Tips to have safe trip in South Korea

Traveling on a holiday to a country for the very first time can be very exciting. You have a whole new adventure waiting for you, but the idea of planning and being in a foreign land can be a bit distressing. You have completely no idea what is awaiting you, the kind of people, the culture and the laws governing the country you are visiting.

The Korean Alphabet is easy as A-B-C

Hangul (which translates to “great script”) is the official alphabet of the Korean language. Unlike Chinese, it is phonetic, meaning it is made up of letters that can be sounded out rather than characters that have to be memorized. At first sight, the script may come across as incomprehensible, but the alphabet itself is actually quite easy to learn. For some, it can be mastered in just a day. Knowing the alphabet will make traveling in Korea much easier, even if you do not speak Korean, as you will be able to recognize food names on menus and destinations on street signs.

Public transport

Trains arrive on time and on a frequent basis. If you purchase the Korea T-money card, which is our ez-link card equivalent, each ride would mostly cost KRW1, 250 (~SGD1.50) unless you go slightly further, then it will add another KRW100-300. You have to tap in and out of the gantries when you board the train.

Public toilets and hygiene

There are quite a number of public toilets wherever we go, and to my pleasant surprise they are generally clean. You can also often find toilet paper in public toilets. On the other hand, it is extremely difficult to find dustbins around so you may have to carry your trash for quite a distance before you find one bin.

Korea, a land of wi-fi

Not only does Korean possess the fastest Internet connection in the world, at 28.6 Mbit/s to be exact, it is also the dreamy land for social network lovers, as there is wi-fi almost everywhere. There is wi-fi coverage relatively everywhere you go in Korea, in shops or even on the metro system. Most of the time, it is free. However, there are places that charge for internet access via wi-fi.

Shoes off

If you ever have the chance to visit a Korean house, then you will probably be intrigued by the no-shoes-indoor policy. As a matter of fact, upon entering the threshold, you will have to take off your outside footwear and put on a pair of slippers. The same goes for hotels. Most of which will have a pair waiting for you in every room. Some families even have specific slippers for specific sections of the house.

How to tip in Korea

In fact, you do not have to tip in South Korea. With many unspoken but widely agreed upon rates of tipping, around 18-20% for an exceptionally good service, many visitors are taken aback by this practice. As opposed to North America, where tipping is expected, you do not have leave a tip in Korean nor do servers expect you to. With this knowledge, you will be able to have a much more affordable trip to Korea.

Read more: Explore the city of art Changwon in South Korea

Travel and Korea metro apps

For first time travelers, travel apps are really useful. The train maps might look daunting because it is so complicated, and it surely doesn’t help when there are Korean words on it, making it look even scarier. You will be glad to know that train line map apps like Seoul Metro and Busan Metro Map will save your life here in Korea. For more travelling and food tips, they also have a Visit Korea app that is pretty useful too.

Source Internet

The best places to visit in Vietnam in March

Vietnam in March offers travelers many destinations to discover. Nice weather, breath-taking Vietnam landscapes or friendly locals are top characteristics of tourism and entertainment activities in this month. So, which most beautiful places for you to choose your amazing Vietnam tour and see more about all the above advantages. Let’s take a quick look at our most beautiful places in Vietnam in March across 3 areas. Thus, you can see the whole charm of histories, cultures and Vietnamese people in every single destination.

Dien Bien

Dien Bien is considered as top traveled and beautiful places in Vietnam in March as it is the paradise of Bauhinia variegata or Hoa Ban (called in Vietnam). The flowers bloom all over Tay Bac roads. Almost all of them are in the districts of Muong Ang, Dien Bien, Dien Bien Dong, Tua Chua.

From a distant view, there will see these iconic flowers like glittering snowflakes in big white clouds. Surrounded by bright yellow space and light winds, white Hoa Ban decorates the blue sky. Every year, Dien Bien organizes Hoa Ban – Dien Bien Festival in March to honor, preserve and promote the cultural heritage of ethnic people. In particular, white flowers are the symbol of the fragile beauty of Thai girls. Also, they represent the longevity, the faithfulness in pure love between couples.

Phu Yen

Traveling to Phu Yen is the smart choice in many great places regarding Vietnam travel in March. In this month, visitors can feel free to explore every corner of this seaside province under dry season. The weather is not so intense and windy, the sea breezes gently blow all the way and the sky is still blue and cloudless. On contrary to crowded beaches in Nha Trang or Da Nang, Phu Yen beach is untouched by tourism. That delivers visitors the feeling of conquering the sleeping beauty.

Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands)

The key characteristic of flower season in Tay Nguyen area is beautiful coffee flowers. March is the peak season of coffee blossoms. Therefore, Tay Nguyen is worth your choice of top beautiful place to visit in Vietnam at that time.

In detail, Pleiku and Buon Ma Thuot are two cities having the largest planting area of coffee fields in Tay Nguyen. So, you can bound your perfect destination to view these charming landscape. When all flowers are blooming to the fullest, you may be surprised by the unbelievable change of color here. Yesterday, you could see the green fields. But the next day, the whole scenery will be transformed into the white tone of fresh coffee flowers.

Take your chance and join Vietnam travel in March in Tay Nguyen. Because coffee flowers only bloom 2-3 times until the end of spring. After blossom time, they will quickly be faded very fast and then turn into coffee fruits in a few days. Let’s become one of the luckiest ones to sightseeing this amazing time in Tay Nguyen.

Hue

March is the beginning time in the dry season of Hue, so it will be less rainy. Thus, it is more convenient for tourists to experience Vietnam travel in March in Hue this season. That sounds extremely cool but you should also wear a long sleeved shirt. That helps to keep your body warm in case the weather changes cold.

Selecting the right month to visit, Hue will bring you a wonderful experience of discovering more about culture and history here. Since travelers not only enjoy the beautiful scenery, landscapes, historical relics but also have the opportunity to see historic monuments in the special festival.

Read more: Enjoy the poetic beauty of Hue at night

Da Nang

Da Nang almost has similar weather like Hoi An, so it also becomes the ideal place in Vietnam travel in March. At that time, Da Nang has cool weather and less rain. On the other hand, this time coinciding with the Lunar New Year, visitors feel a bustling atmosphere of celebrating Tet.

Coming to Da Nang beach in March, you will not have to squeeze for a vacancy at the peak time. Visitors can enjoy walking freely and sightseeing the blue sea. Or you simply drop yourself on the sand and listen to beach sound. This scenery looks so peaceful for all travelers here.

Source TopsVietnam

Explore the best hiking trails in Taiwan

Explore the most popular hiking trails in Taiwan with hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you.

Yangmingshan National Park

Yangmingshan is Chinese for something like “Bright Sun Mountain”, and it is deserving of the name, catching a sunset here is breathtaking. It is the closest hiking destination near Taipei City, in Northern Taiwan, and it is also the island’s most popular hot spring destinations. The Yangmingshan National Park is Taiwan’s busiest national park due to it is close proximity to Taipei.

Wuliaojian 

Wuliaojian is as far as difficult day hikes go, this is up there with the best of them. Located in New Taipei City just a short MRT and taxi ride from the city, this trail is only for the most physically fit of hikers. The climb is quite intense at times but once again worth it for the views of the local countryside.

The Beidawushan Trail

Beidawushan is the most southerly mountain in Taiwan, reaching over 3,000m above sea-level at its peak. This trail, which is 10km in length, is one of the most popular overnight hikes in Taiwan, as the majority of the trail is easy to follow and it promises some incredible panoramic views.

The Beidawushan Trail begins at an elevation of 1,520m and the majority of the path is clear and simple to follow. The second day of the trail includes a number of narrow ridges, as well as rope sections. You will also encounter a 1,000-year-old red cedar tree that is 25m in circumference, as well as Japanese-era shrines and rare forests of hemlock spruce. The trail ends at the summit of Beidawushan, from which you can observe both the Pacific Ocean and the Taiwan Strait on a clear day. The Beidawushan Trail does require transport to reach and while the journey to the trailhead may be complicated, the trail itself and the views are bound to make up for it.

Alishan Scenic Mountain Area

Eryan Ping tourist that makes it to these shores wants to see the sunrise at Alishan, and the best vantage point is said to be at the viewing platforms at the end of this trail. The walkway offers fabulous photo ops along the entire route so the trail can get quite busy.

Shei-pa National Park

Wuling Sixiu Trail is located in the Shei-Pa National Park, this hike is said to be one of the most challenging that the region has to offer. Taking three to four days to complete, this trek takes hikers up and down a group of four mountains, so a certain level of fitness is required but the photo opportunities are out of this world.

Alangyi Historic Trail

Alangyi Historic Trail is a track that travels along the wild and beautiful south-eastern coast of Taiwan. The path saddles both Taitung and Pingtung counties. Great coastal views of the Pacific Ocean.

Read more: Visit Kenting, the southernmost of Taiwan

Source Internet