One of the "to-visit places" on my list are the traditional markets here in Seoul. I have read in many articles that these markets offer a real encounter in Korean culture especially if you wanna look into their history, and daily life. They have been one of the tourist attractions for foreigners not only because of hunting cheap and unique finds and but also for enjoying what those markets has to offer. As for me, I prefer the latter so I decided to head off to two of them, namely Gwangjang Market and Noryangjin Fish Market. :)
I have mentioned before to one of my Korean friends that I wanted to try bindatteok (a pancake made of ground mung beans) and he recommended me to try the ones in Gwangjang Market. We were supposed to go there together last term but he already left for Sydney a few months ago to study so I thought I'd just see it anyway.
Since I went there on a Sunday noon, there weren't quite a lot of open stalls yet but I was still able to see how the ajummas (old women) diligently make their bindatteoks, pajeons, and sundaes. There were also a some people, mostly ajusshis (old men) and foreigners all lined up in the stores waiting for their tasty delights. You can have a choice to eat it there or have it take out.
Aaand, because I'm already in the Jongno area, I decided to drop by Bukchon Hanok Village too. It is actually a neighborhood that preserves Korean traditional houses also known as hanok. Aside from the touring experience, they also offer immersions in one of their many guest houses for a total traditional Korean experience. In addition to that, if you happen to be a fan of Korean dramas, this area is frequently used as filming locations too. Winter Sonata, You've Fallen for Me (Heartstrings) and Personal Taste (Perfect Match) are among them.
There were a lot of tourists going around and taking pictures specially on the top 8 photogenic places where you can enjoy the best of Bukchon's view. I think I was able to see the 5th-7th view if I got my directions right. ;) The neighborhood is actually vast and those top 8 places weren't really close from each other so there is really a lot of walking involved. I thought I've already went around the whole area but seeing the map, I was just able to go around one part but I'm already tired and hungry so I decided to eat my bindatteok from Gwangjang there. I happen to pass by this small tteok cafe with a lot of people outside so intrigued as I am, I went over and saw they have free tastes of their products. They tasted good, and I wanted to buy one but I already have bindatteok so I just ordered a latte from them. Since I have been craving for red bean from the moment I arrived, I decided to buy their Red Bean Latte for only 3,000W.
So after eating, I did some more walking around and saw some cafes before taking the subway to Noryangjin. Its only a few stations away from Yeokgok so I don't really mind wandering there for a bit. Besides I really, really wanted to see this place. Hehe :)
When I got there, I was so amazed by different kinds of seafood that populated the area. There were clams, sea cucumbers, shrimps of all sizes, crabs, live octopuses swimming in aquariums and big containers. Since its already late in the afternoon, most of the buyers I saw are group of men who seemed like businessmen who just got off from work and now heading for dinner at one of the restaurants nearby. I've heard that you can take your seafood buys in one of the restaurants and have it cooked there. It sounded like "dampa" at Macapagal Ave in the Philippines for me.
Please bear if some of the indoor shots are dark since I sometimes forget to turn on the flash, hehe. I am still trying to get used to it and I try to turn it off when I shoot outdoor to avoid too much brightness and save the battery as well.
This ends my journey today. Though tiring, I came home a happy kid. I think I had more than one item to tick off my list today. ;) :) So, if you wanna go to any of the places that I've been to today, here are some information that might help:
Gwangjang Market
Addres: Seoul-si Jongno-gu Changgyeonggung-ro 88 (Yeji-dong 6-1)
Take the Subway to Jongno 5-ga Station (Line 1), and go out at Exit 8.
The stores start to open around 10:00am and closes at 6:00pm (hours may vary per store)
You can also visit their site here (Korean only).
Bukchon Hanok Village
Address: Bukchon Cultural Center Area, 10g Gye-dong, Jongno-gu Area
Take the Subway to Anguk Station (Line 3), and go out at Exit 3.
Noryangjin Fish Market
Address: Seoul-si Dongjak-gu Noryangjin-dong 13-8
Take the Subway to Noryangjin Station (Line 1), get out at Exit 1, walk 100m through the bridge on the right.
Fish market is open 24 hours, all year round.
They also have a site you might wanna visit. (Korean only).
Since I went there on a Sunday noon, there weren't quite a lot of open stalls yet but I was still able to see how the ajummas (old women) diligently make their bindatteoks, pajeons, and sundaes. There were also a some people, mostly ajusshis (old men) and foreigners all lined up in the stores waiting for their tasty delights. You can have a choice to eat it there or have it take out.
Aaand, because I'm already in the Jongno area, I decided to drop by Bukchon Hanok Village too. It is actually a neighborhood that preserves Korean traditional houses also known as hanok. Aside from the touring experience, they also offer immersions in one of their many guest houses for a total traditional Korean experience. In addition to that, if you happen to be a fan of Korean dramas, this area is frequently used as filming locations too. Winter Sonata, You've Fallen for Me (Heartstrings) and Personal Taste (Perfect Match) are among them.
There were a lot of tourists going around and taking pictures specially on the top 8 photogenic places where you can enjoy the best of Bukchon's view. I think I was able to see the 5th-7th view if I got my directions right. ;) The neighborhood is actually vast and those top 8 places weren't really close from each other so there is really a lot of walking involved. I thought I've already went around the whole area but seeing the map, I was just able to go around one part but I'm already tired and hungry so I decided to eat my bindatteok from Gwangjang there. I happen to pass by this small tteok cafe with a lot of people outside so intrigued as I am, I went over and saw they have free tastes of their products. They tasted good, and I wanted to buy one but I already have bindatteok so I just ordered a latte from them. Since I have been craving for red bean from the moment I arrived, I decided to buy their Red Bean Latte for only 3,000W.
So after eating, I did some more walking around and saw some cafes before taking the subway to Noryangjin. Its only a few stations away from Yeokgok so I don't really mind wandering there for a bit. Besides I really, really wanted to see this place. Hehe :)
When I got there, I was so amazed by different kinds of seafood that populated the area. There were clams, sea cucumbers, shrimps of all sizes, crabs, live octopuses swimming in aquariums and big containers. Since its already late in the afternoon, most of the buyers I saw are group of men who seemed like businessmen who just got off from work and now heading for dinner at one of the restaurants nearby. I've heard that you can take your seafood buys in one of the restaurants and have it cooked there. It sounded like "dampa" at Macapagal Ave in the Philippines for me.
Please bear if some of the indoor shots are dark since I sometimes forget to turn on the flash, hehe. I am still trying to get used to it and I try to turn it off when I shoot outdoor to avoid too much brightness and save the battery as well.
This ends my journey today. Though tiring, I came home a happy kid. I think I had more than one item to tick off my list today. ;) :) So, if you wanna go to any of the places that I've been to today, here are some information that might help:
Gwangjang Market
Addres: Seoul-si Jongno-gu Changgyeonggung-ro 88 (Yeji-dong 6-1)
Take the Subway to Jongno 5-ga Station (Line 1), and go out at Exit 8.
The stores start to open around 10:00am and closes at 6:00pm (hours may vary per store)
You can also visit their site here (Korean only).
Bukchon Hanok Village
Address: Bukchon Cultural Center Area, 10g Gye-dong, Jongno-gu Area
Take the Subway to Anguk Station (Line 3), and go out at Exit 3.
Noryangjin Fish Market
Address: Seoul-si Dongjak-gu Noryangjin-dong 13-8
Take the Subway to Noryangjin Station (Line 1), get out at Exit 1, walk 100m through the bridge on the right.
Fish market is open 24 hours, all year round.
They also have a site you might wanna visit. (Korean only).
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