Like most people, I am also quite intimidated every time I hear the words "Tourist Visa". But when I found out that the Tourist Visa for South Korea is GRATIS / FREE, why not try?! So I filled out the necessary forms, gathered the requirements and tadaaaa! APPROVED!

Here is the step-by-step process on how to apply for a South Korean Tourist Visa.

1. Complete the requirements

      ** Application form must be (a) printed in an A4 size bond paper, (b) clean with no erasures and(c) written in BLOCK letters.

      ** Frequent travellers who have travelled as tourist to OECD member countries within 5 years are exempted from submitting ITR.

Additional Requirements:

If personally invited by Korean

      ■ Invitation letter

      ■ Photocopy of invitor's Passport or Identification Card (authentication not required).

Secure all the documents in a brown envelop (in order) and submit them to the Korean Embassy.

Address: 122 Upper McKinley Road, McKinley Town Center, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, Philippines 1634

Contact Number: +63 2 856-9210

Application Time: 8:30AM to 11:00AM

      ■ Register at the guard's station upon entering the embassy.

      ■ A personnel by the door will check if you have all the necessary documents, once he's satisfied he'll give you a number.

      ■ Wait for your number to be called.

      ■ The staff on the window assigned to you will again check your requirements and will give you a piece of paper with the DATE OF RELEASE.

** Windows 1 and 2 are for first-time applicants while Window 3 is for frequent travellers who have been to OECD member countries within 5 years

Visa Fee:

      ■ 59 days (or less) stay in South Korea - GRATIS

      ■ 60 - 90 days stay in South Korea - PHP 1,800.00

3. Relax and wait for the result.

Visa Processing Time:

      ■ 3 working days for those who have been to OECD member countries within 5 years as tourist

      ■ 5 working days for those who have not been to OECD member countries within 5 years

4. Claim your passport

The moment of truth! Head back to the Korean Embassy on the date of release from 13:30PM to 16:00PM and claim your passport (approved or not).

FACTS: Just in case you're curious.

      ■ I have a valid US Visa.
      ■ I have been to an OECD member country.
      ■ I had PHP 40,000 on my account for the Bank Statement.

DISCLAIMER

I'm not an expert. I cannot tell whether or not your application will be approved. 
But I'll try to help as much as I can. Good luck!

From VISA ON ARRIVAL to E-VISA. (Category: Tourist)

      ■ Citizenship / National ID No.: I keyed in my UMID No., if you don't have UMID. Type your  

         SSS (I realized it too late that "N/A" is also acceptable)

      ■ Visible Identification Marks: If you have visible identification mark (such as birthmark or

         tattoo) type in the information there. Otherwise, type “NONE”.

            • Professional – professional /technical training or certification

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        (E-Visa - USD 50 | Processing Fee - USD 1.06 | GST - USD 0.19)

     ■ Applicants may apply for as early as 120 days before arrival. But if you're very excited, you can 

        apply for as late as 4-5 days before arrival.

     ■ The E-Visa is good for 120 days from date of issue for a stay of up to 60 Days - Double Entry.

SEE YOU IN INDIA!!! 😍😍😍

DISCLAIMER
I'm not an expert. I cannot tell whether or not your application will be approved. But I'll try to help as much as I can.

There are two types of trains heading to Taipei Main Station from the Airport - Commuter and Express. Both are worth NT$160.00 per way. You can buy an Easy Card at the metro for NT$ 100.00 (this is just for the card itself), top it up and you're ready to go! If you run out of load, you can always top-up at the nearest convenience store or the metro.

Afterwards I went to my hotel in Ximen, checked-in and went straight to Taipei Main Station to catch the bus going to Keelung.

10:00AM: Off to Shen'ao!

Taipei Main Station → Keelung
Take the (sorry I forgot the bus number >.<) Kuo Kuang Bus heading to Keelung. It takes an hour to get there from Taipei.

Keelung → Shen'ao Fish Port
Go to the Tourist Information Center (get maps and ask for bus schedules. Just so you'd know what else to do and where else to go.)
Ride another bus (Bus no.: T99) going to Shen'ao Fishing Port (another 45-min. bus ride).

Shen'ao Fish Port → Elephant Trunk Rock
From the bus station the Elephant Trunk Rock is an 800m-walk away.
It's quite difficult to find 'coz there are no signs so I made a map!


It's a long walk, especially if you do not know where to go. But the scenery is worth it!
By the way, if you're traveling solo (like me) I suggest you bring a tall tripod. I brought my small gorilla pod thinking it would suffice, but there are no trees or big rocks to clamp it to. I could have taken better selfies but... oh well! Lesson learned.


You can also go to the other side to see this...

After the Rock Formations I headed back to Keelung, I was planning to go around Keelung City 'coz I had plenty of time, but I felt quite tired because I didn't have enough sleep so I just went back to my hotel in Ximen, did a little shopping and slept.

DAY 2: Yehliu, Jiufen, Shifen and Pingxi

06:30 AM Start Coastal Tour



Taipei Main Station → Yehliu Geopark
Took the 1815 Kuo Kuang bus at the Taipei Main Station, the ride takes about an hour. And again, when you get to Yehliu Bus Station, there are no signs where to go so... check the map below! The park is a 10-15min. walk away from the station.

Entrance to Yehliu costs NT$ 80.00

If you're able to get there early morning you'd be one of the first people to enter and you'd have the park for yourself - awesomesauce!



So after my walk in the park, I went straight to Jiufen.

Yehliu Geopark → Jiufen
Ride a bus going to Keelung and transfer to a bus going to Ruifang, the whole ride takes 2 hours, could be more but lucky for me, I was just in time for the bus to Ruifang.




Jiufen → Shifen
Ride a bus going to Ruifang and take the train going to Pingxi. Alight at Shifen Station.




Shifen Station → Shifen Waterfall (v.v)
Walk to the highway (mapee mapee!) and ride a bus from Shiufenliao going to Shifen Waterfall. The ride takes less than 5 minutes. (going back, it's all the same)



Shifen → Pingxi
Go back to the train station and ride the train going to Pingxi.




Pingxi → Taipei City
Take the train going back to Ruifang, at the bus station in front of Ruifang Train Station take the 1815 bus going to Taipei and tadaaaaa! You're back in the city. You can do whatever you want now.

As for me I chose to be pooped on by a mysterious bird in Ximen. >.< (be extra careful in walking under trees; you've been warned!😁)

23:00 PM Lights out.


DAY 3: Taipei City Tour

09:00 AM Start City Tour

I bought a 1-day Taipei Pass at the metro. There are two types of 1-day Taipei Pass and the one posted on their website is the 24HR Pass that costs NT$ 180.00 (PHP 300.00); the other one (the one I availed) is the Full Day Pass (same date expiration) worth NT$ 150.00 (PHP 250.00).

What I did:
Ximen → Taipei Main → Longshan Temple → Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall → Taipei 101 → Dahu Park → Dr. Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park → Xingtian Temple → Tamsui Station → Ximen (Modern Toilet Restaurant)



Tamsui station → Tamsui Fish Wharf
Took bus R26 (Red 26) towards the wharf but there are alternatives: Bus 836 or 857 onwards.
The ride will take about 15-20 minutes. Yes, it's quite far.

And... PICSPAAAAAAM!!!

Modern Toilet


I do not suggest doing Dahu Park and Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf in one day; both locations take time to get to, and if you wish to see the sunset in Tamsui - forget about Dahu! But if it's okay with you to go around the Fisherman's Wharf at night, then... why not? haha! Just make sure that you won't miss your flight. Take note of the bus schedules.

09:00 PM Travel to Airport - Bye bye Taiwan!

Bring snack on your way to the airport. Shops in Taoyuan Airport close at night, but there are beverage vendos accepting coins (only) everywhere!

Day 1:

03:00 Arrival at TPE
07:00 Airport to Taipei City
10:00 Departure Taipei Main Station to Keelung (Start tour)
** Shen'ao Fishing Port
** Elephant Trunk Rock
17:30 Arrival at Ximen Walk (End tour)

Day 2:

06:30 Departure Taipei Main Station to Yehliu
07:44 Arrival at Yehliu Bus Station (Start tour)
** Yehliu Geopark
** Jiufen Old Street
** Daitian Temple
** Shifen Waterfalls
** Shifenliao Bridge
** Pingxi
19:30 Arrival at Ximen Station (End tour)

Day 3:

09:00 Start City Tour (Ximen Station)
** Longshan Temple
** Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall
** Dahu Park
** Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park
** Xingtian Temple
** Tamsui Wharf
** Ximen Walk (Modern Toilet)
21:00 End Tour (Depart to Airport)

Easy Card	TWD 100.00
Easy Card Top-up (3 days)	TWD 800.00
1-Day Taipei Pass (24 Hrs)	TWD 150.00
Yehliu Entrance Fee	TWD 80.00
Bottled Water	TWD 20.00 - 40.00
Meals	TWD 30.00 - 300.00
Souvenir	TWD 70.00 - up

Travel Tax - PHP 1,620
Pocket Money - PHP 6,000
Airfare - PHP 7,100 (regular fare)
Accommodation - PHP 3,000
TOTAL: PHP 17,720🎊

P.S. I booked an expensive flight. Yes, I'm that impulsive. Anyway, a friend of mine booked her flight for PHP 3.5k; some people I know even booked it for less - promo fares. So keep yourself updated and grab those deals!!! Also, going solo, there are other hotels you can book, again, for less, starting at PHP 600.00 per night. The whole trip was awesome, but it was scorching hot! If you wanna visit Taiwan, the best month would be November - dry and a bit cold (because WINTER IS COMING) hahaha!!!

HAPPY TRIP!!!