South Korea 2016 - Day 4

Note: Major apologies for the lateness of this post. I've had this written already but it had taken me a while to get back to it. I've set the timestamp so that this entry was written last November 2.

I was on the Cedar Craft server last night, and I was planning on just resting my eyes for a little bit after restart. I didn't realize I had fallen asleep and was awoken by the sound of my mother giving my brother and I a literal wake-up call over the phone, telling us to hurry for breakfast. But I was well-aware that it was the same as yesterday, so I didn't bother to use my breakfast coupon. I wanted some new food for a change, for goodness' sake.

My younger sister and I wandered about the streets of Myeongdong after we stopped by the nearest 7-11 for some onigiri. It's a stark contrast to what I've seen from wandering around the streets and alleys last night; street food stalls and cheap accessory stalls were nowhere to be found, but the district was buzzing alive with passersby and shoppers keeping an eye out for the next discount. I took the opportunity to take more pictures.

  

By 1 p.m. (GMT +7) we had boarded the bus and were en route to the airport. It was an hour and thirty from Myeongdong, and the whole time I was jamming to some Moony and Bonnie Bailey over my earphones. But before we went to the airport we took a quick stop at this supermarket complex not too far from there.

 

  

When we finished, we took a few pictures, and I was taking short chips of everything I could possibly find for my trip video compilation. Then we all hopped on the bus for a merry last trip to the Incheon airport, where check-in was… Being a bitch. But I won't expound on that.

At this point, I think I ought to explain a little something worth noting down in case some of you first timers plan to visit Korea.

Tax Refund Policy

In most stores with an electronic POS cashier (H&M, LesMore, ABC Mart, Uniqlo, to name a few), if you spend more than 50,000.00 KRW, you have the opportunity to avail for a tax refund at the airport. In layman's terms, it simply means you have a chance to get some of your money back in case you paid for really expensive shit while you were in Korea, because fuck you, tax.

Here's how it works: the store you bought your stuff from will give you two receipts. First is your proof of purchase, and the second is your tax refund form. It looks something like this:

Now, everytime you get this piece of paper, fold it and stick it in your passport. You need this form as proof to avail for your tax refund. Some places may require you to bring a passport along to prove you're a tourist (like they do in Japan).

On the day of your flight back to your home country, go to the tax refund stall at Incheon Airport near the check-in counters (I forgot to take a picture of it, sorry .__.). The staff there will take your passport and tax refund forms, and scan them on a machine that will link your refunds to your passport.

Okay, so that's done right? After you check in and pass through immigration, go to Gate 27. You'll see a hallway leading to an escalator, which leads to more tax refund stalls. Here is where you get your ka-ching, m'kay?

You'll notice these guys have a similar machine as the one you had seen at the check-in area. This is like a huge ass ATM machine where you get to claim all your cash from some good for nuthin' money-grubbin' tax. Just show them your passport, and depending on what flavors they have available, you get to choose between Korean won or USD, among other currencies.

You should now have some of your money back. Isn't that just swell? But given how expensive shit is in this country, I feel it's only right you actually get some of your money back as a tourist.

In Closing

I'll be honest. No other country can replace Japan in my heart (not even Denmark lel). Japan is what I've been been exposed to almost all my life, and if I had things going my way I would have preferred to go there instead. I also disliked the fact that everything has become so much more expensive now compared to how it used to be; 1.00 KRW (as of October 30, 2016) is equivalent to Php 20.18, a stark contrast to the exchange rate last April 2014, when I first went.

But it's not like I did not enjoy my time in South Korea. There's a faint tingle of my favorite country in the nooks and crannies of the metro and even in the mountains, but the Koreans and their culture always have a way of gently reminding me that no matter how I look at it, this isn't Japan. This is South Korea, and regardless of their similarities, the memories I've made here are purely a South Korean experience… And you can thank the kimchi and the expensive price tags for that.

 

For those wondering if I'm a real person or not lel B)

Thanks to all those who've been reading up on my entries! I hope you liked what you've seen of South Korea as well, and I'm really sorry for the delay in this last post. But anyway, I can't wait to travel out of country again soon!