What should you pay attention to when traveling in South Korea? First time going

Seven things to note when traveling to South Korea

Nowadays, traveling to South Korea is becoming more and more popular. Although South Korea is not far from China and has a similar climate, it has its own national conditions. I plan to go to South Korea. Friends who travel must read the following seven things as a "memo" for themselves to make your trip to South Korea more enjoyable.

1. Respect Korean customs and habits

If you are a guest at a Korean friend’s home, you must understand Korean habits. For example: when pouring wine, hold the bottle in one hand and the other hand. Hold your arms; give in to the host's toasts for the first or second time, and only accept them after the third time; it is impolite to refuse to drink other people's toasts. If you can't drink, just leave a little wine in the cup. Koreans forgive drunk people; they cannot eat the dishes on the plate very clean, otherwise it will be disrespectful to the host; they cannot smoke or wear sunglasses when elders are present. Use both hands when accepting items and do not open gifts in person. Koreans like odd numbers but don't like even numbers. The gift money should be given in a white gift bag, not a red one, etc. As the saying goes, "It's no surprise to be polite to many people." It's always right to know more.

2. Don’t have too high expectations for the scenery.

South Korea’s land area is not as large as Zhejiang Province, and it is close to China, so the landscape and scenery are not very distinctive. Korean tour guides often compare Seoul to Beijing, say Busan is equivalent to Shanghai, and Jeju is equivalent to Hainan. But you have to be mentally prepared, because in terms of imperial city style, Seoul is not as good as Beijing. The Lee feudal dynasty ruled South Korea for 500 years at the end of the 14th century. Therefore, the style of the palace is somewhat similar to that of China, but the size is a few sizes smaller. Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul is extremely The miniature landscape in Shenzhen's "Splendid China" is really incomparable to the Forbidden City. Busan is a famous seaport, but the night view on the beach is dimmer than on the Bund. The scenery in Jeju is good, especially Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, but because the seaside is covered with volcanic rocks, the water looks black, so it is much inferior to the thousands of miles of golden sand and clear water in Sanya, Hainan. Moreover, you don’t need to go through immigration to go to Jeju. You can go directly from Qingdao Just go by boat. So if you have already visited West Lake in Huangshan and Guilin in Hainan, you must adjust your mentality before going to South Korea. When traveling abroad, you must expect to enjoy the beautiful scenery, otherwise you will be disappointed.

3. Don’t forget to bring some snacks, toothbrush, and toothpaste.

Korean people like kimchi, which tastes spicy, requires more barbecue, and less oil and water. Koreans don't like to add MSG, so they find the rice too bland to eat. Disposable toothbrushes and toothpaste are free in domestic hotels. Some higher-end hotels will also prepare shampoo and shower gel for you. For environmental reasons, hotels in South Korea do not provide free toothbrushes and toothpaste, but they will put these items and razors on the desk in the room with a price list. You must read it carefully. If you are not careful, You will have to pay a hefty bill the next day. The two small bottles placed next to the sink are often toner and body lotion, unlike in China where they are shampoo and shower gel, which you may find inconvenient.

There is also a green button on the TV remote control in the room. You have to think carefully before pressing it, because it is a "material program" that specializes in playing adult discs. There is a fee, although it is only a hundred yuan. However, the next morning in the car in front of everyone, the tour guide asked someone to pay for the program fee for the room, which was embarrassing.

4. There are some places where filming or photography is not allowed, so be sure to abide by this

There are many places in South Korea where filming or photography is not allowed due to political or cultural relic protection reasons. At scenic spots, tour guides will usually remind you that you must listen clearly and strictly abide by them. Photography is prohibited at scenic spots such as the Presidential Palace, Blue House, and Cheonma Residence. There was a tourist in our car who was lucky enough to take a photo of the exterior of the Presidential Palace in the car. He was immediately discovered by security guards in civilian clothes. They got on the car and asked you to destroy the image and withdrew the tour guide's ID. After a long time, the car The atmosphere was ruined.

5. You generally don’t bargain when buying things in Korea

Dongdaemun and Namdaemun in Seoul are large clothing markets, but they generally don’t bargain. Maybe you can give it a try. But the scope of the counteroffer was small. For example, the prices of some small souvenirs with ethnic characteristics are similar at stalls, small shops and duty-free shops, so just buy what suits you. There is no need to compare. But for tobacco and alcohol, airport duty-free shops have the cheapest prices. For example, the "THIS" brand cigarettes that Koreans love to smoke sell for 11,000 won on the street, but only 8,800 won in duty-free shops.

Because of our different habits of bargaining, we had a very unhappy time with the Korean tour guide. In Jeju, the tour guide persuaded us to pay 15,000 Korean won (approximately 120 yuan) per person to add some "finance" to the driver. Because the tour guide's tone sounded like "begging for food," everyone agreed reluctantly. I smiled and asked the tour guide, "Can it be cheaper?" Unexpectedly, the tour guide was very angry. Of course, this was also related to the quality of the tour guide. So if you don’t want to add extra points, don’t bargain, just say no, and don’t be wordy with the tour guide.

6. You should be careful when buying from the "public sales bureau" brought by the tour guide

Compared with China, prices in South Korea are 5-10 times more expensive, so unless it is very unique, use it with caution $2,000 in your pocket. Especially the "public sales bureaus" brought by tour guides, you need to be even more cautious.

On our first day in South Korea, the local tour guide talked non-stop, from the history of South Korea to his own life experience, from South Korea's economy to China's development, making jokes and full of enthusiasm.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. The next morning, the tour guide took us to the "Ginseng Public Sale Bureau". The narrow public sales office was crowded with Beijingers, Shanghainese, and Cantonese from China. The sales promotion girl introduced Gaoli in fluent Chinese. The medicinal value of ginseng, and repeatedly emphasized that a certain course of treatment is required to replenish the body. We strongly recommend a 600g box of Korean Tai Chi ginseng. When we saw the price tag of 225 US dollars, we thought about China’s vast land and rich resources, rich in Changbai Mountain ginseng, wild ginseng, red ginseng, etc. Ginseng, why spend your limited dollars on ginseng, so there are not many buyers. Unexpectedly, the situation suddenly changed. After getting on the bus, the tour guide picked up the microphone and said: "We are here to make money, not to drink from the northwest wind." After saying that, he sat in front and left us in the "ice kiln".

In addition, the amethyst processing factory in Seoul, the honey shop and pearl museum in Jeju that the tour guide took us to are all rich in China, and the prices there are at least ten times higher than in China.

7. Beware of "candid photographers"

In addition to the tour guide, there is always a "tour guide assistant" following you in the car. He is very attentive in carrying luggage and food along the way, but he always likes to be there. When you were posing for photos, he took out his camera and secretly took pictures. In the end, he held a large stack of developed photos and gave them to you one by one. If you said you were satisfied, please pay 40 yuan for each photo. If you are not satisfied, it doesn't matter. It's not good to have your "fine photos" wandering in a foreign land, so the group members had to pay obediently. An old lady in the group gritted her teeth and "subscribed" for ten photos, which cost 400 yuan