Parks in Malaysia

Here are some notes of interesting parks in Malaysia that I would like to visit with the children.

1. Taman Tamadun Islam Terengganu

• Bring MyKad to get Malaysian rate - Probably RM15/adult or RM35/family
• Close on Tuesdays
• Educational activities: some monuments provide shows. There's Hajj virtual tour in the monument of Masjidil Haram

2. Tropical Village Air Hitam Johor 

• hosts replicas of monuments of the world
• Admission fee RM8/adult + RM5 if driving inside the park

3. I-City Shah Alam

• Open until 1am on weekday nights, and until 2am on weekend/holiday nights
• Snowalk: RM25/adult and RM20/child (before 6pm), RM35/adult RM25/child (after 6pm) - fees include rental of winter outfits
• RM5 per ride in the forest of lights (many things to ride including cable cars)
• Enjoying the lighted plastic forest only is free (but parking charge may apply)

4. Menara KL (http://www.menarakl.com.my/)

• Activities may cost hundreds $$$. But the Bukit Nenas forest underneath is more inviting (also FOC). But heard that it's closed until Sep 2013.

5. Many agro parks / resorts

• Dusun Eco, Bentong Pahang
• Taman Pertanian Negeri, Sekayu, Terengganu
• Peladang Agro Resort, Setiu, Terengganu
• .. and many more..
• Apart of educating visitors about agriculture, these parks may offer activities such as water sports, fishing, picking up vegetables/fruits, milking, jungle trekking, camping, waterfall, etc

Some detailed info here: http://www.malaysia-traveller.com/

Cuti Tengah Tahun 2013: Terengganu?

Oleh sebab tak dapat pergi Tunisia, apa kata kita sekeluarga pergi ke tanah Arab, Afrika Utara, Asia, termasuklah Masjidil haram, Masjidil Aqsa, Masjid Negara KL, Masjid Sultan Singapore, Masjid Qairawan Tunisia, Taj Mahal, Masjid Granada Spain, etc.. semuanya model bangunan, semua dalam satu taman sahaj di Malaysia ni?
Inilah tempatnya yang bernama Taman Tamadun Islam, Kuala Terengganu.
Moga akan beroleh pengalaman berharga.

Setakat survey2, rasanya nak stay kat Chalet Pak Mat Pulau Duyung kot? Awie's Yellow House macam menarik, tapi rumah2nya takde kunci!

Ada banyak blog/website Terengganu yg boleh dirujuk, antara yg memberi byk info ialah http://interesting-place-in-terengganu.blogspot.com/

Dan yg ini mmg kena jadi rujukan utama utk destinasi dlm Malaysia sebab juga dilengkapi dgn city trail on Google map dan info yg detail: http://www.malaysia-traveller.com/top-terengganu-attractions.html

tunisia planning with tripomatic

belum siap kena edit lagi. anyway this tool is great

powered by

travel iteneraries: tunisia

Among the places listed in recommendations:

1) The historic Lezard Rouge (Red Lizard) train is a not-to-be-missed journey for train-enthusiasts in Tunisia. The restored train carriages date from 1911 and the route, which runs three to five times weekly between Metlaoui and Redeyef, has spectacular views of Selja Gorge (tel: 076 241 469;www.lezard-rouge.com). Visitors who will be making regular use of the rail network should buy a 7-, 15- or 21-day carte bleue (blue card), allowing unlimited travel on all routes as well as entry to museums. See SNCFT (www.sncft.com.tn) for details. http://www.worldtravelguide.net/tunisia/getting-around

2) Bardo Museum, El Jem, Kariouan, Dougga, Djerba Island http://www.mosaicnorthafrica.com/travel-tips/tunisia/post/5-recommended-sites-on-your-tunisia-tour.html

3) Day 1 Tunis, Day 2 Sfax, Day 3 Tozeur, Day 4 Kairouan, Day 5 Sidi Bou Said
Wander through Monastir's ancient fort, Visit the home of Luke Skywalker, Try makhroud - a delicious honey and date cake, Catch a sea breeze along the Bay of Tunis, http://www.intrepidtravel.com/italy/carthage-rome-2000?source=aw&awc=2651_1361777228_1ac2bfeb7e8b92ad4f4101cd8e3c9bdd

4) Cap Bon Peninsula, Bardo Museum, Bulla Regia Roman ruins, Chott El Jerid, Desert safaris, Desert trekking, Djerba, Dougga, El-Jem, Kairouan, Lake Ichkeul, Matmata, Monastir, Sahara, Sidi Bou Saïd, Sousse, Tabarka, Tunis, Turkish baths http://www.worldtravelguide.net/tunisia/things-to-do

5) Tunisia is a gentle introduction to North Africa, with its friendly Berber people and temperate climate. We traverse this diverse country from the Mediterranean to the Sahara, visiting spectacular Roman sites, mountainous fortified kasbahs and the shady forests of the north. http://www.responsibletravel.com/holiday/4589/tunisia-holidays-roman-sahara
Day 2: Tour of Tunis medina and Bardo Museum; afternoon to explore UNESCO site of Carthage and pretty Sidi Bou Said.
Day 3: To Kairouan; visit the great mosque and drive to El Jem; visit impressive El Jem amphitheatre; night in Mahrès.
Day 4: Transfer to Matmata and visit troglodyte houses; to Douz, visit museum and overnight camping in desert.
Day 5: Drive to Tozeur at edge of Sahara; afternoon visit to medina.
Day 6: Visit palm filled oasis and travel on Red Lizard train through spectacular scenery.
Day 7: Drive to Sbeitla; visit Roman site of Makthar and continue to the mountain town of Le Kef.
Day 8: To Roman ruins at Dougga and Andalucian city of Testour; to Tunis for overnight stay.

6) Sahara Desert Track http://www.intrepidtravel.com/tunisia/sahara-desert-trek-66800
Day 1 Djerba
Day 2 Douz
Days 3-6 Sahara Trek

7) The best of Tunisia http://www.toursbylocals.com/privateguidebestofTunisia
Day 1 : Arrival/transfer to hotel in Tunis
Day2: Tunis-Carthage -Sidi Bousaid
Day 3 : Tunis- Dougga-El Kef
Day4: El Kef -Gafsa -Tozeur
Day5: Tozeur-Douz- Matmata
Day6 : Matmata -El Jem -Kairouan
Day7 : Kairouan-Hammamet-Tunis

8) oasis tour http://www.toursbylocals.com/Tour-of-Tunisia
Day 1: Tunis-Dougga-Gafsa (340kms)
Day 2: Gafsa-Mides-Tamrza-Chebika- Tozeur (150kms)
Day 3: Tozeur-chatt jrid (dry lake) Douz-Matmata-Gabes (255kms)
Day 4: Gabes-Eljem-Sousse-Tunis (350kms)

9) South and Sahara http://www.toursbylocals.com/Tunisia-private-guide
Day 1: Arrival/transfer to hotel in Tunis
Day 2: Tunis-Carthage -Sidi Bousaid
Day 3: Tunis-Kairouan-Gafsa
Day 4: Gafsa-chebika-Tozeur-
Day 5: Tozeur-Douz-Matmata -
Day 6: Matmata-Gabes-Sfax
Day 7:Sfax-El jem-Sousse-Tunis:

10) Roman Tunisia http://www.toursbylocals.com/BestRomanTunisia
Day 1-Carthage-Bardo museum
Day 2-Thuburbu Majus -Uthina-Tunis
Day 3-Bulla Regia /Dougga/El Kef
Day 4-El Kef/Mactaris/el Kef
Day5 -e l Kef /Ammaedara/ Cillium/Sufetula
Day 6-Sufetula-El Jem-Sousse
Day 7-Sousse -Tunis

Complete iteneraries, the first two are academically extensive

http://luc.edu/media/lucedu/studyabroad/pdfs/Tunisia%20Syllabus%20&%20Itinerary%202013.pdf
http://www.archaeologicaltrs.com/af_tunisia.html

http://www.pocketvillage.com/Tunisia/activity/48990/?md
http://www.intrepidtravel.com/italy/carthage-rome-2000?source=aw&awc=2651_1361777228_1ac2bfeb7e8b92ad4f4101cd8e3c9bdd
http://www.intrepidtravel.com/tunisia/sahara-desert-trek-66800
http://www.responsibletravel.com/holiday/4589/tunisia-holidays-roman-sahara
http://www.toursbylocals.com/Tunis-Tours?gclid=CIOMxLHc0LUCFQQb6wod_m8Ahw
http://www.travelshopturkey.com/tunisia_tours/8_days_tunisia_discovery_tour.asp
http://www.mosaicnorthafrica.com/tunisia/itineraries/tour-through-time-best-of-tunisian-history-7-day.html
http://www.mosaicnorthafrica.com/tunisia/itineraries/the-best-of-southern-tunisia-tour-8-day.html
http://www.mosaicnorthafrica.com/tunisia/itineraries/unforgettable-tunisia-12-day.html

And also check http://www.worldtravelguide.net/tunisia

Korea/winter travel essentials to be given away / sold!

Update February 2014: All items are not available anymore. ^_^

However, I advise muslims to get this book from KTO Kuala Lumpur, Wisma Han Seng:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My old post, and now all these are not available anymore ;-)

If you are travelling to Korea and want these T-money, brochures and maps for free
or you are going to a cold place and want these unused / worn-only-once-or-twice-for-trying winterwear sold for a lot less then the retail price

so please feel free to browse this collection

Korea-09_Tobegivenawayorsold

and contact me khadijahwmg - at - gmail.com

About the winter wear in this album
They were bought and tried for just a few minutes. They were bought to Korea during my trip, but were not worn (except those stated otherwise).

Want to save more money? If you don't mind wearing used items, the down jackets, gloves, and waterproof pants that I really did wear during the trip - I can sell them for RM10 each. The original price of each of them  was around RM30. They are all washed clean now :-) Pictures can be sent to email upon request, because I haven't taken pics of them yet.

Excellent interactive maps of Seoul - helpful for your planning

Some of them take time to load, and some other needs installation. But these are better maps compared to Google's map and visitseoul map.

http://gis.seoul.go.kr/SeoulGis/NewEnglishMap.jsp
http://emap.visitkorea.or.kr/Scripts/EngMap.aspx
http://maps4pc.com/download/
http://www.johomaps.com/as/korea/seoul/seoulmetro.html

How to choose a place to stay at an excellent location, if you rely on public transport

Bismillah. This is based on my experience staying in 4 different places during my recent trip to Korea. We backpacked, the two of us carried a total of 20+ kg of bags (two bags were attached with wheels), we used 100% public transportation and 0% taxi/cab.

1. Choose somewhere really close to the airport / direct transportation to airport. There's less hassle when there is no transferring process.

In Seoul, as the city is 55km away from the airport, the best place to stay is not around the airport unless if we want to take an early flight the next day or we have business around the airport.

If we are staying in the Seoul city, try to stay near the stations which offer direct express train to airport.
Reason: The airport railroad (AREX)  train fare is much cheaper than the airport buses, and they are traffic-jam proof, a very big plus for the heavy-traffic metropolitan.
As of today, the fare are as follows: airport bus w10k to w14k, AREX commuter w3750, AREX express w8k (discount until end of 2013, afterwards will be w13500).

So the best place to stay are:

a) near exit 8, 9, 10 of Seoul station, because these exits have escalators, and Seoul station is the only station where the express AREX train stops. http://disability.seoul.go.kr/en/transport/subway_view.jsp?no=224&idx=2&Depth=21&searchLine=1&searchWord=
Other reasons to stay near Seoul station: great if we want to try the superspeed KTX train or intercity trains to go to other part of Korea.

b) near the bus stops of Airport limousine buses. http://www.airport.kr/airport/traffic/bus/busList.iia?flag=E Click the "Detail" grey button, another page opens, and click the dot that represents each station to see a map of the bus stop.

c) near escalator exits of the stations in the airport railroad line (AREX). From these stations we can take AREX commuter train to the airport.This maps mark 3 stations in line 2, 5 and 6 that are in the AREX railroad line. http://www.johomaps.com/as/korea/seoul/seoulmetro.jpg However, all these stations are outside of Seoul downtown.

2) Choose somewhere really close to the stations connecting to the stations in airport railway line.

Seoul station, although is a great location, is not located right in the middle of downtown Seoul. If we want to stay in the middle of downtown Seoul, try these locations:

a) near escalator exits of subway stations in line 1 or line 4, because these lines connect directly to Seoul Station. From these stations we can go to Seoul station and take either the express or the commuter AREX train.
To see the location of escalators in subway stations, refer http://disability.seoul.go.kr/en/transport/subway_list.jsp?Depth=21&searchLine=1&searchWord=#contop

b) near escalator exits of subway stations lines 2, 5 or 6, because these lines connects to stations in the airport railway (AREX) line. From stations in these lines, transfer at any of the stations in the AREX line, and take AREX commuter to the airport.
An ideal location is Dongdaemun History and Culture Park (Dongdaemun Stadium) which connects line 2, 4 and 5, and is in the middle of downtown Seoul.

In conclusion, if we want to get to and from the airport easily, stay near subway stations in line 1, 2, 4, 5 or 6, near the escalator exits which are near to the airport bus stop. My personal ranking of choice will be
a) Exit 8, 9, 10 of Seoul station
b) Exit 4 of Dongdaemun History and Culture Park (Dongdaemun Stadium) station

These are very convenient locations and covered by airport limo buses to. For (b), the bus stop is Toyoko Inn http://www.airportlimousine.co.kr/route/routee02.htm.


To book hotel, I found out that it's the cheapest to book directly from the hotel website. Alternatively, use local agents such as travelnote.net and hotelwide.com in Korea. To identify hotels by location, it's good to use map provided by tripadvisor or hotelscombined. then, find the hotel's website then do booking directly or through local agents.

Khuf 2

Bila dicari, banyak khuf yg dibuat sebagai stokin/but kulit tanpa tapak, nampak sama mcm yg saya beli di Makkah dulu. Ada kemungkinan sama tak selesanya.

Bila difikir2, mungkin yg lebih baik dipertimbangkan ialah stokin fabrik telap air. Ia dbuat utk dipakai dalam kasut. Jadi tentu selesa. Lagi satu kalau fabriknya baik, tidaklah kaki berpeluh. Kalau kulit ada kemungkinan kaki berpeluh.

Jadi bila google "waterproof socks", inilah hasil yg diperoleh

Jenama2 waterpoof socks
- Sealskinz from UK - note they really have the "wudhu socks"!
- Dexshell - an international brand from China
- Rocky Gore-Tex - A US brand. to be worn with socks liner

Store selling 3 brands of waterproof socks - http://www.rei.com/category/4501322
- Sealskinz
- Gore-Tex
- Seirus

Store selling many socks and socks liner - http://www.botachtactical.com/socks.html

Review orang
- Sealskinz vs Gore tex
- Sealskinz vs Gore Tex 2
- Gore Tex
- Gore-Tex socks vs Sealskinz socks vs boot with membranes

Anything sold in Malaysia?
- Sealskinz is sold in Lelong/Superbuy for RM200-RM300+
- Gore-Tex - could not find any website selling it in Msia

Khuf

Mana nak cari khuf ya?

"Stokin Korea" yg dijual di Msia (tak pasti senang tak nak jumpa masa di Korea nanti) tu boleh jadi khuf ke? Selesa ke dipakai di dalam kasut? (Dgrnya, org Korea sendiri cuma pakai stokin ni indoor. Kalau keluar, mereka bawa dlm handbag utk dipakai bila memasuki rumah)

Ini link org msia yg jual stokin korea.
http://kelengkapanhajidanumrah.blogspot.com/search/label/KASUT%20STOKING%20KOREA
http://www.amidakorea2u.com/?p=productsList&iCategory=20&sName=Stokin-Korea

Update Feb '13: Namdaemun market di Seoul banyak menjual "stokin Korea" dan but bulu kait spt gambar di bawah. Tapi maaf, saya lupa check harganya :-(

Ada juga jumpa org yg iklankan khuf iaitu but kulit tanpa tapak kasut tapi kalau yg itu sama dgn khuf yg dibeli di Makkah buatan pakistan tu, mmg tak selesa. Yg nampak selesa yg dari web2 UK.

Selain tu ada juga jumpa ttg waterproof socks, antaranya berjenama Sealskinz. Ada juga org yg pakai stokin ni sebagai khuf. Tapi tak jumpa penjualnya di Msia. Malaslah nak beli dari org UK/US.

Wool socks biasa pula? Boleh ke jadi khuf ya? Nak beli jugakla nanti, sebagai stokin. Kalau dpt yg mcm gambar ni taktaula boleh jadi khuf ke tidak. Perbincangan oleh ustaz dlm ni menyebutkan beberapa dalil bahawa sebarang stokin yg menutup buku lali boleh menjadi khuf.
http://fikrahhalaqah.com/hukum-sapuan-ke-atas-stokin-ketika-berwuduk-adakah-dibenarkan/

Tapi sstgh org meletakkan stokin biasa yg mudah basah ni dlm grey area. Manakala bagi situasi musim sejuk pula di mana memakai stokin baah mungkin memudaratkan, maka eloklah memakai sesuatu yg telap air sbg khuf. (Sealskinz nampak perfect utk tujuan ni)

Akhir sekali, nnt sy nak check beberapa perkara penting yg dicheclist di sini. http://ignorantbrat.blogspot.com/2010/10/checklist-barang-apa-yang-perlu-dibawa.html

Praying in Incheon

Update 14 Feb 2013:
I wrote a story about my experience finding prayer rooms in ICN. It's published by Crescentrating here http://www.crescentrating.com/en/explore-southkorea-for-muslim-halal-travelers/item/3143-praying-made-easy-in-incheon-international-airport.html.
Pictures are here https://picasaweb.google.com/112239297730106550862/Korea08_ICNandFlight?authkey=Gv1sRgCIvMhu33s4TyBA

According to our flight schedule, we'll arrive at Incheon airport (ICN) at 1610 after departing from LCCT at 0850. As it's winter in Korea, maghrib will be around 1745. That means we'll have only about 1 hour to do jama' ta'khir of Zuhur and Asar if we cannot make a complete prayer inside the flight.

So I tried to find out info about praying in ICN as well as masjids in Incheon. There are 5 options to think about praying Zuhur and Asar on the day we leave for Seoul.

Option 1: Praying in the plane

This tool helps to prepare for praying inside the aircraft http://www.crescentrating.com/en/air-travel-prayer-time-calculator.html. Here's the result for my particular travel

KUL-ICN on flight at time 0850-1610

ICN-KUL on flight at time 1730-2300

Option 2: Praying in the airport upon arrival

Then I'm glad to know that there are 3 prayer rooms in ICN airport! Only that they are multireligion prayer rooms. Here's taken from http://www.crescentrating.com/en/south-korea-airports-guide-for-muslims/1666-incheon-international.html.

"The airport has three prayer rooms in the Duty free zone. All three are on the fourth floor; two on the west side and one is on the east side. They are all open 24 hours and are intended for all religions."

Update: here's the page about the prayer room in the airport's website. Thanks Crescentrating for giving me this link! http://www.airport.kr/iiacms/pageWork.iia?_scode=C2603030900

the sign reads 기도실 (gidosil, but sounds like kidosyiei)

Option 3: Praying in Masjids / Islamic centre in Incheon 

Look like they are not very close to the airport.
http://wikimapia.org/3269673/Bupyeong-Masjid
https://sites.google.com/site/mosquealhuda/contactus

Option 4: Praying in Seoul Grand Masjid, Itaewon

The masjid is located in downtown Seoul. It may take about 1 hour to reach from the airport. The AREX express train from the airport will take 43 minutes to arrive Seoul station. In order to reach Itaewon, need to take subway. I didn't study the route yet, so I don't know how long is the entire journey. But it can possibly give us a panic attack as there's a big possibility that we can only reach the masjid very near to maghrib time, or even after maghrib. So better don't plan to pray Zuhur/Asar there on that day. If for maghrib/isya, then it's ok.

Option 5: Praying in our guesthouse. 

As our guesthouse is near to Seoul Station, catching Zuhur/Asar prayer in our guesthouse may be possible. But it's less than 30mins to maghrib. So better not to make it as our 1st choice.

Conclusion

I think the best option is praying in the multireligion prayer room in ICN. If we cannot find the prayer room, we'll just pray anywhere suitable in the airport. I'll consider praying inside the aircraft if the flight is delayed that we won't have enough time to do Zohor and Asar in either LCCT or ICN.

Whatever my choice, I need to have wudhu' before departure and try to stay in wudhu' as long as possible. Another thing to think of is to wear khuf so that there's no need to wash the feet during wudhu'. The question is, where can I find khuf?

Preparation for a Muslim Traveler

http://www.crescentrating.com/en/muslim-guides/travel-tips-etiquettes/item/1859-safeguard-salaath-prayers-while-traveling.html

http://www.crescentrating.com/en/airline-airport-blog/item/2988-8-tips-to-safeguard-your-salaath-while-travelling-by-air.html

http://www.myhalalkitchen.com/travel-eating-out/

Here are copy-pasted from the above.

12+1 Tips to Safeguard your Salaat while Traveling

Knowing the rules related to Salaath and Wudhu, and having a few things in the travel bag, will go a long way for a traveler to ensure that they do not miss Salaath while traveling.

Know the rules: There are number of concessions for travelers when it comes to Wudhu and Salaath. Knowing those rules will greatly ease the performance of Salaath on time while traveling. There are minor differences of opinion among the scholars on some of these rules; as such, it is best that you consult a trusted scholar to get a full understanding. The most important of the rules that a traveler needs to know are the following:

1. Conditions pertaining to shortening and combining of prayers. This is probably the most important knowledge to have as a traveler.

2. Rules regarding the requirement to face the Qiblah direction while on a moving train, plane, etc. This is very important, especially if you are traveling by plane and need to perform your Salaath while on board.

3. Rules regarding the performance of Qiyam (standing position), while "seated" for obligatory Salaath. Same Rules for non-obligatory prayers such as Witr.

4. Dispensations regarding Wudhu for travelers. Especially the conditions for Al Masah (wiping over leather socks/shoes) and how to perform it.

5. Rules of wiping over the Turban or Hijab during Wudhu.

6. Conditions that allow for praying with your shoes on.

7. Conditions for performing dry ablution (Tayammum) and how to perform it. Although the chances of one doing this is low, it is good to know.

Travel Kit: The following few things will not take much space in a travel bag, but will go a long way to ease the performance of Salaath outside of your home.

8. A travel prayer mat. Now you can get them in sizes that allow you to carry them inside your trouser pockets or handbags. Having one will come in very handy.

9. Prayer timetable. You can download a prayer time calculator on most mobile phones, smart phones, tablets and on notebooks/PCs. Downloading one of them in all your digital devices is a good idea.

10. Qiblah compass. You can either carry a physical compass or download a digital one (if your digital device has the functionality). However, the accuracy of both the digital and the physical compasses in closed environments, like hotel rooms, cannot be fully relied on. If you have internet access, then you can check the Qiblah direction and the prayer times using our tool through your notebook or tablet device. We will also make it available on mobile phones, Insha Allah, in the future.

11. Wear footwear which will allow you to perform Wudhu without much hassle.

12. For Prayer times and Qiblah direction for your flights, use our "Air Travel Prayer Times Calculator" and get a print out and/or email the prayer times and Qiblah dierctions before boarding the plane.

Balancing skills:

+1. Where there are no proper Wudhu facilities, you need to have some balancing skills to wash your legs! Practicing some gymnastic skills will help!

Knowing the above rules and having the minimum in your Salaath travel kit will make it easier to perform Salaath no matter where you are. As for the rules itself, since there are minor differences among scholars regarding the application of some of those rules, it is best to learn the rulings from a scholar that you prefer/trust/have access to. We will at some point in time try and cover the rulings, taking into account all the different opinions Insha Allah.

May Allah Tha'ala make it easier for us to perform our Salaath under all conditions! Share your thoughts on Salaath while traveling with us!

Also read our Guide to Salaath facilities in Hotels!

8 tips to safeguard your Salaath while travelling by Air

Performing Salaath while on an Aircraft is still not that easy, as most Airlines still do not provide adequate facilities to perform properly. The following tips will help you perform as best as possible Insha Allah:

1.  It is extremely important to ensure you know all the rules and dispensations pertaining to Wudhu and Salaath as a traveller. You can find here a list of areas that one should ensure they have the knowledge of.
2. Since it is not easy to perform Wudhu and Salaath on an Airplane, if there is a choice, it is better to choose flight timings which allow one to perform Salaath before or after arrival. You can check the Salaath timings for any flight here.
3. If you are on a long haul flight and need to transit through an Airport, if there is a choice, it is better to choose to transit through an Airport which has comfortable prayer and Wudhu facilities as well as Halal food. Here are brief overviews of Airport facilities and Airline facilities.
4. If after considering all of the above, your flight timing is such that you have to perform Salaath while on air, then it is about managing the four key element for Salaath efficiently; time, wudhu, space, and direction
5. Time: First thing is to know the correct prayer times for the flight. Now you can get the prayer time for any flight by using Crescentrating Air Travel prayer times calculator. It is available on our website now and Insha Allah will be available as a mobile application soon.
6. Wudhu: It is better to take Wudhu before boarding the plane. Especially if the next Salaath time comes soon after take-off. If you have to take Wudhu onboard, it is very important to make sure that proper care is taken in using the aircraft toilets, so as not to inconvenience other passengers or staff. Understanding the rules of “masah” (wiping over socks) will help ease the performance of Wudhu.
7. Space: Finding a place to pray is the next issue. If you are flying first or business class, finding a place to spread your prayer mat and pray properly is not generally an issue. However if you are on economy, due to space constraints, it a bit more challenging. In this case, the best is to approach the airline staff and see if they are OK for you to perform Salaath near the kitchen or the door area, assuming it is not a busy time near the kitchen. If for whatever reason this is not possible, then one can perform Salaath while seated. However, there are rules regarding the necessity to repeat such Salaath done under certain circumstances. Consult your scholar to know the exact ruling regarding this.
8. Qiblah direction: If you are able to find space to pray properly, then you can find the approximate Qiblah direction by looking at the flight path on Airline’s TV screen. Our Air Travel prayer times calculator also gives the Qiblah direction along the flight path. If you are praying seated, then facing the Qiblah direction will not be always possible. As mentioned before, if you pray seated, then you need to know the rules regarding repeating such Salaath from a scholar.

Most airlines unfortunately still do not allow some space for Salaath. We hope more and more airlines will start looking at how to make this space available. May Allah Tha'ala make it easier for us to perform our Salaath under all conditions! Share your thoughts on Salaath while traveling with us! 

For muslims who plan to visit South Korea

I would like to recommend these services as they are tailored for muslims

1. My travel planner is doing her job very well. I will recommend her for anybody who's visiting Seoul and a few other places in Korea without using tourist guide. Alas she has to be very patient with me :( Here's her website
http://www.muslimbackpackerseoul.com/

2. Check out some tourist guides here. They are Malaysian muslims who can help you throughout your travel. For example, with one of the tourist guides here, the package includes accomodation, meals and transportation, and it's not expensive!
https://www.facebook.com/seoulredcat and
http://budgettravel2korea.blogspot.com/p/tourist-guide.html

3. If we go by ourselves, we may want to stay in these guesthouses that give special care for muslim guests. They provide special service for muslims like qiblah marking and prayer mat. One of them take halal food order. Another can arrange for muslim tour guide.
http://malaysianguesthouseinseoul.blogspot.kr/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g294197-d2625971-Reviews-Go_Korea_Guesthouse-Seoul.html and its fb page https://www.facebook.com/gokrgh

4. Read up (and save) some guides by muslim students in Korea, esp regarding dry food we may want to buy in convenient stores (bread, chocolates, instant noodles, drink, snacks,..). Other than that, be inspired with these guys as they are very creative in their da'wah..
http://amirkorea.org

5. Of course, do include Seoul Central Masjid in Itaewon which host Korea Islamic Centre in your visit list maybe upon your arrival if you are not using muslim tourist guides services. There is muslim info centre here and around this area are muslim businesses like travel agents, halal restaurants and halal grocery.

6. These are info related to muslim societies, Islamic centres and masajids throughout Korea (not limited to Seoul)
http://alfan-farizki.blogspot.com/2011/01/information-related-to-moslem-society.html
https://sites.google.com/site/islamdikorea/


Anything else? Please add in your comment

Bookmarks for my Korea travel

The reason I'm saving all the bookmarks here is because I want to close all these tabs! Wanna do work! Wanna trust my travel planners plan.

Seoul Maps
http://www.smrt.co.kr/program/cyberStation/main2.jsp?lang=e&sname2=Seoul+Station&stcd2=0150&sname3=Gangbyeon&stcd3=0214&x=142&y=19
http://maps.visitseoul.net/index.jsp?lang=eng&Rq=searchPoi&centerX=126.97729003036784&centerY=37.56586603492867&mapLevel=1

Korea map
http://www.muslimbackpackerseoul.com/2012/06/korea-tourism-organization-maps.html
http://emap.visitkorea.or.kr/Scripts/EngMap.aspx#

Transportation
koreatransportation.info
http://www.muslimbackpackerseoul.com/2012/05/taking-subway-in-seoul.html
http://www.seoulmetro.co.kr/eng/

Airport transportation

http://www.muslimbackpackerseoul.com/2012/06/travelling-from-incheon-airport-to.html

Transport schedule + tambang
http://ga82.com/index.php?from=Seoul&to=Pyeongchang-gun&date=2013-01-27&hour=20&minute=00&time_anchor=a&method_ktx=on&method_train=on&method_airport_train=on&method_bus_express=on&method_bus_intercity=on&method_bus_limousine=on&max_transfers=1&min_transfer_time_mins=0&max_transfer_time_mins=59&last_form=front


Communication
http://www.muslimbackpackerseoul.com/2012/06/staying-connected-in-seoul.html
http://expatblog.kt.com/193
http://first.wifi.olleh.com/en/index_new.html

Sample itenerary
http://budgettravel2korea.blogspot.com/2010/07/7-days-itinerary-in-korea.html
http://budgettravel2korea.blogspot.com/2011/06/7-days-itinerary-in-korea-part-2.html

Itenerary with budget
http://budgettravel2korea.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-to-budget-for-7-days-in-korea.html
http://budgettravel2korea.blogspot.com/2011/10/7-days-in-seoul-budget-verified.html
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=262106
http://sarahinsouthkorea.blogspot.kr/2011/07/seoul-12-things-to-do-in-24-hours.html

Winter sonata itenerary
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=309520

What and how for the 7 days?

After getting my conference schedule, it left me with more days for jalan2 (yeay!)

Anybody wants to guide or make plan for me?

Here's what I have:
27/1/13: Phoenix Park. Tutorial session starts at 4pm.
28/1/13: Phoenix Park. Full day conferencing.
29/1/13: should I check out or stay another night?
30/1/13: no plan yet
31/1/13: no plan yet
1/2/13: Morning: maybe enjoying Seoul and take flight back at 530pm at ICN.

For those who have experienced Phoenix Park or any ski resort in South Korea, do u think we should stay longer in Phoenix Park or go away and spend more time enjoying another place?

And with 2 full days and 2 half days after Phoenix Park, anybody wants to suggest a must-go place?

Please contact me khadijahwmg - at - gmail - dot - com if you want to offer making customized travel plan for me or being my tourist guide.

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.

Lagi perkelanaan tak rancang awal: Seoul 2013!

Sekarang dlm proses planning. Kurang sebulan lagi nak berangkat insyaAllah. Nak plan sendiri semuanya, agak mencabar. Google map pun keluar bahasa korea. Lagi pulak masa nak pergi nanti winter yg suhu puratanya -7C! Alhamdulillah ada insan2 yg arif dan berpengalaman ttg Seoul dan Korea menawarkan khidmat. Apa lagi, pakailah.