[Travel] Itinerary for 5D4N Hong Kong-Macau Budget Trip (May 2018)

Hey all,

Since I just came back from my Hong Kong trip, decided to share my itinerary while its still fresh in my mind. Anyway, I've decided that summer is NOT A GOOD TIME to visit HK, the weather is just tooooo hot! (Even hotter than SG). Ok, so here's my itinerary for my recent trip in May 2018. I flew on SQ this time round cos it was promo price (so remember to check out SQ for any flight promo ok!! Sometimes might be even cheaper than LCCs). I will post a review on the SQ flight very soon!

Day 1: Saturday

6am                      Leave house

6.40am                Reach Airport and check-in

8.40am                Flight to HK (SQ860)

12.40pm              Arrival at Terminal 1 HK

1.30pm                Out of airport: To purchase Octopus card x2  (Cost: HKD300)

                              To purchase Cityflyer Pre-paid Return Ticket @ Customer Service Centre                                    (Airport Ground Transportation Centre)- Cost: HKD55, otherwise single                                      trip by octopus card HKD33

                            - Take A21 from outside Arrival hall (right side) Frequency: 10-20min

                            - 9^th stop: Man Ming Lane, Nathan Road

                            -  Walk Towards the cross junction, cross towards Hang Seng Bank, cross                                    again towards B1 and B2 exits.

                            - Walk straight until B2 exit turn right and walk straight down.

                            Duration: 45min - 1hour

(The instruction above is for people staying at Inn Hotel HK @ Yau Ma Tei, the cityflyer bus is alot cheaper than taking the train, with minimal walking too)

2.40pm            Check in Hotel: Inn Hotel HK

3pm                  Leave hotel for Yee shun milk company- directly opp busstop we drop at)   Must try: double milk pudding

 Take train down to Diamond Hill MTR Exit C2: Chi Lin Nunnery & Nan                   Lian Garden

 Shop at Plaza Hollywood while waiting for sun to set.

 Take MTR down to Jordan MTR for Kai Kai Dessert (Exit A Jordan- Black   sesame and Almond custard)

 Temple Street shopping (all the way down at Nathan Stn), Walk down to   explore Tsim Sha Tsui, Mammy pancake: Pancake Egglet

 Dinner: Hing Kee claypot rice,  15 Temple street (Opens 5.30pm   only) and Hui Lau Shan (Dessert), 

 After dinner + dessert, in opposite direction (Mongkok station): Langham   Shopping Place, Ladies Street Shopping (otherwise keep for Day 2)

Day 2: Sunday

8am                 Leave hotel

8.15am            11 min walk to Capital Café (Truffle Eggs Toast)

8.45am            Kam Wah Café for breakfast (Polo bun breakfast set) 16min walk from hotel

11am               On Ladies Street (Tung Choi St) try Dim Dim Sum Sum Specialty Store (Cheap: 112 Tung Choi St, +852 2309 2300 (11am onwards), Fei Jie Xiao Shi Dian (55 Dundas Street)- Intestines etc. (2pm onwards), find Bai Wei Shi Pin noodles in bag (New Town Mall Basement escalator)

12.30pm         Take MTR to Sham Shui Po MTR

                        KungWoo Beancurd/Tofu Factory (Exit B1-straight: Order Beancurd and their fried tofu platter) (There is an egg tart place somewhere there for 2HKD for 1 only!!!???), Apliu Street Market (2nd hand goods + Electronics market)

                        Try Hop Yik Tai (Michelin CCF- Exit C2); Chee Cheong Fun

                        Cheung Sha Wan Road Shopping (Cheap) (Exit D2), Real Tim Ho Wan: G/F, 9-11 Fuk Wing Street, Hong Kong, Lau Sum Kee Noodles (2 branches in SSP) Wanton noodles- straight frm D1/D2).

3.30pm            Take MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui

Kowloon Park (Avenue of Comic Stars), Clock Tower and Harbour City (to redeem the vouchers + shop + We Bare Bears), Little Korea @ Kimberly Road.

Take the Star Ferry to Wan Chai for Golden Bauhinia Square and take 7.15pm ferry back to Tsim Sha Tsui to camp for Symphony of Lights, 8pm Light Show.

Walk to Peninsula to take photo and to revisit Temple Street (and try desserts if have yet to try)

5.30pm           Settle dinner (going back to those places yet to try in Day 1)

9pm                 Rest for Macau

Day 3: Monday (Macau)

6.30am           Rise and shine

7am                 To eat breakfast at Cha Chaan Teng (next door to hotel)

8.15am            Take train down to Tsim Sha Tsui ferry terminal

9.15am            Catch ferry to Macau (Get discounted tickets from Cotai Ferry- Facebook promo)

10.30am         Reach Macau and get shuttle that gets to Venetian or Parisian.

Explore the Venetian, Lord Stow’s bakery (Macau’s best Portuguese egg tarts) and The Parisian (Eiffel Tower replica).

Take shuttle from City of Dreams to Grand Lisboa and walk to Marfaret;s Cafe E Nata (for egg tarts) and to try Tai Lei Loi Kei (Pork Chop bun)

Walk up to Senodo Square, Ruins of St. Paul’s, St. Dominic’s Church, Leal Senado Building, Monte Forte.

Chan Kong Kei Case de Pasto (Black pepper deck with noodles) for Lunch

Take a shuttle to Taipa Village (shophouses) and explore Rua do Cunha Street: Koi Kei Cookies to buy back!!, 新好利美食餅店 (milk tarts)

                        After sunset: take night scenes at Casinos exterior, Wynn (For water                                 show- if sufficient time)

Take shuttle from Parisian back to Taipa Ferry Terminal
Head back to Hong Kong!

Day 4: Tuesday

7am                 Rise and shine

Get down at Central station

Walk to Lin Heung Tea house for oldest Dim Sum Teahouse.

Purchase Jenny Bakery cookies

Go to Graham Street: murals, Yat Lok Restaurant (Conwell House, G/F, 34-38 Stanley St, Central: 10am-9pm) for lunch, Lan Fong Yuen (Dai pai dong): chicken cutlet macaroni and milk tea (2 gage street, central- Central exit D2)

Tsim Chai Kee (Super good wanton mee) 98, Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong (near Central Mid-Levels escalators, +852 2850 6471(9am – 10pm)

Visit the Dr Sun Yat Sen Museum

If time permits can travel down to Causeway bay, Jardine’s shopping street, Can try the real Ding Tai Fung or Mak’s wanton mee (Wanton soup + braised pork knuckles)

Hong Kong Central Library (take pic) and Noon Day gun (fired at 12pm: be there before noon- entrance World Trade Centre)

Wanchai: Heritage Trail (different architecture and coloured buildings), Kam Fung- polo bun and chicken pie, Honolulu wan chai – egg tart (breakfast set avail),

Joy Hing Roast Goose 3 treasure rice (~SGD7) Wan Chai MTR, Exit A4, +852 2519 6639, 10-10, Mon-Sat)

4.30pm          Meet at Central Station Exit K: Klook guide at 4.30pm

8pm                Make way back down to Central, explore Lan Kwai Fong (night life in HK)

                        Eat dinner somewhere near hotel

                        Supper @ Cun Ye Ye (For super good and cheap seafood noodles)

                        Yau Ma Tei Fruit Market (see night scene Fruit holder restocking- very                                  lively)

Day 5: Wednesday

7.30am          Rise and Shine

                        Australian Dairy Company (Exit C2 Jordan or 17min walk from hotel)

                        Walk to Sky100 Observation deck

                        Once done, to head to Harbour City (We Bare Bears)

                        Head back to hotel to check out

12.30pm        Walk towards Pitt Street busstop to wait for A21 or A20 back (same travel time)

                        Upon arrival at airport remember to get refund for octopus card (50HKD each with remaining balance but need to pay admin fee since bought within too short a timeframe)

1.30pm           Lunch at Plaza Premium Lounge

3.40pm          SQ861 Flight back to SG

7.40pm          Arrival back in SG, If hungry to find dinner, otherwise head home

Optional Photo spots in YMT: Yau Ma Tei Theatre, (Police Station (Jackie Chan movie), Tin Hau Temple, at Mido Café (overpriced- if wanna try salty 7up & condensed milk toast))

Tips for HK-Macau:

- There are many deals on Klook worth getting!

- Especially the ferry to Macau (super cheap), I was upset that I could not use my SQ Klook promo voucher cos the ferry return tickets were very quickly sold out so I had no choice but to purchase onsite instead.

- The Peak Fast Track is worth getting, however, only if you're intending to visit at peak hours (5/5.30pm onwards) Otherwise, just get the regular tickets cos the queue isn't that long.

- I did not visit Lantau Island, nor any of the theme parks because I've been there on my other 3 trips to HK.

- Do download coupons from HK tourism webpage for discounts specially for tourists!

- In my honest opinion, HKers were not very friendly (especially the food vendors; they were in fact very rude, so please do not expect them to be patient with you)

- Try to learn some simple canto before going to HK, and if you really can't understand, communicate in ENGLISH instead of CHINESE (because the HK locals seem to hold some kind of grudge against Mainland Chinese visitors).

- If possible, google the menu of popular eateries/ cha chaan teng/ dai pai dong before your visit, and roughly decide on what you want first. If language is a barrier, then screen shot pictures and show them what you want to order (makes things faster, and makes them less pissed off...)

- In general, HKers on the streets are actually very nice people who would help you out if you ever need help (but their tone sometimes can seem pretty intimidating, and might pose off as fierce instead- pls dont be too shock)

- HK would be a perfect destination during the Jan-Mar period when its still relatively cooler (not in May... it was just terribly hot and humid)

Just a reminder, I'm not in any way sponsored by any of the companies/ agencies listed above, nor was a sponsored for my food/ accommodation. Everything is written with my very own experience. Hope this post was useful! 

Look forward to my next post alright!

[Travel] Itinerary for Japan: 9D8N Osaka-Kyoto-Nara-Kobe Budget trip

Hey guys, 

I'm back again. I've been really inactive becos the past academic year was quite project-heavy. I can't believe this post has been in my draft since the year ended in 2017 (almost 6 months ... wow). Actually, I've got many other things I would love to write about. Do comment in the comments section if you would like more travel itinerary and tips, or more module reviews (for NUS kids) and perhaps some other miscellaneous topics? 

So ... for this post, I'll be sharing with you my itinerary for my recent Osaka-Kyoto-Nara-Kobe budget trip! I have the costs indicated on the RHS so you guys can decide whether to take certain activities out for your own trip (: (some of the costs indicated are not incurred- meaning they are covered by the Amazing Osaka Pass)

Day 1: Tuesday (Chilling around hotel area)

About the Amazing Osaka Pass:

- Super amazing pass that covers many components of your trip

- Valid for purchase ONLY FOR TOURISTS

- Limited to ONE pass for your entire trip (meaning you can't purchase 2 passes for your 4-day trip)

- Covers not just transportation (but also admission to MANY TOURIST ATTRACTIONS)

- You can purchase the 1 day pass if you intend to cover Osaka in a day and spend the other days in Kyoto/Kobe.

- If you purchase the 2 day pass, on the first day when you first feed the card into the card reader, it will punch a hole in the top of your card (marking the 1st day has been used), on the 2nd day when you first use it, there will be a 2nd hole punched in. 

Cost: $39.80 from Klook OR 3300 yen from Tourist counter

How to ensure the Amazing Osaka pass is worth it?

- Important that you plan beforehand the places you wanna visit 

- Find out how much the individual admission tickets costs and make sure the total costs of the entry tickets you intend to visit covers the 3300 yen price for the pass

- You won't be able to cover all the free attractions (with the use of the pass within the 2 day time-frame) so just go for those that have a higher price tag.

About the Hankyu Pass:

- Allows for easy travel between Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe!

- Major sightseeing spots using the pass: Arashiyama (Bamboo Forest), to Ikeda Station (Osaka Cup Noodles Museum), Minoh Station (for Minoh Park- the beautiful waterfall- best time to visit is Spring and Autumn)

- Unlimited train rides on Hankyu Line

- Only valid on Hankyu Line (not any other lines)

Cost: $15.90 from Klook OR 1400 yen from Tourist counter

                           

Day 2: Wednesday (Exploring Osaka)

    

Day 3: Thursday (Exploring Osaka)

Day 4: Friday (Day trip to Nara)

For the next few days I did not place restrictions on time and just listed all the places of interest that had to be visited. Feel free to make reference to the places I went for your own trip. I did manage to cover all the places mentioned.

Day 5: Saturday (Day trip to Higashiyama Kyoto)

Tip for the 500yen Kyoto bus pass:

- Get it only if you will travel more than twice on the bus in a single day

- Board the bus from the back door of the bus, and alight from the front!

- Can purchase the bus pass from any of the bus drivers (It's a green card and you do not need to pay any admin charges for it)

- Buses are very convenient in Kyoto but sometimes google maps directions to certain locations are not right (So ask the locals- the younger people on the streets- how to get to certain places of attractions)

Day 6: Sunday (Day trip to Kobe, Minoh, and Ikeda)

Day 6 seems like a very short day but most of the day is spent traveling to and fro locations (especially to Kobe) but my train trips are all covered by my pass, and I travelled alot on this day to make full us of the pass.

  

Tips for visiting Minoh Park:

- A very nice, quiet and serene location, perfect for an intermediate workout after eating all your sushi, unagi and Ichiran in the city

- The best time to visit the park is any season (best in Autumn and Spring)

- You will get to see the whole park covered in red autumn leaves, and cherry blossoms in Spring.

- I would not recommend you to visit it in the winter as it will be very cold and slippery (making it a hazard for all, especially the young and old). But the whole park will be covered in white, making a very pretty scene to capture (for romantic couples maybe?)

- Remember to visit the waterfall, the key highlight!

- If you're visiting in summer, do bring some towels to enter the streams (and the lower end of the waterfall)- It's super cooling and refreshing to dip your legs during the hot hot summer season.

- Wear proper shoes if possible, to make it safe to climb up.

- The easy route up to the waterfalls might take up to 3 hours (less steep route)

- Professional hikers or those that are more physically able (with proper attire) can try their intermediate/ rocky routes which gives you access up to the waterfall in about 1.5h.

About Kobe:

- There's really nothing much in Kobe, but the port of Kobe earthquake memorial is worth a visit if you happen to be there. 

- Kobe has a long street of sheltered shopping (closes pretty early, so be there before 6pm)

- Chinatown (Nankinmachi) was boring (there wasn't many shops open and unless you are really craving for Chinese food, otherwise, do not bother to make a trip down). Chinatown should be the most crowded during the lunch hour, but when I was there (close to 6pm) it will pretty quiet.

- If you do take beef, the Kobe Beef is a MUST TRY!

- Nunobiki Waterfalls behind Shin-Kobe station is quite a distance away and for safety, please visit it in the day.

Tip for your visit to Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum:

- Super cool place and I urge everyone of you visiting Osaka to come here to make your very own Instant cup noodles to bring home!

- The whole process of making the cup noodles is super cool (and suitable for all ages, not just kids)

- Get to explore how cup noodles has evolved over the years and get nice pictures.

- If you bought the pass, show your pass at the info counter for free gift (Not sure if this is still avail, as I can no longer find info on this deal)

- Good for families with young kids (Can sign up for free ramen making class on the spot- subject to avail and get free bandana)

Day 7: Monday (Day trip to Arashiyama Kyoto)

 Day 8: Tuesday (Day trip to South Kyoto)

From here onwards, it was free and easy and up to us to see how tired we were to explore places (therefore no time indicated).

Day 9: Wednesday (Back home to Singapore)

Our flight was 2pm so my last day was nothing much but to buy anything we needed to buy last minute from Osaka or Umeda station.

10am- Check out and do any last minute shopping near Umeda/Osaka Station

11am- Leave for airport

12pm- Reach airport

This is all I have for a 8D7N Osaka-Kyoto-Nara-Kobe trip. It was a fun-filled and my 2nd visit to Japan and the trip was a super memorable one as I took a long time to plan out this itinerary. Hope everything here is useful for everyone reading this. And may all of you readers out there have a nice holiday. Stay safe and enjoy yourselves! 

Hint: Look out for my next post on a Tokyo Itinerary! :)

Cheers!

Rachel

[Travel] 5D4N Penang Free and Easy Itinerary

Dear all,

Finally back to share with you all my itinerary for my Penang trip in May 2017. Felt so blessed to have traveled 4 times before the year even ends. Went to Desaru in January, Penang in May, Japan in July, Melbourne in August. This makes me tempted to go solo traveling after graduation!

Will share with you guys my itinerary for Japan, Osaka in my upcoming posts!(: Now let me share with you on my planning for the Penang trip. Do note that I'm not sponsored for any of the food/ places I'm sharing! Frankly, I feel Penang is a really affordable and nice place to visit for Singaporeans who have short leave/ vacation! I booked 5D4N accommodation after much deliberation but honestly 4D3N was sufficient as Penang is a pretty small island. I simply wanted to make my air ticket worth and spent more days since accommodation there is really cheap! Read on to find out on the details!

By plane or coach?
I honestly wanted to, as usual, go on a budget trip. So taking a coach was initially my plan. This trip almost didn't happen cos my mother did not want to 'live' in a coach for 10 hours (time taken for the coach to reach Penang from SG) although it cost only about $35-40 per pax, the reviews for the coach didn't convince my mother to take it (passengers complained about rude drivers who didn't bother to ensure everyone was onboard before departing the customs, bed bugs on the seats, uncomfortable and dirty buses, etc.) and the flights were so expensive when I was planning for the trip in April.

But, thank god, 1 week before our scheduled trip, Jetstar was on sale, and guess how much I paid for the round trip tickets? 100 per pax? NOPE, it was only $65!

Do note I didn't purchase check-in luggage (so I only had a 7kg handcarry- think that's sufficient unless you intend to bring back liquid products?) (TIP: Rmb to not pack in your toiletries like shampoo and shower gel unless it's packed in 100ml bottles- otherwise you'll have to say goodbye to them even before boarding the plane)

Although it was ~$30 more than taking the coach, taking into account the amount of time you save (from taking plane VS coach), it is actually extremely worth it!! The flight was only 1h 30min (but it took shorter than expected, we arrived in about 1h 15min)

But do note, the timing for the flight isn't the most ideal as we arrived in Penang at 9pm. This meant, 1 day has been 'wasted' and you basically just head to the hotel to sleep after arriving.

Accommodation
There is a wide variety of hotels you can choose from but Armenian Street Heritage Hotel attracted me due to their attractive price and decent location!

I paid ~$35-38 per night stay and overall the hotel was super worth the price paid! The only downside is that you should pray you don't get a room with the air conditioning installed in the room. Felt that was such a major architectural flaw. The room that we first got had a mini room to house the compressor, so when we turned on the air conditioning, the whole room sounded like an enclosed helipad.

The staff were really kind when we requested for a change in room and kindly explained to us that the only room available for the night as a replacement room is a Double bed room (which was 3/4 the size of the previous room) instead of a Twin room which we booked. But since we value a comfortable sleep on our first night, we agreed to sleep there for that night (but we eventually switched back to a twin room on the 2nd night onwards).

The room comes with an ensuite bathroom, which had all the toiletries you needed, a cupboard to hang your clothes, luggage stand. I was just hoping there would be bathroom slippers (cos we only brought one pair of slippers so we had to take turns just to walk around the room to do whatever we needed to do)

The location was convenient as it was just a 5-10 minute walk to Chulia Street (which had the amazing night life every tired Singaporeans need- with amazing lok lok and other food options too). There was also a busstop directly opposite the hotel (but we didn't take the bus at all as most places are walkable distance from the hotel).

Itinerary

Do refer to the itinerary I have below. I did not follow it 100%, as I altered it based on weather conditions (it was raining crazy on one of the days). Some of these places are recommended by my friend who is a Penangite.

Day 1

6pm                       Arrive at Changi Airport for dinner

7.30pm                 Flight 3K677

9pm                       Arrival at Penang - Take Uber (RM15) (About 30 minute drive)

                               Check-in hotel (Armenian Street Heritage Hotel)

10.30pm                Explore and head to Chulia Street Night Hawker                

Day 2

7am                       Rise and Shine

7.30am                 Breakfast: Roti Canai @ Transfer Road (Business hours: 6am-2pm)

9am                       Lebuh Kimberly Duck Meat Koay Teow Th’ng (RM5) (Go early, lunch time) and       Kimberley Street Char Koay Kak (opens 7 - 11am)

10am                     Penang Wonderfood museum (RM20 per pax using discount coupon)

12pm                     Lunch at Joo Hooi Café (has all different food, outside has popular chendol)

1pm                       Explore all murals (use the map provided from airport)

3pm                       Prangin Mall, 1^st Avenue Mall, Komtar Mall, Gama Supermarket and                          departmental store (behind Komtar mall)

5pm                       888 Hokkien Mee (Lebuh Presgrave)

Day 3

6am                       Rise and Shine

6.30am                  Head to Penang Hill (Via bus 201 from Komtar or Uber)

11am                     Try Air Itam Assam Laksa (at foot of Kek Lok Si) and Lim Sisters Curry Mee            (opens until 1pm only)

12pm                     Head to Kek Lok Si Temple thereafter

1pm                       Travel back to George Town

2pm                       Ah Leng Char Kuay Teow (Dato Keramat) (8.30am to 2.30pm)

 3pm                      Head to Cecil Street Market and Hawker Centre (Behind Komtar) (Must try Duck    Kuay Teow Theng)

4pm                       Pinang Peranakan Museum (Church Street)

5pm                       Lebuh Macallum Pasar Malam

Day 4

7am                         Take pictures at Clan Jetties (Chew Jetty)

9am                         Cheong Fatt Sze Mansion (blue house)

                                Kimberly Street Duck Koay Chap (opens 6 – 11pm)

                                Tua Pui Curry Mee (Kimberley Street) (9am – 5.30pm) Closed on Wednesdays

 Ban Heang Bakery

 Ming Xiang Tai egg tarts (To buy back!)

 Reclining Buddha Wat Chaiyamangalaram and Dharmmikarama Burmese                             Temple

 Gurney Plaza

 Gurney Drive Hawker Centre for dinner

Day 5

8am                        Wake up

                                Final moments in Penang

                                Chowrasta Market

                                Try the famous Char Kway Teow (directly opposite hotel)

7pm                        Leave for Airport

7.45pm                   Need to reach airport

9.45pm                   Flight 3K678

11.10pm                 Arrival @ Changi Airport             

I'll upload some photos in my next post! So do keep a lookout!!(: Oh yes, if any of you is wondering, I did not purchase SIM card or Wifi. It was honestly a bit of a torture as we are all so reliant on internet these days. I still managed to get around Penang without much trouble (except when I had to book an Uber back to the hotel - had to search for Mcdonald's in the malls in order to book one)

Regards,

Rachel

[Travel] Tips for fashion shopping in Korea

Hey readers!

I'm back with some tips for fashion shopping in Seoul, Korea!

You must be thinking, the usual shopping places must be like Myeongdong, Dongdaemun (and that's about it right?) 

There are really many other places to shop for cheap and yet fashionable but of good quality clothing! I can only list places for female clothing but for guys, I would think the best place with the most number of guy clothing stalls (although all sells similar shirt designs) would be Ewha University Street!

Tips for shopping (Guys):
1. Always walk around and explore all the shopping streets. Most of the clothing store are homogenous amongst the stalls.
2. Remember which stall you first saw it
3. Note down the price and if possible, get a picture as a reference for the design.
4. Continue shopping cos most likely you would be able to find a stall (in a more secluded and quieter street) at least 5,000won cheaper (which means you get to save SGD6!!)

I almost bought a shirt from this stall which was nicely lighted and the shop even invested in plastic covers for their shirts, but their tee costs 10,000won each! I decided to look for other designs and came across another shop which sold the exact same shirt at only 5,000won! It's a guy's tee! Not even kidding!

You must be thinking, "It's damn hard to go shopping in Korea for guys since it's a women paradise". While I must agree to the 2nd part of the sentence, the first part is totally an incorrect statement!!! Ewha and Myeongdong are both great places for shopping for guys! (Although honestly, Myeongdong tends to sell them at a slightly higher price; or they make you buy a minimum quantity (eg. 2 for 10,000won, 1 for 8,000won) In that case, just buy two!!! You wouldn't know if you realize you need to get a gift for a friend(: )

Ok for ladies and teenager girls, my recommended areas are: all underground shopping centers located in subway stations, Dongdaemun, Ewha, Hongdae, and Sinchon!

These places are listed according to my preference!

1. Underground shopping centres

They are simply amazing places to shop at. From 2,900won you can get nice blouse and occasionally dresses, while I doubt they are brand new, the quality is as good as new! I got THREE 2,900won blouse on the first day i touched down in Korea and they look perfectly new! The best underground shopping centre would be at Express Bus Terminal followed by Gangnam which I visited at least 5 times throughout my 1.5 months there. The good thing about Express bus terminal is that it's a good place for wet weather plans cos you can spend at least 2 hours there shopping! The clothes there are really nice, although I wasn't able to get discounts at any of the shops since they were already priced really cheaply.

Everything I bought there (dress, dungaree, oversized tee, casual tee including shoes) ranged from 5,000won to 10,000won. Average spent per piece of fashion clothing would be 8,000won. And I have to mention the clothes in Korea are super comfy! There are 2-3 shoe shops in Express Bus Terminal which all shoes are sold at 5,000won. If you see a big sign in their shop and you're not sure, if everything is 5,000won, get a design you're interested in getting and act like a Korean and ask "wu cheon won isseoyo? (Is this 5,000won?)" If the shop keeper says "ne" means yes!

They sell really cheap fashionable caps and hats (very k-fashion designs) and sunglasses at 4,900won. So many designs, and they are of really good material!! Grab some home with no regrets. I managed to get cheaper sunglasses at Forever 21's summer clearance sale so I didn't get any from these shopping centers.

These underground shopping centers usually have some small food eateries at the end of the shopping street (so if you're hungry you can just get something to eat at the ends of the streets, no worries at all!)

2. Dongdaemun 

With so many malls around at Dongdaemun, it's just a shopping heaven. Knowing me, I'm the typical budget shopping queen. I mainly got stuff at Migliore and HelloAPM  ladies area since they have 5,000-10,000won clothing. I love this shop on the 3rd floor of HelloAPM  in a corner cos they have really nice designs on sale at 5,000won. The same design I got over there was selling in a local blog shop brand at SGD23! 

Although there are many malls, the others malls besides the 2 I've mentioned above are relatively more expensive. Notably, Doota mall! But when you get there, try to go to the tourist centres and see if they have a sale booklet with different vouchers for different boutiques. Doota normally will have a small coupon cut out in the booklet for you to redeem a free gift. During the 2015 summer period the gift was a really nice multipurpose pouch. 

3. Ewha Women's University street

Great for shopping from noon onwards! Perfect place for good and cheap food and for nice and fashionable clothing. Fashionable clothings can be found in almost every lane. My best buy from Ewha is plait tartan long outerwear of a good and comfy material for only 10,000won! The locals there are really friendly. Can always attempt to get discounts when you're purchasing more than one item! I would suggest to get there at 11am, explore the Ewha campus, lunch, then do your shopping after. Get street snacks while shopping cos they are really cheap there, as compared to other places like Myeongdong and Dongdaemun.  Then settle your dinner here too: I would recommend Alchon flying fish roe rice!

4. Hongdae!!

The amazing place for shopping in the evening! Best time would be to reach at 4-5pm! Cos shops close by 9pm except the clubs (obviously). Lots of shopping here, but I find that it's generally more expensive than the other 3 areas I've listed above. Except for one shop, which was having a clearance sale, he had a rack outside with loads of clothes for just 1,000won! Yes you didn't read wrongly! 1,000won! Only SGD1.20! I bought almost 20 pieces of clothing there, from blouse to dress to denim shorts! No words can explain my joy when I got such a good deal!(:

5. Sinchon

This is mainly a place for food and cosmetics shopping. I love the Etude house at Sinchon cos it's a cute little pink house at a very prominent location opposite Sulbing! Clothings and fashion stuff are similar to everywhere else!(: It is a good for evening shopping as shops here closes pretty late! They have really nice food here and I would recommend the 8 flavour BBQ pork which is a lot cheaper in Korea than in SG! 30,000won for a set that can feed 2-3pax.

Ok that's all for shopping in Seoul for now! If I have any updates I'll edit this post!(: If I missed out anything feel free to comment below too! 😀 Thank you for reading I hope this will be useful! Sorry if the last 2 locations have really short descriptions. I will try editing them to include more info!

Cheers,

Rachel