How to Rent an LTE Sim in Seoul Korea

So I’ve decided to make a step by step blog of my last trip in Seoul. Recently, I have tried to rent an LTE sim at Incheon Airport, and boy, did it help me a lot!

So first things first! To start off, let me tell you how awesome the internet connection is in Seoul! (Once you’ve connected to the Incheon Airport free wifi, you would know). So anyway, since me and my family were planning to go out of town during our last trip to Seoul (it was our fourth time,btw) I’ve decided to rent a pocket wifi just so we would not get lost or anything. But after thoroughly searching through the Internet, I’ve realized that yes, it is cheaper, but the fact that I have to deposit money for the rental and then refund it afterwards was just a bit of a hassle for me. So then I’ve ended up buying a sim card instead.

I’ve found this website (Korealtrip.com) and it was where I’ve purchased my sim. It was really easy. I just paid for the sim card thru my credit card, and then afterwards, Korealtrip sent me my confirmation email with the attached voucher that I will use to redeem my sim.

I was instructed to go to to either of the following KT Roaming Center inside Incheon Airport:

Photo Credit: Korealtrip.com

I’ve chosen to go gate 6 since our private transport was waiting at gate 8 (will post about that later). I just got my queuing number, then when it was my turn, I just showed my voucher and then they already gave me the sim. Since I was using an iphone, I’ve brought my own sim pin just in case there isn’t one in there, but turned out that it was readily available. Of course, I made sure that the sim was working first before I left the counter, and then after that, voila! All done! 
Take note though that your phone should be unlocked; meaning, it should not be locked to any of the home networks in your country.

Renting an LTE Sim was really convenient for me! Plus! I get to keep the sim card as a souvenir! My sim was good for 5 days. I arrived on the evening of Nov 28 and the sim expired on the night of Dec 3. Take note though that even if you did not open and use the sim on the day when you redeemed it, the day recorded of your pick-up will still be the starting date of your unlimited data sim. You caanot make any calls since it’s a data sim, but since almost all communications are now done online, it was still convenient for me. Plus, my personal hotspot was on all the time so it’s basically just the same as having a pocket wifi at hand! 

Hope this helped you guys a lot! Feel free to ask me if you have questions!

xoxo,
@thecouchpatatas

My Review: Watami Japanese Restaurant

My family and I first dined here during my birthday last 2014, and we haven’t stopped coming back since then. I’ve brought my friends here too, and they also loved it! 
This is actually my personal favorite:

Chicken and Egg
  

   
 

   
    
 
Watami is a japanese restaurant in Shangri-la Plaza mall in Mandaluyong. The place is perfect for casual dinners and even for special ones. Their rice bowls are good: chicken and egg, pepper beef rice, beef with rice, and the list just goes on and on! 
Try visiting their branches in SM Mall of Asia, Glorietta, and of course, in Shangri-la! Have fun!

Xoxo,

@thecouchpatatas

Manila Ocean Park

I have already been to Manila Ocean Park for three times already. The first time was in 2010 with my family, the second one was with my friends, and the third one was just lasts June 7 with my family again. My six year old nephew has been fascinated with sea creatures lately and so he decided to just go here.
If you live in a tropical country like ours here on the Philippines, going out during the summer months may not be an entirely good idea at all. The months of April, May and early days of June are just scorchingly hot! We have experienced this on that day, and it was just unbelievable! So anyway here’s my post!
I, being the family’s head of the “booking department” as they say, had always been in charge in arranging my family’s trip every single time. It was actually my idea to go to Manila Ocean Park since i am pretty sure that my nephew would apprciate it now that he’s five as compared to when he was just one year old! Haha! 
I have stumbled upon this deal of Manila Ocean Park tickets in METRODEAL ( metrodeal is a site that offers deals here in the Philippines which are almost less than half of their original price ), and have decided to avail them. I got the deal for P499 (which is valid from February 2015 to February 2016) via credit card transaction. And it is actually easy! Upon validation of payment, metrodeal would send the voucher to your metrodeal account (so I suppose you have to really make one..also for easy retrieval), and you just have to print the vouchers individually (one voucher per person), and present it upon arrival at Manila Ocean Park. 
The package that we availed of was the DEEP SEA RUSH PACKAGE. This gives you access to FIVE ATTRACTIONS inside the park:
The Sharks and Sting Ray Dry Encounter

The Jellyfish Exhibit

The Oceanarium

The Sea Lion Show

The Symphony Evening Show
Being mostly adults with the only goal of making a 5-year-old experience under water without actually going under it, this package is more suitable for us! Haha! Besides, we are not huge fans of humid places, and we easily get tired haha! But there are other packages than this one, and it includes access to more facilities inside the park! 

HERE ARE MY PICTURES:

  
  
(We had Lunch at Makan Makan Asian Food Village located at the second floor of MOP. They offer great and affordable food in here, plus it’s the only restaurant that was not crowded when we were there)
I have to remind you guys also that MOP offers scheduled performances, so you have to manage your time while in there so thay you can go to each and every attractions. 
   
   (Inside the Jellyfish Exhibit)
  
( Sharks and Ray Dry ecounter )

   
       ( Inside the Oceanarium ) 

  
( Buhay na Karagatan. This is actually a huge tube where you can sit and watch the different sea creatures swim at your back and above your head. It was so hot though, and there were so many people that day, so I wasn’t able to take lots of pictures! Oh and another thing too is that you won’t get to enjoy taking much photos of yourselves while inside the Oceanarium because it is too dark; and let’s face it, we are all fans of GOOD LIGHTING. Haha! But if you have a high-performance camera that can take good photos with low lighting, then you’re good to go! Lucky you!) 
  
( The Sea Lion Show. It has two scheduled performances that day: 11am and 3pm. We went to the 3pm show, and it was outside, and it was sooooo Hot! But it was entertaining though )
We did not watch the Symphony evening show anymore because we were just too drained already and my family said that it was just “lights and sounds” haha! During the first time we were here in 2010, we did not watch it as well for it was raining, and when I was here with my friends, I had to go home early. But I believe it has to be something more. Haha! 
So that’s it! Feel free to look for you own deals, and also look at their website for our promos! Get your own dose of #vitaminsea ( that’s a thing now, right? Haha!) Enjoy!

Xoxo,

@thecouchpatatas
Follow me on IG: @thecouchpatatas

 

Lotte World: Seoul Korea

I have already been to Seoul Korea for three times already; and everytime we are here, we always tend to go to the same places (we’re weird, I know). One of the places that we usually go to is in Lotte World. Being a kid-at-heart, theme parks have always been a part of our itinerary, more so now that I have a nephew and a niece. We travel together everytime, and we are always composed of a group of 6 adults, and one child. 

Lotte World is situated in Seoul. It can easily be accessed either through a cab or the subway. The flag rate recently (2014) has escalated as compared to when we were here in 2011 and 2012, so we’ve decided to just ride the train (and let’s face it, it feels more “korean” taking the subway).

Lotte World is located in Sincheon-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea. 

It is made up of two main sections, the outdoor park and the indoor park. When we were here for the first two times, we only stayed in the indoor park and I don’t know the reason why haha!

 There is also a direct line through the subway going to lotte world so it is really convenient. Plus, commuting is Seoul is a Breeze because all the subways are interconnected; you just have to be careful not to enter or exit in the wrong line. If you’ll ride the subway, just find:

Jamsil Station (Seoul Subway Line 2 & 8), Exit 4.

So anyways, is open all-year round. Its hours of operation on weekdays (Monday to Thursday) is 9:30 a.m. to 10p.m., while on weekends (Friday to Sunday)the hours of operation are from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
The  admission rates when we were here last april 2014 are the following:
ADULTS: (18 years and over) 

= 44,000Won 

TEENAGERS (13-17years), 

= 38,000 Won

CHILDREN  (3-12years), and 

= 34,000 Won

BABIES (12months to 2years)  

= 11,000 Won 

Late Admission tickets are also being offered by Lotte World starting 4pm, which is approximately 75% off. We availed this for we came in late and since only my 5 year old nephew would be riding on the attractions, it is more worth it  haha!
Here are my pics from the trip:

 

Trevi Fountain inside Lotte World

  
  

the outside theme park: “magic island”

            

they also have a parade scheduled at 2:30 pm and 7:00 pm

  

     For more information, visit their website:

http://global.lotteworld.com/main.asp

Wood Nymph Korean Restaurant: Baguio City Philippines

Baguio has always been a sanctuary for me and my family. Coming from Rizal, Baguio used to be so far away; an 8 to 10 hour trip is long is it not? Haha! But that was during the late 90’s and Early 2000’s. Just recently, the travel time from Angono to Baguio is only just 5 hours! Thanks to TPLEX! 
Anyway, my post would be about one of the restaurants that we truly love and where we usually eat whenever we are in Baguio: Wood Nymph
Wood Nymph actually has two branches is Baguio City. The branch that I was only able to dine in was the one in SM Baguio. It’s actually easy to find as there are signs placed inside the mall. 
Being HUGE FANS of Korean Food (and Korea, of course), my family and I usually scout for Korean Restaurants wherever we go to. There is just something about Korean food! Haha! 
Here are some of my #foodshots during our trip:
  

This is LOVE! Our favorite Sweet and Spicy Chicken
  
Seafood stew

 
Korean Japchae! 

  

Dok-bokki (Korean Rice Cake)

If you are fond of Korean food like myself, you would definitely enjoy the food here! Happy Eating!
Xoxo,

@thecouchpatatas

My Snapshots From Seoul: I love SEOUL!

I’ve been to Seoul three times already.  The first time that I went here was Spring 2011, then followed by Spring 2012, and then the the last one was Last Spring 2014. This is the perfect season for me because there is a certain lightness in the mood of everybody around. Winter has just ended. The flowers are beginning to bloom. There are many colors around. And the weather is just so perfect! Here are the shots that I took from my phone:

(  Cherry Blossoms at Everland )  

(Gyeongbokgung Palace)

  

(Seoul Tower at night)  

(Myeongdong Street)

  

  (Myeongdong Cathedral)

  (Gwanghwamun Square)

  (Seoul Tower Observatory)

  ( Lotte World)

  (Dongdaemun at night)

My Fairways and Bluewaters Boracay Experience

It has been my family’s third time staying here in fairways and bluewaters, and I must say that every stay had been such a breeze!

I must admit though that we used to say that going to Boracay is not worth it unless it’s free (sorry, Philippines ha? haha!). However, we were really blessed that one of the perks of my mom’s job is an all-expense paid trip to Boracay every three years (I know! Cool, right?). So since 2007, we have been going here in Fairways and Bluewaters because my mom’s company have bought a share here. 

Being a pre-arranged trip, going to Boracay had always been an ease for us. Our tickets are booked in advance, and our transportation have been arranged ahead of time as well. So let me share you something about our trip.

We left at about 5 in the morning from our house in order to get to the airport on time for our 8am flight. Our house is just 40 minutes away from the airport, but because we had to leave our car at Park ‘n Fly near NAIA 2, we had to leave a bit earlier that usual (I’ll post my review about that later on)

( The Park ‘N Fly Building)

So we were brought by the park ‘n fly van to NAIA 3; and in there, the process had been smooth.

(Our PAL boarding passes)

(One of the perks if you fly PAL?free snacks! Pwede narin di ba? Hehe)

The flight to Kalibo (the one that we chose because we did not like the small airplanes bound for Caticlan) took about an hour to an hour and a half. Others prefer to go to Caticlan because it would only take a short boat ride from there going to Boracay. As for us, it has always been Kalibo.

( arrival at Kalibo airport)

Upon arrival in Kalibo airport, we already have our own driver waiting for us, who is going to take us to the Caticlan welcome center of Fairways and Bluewaters.

( you’ll see many men holding signs like these in Kalibo haha!)

The land trip going to Kalibo took about 2 hours. It was a snooze-fest, but most of it was amusing because of the sceneries that we got to see! (Ang ganda nga pala talaga ng Pilipinas!)

Welcome Drinks upon arrival at Fairways and Bluewaters members’ welcome center. As you can see, they have lots of golf magazines; well it’s mainly because Fairways is a golf club. Haha! So anyway, from the welcome center, we had a boat ride which took about 15 minutes,across the sea, going to the main island of  Boracay

 (Our boat hahaha!)

   

Upon arrival on the island, we had another van (from fairways) which picked us up. The resort is about 10 minutes away from the Boracay port as it is located in Station 1. Btw, station 1 in Boracay houses the big resorts; it is also quite peaceful there as compared to stations 2 and 3.

( Fairways finally! Take note: we arrived at the resort at around 12:30pm..so all in all, we had a 5-hour trip; including transfers and all)

In the members area, you will be given free drinks again..unending free drinks, I must say haha! Since our room was already prepared, it did not take us too long to check-in into the resort. 

Fairways is a huge resort, so there is a roaming van inside the resort which can take you around the premises; and there is a scheduled trip every hour going to D*Mall in station 2, which is about 10 minutes away. Back in 2007 and 2010, we can call a van anytime from our villa; however they changed the set-up recently. 

( Our Villa)

We were assigned with three rooms located in the same villa, but they are not connected. One room was for my mom and dad (the biggest room) and then the other room for my brother, my sister-in-law, and their son, and the last room was assigned to my sister and I. It was so fun! Haha!

These are the pics of my mom and dad’s suite. It has a kitchen,a dining area, a living room, a walk-in closet, and two bathrooms. 

Our room has the same bed, however it has no living room, etc. But even if we did not have those, we still had the same view for four days:

(Stunning, right?)

So going back, fairways has its own beach, it has its own pool (back in 2007 and 2010, there was only one, but recently they opened 2 more), it has its own golf course as i’ve said, it also has its own activities area such as the zipline, zorb ball, and segway. So basically there would be no more reason for you to go out and force yourself in the crowded areas of Boracay (although that’s the point of going right? Haha!), because everything that you can possibly think of in order to relax are already here in Fairways and Bluewater! 

( their own beach)

( the pool. Although this is the old one; we did not get to swim in the new ones because they were a bit crowded)

(The Maris Spa)

Oh and have I mentioned that they also have their own chapel inside a cave? It still looked just as amazing as the last time we were here

So that’s it! I hope you also got to experience fairways even by just looking at the pics. So far, I’ve heard that fairways are already accepting non-member accommodations as well. There are even deals available online already. So if you want to experience Boracay in the most fancy way possible, consider booking here now! It’s summer! 

For more info visit their website here:

http://www.fairwaysandbluewater.com.ph