South Korea Trip - Precautions and Currency

Yesterday was Hari Raya Aidiladha. It was fun and unique, to say the least. I had the privilege to spend the day with my family in the morning and with my friends in the evening. It's definitely one Aidiladha to be remembered.

Today, I was supposed to go to a money changer to convert my RM to USD and WON. Ive done a bit of research online to find out which channel give the best rate. I've read somewhere in http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ that banks give the best rate. I guess it's only applicable to other countries as i've notice that the rates offered by local banks are higher than the commercial money changers. A lot of people suggested money changers in Summit USJ (this mall is so convenient for my South Korea trip. i love it!).

Nu'u just texted me and said that the antiviral for H1N1 is RM80! Whoa! Why so expensive? Isn't the government supposed to subsidise the antiviral? Whatever.. Im not gonna jeopardize my health just because the price of the antiviral.

**i just got off the phone with few of the Influenza A(H1N1) CARE Clinics suggested by http://www.h1n1.net.my/. It's a good thing to give them a call first to know if they actually administer the shot for preventive measure. Only 1 out of 4 clinics that were listed have the shot and it's for RM65! cheaper than RM80 initially stated in the website. I even called the nearest government hospital i.e PPUM, PJ and they only administer Tamiflu to those confirmed positive of h1n1. They do not administer the medication as safety precaution. So, my advice is call the clinics near you to know if H1H1 shot is available and inquire the price.

Off to get stabbed.. Annyeong!

**The doctor administered the injection nonchalantly and didn't even warn me of what's coming. Since he's stabbing me ever-so-coolly, i did the same too. Chatting with him, laughed at his joke a bit.. But actually i was cringing and the pain made my left arm move upwards slowly towards the doc. hihi. Big girls dont cry, eh?

After I got the antiviral shot, I went to Summit USJ to change the currency. I was a bit concerned about my safety since there were stories about people getting robbed right after they left the money changer. I was thinking about asking the security guard to escort me to the parking lot. haha! DO JUST THAT IF YOU ARE ALONE. In the end, I got over my fear and walked to my car safely.

I did a bit of bargaining with the nice Indian Man at the money changer. On the board it says "We Sell - USD - 3.46" and "WON - 3.07". After asking whether they can lower the rate, they sold me USD for 3.39 and WON for 3.00. I was selling RM3000 for USD and RM480 for WON. Eventhough they gave miniscule discount of 0.07, it made a HUGE difference. The reason why I converted most of my money to usd is because the denomination in won is small. Thus, if i converted ALL my money to won, my wallet would rip! Talk about 'thick' wallet. haha! So, i'll convert the usd to won later when I get to Seoul and... usd is much more expensive there.

Finally, I feel like everything is happening for real! I haven't pack my stuffs yet and I don't even know if I'll be able to sleep tonite. The excitement might keep me up all night long. haha! Tomorrow is D-Day! I foresee teary eyes at KLIA. :)