Seoul: Day 3

It was a relatively slow start for us on Sunday. We’d been up by 6:00 AM the two previous days, and felt that an additional three hours were a luxury we’d take advantage of. After rolling ourselves out of bed, a quick shower, and cup of coffee, we were on the streets of Seoul once again.

Geyeongdong Market

Our first stop of the day was Gyeongdong Market, which is a labyrinth of a street market where vendors specialize in fruit, spices, roots, and medicinal herbs. It was a extraordinarily colorful walk through stalls of flowers, dried fruit and cooking essentials. The strong scent of licorice dominated the herb stalls, and a whole side alley was dedicated to garlic. Old women were lined up under little shelters peeling away, a gathering hill of garlic at their feet. It was beautiful sight. After a few purchases, we wandered a bit, Alex carefully escorting me past the sidewalks lined with dog meat sales. Very obvious carcasses sprawled out on tables. This area of the market was draped in tarps to avoid the controversy.

tea stall (full flower detail)

dried and preserved often by the sun

all your fermented pastes in one place
... and of course, Korean ginseng.
 
Like most of our trips, we decided an unnecessarily long walk was in order, so we made our way to the Nam-san. Nam-san is the famous local mountain that historically was the southern border of the city. Well, the city’s grown a bit, so now Nam-san squats in the center offering views of the ever-expanding landscape. Apparently, due to the clear skies, Nam-san was on everyone’s to do list. The crowds grew thicker as we made our way toward the mountain’s main attraction, a cable car ride to Seoul Tower. After Alex assessed our wait, we decided to move on because views are nice, but not 3-hours-nice. We could see plenty where we stood, and it looked like a city.

Kim Yu Shin statue on Namsan


The rest of the day was spent enjoying the weather, and trying to shake my shopping bug. Alex survived 2 markets and a mall, and I only managed one purchase. By the time the day was finished we were tired of walking, tired of crowds, tired of Seoul . . . it was time to go home.

COEX Mall

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Anonymous said…
Howdy,
Just letting you know I received your message on Youtube. I just got back from Japan, so I havn't had time to check out your blog. Will keep in touch,
Brad
6:28 PM
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