Last November I spent 3 weeks in South Korea and I loved it. I had no previous want to visit the country, I just chose it at random and really enjoyed it. I would like to take another similar trip in June and with a random finger dropping over asia,.. Taiwan was where my finger fell.
It was my first time in Asia and I loved visiting the temples, the food, just walking around cities and getting lost, the beautiful views and hidden temples in places like Taejongdae, the culture difference, and the huge contrast of peaceful quiet temple grounds to the bustling neon city just outside the temple walls.
On my, albeit brief, research I have done so far, it looks as if Taiwan would also be good for this kind of thing? Would people agree?
Also, I was wondering if anyone has been to both countries and could advise on budget. The recommended budgets I saw for South Korea were far far far higher than I spent... I think I spent a max of 700,000KRW over three weeks (although thanks to KTO my journey from Seoul to Busan was free and my DMZ tour was prepaid) which was around half of what my research online told me to expect to spend. I did everything I wanted to and didnt feel like I was being tight as I had much more in my budget I just didnt need to use it... admittedly I wasnt drinking as I was travelling alone and in Korea it was pretty hard to drink alone lol (buying platters of fried chicken just to have one beer wasn't worth it) and I dont party much when im travelling because I am exhausted from walking around all day lol. ....so, Because of this, rather than ask for a recommended daily budget, I wanted to ask if someone had been to both countries and how the costs compared? Is it quite similar or much more expensive?
Also, I think June (second and third weeks) is the end of the "mid season"... have accommodation prices usually started to go up at this time? can it be difficult to find hostel/cheap accommodation this time of year?
Thanks in advance for your help.
