T-Card & public transport
Korea does not have the 49€ Ticket, instead I got a T-card with buying a SIM card. That travel card you can load with cash at machines or in little supermarkets. When you enter a bus or metro area, you put your card on the reader and it will show how much money is deducted from your balance. Also important you also have to validate when you get off which is confirmed with a message “You are getting off” in Korean. If you have connecting buses or metro, the system will recognise and not charge you again or only the mark up for a higher fare.
T-Card
Metro in Busan
Compared to Europe most buses in the cities were still high-floor and you had to climb up several steps to get in. Also the second door was not a foldable one or two wing one, instead it was massive metal sliding door like on a van.
Watching from behind the driver
massive second door
One of the few low-floor buses
How to navigate
Google Maps unfortunately is pretty useless in Korea as it has only very limited service. If you speak Korean, Kakao Map is helpful. But even if you enter places in English and it finds them, it then displays everything in Korean alphabet. The best I found for navigation on foot and with bus and metro is Naver Map.
Some curiosities:
Big umbrellas sheltering from rain and sun while you wait for the green light.
Korail
It was a pleasure to travel by train in Korea- Korean rail or Korail offers high-speed trains (KTX, …) that can bring you from Seoul to Busan in less than 3 hours. I travelled by train from Seoul to Jeonju 2nd class and from Busan to Gyeongju 1st class. One ticket I booked via the app, the other at the counter in the train station. The trains arrived at the platform way ahead departure time and a screen per wagon on platform told me where to wait for my coach car. Difference between 2nd and 1st class are the number of seats per row (4 vs 3), legroom and a little snack. A train attendant distributes free water and there are vending machines that offer sodas and other drinks. The train departed and arrived on time.
KTX from Busan
Be sure to board 5 min before departure
my first class seat
Bus
Long-distance buses are an alternative to the rail service and also go places where there are no tracks. There are three bus OEMs in Korea: Daewoo, Hyundai and Kia. I took a bus from Jeonju to Mokpo and fron Gyeongju to Andong. Both buses were rather empty and I had a seat for myself. I bought the tickets at the counter of the bus terminal, there were also machines. I did not have much luck on the internet either websites were in Korean or payment did not work with a foreign card. Buses like trains left on time. Basically, 5 min before departure all passengers were seated, luggage stored, tickets checked and the driver ready and waiting only for the countdown to departure time. Compared to long distance buses in Europe, Korean buses only had one door and were missing USB ports and Wifi.
Bus Ticket Machines
Bus line up at the Central Bus Terminal
Kia Coach - one of the three brands in Korea (the others are Daewoo & Hyundai)
Ferry
There are ferry connections between Mokpo/ Busan and Jeju and other places on the Korean coast. Booking the ticket for the trip from Mokpo to Jeju, I countered the toughest website in my preparation for the trip.The website was only in Korean and even with automatic translation on, the booking process at one point did not advance. In the end, I asked EJ to book for me. In Mokpo, I had chosen accommodation close to the Ferry terminal, so I just had to walk down the street to get to there. Unfortunately, once there I realised that it was under construction. Luckily, my host knew about it and offered to drive me to the interim pier about 2 km away.
Ferry Mokpo-Jeju Island
Welcome abord
As a foreigner, I could not get an e-ticket. Instead I had to show my passport at the pier and got issued a paper ticket. An attendant took care of my suitcase and carried it on board. Even though, the crossing only took 4.5h during the day, with your ticket you booked a room/ bunk. The offer ranged from big naked rooms for 40 people to luxury suites. I had chosen the cheapest option that was available when I booked: a room with 8 bunk beds. I took a quick look and then found an empty armchair in the panorama lounge that was way more comfortable to read, write and work on my laptop. The ferry also had a grocery store, a bakery, a restaurant, pet rooms and an observation deck with a little fake fenced meadow for your dog. We arrived with 15 min delay as the currents were very heavy that day. The number of foreigners was very limited.
My bunk
40 people room
Another shorter ferry experience was the trip from Jeju to Udo island. We arrived at the terminal and had two fill out a paper slip with the names of our group and then a second one for the return trip. The ride to Udo only took 15-20 min and had an indoor floor seating and an open-air seating.
Car
On Jeju island, I rented a car that I had booked before. 200€ for 5 days - an okay deal. I got a Hyundai Casper with navigation system that was necessary, although it took some time to figure out how to insert the addresses. The system also announced every single speed breaker on the island - and there were nearly as many as people living on the island. It also warned of speed checking cameras, school zones (30 km/h) and other dangers. A good feature were green/ pink guiding lines on the road and in the navigation at confusing crossings. Parking was nearly everywhere for free except at the airport and at the parking garage near the Olle Market. The Lotte Car Rental shop was close by the airport and ran shuttles every 10-20 min.
Our Hyundai Casper
Follow the pink lines
Lotte Airport Shuttle
Electric mini car
On Udo island, you have different options to get around: walking, bicycle, e-bike, electric mini car and car. We opted to rent an electric mini car. The two seats were not next to each other but one behind the other. From the system it was more like a motorbike or scooter than a car. And I had no experience with motorised two wheelers. We survived nonetheless.
Mini car survivors
Plane
As the ferry to Busan would have taken about 12 hours, I decided to take the plane. After I figured out that all Sunday afternoon/ evening flights were sold out, it was easy to book a Monday morning flight with Korean Air. At Jeju Airport, there was a big duty free shopping area - but I did not find much to my liking and only looked for breakfast. The flight was short and uneventful.
Nearly ready for take off
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