my cloud of thoughts: South Korea: Backpacking things to bring

Coming back from a recent backpacking trip at Seoul, i thought it will be nice to list down some little things that we seem to miss if we didn't spend enough time to think through our to-bring list.

One of the gates at Changdeok-gung (palace)

I hope those that are planning to visit Seoul during autumn will find the list below useful:

Backpacks..so many to choose from.

a) Backpack - This is a backpacker's main storage. A decent sized-one will do to carry a small water bottle, camera kits/lenses, maps ,papers and all sorts of rubbish you collect on your journey and some other supplies below you will find handy during your journey.

Backpack keeps your hands free for important task such as photography...

and peeing. Just kidding lolz
(Illustration source: http://www.dragoart.com/tuts/6726/1/1/how-to-draw-peeing-calvin.htm )

b) Handphone - Even if you don't turn on roaming for overseas usage, a handphone nowadays can still serve as a watch, calculator, instant notepad. That's what i use my humble Nokia 5800 Xpressmusic for.
If you have fancy andriod/iphone then that opens up access to tons of apps out there you can use. Here are some apps such as below:

Illustration from KTO

Visit Korea 2.0 by KTO
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FU/FU_EN_15.jsp?cid=1697323
Seoul Bus 2
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/seoul-bus-2-metropolitan-bus/id340701877?mt=8
Subway Korea
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jihachul/id325924444?mt=8

c) Umbrella - Essential tool when going backpacking since we'll hit the road most of the time. We were lucky to bring an umbrella as it rained 2 days out of our 6 days of trip. Just make sure it's big enough for two if you are not travelling solo!

Rainy day @ Namsan Folk Village

d) Spare chopstick/spoon - You never know when you will need one. Sometimes you want to get a quick breakfast at your guesthouse (assuming you are backpacking on low budget)

Disposable fork/spoon for making drinks/eating packed food

e) Tissue/ wet tissue - Clean,clean,clean. Be it after you eat, or when your camera lens need cleaning or even runny nose from the cold weather. Always good to have clean tissue around.

f) Food/snacks - Basic common sense. Keep your energy level high during your backpacking mission. As you walk around snapping happily you might find yourself starving in a park/musuem/palace with only expensive food/drinks for sale. It's not fun to look for places to eat while you are starving. Just hit the convenience store like CVS (family mart) or GS25 for some local snacks or drinks and enjoy

Korean snacks, local flavors for your taste buds

g) Spare plastic bags - Trash bin is a rarity in Seoul for some reason. If you are like me who likes snacking while travelling, the bags will be your temporary trash storage while looking for one. You will stumble upon one quite soon (I hope). The spare bags can also double as insulation for your camera in case of heavy rain. Umbrella may keep you dry,but not neccesarily your backpack =)

h) Nailclipper - This one serves as both nail clipper (duh), and as a scissor. It can easily help open plastic wrappers and also be useful if you buy those drinks that doesn't have a tear to aid opening it.

Stopped by Beansbin Coffee @ Samcheong-dong

i) Empty coffee cup - For people who can't stand cold, this is a great tip. Have a cup of coffee, be it Starbucks, Beansbin or Holly Coffee and keep the cup in your backpack. It comes in handy to keep warm when you chance upon a hot water dispenser. Great to hold it and sip hot water when the temperature is low out there. This happened when i passed by Ssamzigil washroom at Insadong and happily took some hot water from the water dispenser to keep warm ^_^. Alternatively you can bring a thermos but the downside is its weigh that you need to schlep along while you explore around.

Map showing places of interest to explore in downtown Seoul.

h) Korea city map / Subway map - I keep these in my front pocket most of time. I find it relatively easy to travel using Subway in Seoul. The names can be quite confusing and don't let the colorful subway lines intimidate you. Keep maps even though you remember the stations since the exits are important to make your trip convenient.Each station is about 10-15 minutes away by walking if you are up to it.

One of my trusty companion during the trip. Found its resting place at Hong guesthouse brochure rack now :P

These are just some essentials while you are on the move. Most importantly go with an open mind, be friendly, smile and don't hesitate to ask for directions or just about anything. Koreans seem very shy if we speak English since they are not proficient with the language but that doesn't mean they are not helpful.