A Hot Day in Insadong

On Sunday, we decided to venture into Seoul to get some hanji paper. It's been in the mid to upper 90's all week and we had been staying in the air conditioning but sometimes you just need some air. This is the subway line we were taking into Insadong.


Most of the subways have protective paneling up so that you can't fall into the tracks. This station didn't have them. You can see how far the drop is.


When we first arrived, it was time for a little Korean lunch. These were our side dishes.


This was the Korean barbecue. It was very tender and with a tasty marinade. Yum!

I had to use the bathroom after lunch. This was on the door you sat on the toilet. I know they were talking about toilet paper but something else came to mind.

On the streets of Insadong, we found this artist painting t-shirts. They were so cute. He was really drawing a crowd.

In addition to the hanji paper, I needed to do some shopping for a friend back in the States. I found what she wanted in this little shop.

Another view of the wares from this shop. We were exhausted by the time we arrived back home and both of us were dripping in sweat. I'll be glad when Fall arrives. I'm a Minnesota girl! This heat is tough.

What I Bought!

I had to buy a few Rain (Bi) things.



I also bought these two purses. I love Korean purses! They are huge. Do you know why Korean girls like huge purses? They say that they make you look thinner. I'm all for that!


These are necklaces that I purchased. They were each under 15,000 won ($15 US). I love how the fashion is to wear huge necklaces and asymmetry is in which is my favorite look.

I also bought some charms and chain for crafting.

Ewha Woman's University

Our final day shopping was spent at Ewha Woman's University. It was a great place to shop for women's fashion with lots of boutiques. This is a picture of the university.



We saw loads of Korean women.




This is a picture of the shopping area.




One of the side streets.



I've been seeing these all over South Korea. They are decorative bra straps.

We saw this guy copping a squat on a cement barrier. I haven't quite managed to do this move yet.

My niece, Hayley. She found so many cute clothes in all the Korea markets we visited.

Wendy (my sister), Hayley (my niece) and sitting Jacque (my cousin). We hit all the major shopping areas of Seoul and had a great time. I'll post pictures of my purchases in a later blog entry. We had a great time and I hated to see them go.

Korean Folk Village - Part 3

Of course, after touring the Korean Folk Village, I HAD to do some shopping in their souvenir shops. Do you have idea what that is in the picture above? I didn't but I thought they were cute. They are ceramic and hand painted.



They are chopstick rests. I never heard of them but when I showed them to Curt (hubby) when he came home from work, he knew exactly what they were. Now, my mother would wonder what I am going to do with them. I'm not sure but they were so cool, I had to get them. They were 15,00o won ($15.00 US).



I love boxes and one can never have too many! This one was so unique and beautiful. I thought to buy it for my daughter but I just had to keep it for myself.


This is what it looks like opened up. The price was 35,000 won ($35.00 US).

I love the hand painted Korean scrolls. This one just screamed to me, "BUY ME!" Of course, I did. It is pretty large, about 2 1/2 feet long byd 1 foot across, just the painted section alone. The cost, 50,000 won ($50.00 US).

A Korean man was painting these and selling them for 3000 won ($3.00 US) a piece. He had a piece of paper that translated all the sayings to help you make a decision. I chose one about happiness and family. I should have written down what it said exactly. I didn't really look at it too closely but when I showed it to Curt, he said, "Do you know that's Chinese characters?" Duh, I can tell the difference but it never occurred to me that it wouldn't be Korean. But Hangul (Korean characters) was developed in the 1400's, until that time most Koreans could not read or write because Chinese characters were too difficult. Many children today are still taught the Chinese characters.

Mr. Choi was really worried that Curt would be upset by all the spending I was doing. It was really endearing. His wife did buy what I thought was a pestle and mortal but Mr. Choi said that it was used to grind sesame seeds. I have no idea why you would want to do that but that's just something else I need to learn about South Korea. My education here never ends.

Sunday Shopping in Suwon

Stores here in Korea have some of the wackiest names I've ever seen.



See what I mean.


I didn't know underwear was a secret! Shhhhh.

We met three new friends.

I can't believe I paid 43,000 won(about $43 US) for this toaster. With the large selection of two models to choose from, I decided to go with the cheaper of the two. The other toaster was 89,000 won (about $89 US).

I've missed making my own toast and just couldn't take it anymore.

How NOT to Display Merchandise

Cold weather has arrived and along with the weather, we have found this sock and stockings vendor at one of the busy intersections here in Suwon. Now I don't know about you, but it really creeps me out to see leggings
displayed this way. It looks like a bunch of cut off legs. I think it would be great for Halloween, though!



How's this for displaying slippers? It does get your attention when you walk by. It's too bad they don't
have anything in my size. I have really big feet - 9 1/2.



We had our first U.S. visitor this past weekend. Curt's brother was in town for business so we spent to day together. Of course, we had to take him for budae jjagae.

Insadong on a Sunday Afternoon

Insadong is located in Seoul and is a popular tourist attraction. Known for Korean arts and crafts, Insadong also boasts the largest concentration of antique stores. Tea houses are also a common site. If you want to experience Korean culture, Insadong is a must see.

I don't want to shop anymore!


Noodle-making is definitely an art form. Restaurants in Korea often have a window devoted to the noodle maker and they do draw a crowd. It's amazing to watch him whip those noodles around.


The streets are closed to traffic during the weekends and it can get quite crowded.


We found this guy just standing in the middle of street. It looked like he was protesting something.

More views of the street. It was in the 70's and really nice out. We were the only ones in short sleeves.

We did find a few cars trying to get through but they did have a rough going.

Insadong is also a place you will see a lot of Westerners. Something we do not see too often in Suwon.

Korean men do have their own purses.

We found a group that was setting up for a reenactment from the Joseon Dynasty.

They looked to be trying to set up a cart of some sort. We ended up waiting for about 10 minutes but we really had to get back to Suwon for dinner so we had to leave before the reenactment started.

This little cutie was sitting in a booth near the reenactment. She is wearing a traditional Hanbok. Her mom gave her some candy which helped to keep her occupied. She was quite a show stopper.

Here she is with her dad (I think?).

Another Trip to Dongdaemun Market

The train pulling into Suwon Station. See the serviceman to the
right of the picture, we see a lot of them around Seoul Station. A
Korean man must serve a two+ year term in the military or give
up his citizenship.

Entrance to the train. Your ticket tells you what car you are in and
you are also assigned seats just like on an airplane. We (Curt) made
the mistake of trying to exit the train last week by the rear of the car
since our seats were closed to that exit. Wrong! We ended up going
against people entering the train and had a really hard time getting
off the train. For a moment, I was afraid the train would leave with
us still on it. Sometimes it stops for only a minute.

This is some kind of train attendant. They wear
white gloves as they work.

Dongdaemun Shopping Center where all the fabric and beads are.

Another building in the same area. This was taken during lunch time

and shows you what Koreans do during lunch. I've never seen so

many white shirts in one area.

Hanbok silk fabric I bought. It was $4.00 US a yard. I couldn't believe
the prices.

A bunch of beads I bought. They were $1.00-$2.00 US a bag.

More wire and findings. This spending has got to stop!

A housewarming gift from the wife of a co-worker of my husband's.

The gift also included this apron and oven mitt

which Curt is modeling for me. He is becoming

more Korean everyday hence the apron and

peace sign. Korean men will wear aprons when
working in the kitchen. Women wear them too!