The first (fail) KTX ride and our cravings for Kalbi at Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do - Day 6 in South Korea

We left Yongin very early and took a cab from Jukjeon station to Suwon KTX station. The cab fare was a bit pricey but we had to take an early train ride going to Gyeongju, and because the train transfer going to Suwon from Jukjeon would require us riding four different trains, we had no choice.



We arrived at the station with minutes to spare to buy the tickets and have a quick bite before heading to the platforms. There were lots of machines wherein you could purchase the ticket. It was pretty user-friendly and I did not have troubles buying the ticket even if it was my first time. Just make sure you are prepared with your bills or credit card. You can also buy tickets in English so no hassle if you can’t understand Korean.

the "ATM" machine

They have the same screen that you see at airports for the trains that are arriving the station

The tracks at Suwon station

I wanted to make sure that we will meet the train schedule as our host will be working 1PM onwards and won’t be able to see us after that – this is very vital as we need to leave our bags so we can go around Gyeongju for the rest of the day. I looked at the sign and it directed me to go to platform number 6. To be sure, I asked a train personnel which platform should we be waiting at and he also directed me to the same platform number. I was pretty confident that we will be seeing the train any moment.



























The train that we purchased will be leaving Suwon station by 08:53AM and arriving 12:39 PM at Seogyeongju station - which was perfect because our host would be able to accommodate us only until 12:45PM as he would be going to work and will come back 9PM.

We waited 8:50AM, there was still no train that arrived at platform 6. We waited one, two minutes. Still no train. Come 8:55AM a Korean guy approached us asking if we were encountering any problems, I showed him our ticket and I saw worry on his face, and he said these words "Oh my god! This train left already!" I was not sure if I heard him correctly so I asked a couple of times and it finally sank on me. We effing missed our train!!!

We hurriedly went to buy another ticket in hopes of catching another train that will arrive at Seogyeongju before 1PM but unfortunately, the earliest we can get would be arriving Seogyeongju 2PM. We took that one which was a direct ride. The guy explained that maybe the staff that I have inquired to got the details wrong as our first ride had two transfers, so maybe that's why he pointed us at the wrong platform. I felt different emotions - disappointment, exasperation and hunger. To top it off, I was trying to contact our host and he was not replying at all.

We have arrived at Seogyeongju by 2PM and we sent a message to our host again wondering if he could still meet us up - and of course, the answer was NO as he was currently at work. Now what did we do until he gets back? We waited. We waited for seven hours doing nothing! :'(

Our only consolation this time was food. Good thing there were some restaurants near the station so we looked for a place that sells meat - yes, we weren't choosy given the situation we were stuck with.

We were very very hungry so we immediately asked for the banchan available. If you didn't know what they are, these are small dishes served along meals. In restaurant, the banchans are always free and I have never encountered that these dishes were added to the bill. They are also refillable so ask for more if you have eaten everything on that tiny weeny plate, they'd be happy to serve you. :)

The banchan given to us were quite unusual -first, because kimchi was not included and second, this was the first time I have seen these banchans. This set were just vegetables soaked in vinegar (?) because it tasted sour. Anyway, it was still good because we needed to have something while we were waiting for the meat to be cooked.

We ordered Kalbi because we love meeeeeat! We have meat almost every meal and enjoyed every single bit of it! Now, I am thinking of doing a post on teaching you helpful Korean phrases to aid you when asking for refills the lettuce, banchans, etc. Lol

Ta-daaaaa! Meat is now cooked ladies and gentlemen! We were very satisfied with the meal we forgot that we just spent the most boring seven hours of our lives.

We met with our host afterwards who will go with us to Seokguram Grotto for the next day. He also gave us a map so we can plan our itinerary - we needed this because we just lost one day (we were supposed to go to Andong), but now we only had one day left for Gyeongju so me and my friend were hoping we could go to the most prominent places in town.

Follow my footsteps in South Korea!

Day 1: Gangwon-do Chuncheon and Nami Island	Day 2: Gangwon-do Mt.Seorak (Seoraksan)	Day 3: Gyeonggi-do Yongin and Food Tour	Day 4: Gyeonggi-do Suwon: Hwaseong Fortress, Korean Folk Village	Day 5: Gyeonggi-do Everland	Day 6: Gyeongju Food Tour	Day 7: Gyeongju Seokguram Grotto Bulguksa Temple Cheomseongdae and Anapji Pond
Day 8: Busan Railway Train in Korea	Day 9: Busan Igidae Coast Busan Fireworks Festival	Day 10: Busan Haedong Yonggungsa Temple Flying with Jeju Air	Day 11: Jeju (E) Food Tour- Altang Dragon Rock Jusangjeolli Cliff Teddy Bear Museum The Seaes Resort	Day 12: Jeju (W) Sunrise Peak Seopjikoji Trick Art Folk Village Sangamburi Crater, Mt.Halla Manjanggul Cave, Maze Park Jjimjilbang	Day 13: Seoul Flying with T'way Airlines Couchsurfing in Korea	Day 14: Seoul Palaces and Bukchon Village
Day 15&16: Seoul Myeongdong and Ewha University N Seoul Tower	Booking Flights via T'way Airlines	Travel Report for South Korea 16 days travel itinerary and tips