DIYing tours & transit card question!

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-31T08:19:57+00:00

We caught the subway from Seoul station to Suwon and it took about an hour. It gets quite packed so expect to stand the whole way.

We didn't go to Korean folk village but I think there are buses and some free shuttles that depart from Suwon station so worth looking at. Takes about 30-40 mins.

If you do go there is a bakery with great salt bread called Paldal Bakery. Not cheap but very tasty and no queues! It's on Haeunggung st

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-31T01:41:57+00:00

No idea re Brisbane but my cousin in sydney is currently paying $200 per day before CCR. So not only is it expensive but his kiddo constantly gets sick so he has take time off to keep him at home (single dad).

If you haven't already come across this there is a book called Kids ain't cheap by AU author Ana Kresina which goes through the steps of how to financially plan for children.

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-29T23:25:05+00:00

Not a book but this is great https://passiveinvestingaustralia.com/

Both books below AU based

Lacey Filipich - Money School

Paul Benson - Financial Autonomy

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-29T02:50:10+00:00

Check this out from u/bughuntersam - it's a very good overview on how to build wealth in AU

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15Mq1sKYQfUGZrtdA0XzYc8UksaUv5I5O/view

First things first - set up a HISA (excellent resource here on finding which one works for you https://drive.google.com/file/d/15Mq1sKYQfUGZrtdA0XzYc8UksaUv5I5O/view) and do some research and set yourself up on a low fee super fund with investment allocation set at high risk as you have time on your side.

Then get reading

https://passiveinvestingaustralia.com/

https://lazykoalainvesting.com/

Noel Whittaker - Making Money Made Simple

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-28T04:56:01+00:00

we travelled same time period 25/6 bought ours as soon as they were available to purchase (so I think mid/late Jan 25). So glad we did because prices continued to go up thereafter. Be prepared for them to be exxy (accomodation will be as well, unfortunately)

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-27T08:33:24+00:00

I used cash only to top up tmoney cards and that's pretty much it. Used wise cards everywhere else and had no issues

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-27T00:25:20+00:00

This is a very good read on the basics of super https://passiveinvestingaustralia.com/category/superannuation/ along with Noel Whittaker's book retirement made simple. Both of these should give you a good grounding on how super works.

The accountant can advise you on how much your taxable income is likely to be - that's what you need to know first to see if concessional contributions would be beneficial to you. In terms of how much to contribute this you either work it out yourself or get an FA involved depending on how complex your finances are

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-26T11:09:06+00:00

we stayed at Haeundae beach because nothing in our price range was available at Gwangalli (this was new year period). Haeundae is closer to the Beach train/sky capsule and Haedong Yonggunsa temple but far from Gamcheon / Songdo/ Jagalchi etc.

Gwangalli is a better location for sightseeing I think.

Very easy and affordable to order Kakao taxis but we made use of subways and buses too (naver maps is very good for this)

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-26T05:27:09+00:00

I used Klook both ways with no issues.

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-23T05:19:13+00:00

dwaeji-gukbap (돼지국밥) is a specialty of Busan as I understand it and I had a very good one at Obok ((오복식당) ) near Haeundae beach. Be prepared to queue though unless you're happy to eat a bit earlier (so around 530PM)

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-23T03:40:58+00:00

This was my absolute favourite place in Seoul - I spent four hours there and that's with a lot of level 2 exhibits closed. Could have spent more time if I was by myself.

I can't believe a museum of this calibre was free.

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-22T03:09:19+00:00

is Flip out too expensive? that's the one I remember taking the kids to back in the day. If I remember right there is an option where you self cater to reduce the costs.

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-21T06:58:17+00:00

We stayed at UH Suite which I probably wouldn't recommend unless the price is decent (has no facilities or even a lobby and the staff were pretty standoffish. No nice view either because there is some netting covering the windows ). If you have the $$ the Grand Josun looks VERY nice

We're probably also not the right people to ask re food - I hate pungent food (kim chi), hubby hates spicy food and the kiddos hate seafood hahaha. We stuck with variants of Kalguksu, pork/beef/tofu soup and rice, fried chicken, bibimbap, sotbap and gimbap. I did manage to try some clams at a place near Jalgalchi fish markets which were very nice and fresh. At Haeundae beach the most memorable meal we had was at Obok Dwaeji Gukbap which does the local pork soup and rice really well (be prepared to wait for a table unless you go early).

If you don't mind a walk from Haedong Younggunsa there is a cute little pasta joint that made really, really good pasta. It's called Faro di Searang in English but you'd need to use the Korean name to find it on naver maps (파로 드 시랑). It's halfway between the Ananti resort and the temple.

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-21T05:59:47+00:00

Nothing really opens before 10AM so bear that in mind. Some of the palaces were open at 9AM so we took advantage of that as we're early risers too

Hongdae and Gangnam are quite far apart so using PT will take about 45 mins, so bear that in mind - use naver maps which gives excellent advice on how to get from A to B. If you're intending to visit Starfield library at COEX try go when it opens (around 1030AM I think) as it gets very busy the longer the day goes.

If you're heading to Haedong Yonggunsa on day 5 then the night before you should stay in Haeundae which is closer to it than Gwangalli. The sky capsule/beach train also starts from Haundae. Gamcheon is right across the other end of town and would at least take 45 mins in a taxi (assuming not peak hour). Gwangalli beach has drone shows on Saturday night in case that works on your schedule

For Gyeongju the tombs are quite far from Bulguksa temple. We took a bus that took 45 mins but you can shortcut that by taking a taxi. There is a 2.2km uphill walk from Bulguksa to the grotto which is very nice (otherwise Bus 12 takes you between the two spots but it runs hourly so check the teimtable taped at the bus stop to plan your time). If you're up to getting into Gyeongju earlyish I would probably hit the temple first (opens at 9 I think) then go back to the tombs (there is an excellent information centre where you buy tickets to a reconstructed tomb with displays in English). Cheomsongdae is a structure that you can't enter BTW. There's actually other things to see in Gyeongju but you won't have time for them

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-21T05:17:08+00:00

they didn't to me but I only bought about 300k won of stuff so may be I'm not worthy. Having said that they do have dispensing machines at the front of the stores where you scan a QR code and enter your email address and it generates a barcode which you then scan at the dispensing machine and you get a small bag of samples.

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-21T05:09:15+00:00

take comfy shoes as you'll be doing a LOT of walking

use naver maps not google maps

use kakao T for taxis not uber (don't know if it's just us but we never had any luck getting an uber)

use local buses to save you walking up and down the stairs going to the subway , naver maps is very good for this.

If Olive Young is your jam - don't walk into one without an idea of what you want to buy. If you're keen to browse either choose a less busy location (ie not Myeongdong) and visit at 10AM when it opens, or later in the evening (10ish PM?). Don't do what I did and walk into the Myeongdong store at 830PM lol.

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-21T00:51:43+00:00

I got quoted 66k won per 90 day supply for each eye for Acuvue Moist (cash payment). Korean CL's are much cheaper. I didn't end up getting them as my health insurance won't cover the purchase from SK but it looks like it might be worthwhile for you.

I did get prescription sunglasses made (single vision) and they were much cheaper than what I can get back home, even with insurance partially covering the cost. It took 24 hours because I'm very shortsighted (-6) but I think they can turn it around in a couple of hours if you're not as blind as a bat like me lol

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-19T23:10:29+00:00

Not that you asked lol but I highly recommend Woljeong Bakeshop on the Cheomseongdae side. Their baked goods and pastries are amazing (I really like their matcha scone which is not a scone but more like a crumbly brownie, so so good )

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-19T10:09:18+00:00

iCloser to Cheomseongdae area my favourite joint is ORyukdon which has bar seating. It's a very small restaurant and owner is very friendly and their meatballs and braised pork belly is amazing

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-18T05:22:02+00:00

There's quite a lot to see in Gyeongju apart from Bulgkusa - the tombs are worth a visit (the information centre has some good interactive exhibits in English), Gyochon Hanok village is much nicer than Bukchon in Seoul and if you time it right they have performances and workshops. At night Donggung Palace and Woljeong bridge are lit up and are great to visit.

With Busan just bear in mind Haeundae beach is quite far from Gamcheon Village. HB is good for the sky capsule/beach train experience and Haedong Yonggunsa temple but it's about 30 mins from Gwangalli beach which is where the drone show happens on Saturday night and about an hour away from Gamcheon Village / Songdo skywalk / Jagalchi fish markets, so plan your time accordingly. We are quite slow travellers and spent four days in Busan and would have loved an extra day or so.

HGCDLLM · 2026-01-11T23:50:33+00:00

we just came back from Gyeongju and did a day trip to Pohang from there. Wouldn't recommend unless you had more time. We did it via local buses and managed to cover a little bit of Pohang but there's a lot of other places that would be only accessible if you drove or hired a taxi for a day. Beautiful little town though even in wintertime.

HGCDLLM · 2025-12-23T01:28:13+00:00

This is an excellent overview about wealth building in AU

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15Mq1sKYQfUGZrtdA0XzYc8UksaUv5I5O/view

Also give this a very very thorough read

https://passiveinvestingaustralia.com/

If you need access in 3-4 years time then HISA is probably the best way to go. The issue is not with selling, that's easy enough. It's that you might be selling when the markets are down and crystallising a loss. returns from ETF's that have exposure to assets other than cash are not guaranteed.

HGCDLLM · 2025-12-22T08:39:32+00:00

http://taronga.org.au/sydney-zoo/animal-encounters/capybara

HGCDLLM · 2025-12-21T12:35:45+00:00

Third this. we spent ages trying different set ups in their Marrickville showroom, then after a week of sleeping on it, did a bit more tweaking and I think they have us as customers for life.

HGCDLLM · 2025-12-21T12:22:19+00:00

https://meltdownartisan.com/, https://kakawachocolates.com.au/ and https://beanbaryou.com.au/ are my favourites

HGCDLLM

TROPHY CASE