I loved visiting the markets in Seoul. Namdaemun Market was my favorite. (Am I going to regret not getting one of these pillows?)
The colors were like eye candy. And Aaron enjoyed the bargaining.
Look at this shop! One of everything please!
The market also seemed to be a great spot to grab a bite to eat.
Grab a seat and they will cook it right up for you.
So much to choose from.
Radish kimchee to go.
Everyone keeps asking what happend to her other arm.
Spicy!
Besides the food in the markets, there was intriguing street food. Roasted chestnuts.
Roasted corn.
These weird extruded cones filled with ice cream.
We saw these everywhere.
We sampled lots of sweets. Like this green tea waffle with ice cream.
Ooooh honey!
Ice cream topped with honeycomb!
Patbingsu which is shaved ice topped with sweet red beans and fruit.
I spotted this Peggy Pies shop but didn't get a chance to go back and try it.
Look at those drinks!
Speaking of drinks I loved this iced bubble coffee.
We had to try this cane juice.
Aaron said "It's so healthy!" LOL. Very interesting.
I had to try some chips. I love trying potato chips in other countries. Spicy!
So much food, so little time.
Hi Jenny!
ReplyDeleteI'm a longtime reader of your site and grew up in Rochester! My family and I are headed to Seoul in October and I was wondering if you had any other tips that you would share. Did you find the plane ride to be unbearable? Also, were you able to pay for things with an American credit card without a microchip in it?
Thanks!
Lauren
The plane ride IS long. I was on a plane with a screen on the back of the seat with many movies to choose from. That is so helpful. I did something kinda nutty - I stayed up all night before my flight so I would sleep on the plane which was during the Korean midnight to 6am time frame. Then when I got off the plane I had a jump on the time change. There is English signage everywhere and most people speak English so it was very easy to get around. 1000 won = about 1 dollar so money is easy. A Seoul travel book is helpful and so is a good map. Googling maps for places you want to visit and printing them out before hand is helpful. The city is so big, not every little street is on the big maps and it helps to have more detailed maps for finding your way around. Yes, we were able to use our regular American credit cards without the chips. Hope that helps! Have a great time!
DeleteAlso... it was very clean and everyone was very polite!
DeleteThe city is very walkable but don't be afraid to grab a taxi if you get tired. They are very reasonably priced.
DeleteAhh, this really makes me miss Korea... We lived there for 6 years when my husband had a job there. The food was so insanely good, and we used to live in a hanok in Bukchon too which I really miss. Did you get a chance to get out of Seoul? The food gets better the farther south you go, IMHO :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great oppotunity to live there! I kept saying to Aaron - Why did all my family move to the US?! LOL. I would love to live in Bukchon! Our only trip out of Seoul was to the DMZ which I blogged about also. I am going back next fall with my mom and we are going to go to the South where she was born. So looking forward to it and would love to hear any suggestions!
DeleteIs she from Busan? I loved Busan more than Seoul. Maybe because I'm a seaside kind of gal. My favorite things to eat there were... seafood of course, definitely don't miss out on sushi if you're there because the seafood is so fresh, milmyeon (cold wheat noodles), jokpal (pigs feet, but the Busan version is much less heavy than the Seould version) and I really really loved this one kalbi restaurant near the beach that my husband and I STILL talk about. I have most of my favorite foods there in this Flickr set: bit.ly/1oMNOMX
DeleteIn general, I loved the whole Cheollanam-do region -- it's worth exploring, especially the bamboo forests and the green tea farms. As for food, you can't go wrong. The best stuff is simple family run restaurants with tables laid out with dozens of farm-fresh panchan. Have fun!!
Yes, she is! Loved your photos! Shot on film? Gorgeous.
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