Saturday, December 03, 2005
Good Service...In Singapore? Nehhh...

Hello fellow readers!

Yes, I'm back from Korea! No...I did not manage to catch my fave korean star 'RAIN' nor any other actors over there but I did have a wonderful time! No regrets on the tour agency which my mum and I signed up with...(Those who are interested to know which agency I signed up with, just give me a beep) You might ask in what ways it's sooo satisfying..well, see the the following:

A. Good line-up of activities and experience
~ Visiting film sites of several popular film sites eg DaJanggeum, Stairway to Heaven, April Snow, Winter Sonata etc)
~ Ski Experience (includes the ski and ski clothes rental)
~ Hot Spa (not in the package but the tour leader had packaged it in for us FOC)
~ Learning how to make KimChi
~ Visiting the Korean National Museum and learning more about Korea's history
~ Dressing up in the Korean Traditional Costumes
~ Everland (Animal Safari where we get to see the only offspring of a lion and a tiger)
~ Lotte World (where we had the greatest fun in the thrilling rides)
My only complaint is that I didn't get much shopping time...only 2 hours at DongDaeMun, the famous shopping complex.











B. Good food!
~ The famous Ginseng Chicken
~ The famous Sulphur Duck (this dish made its appearance in DaJangGeum)
~ Korean BBQ
~ Korean Hotpot
The only part I cannot get used to is that the meat which Koreans eat is super fatty...see pix








Sigh...it was a wonderful trip...

As you might be aware, these days, tour guides determine the amount of money (tipping money) the tourists have to pay them. Normally, they will just tell their tourists the amount of money to give them on the last day of the holiday...yes, gone are the days where customers give an amount they see fit, it's now regulated man....In all of my other packaged tour holidays, I have always felt I have over-paid in terms of the tips but not this time...this time it's worth every penny and probably more.

Throughout the entire trip, we had the tour leader from the tour agency plus a korean guide and korean photographer. God...besides being eye-candy, their service was tip-top. The two guys (guess which two?) served all of us (30 of us in the tour group) in every way possible:

1. As our personal waiter {making sure that our bowls and plates are always filled with food), helping us cook our food (when it's a bbq), making special orders for certain tourists etc}

2. As our personal porter {helping us carry our luggage, checking into hotels, into airports etc}

3. As a personal 'caddy' during activities like skiing. Helped carry the skis up the slope, gave us skiing tuition after the ski instructor left. And most of all (the one which touched all of our hearts), helped us put on and take off our ski boots...the guys practically knelt on the ground and helped us try on ski boots, making sure that we feel comfortable in the boots. A few of us (eg my mum and sister) had to try on several different boots before they found a pair that suit them. I actually feel embarrassed that we had given them so much trouble.

4. Being perfect gentlemen {I have forgotten how a perfect gentleman can be like...they help all the ladies (I mean all young and old) up and down the bus

And this was the treatment we had throughout our trip (from arrival to departure at the Korea Incheon Airport). At Incheon airport, as we were entering the customs, the two guys were still helping us with luggage and reminding us how to walk towards our departure gate. Can you beat that? Thats why I feel that they deserve every of the $15 tip I gave them. To show them my appreciation, I bought a number of photos from them as well.

Our two Korean Gentlemen:








See how happy my sis is?





To be honest, this is the type of service one can never find in Singapore. Hey, you can call me bias, mean whatsoever...I am proud of my country but good customer service has never been a part of our forte.