Sharing my expenses from my Seoul-Jeju trip last Autumn. In a way, this will also be my personal record that I can conveniently look back on that day that I decide to go back to Korea. I actually checked my Korea Spring Budget before this second trip so I can gauge how much money I needed to bring!

Photos from Incheon Airport while waiting for my flight back to MNL.

When the plane landed at the Incheon International Airport, I heard gasps from a few people around me. I looked out from the window next to me and saw it ... The first snow of the year in Korea.

My flight back to Seoul was rather uneventful compared to my flight to Jeju. It also felt fast, but time in Korea (or when traveling in general) is also running, I arrived in my Hongdae box room and it was past lunch already! After leaving my luggage, I ran outside to (once again!) maximize the rest of the day.

The game plan? To visit South Korea's broadcasting capital: Digital Media City.

Autumn sighting during my walk to MBC--one of Korea's largest TV network!

After Yeomiji Botanical Garden and checking out the popular museums in Jeju Island, I still had a few hours of sun before calling it a day. Sunsets were noticeably early in the island when I was there, and most of the establishments with entrance fees were already closed by 5pm. 

Going to Hello Kitty Island, I decided to hail a cab. Kuya Driver, albeit our language barrier, suggested on more things that we can go to before I head back to my dormitory. He laughed when I relayed that I don't have any plans anymore. The only reason why I hailed a cab was because I don't know where the bus stop was anymore, and Hello Kitty Island is not walking distance from Jungnum Resort. I was lucky, he became my instant tour guide AND photographer for the rest of the afternoon! 

Taken by kuya cab driver, photog skills level 100! ;p

Here's what I realized about Jeju Island: It takes an hour or so to get to places. You have to plot your schedule well, or make your visit longer (3-5 days). Since I am still learning from experience, I had to maximize just one full day in Jeju. The night before that one full day, I researched and created a game plan. It's hard to go to all these top TridAdvisor places, so I just went to the ones that were highly recommended and near each other. Most of them are museums.

Since my main agenda for this trip was to catch any signs of what's left from Autumn, I decided to go to a garden first thing in the morning during my first (and only) full day in Jeju Island. 

Post-traveling leaves too much stories in my heart. 

And although life lately consists of events and Bloggers United duties (sadly, setting aside my @simpleMNL business for the meantime, huhuhu), it's so hard to just let go of these stories. Time is crucial.

Anyway, during my day 2 in Korea, I felt that I wasted - well - a lot of time. I feel that I made poor decisions, booking a flight to Jeju Island in the afternoon, leaving me again with a day spent more inside a transportation or the airport, and less time to go about "exploring". Again, time is crucial.

During my solo travel, I realized one thing: You have to be fully equipped because generally you can only rely on yourself. Before leaving Manila, I already have coats, thick socks, gloves, and even masks and ear muffs ready in case the temperature in Korea is too cold to bear.

Aside from these, I have my passport, and all my tickets and itinerary printed and stashed in a water resistant envelope (with 2 pens, to be sure!). I have set my budget, exchanged my Peso into Won 2 days before departure.

And of course, I decided to rent out a pocket internet that I can use for this travel. I've seen this in almost all my traveling blog friends, and now after experiencing it first hand, I must say, THANK GOD FOR FLYTPACK!

I'd say, this Korean Autumn Trip will remain very memorable to me for a long, long time. I got my plane tickets from winning as the blogger partner during the AirAsia Travel Photographer contest. I'd like to think that I used my prize wisely.

Last year in October, I was dreaming and hoping to experience autumn in Korea. I even created a Pinterest album with photos of Korea during fall just to "attract" this. Long story short, I was back in the land of kimchi and K-Dramas to experience Korea during the season I've been dreaming of for over a year.