pre-KOREA [PART 1]: Flight & Accommodations

My second visit to Seoul and my 5 other friends first time there! This will be my first time planning a trip with so many people! My previous trip to Japan that I planned was for 2 people only. This is a 10D9N trip and we will be travelling to Seoul, Gangnam and Nami Island! We will be there during the autumn season! ;D

Flight
I had specific dates in mind for our trip as I only can take up to 6 days of annual leaves. I need to fully utilise the weekends available for this trip. Vietnam Airlines was apparently the cheapest full-cost carrier, but I do not feel like using this airline again this year. It has long transit timing and the flight timings available were not ideal.
In the end, I booked our flight with Asiana Airlines mid April at their sales rates of S$754 each. It is a full-cost carrier with 20kg check-in luggage allowance and it is a direct flight to Seoul.
Our flight timing:
Singapore to Seoul: 1.30am to 9.05am
Seoul to Singapore: 4.10pm to 9.30pm

Accommodations
Having used Airbnb during my stay in Japan, I came to like staying in the apartments. It is affordable and comes with everything you need in your house! I love hosts that provide free portable wifi for their guests as well! However, if you are someone who prefers your rooms to be cleaned or any other services provided by the hotels, you may not like staying in a private apartment.

Without saying, my accommodations in Korea are booked through Airbnb! I did planned one night where we will be staying in a Hanok (Korea traditional houses)!

Not an Airbnb member yet? Join Airbnb with my referral >>here<< to get travel credits! We can get credits when either of us book a stay using Airbnb!

Seoul
Look at my Seoul apartment >>here<<

Period of stay: End Oct 2015

Price: S$1,475 for 9 nights (6 pax). Purchased in April.

Check-in & Check-out time: 2pm/11am
Getting there: Walking distance from Seoul Station

Extra: Portable wifi, washing machine, digital lock

Gangnam
Look at my Gangnam apartment >>here<<

Period of stay: End Oct 2015

Price: S$442 for 2 nights (6 pax). Purchased in April.

Check-in & Check-out time: 3pm/11am
Getting there: Walking distance from Gangnam Station
Extra: Portable wifi, washing machine, digital lock

1 night Hanok Stay (북촌마루 한옥 게스트하우스)
Details of Bukchon Maru >>here<<

Period of stay: End Oct 2015
Rooms: 1 Family Room with Private Bathroom & 1 Double Room with Shared Bathroom

Price: Pay 20% of the full amount (S$75.80) by PayPal, and balance (₩39,167) upon arrival. 

Check-in & Check-out time: 2pm/11am
Getting there: 10 minutes walk from Anguk Station or you can take bus.
Address: 2-164 Gye-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Extra: Breakfast available every morning between 8.30am and 9am. Hanbok Experience available!

-continue to Part 2-

DAY 11 IN OSAKA: MAKING INSTANT RAMEN @ Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum

Considered my last day in Japan already! Since my flight to Singapore is in the morning next day! T.T So missing Japan right now!

Day 11:

• Visit Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum @ Ikeda

• Go to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan (decided to do some last minute shopping instead!)

• Purikura at HEP FIVE (Read about my Purikura experience >>here<<)

To Instant Ramen Musuem today!~~~

We have signed up for the instant ramen workshop in advance to make our own ramen! It costs 500yen per pax. You can read about my reservation onine >>here<< The class is conducted in Japanese, however there are a lot of staffs inside to help us. They also have an instruction sheet in English to guide us on the steps!

Kneading the dough

Flattening the dough

Flattening the dough somemore before cutting into stands

Staff preparing our ramen to fry!

Fry fry~

DONE!!

We decorated our ramen packaging!

You can also decorate your own cup noodle for 300yen per cup! They provide markers for you to draw and colour your cup noodle~

 After you are done decorating, you proceed to queue up to let the staff put in the noodle and ingredients for you!

Ramen!~

The types of toppings!

Cute chicky!!

Think you can choose 4 toppings? (can't rmb) and 1 flavour you want

Turn the wheel to put the ramen into your cup~

Then the machine seals the cup

Vacuumed pack with plastic!

Once our ramen is done, we walked around the museum for a bit. They have this rows of instant ramen on display.

 There is a shed where perhaps that is how ramen is made in the old times..

We also went to their store to buy more of their ramen back! They were all delicious by the way!! Satisfied with our goods bought, we head back to Namba & Dotonburi for more last day of shopping! We managed to go to Alice on Wednesday this time!! This is located somewhere along this building!

Address: 朝日プラザ心斎橋
Japan
〒542-0086 Ōsaka-fu, Ōsaka-shi, Chūō-ku, Nishishinsaibashi, 2 Chome−12−22

Basically, it is a shop that sell Alice-themed items! From accessories to snacks and books~~

Entrance to Alice on Wednesday

 We went to chill in a cafe. Googled on the spot to see if there are any nice cafes near us and we went to Brooklyn Parlor. For directions and store details, click >>here<<

Store front

You need to go down a flight of stairs..

Apple pie, i think

Coffee

Teriyaki burger with fries and salad

We bought takoyaki from  Kougaryu (甲賀流) again! Too delicious! We need to eat it again before we return to Singapore! We tried the black pepper one this time! :D For directions and store details, click >>here<<

Black pepper!

After finishing our shopping at Dotonburi and snapping our last round of Purikura at HEP FIVE, we head back to Fukushima Station and ate the ramen near our apartment again! For directions and store details, click >>here<< (it is named as Ramen shop @ Fukushima)

Kaarage

Gygoza

Ramen

Additionally egg!

We had our last ice cream in Japan for dessert!

And... that's the end of my Osaka posts! I can't wait to go back to Japan next year!!!