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Published: August 6th 2016
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Another early start. This time headed to
South Gate. Despite all the years Halahbujee lived in Korea, this was his first time seeing the South Gate up close. Around the corner from South Gate is
Namdaemun Market, largest traditional market in Korea. So many different things to see and buy! The hunt was on for sunglasses as Sophie has been wanting to buy a pair for a couple of months. Passed on the German made 250,000 KRW pair and settled on the Korean made 10,000 KRW from another vendor. This market is huge. We only covered a small area and it was tiring. Stopped for some Korean donuts, which are deep fried but not as sweet as the Canadian version, and some freshly made Korean peach juice. Absolutely the best peach juice we’ve ever had!
Today we get to experience the Seoul subway system. Halahbujee said that there was no subway system when he was last in Korea 35 years ago. So essentially within a 35 year period, Seoul has produced a very efficient, clean and punctual subway and bus system. It puts Toronto to shame we are embarrassed to say. Took the subway to
Myeongdong Market (or Myung Dong),
another major shopping area of Seoul. Unlike Namdaemun though, you will see many more major brand name and department stores, and a lot more foreigners. Halahbujee said that Myeongdong means “bright town” and you can see why. It is definitely a very vibrant and popular area of Seoul. It’s also popular as a locale for film and entertainment. We actually saw a video being shot while we were there.
With so much still to do, we opted to grab some Korean street food - deep fried patties filled with japchae (vermicelli noodles in soy dressing) and vegetables. Very delicious! And only 1,000 KRW (about $1.20 CDN). Hopped back on the subway and went to
Yeouido, a large island in the middle of the Han River in southern Seoul. Roads have mix of office workers (Yeouido is a large financial district) but we saw a few military personnel scattered around. Reminds one that South Korea is the last remnant of the Cold War with an active enemy across the border. A little spooky. We stopped for a snack, and after a few days of only Korean food, Robb and Jonathan nearly ran to the
McDonald's. The Big Mac tastes exactly
like home. The Quarter Pounder with Cheese is a little sweeter (we think because of the ketchup) and the Korean McDonald's has a Bulgogi burger that's actually very tasty.
Refueled, we headed to the cruise departure area where Halahbujee had researched we could go on a 40 minute boat ride on the Han River. Beer (by the men) and nice view (by all) were enjoyed before we thought it was time to head back. We rode the subway home and stopped at
Lotte Supermarket by
Seoul Station for some groceries for the apartment. Everything can be found here from local fare to imported goods that are foreigner-friendly. We made it back just in time as there was heavy rain about 30 minutes after we got back to the apartment.
Robb hurt his ankle (twisted it a bit) while getting off the subway so he was limping pretty heavily on the way home. Hope he recovers as every day so far has had a lot of walking. He's a pretty tough guy so he should be ok. If he doesn't, he'll hear no end of teasing since 74 year old Halahbujee has so far outwalked all of us with
energy to spare at the end of each day!
8 hours of walking today. Gangnam tomorrow.
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Elke Campbell
non-member comment
Street food
Wow! All the food looks so good!!! OK - the scenery and the markets look interesting as well, but the food pictures are making my mouth water :)