aceboy44

Never mind, found this thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/korea...-what-see.html

MAZ199

Seoul, and Korea is a great place and you'll enjoy it. Don't hire a tour guide, your hotel will be able to provide you with flyers and booklets of all activities around you. Visit one of the friendly *ENGLISH* speaking tourist information centers and they'll answer all your questions and even suggest local food to taste.

Take it easy and enjoy Seoul.

SirJman

It is rather difficult to find halal food in Korea. I remember your other thread complaining heavily about that in Hong Kong. Seoul is magnitudes more difficult.

You may not enjoy Seoul.

IceTrojan

Well, that is certainly a wrinkle to OP's plan.

mikesaidyes

Halal Food isn't that hard to find, it's just not that common. Just go to the mosque in Itaewon. It's an entire street of Halal. That being said, that's about all you'll find.

aceboy44

Obviously you do not understand what Halal food is. I recommend you Google search to gain further understanding of what that is

In that thread (the RC thread) I was complaining about the lack of Halal food in the hotel lounge (the same applies for CX lounge only) where I expected to find a variety of Halal food to consume for the price I paid to gain access to the lounge/club. I did not complain about the lack of Halal food in general in Hong Kong.

That thread was about my experience with the RC in Hong Kong only, and has nothing to do with my overall good experience in Hong Kong. I have no idea why you brought this up?

By the way, I had a pleasent experience in the RC Dubai Financial Center and got free perks

aceboy44

I just received a response from the tour guide. They are asking for $400 USD per day for English speaking guide + driver (this excludes accommodation, meals, entrances to entertainment places, etc.)

After second thoughts, if I ever decided to visit South Korea, it might be Seoul only!

mikesaidyes

That is an ABSOLUTELY absurd price for something you can do on your own. As it seems you get disappointed very easily, just do it yourself. Then you can only blame yourself for mistakes.

aceboy44

In the past I have visited some countries where English was not "widely" spoken, however, I was traveling with a group back then.

I don't feel comfortable traveling solo in a developed country where English is rarely spoken..... When I pay $$ for a vacation, I expect to enjoy my trip, not suffer due to it lacking English language......

I'm also not considering visiting Japan solely for this purpose and the visa purpose (maybe when English is widely spoken in Japan, only then I may consider visiting it)

If Hong Kong and Dubai (developed cities/countries) can do it, I see no reason why Korea and Japan can not. I thought about visiting New Zealand, but I was told there was not much to do there besides enjoying the nature.....

ioto1902

Ouch ! You do realize what you are saying, do you ? English speaking is absolutely not a criteria to assess one country's development level.

At least, it's definitively not mine.

When I go abroad, I want to discover new cultures and new ways of thinking. I appreciate having difficulties communicating because it reminds me that I'm not the barometer of this world, and because it very often shows that people try to communicate beyond the language barrier.

No problem if you disagree. But, in that case, you should avoid going alone to ROK, Japan or PRC. South-East Asia should be better suited.

And, may I remind that Hong-Kong was ruled by the British during 155 years, and that 90/95% of Dubai residents are expatriates, making English a practical common language ...

aceboy44

Unfortunately there is not much to do/see in Indonesia/Philippines (both of these countries speak fluent English, but I'm unsure if tourism there is recommended or not based on my Google research )

I got bored from visiting Malaysia and Thailand, and there's not much to do to stay entertained in New Zealand. I want a new destination to explore

ioto1902

You can visit North America. You'll never get bored.

glennaa11

WHOA! Not much to do in Indonesia? It's an enormous country with lots of different cultures, historic sights and nature. I guess it depends on what you want to do...but to say there's not much to do or see in Indonesia is a little insane (IMHO). I'm not sure I'd agree that there is a lot of English fluency there either.

Translation apps are making huge strides. You might be able to get by with one of them.

I agree that it can be somewhat uncomfortable in a place where you don't speak the language and I also like having a guide with me who can help interpret. But I've also been able to enjoy myself in places where English is not widely spoken. Being an introvert probably helps I suppose. But in the tourism industry you usually encounter enough people who speak enough English to be able to get by. I don't speak any Korean either but I'm very interested in visiting some time soon. But we all have our own tolerances.

There are plenty of English speaking places in the world with lots to see and do.

mikesaidyes

This is quickly becoming troll bait!

BRITINJAPAN3

I have lived in japan for 12 years and visited Korea over 150 times. I would say English is more widely spoken and understood and written in Japan than in Korea. But both places are inhabited by very kind people who can 99/100 be trusted to help you. If you are lost, look lost, someone will come and help.

If you want to explore then dont hesitate, sure every now and again it can be frustrating, but offset by the enjoyment of being able to over come those difficulities.
Good food, good people, my only complain is that the winters are too cold, although this year was not so bad