$ 70). GPRS is provided free for Jeju car rental. Petrol was about S$50 and we did manage to drive around Jeju.





Staying in Jeju

I've used www.booking.com as shown in my website for my hotel booking.
It was really more than what we expect for the price that we paid.. The rooms are clean and huge..

- December Hotel Jeju
- Feliz Telcon Hotel Seogwipo

For the next part, I will show you the places that we've been to.. For a short preview,