Pre-planning for Day2: Seoul-Phoenix Park

Update: I wrote about how actually I went to Phoenix Park in this post http://notakelana.blogspot.com/2013/02/getting-to-phoenix-park.html.

InsyaAllah my travel planner will be making a better arrangement. This result of study I'm going to present here is just a result of my Ms Curiosity and her partner, Mr Goog. I came out with this after googling "Korea map".

1st, Seoul Subway map web app.
http://www.smrt.co.kr/program/cyberStation/main2.jsp?lang=e&sname2=Seoul+Station&stcd2=0150&sname3=Gangbyeon&stcd3=0214&x=142&y=19

2nd, another interactive map which includes road.
http://maps.visitseoul.net/index.jsp?lang=eng&Rq=searchPoi&centerX=126.97729003036784&centerY=37.56586603492867&mapLevel=1

3rd, check out google map if it suggests anything different.

ok, let's discuss.

The 1st map, the subway map says, from Seoul station, after the 4th station, get off and transfer at Dongdaemun History and Culture Park. Referring to the 3rd map, Google map using the MapsGL view that enables us to see photo taken at the spot, it shows that we have to walk out of the station of Line4 and enter the station of Line2 (just at another side of the road corner). Thus, the mark "T" in map 1 is put outside the station.

The 2nd map suggests bus route either if we want to use only bus or if we want to combine bus+subway. It doesn't cover subway only route because that's covered by the 1st map. According to map 2, we can take bus from the police station outside seoul station, get down at iljiro3 and take subway from there.

The time taken for the 12+ km journey will be between 27-47 mins, and cost between 1150w to 2000w. Apparently it's faster and cheaper going by only subway. My TP (travel planner) also warned against using road unnecessarily so as not to risk traffic jam.

Now the options.

Option 1 is not using all of the above. Instead, use the direct bus but it has be taken from Glass Tower outside Samseong-dong WTC Seoul Centre station at Gangnam at 9.30am. http://www.phoenixpark.co.kr/global/english/phoenixresort/contactus_transportation01.aspx
This place is not too far from the COEX megamall which also hosts a giant aquarium. But I assume it's not open yet very early in the morning? :-( To reach Samseong station, it may take 45mins by subway. That means departing from the hotel by 8am.

Option 2 requires careful planning although we may have a bit more time in the morning (Only abt 1hr). It's based on this guide http://www.icact.org/VenueInfo/transportation.asp
For this option, need to consider these 2:
1) Try to take the 1pm bus from JangPyoung. If we miss this bus, we'll have the 3pm bus. Try not to take the 5pm bus and beyond because we want to each Phoenix Park before dark, which will be at 530pm. We need to find ways (and we're not sure how) to go to our hotel, Pyeongchang Coop Sweet House so better do it before dark.
2) To take bus, try to be there 15mins before scheduled time because read somewhere that some bus departs 10mins ahead of schedule due to Seoul's "Palipali" (cepat2) mentality.

Ok here's my tentative. My travel planner will put better thought into this I presume.
0900: 1hr for travelling to Gangbyeon.
Cross the road to Dongseoul bus terminal.
Set max 30mins for waiting the next bus (the bus moves every 35mins)
1040: 2hr in the bus Dongseoul-JangPyoung
1300: 25mins JangPyoung-Phoenix Park. Take the 1pm or 3pm bus to reach PP before dark (530 is maghrib already - remember we hv to transfer to Pyeongchang Coop Sweet House)
1325 or 1525 reach Phoenix Park, solat zohor+asar, find way to go to Pyeongchang Coop Sweet House, check in.

Option 2 requires many transits and apparently is more tiring. Considering it only gives abt 1hr of extra time compared to using option 1, now maybe we have to strongly try to excute Option 1 and use Option2 as Plan B if we miss the once-a-day 930am bus in Option 1.