Just the 2 of us. Seoul, Korea- Day 3 (Edae, Sinchon, Hongdae) Part 1

Besides Myeongdong, Edae & Hongdae are the next hottest shopping districts for youngsters in Seoul.

Situated near universities, the prices are reportedly cheaper, but I’ll still advise you to look around before you make a purchase ‘cos I got a jacket in Edae for 39000 krw (S$48) but the same design, different colored jacket at Myeongdong for 29000 krw (S$36).

Once we stepped out of Edae’s exit 2, there’s more cosmetics shops to lure the ladies. I’m serious when I say you can see them ALL OVER SEOUL.

It really shows how much attention Koreans pay to their outer appearances.

We were unfazed and continued on to spot this:

Egg bread!

Pardon me for getting all excited over food ‘cos I hadn’t had breakfast then. It was quite literally, just egg and bread. But hey, simple fare is good enough for us.

There’s these yellow ribbons hanging overhead where we sat down to eat near the stall and my guess was they are blessings? Our trip coincided with the Sewol ferry tragedy and a yellow ribbons project was launched wishing for the safe return of those missing. A poignant moment for us.

Moving on, we walked down the street towards the university.

Alas, we were distracted again by this:

Hotteok!

This was the BEST street snack I had during my stay in Korea since I’ve got a sweet tooth and it’s basically just crispy pancake with brown sugar?maple? filling inside. Piping hot & OH SO DELICIOUS. Very cheap as well!

Finally, enough of the diversions and we got to the end of the street where the university was, where we could turn left and do some serious shopping.

Some students were doodling on the pavement at the side of the road. I’m not entirely sure what they’re for but it looked really cute and creative?

I think it will be nice to look forward to after the entire pavement is done. 🙂

We finally did some legit shopping (like my wallet was practically still full after 2 days in Korea) and I was going to get some lifestyle accessories from Kosney. But I realized it was already closed and apparently not as popular anymore?

Anyhoos, we only managed to cover two streets before my stomach took reign over my brains and we had to get to Sinchon to refuel.

Chuncheonjib Dakgalbi is famous for their spicy bbq chicken and reasonably priced at 6500-7000 krw (SG$8). Understandably so, we had to queue 15 mins outside the restaurant before being granted seats.

We also had a hint of how popular this place is to foreigners by the way their local Korean staff familiarly lined us up, took our orders (in simple Mandarin too) and even managed to crack some jokes with the Mainland Chinese young girls in front of us while indicating them to put their bags into a huge sack (so they won’t be scattered and taking up unnecessary space in the restaurant).

Our observation was proven true when the minute we sat down, I realized we were surrounded by all languages except Korean. LOL~

Touristy as it was, I couldn’t deny the food was good. Just look at this:

There’s meat, vege, sausages, rice cakes etc. We asked for cheese toppings and after they melted, it was the most heavenly taste and the RICE CAKES WERE THE BEST.

I mean, I’ve eaten rice cakes before but barbecued rice cakes are just on another level altogether. It’s like there’s marshmallows, and there’s melted marshmallows over bbq fire? Get the difference?

Very filling and satisfying meal. Easy on the pockets as well. Brilliant.

 

After lunch, we loitered around and there’s this event going on but I don’t know what. Launch of a new product I guess?

One road was also blocked off where there’s numerous street performers strutting their stuff.

This pair was too far away for me to hear them.

This group was right in front of us but we still couldn’t hear them well ‘cos they weren’t using mics. (Learn your voice projection, guys.)

These 2 were slightly better with their resonance. Pretty catch song as well.

Sorry, occupational hazard kicking in.

We got a bit lost finding the Sat free market and in the end, K discovered it’s actually in Hongik and not Sinchon. *facepalms*

Anyway… We took the train to Hongik and after engaging the help of the tourist police standing conspicuously in the middle of the intersection, we found our way to Hongik University Playground Park 15 mins later.

This. Is. So. Glorious.

Those who know me personally would tell you I’m pretty much into arts and crafts so the Hongdae free market was like a haven for me.

Most of these items were handmade!

Many sellers don’t allow photography of their items and I was stopped by the crafter after taking this picture below.

His creations were so cute though! I got the white rabbit earrings you see in the middle. He’s also got a website but it’s all in Hangul. 🙂 Was also thankful ‘cos he praised my Korean! ^^

A live performance where you can tip her if you like it. 🙂

Illustrations I know my friend Vera will appreciate… Heh heh…

Since it is a park after all, there’s children playing at the side.

Mr Sun decided to be extra cheery today. Note the bright reflection?

I also bought from this stall:

Really cute ceramic accessories.

Hongdae is known for their night life, but even if you don’t club like me, it’s still a great place to be in the evening! More to come in my next post! ^^

 

 

Click here to see the rest of our Korea trip’s experience.