And so my journey begins!
This post features on :-
♥ Insadong ♥ Gwangjang Market ♥
♥ Cheonggyecheon Stream ♥ Noryangjin Fish Market ♥
Insadong
First stop was Insa-dong, located at the heart of Seoul. It is a well-known traditional street that represents the culture of the past and the present. It has a mixture of the historical and modern atmosphere which makes it a unique part of Seoul. For musicians, you might be interested to pay this place a visit as there is the Nakwon Musical Instruments Arcade which offers a variety of instruments, particularly guitars. For food lovers, Insa-dong is filled with a variety of restaurants offering traditional Korean food.
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| One of the street food that can be found in Insadong. This is called Bunggeoppang (붕어빵) , Carp Bread which is filled with red beans. It's really yummy to eat especially when it's hot. It's similar to the Taiyaki you can find in Japan. |
What to look out for
- There’s a really good Ginseng chicken
(Samgyetang 삼계탕) shop where the locals go to. But, it’s hard to give directions to it. If you are interested, there is a tourist information center
along the main road. You can ask them for guidance. Just tell them that
the popular one that locals go to. They have two good ones around the area
but the authentic one is where the locals go to. The other one is more for
foreigners.
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| Samgyetang (삼계탕) |
- Jipangi Ice cream:
Ice cream cones shaped like walking sticks. The cone itself is made up of
corn and it's shape is really unique. The ice cream,on the other hand, is just a plain good one .
- The only Starbucks sign
written in Korean.
- If you go during spring time, the roads will be filled with cherry blossoms. It’s quite a beautiful sight.
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| It's Spring! A season of new beginnings... |
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| Here they are, cherry blossoms! My first encounter with them and they are just beautiful! |
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| My miniature bouquet of Sakura flowers. |
Gwangjang Market
Next stop, the awesome food market! Gwangjang Market is a big market that sells a huge variety of Korean traditional food including the street food. The main entrance will lead to a cross junction where hawkers fill up every corner that is available. Each lane competes on similar food products. Different lanes sells different variety of food.
Do try out the mayak kimbap 마약 김밥(drug kimbap : there are no drugs but it’s called that because it tastes so good that you can’t stop eating it). These are the other street food recommendations: Tteokbokki 떡복이(rice cakes in spicy broth), Odaeng 오댕 (Fish Cake , often served with their soup), Bindaetteok 빈대떡 (Fried Mungbeans pancake). They also offer noodles and rice dishes like Bibimbap 비빔밥 . If you are more adventurous, you can try out the blood sausage, Sundae 순대 (which I definitely had to try after seeing the locals enjoying it so much, but it’s not really to my liking).
Other than the hawkers, there are people selling edible goods like seaweed n etc. (This is a good place to buy this kind of stuff as the price is reasonable compared to the other places) . They also sell their side dishes in bulk. Do explore the small lanes in the market as there are more interesting food to explore. I came across some lanes selling hot spicy broth soup which looked really good but we were too full to try it.
Opening Hours: 7AM~ 10PM (Hours may vary by stalls)
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| Gwangjang Market: A crowded place where everyone comes in to fill their stomach. |
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| Hawkers at Gwangjang Market |
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| Some of the many varieties of food offered at the market. |
Cheonggyecheon Stream
Many dramas have been taken along this stream. It was previously
an old streambed which has been converted into a miniature stream with a
waterfall. Now it has become a popular spot for couples to stroll along the
path. It is beautiful during the night when the light comes on. At the head of
the stream (Gwangyo area), there is a digital water display which is made by
projecting lights onto the water screen fountain to create a 3D effect. If you
are interested in the display, make sure you get to the right area as the Cheonggyecheon
Stream is around 5.8km in length. We actually spent a long time walking as we
had no idea which area the water display was. It was around an hour’s worth of
walk before we reached it. Below are the details for the operating hours of the
digital canvas at Cheonggyecheon Stream.
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| Near the head of the stream, there is a waterfall which is lighted up. |
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| Lovely stroll along Cheonggycheon Stream. |
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| Couples love to walk across the stones on the river. |
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| Digital Water Display |
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| More cherry blossoms ~(^,^)~ |
Watch the video below for 3D Digital Water Display.
Noryangjin Fish Market
One of the largest fish market in Seoul where you can find all
sorts of edible sea creatures. There is a large selection of seafood with many
fishmongers trying to get you to come by their stall. You can have the seafood, sashimi-styled or cooked. All you need to do is to purchase the seafood and head over to a nearby restaurant which will cook them for you.
They charge you a basic fee per head, I think around 3000Won for using
their table and inclusive of side dishes. Apart from that, they will charge additional
based on how you want the seafood to be cooked. For sashimi style, they will
prepare the seafood for you for free.
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| Noryangjin Fish Market |
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| Our seafood platter: Abalone, sea squirt, clams, octopus and oysters. The abalones were definitely the best! |
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