What's a visit to Korea without a proper Korean meal right?
If you ever visit a Korean restaurant that's not touristy, typically, you'll be served with side dishes or there will be a few common pots on the table for you to scoop our however much side dishes that you'd like to consume. In general, there will be kimchi for almost every meal from breakfast onwards as well as radish and some vege.
Of course, Korea is famous for its samgyetang and you must definitely give it a try. We had this at Namdaemun, a place that was recommended by our hostel owner given that we'll be heading off to all the tourist areas today. This is in one of the small alleys within the Namdaemun area.
The alleys are crowded with loads of small eateries, each of which can perhaps fill up to 20 people. The ahjummas will be preparing some of the food outside due to the lack of space. At some popular eateries, you could see the whole window panel is filled with celebrities' photos during their visits, or their appearance at some Korean variety game shows. Guests can be seen making a beeline to those eateries as well.
Namdaemun is the place to go if you're after souvenirs. This place is where you'll be able to find everything you plan to bring home, be it clothing, typical souvenir items like magnets or keychains, and many more.
As this is a popular tourist spot, you'll be sure to see these red shirt guides walking around, ever ready to help lost tourists to find their way to a specific shop or item that they're looking for. These guides are also well-versed in Chinese and English, so this will make the conversation much easier!
These are some of the typical Korean decorative souvenirs if you're the type who looks for such item as a momento.
Otherwise, there are also a good selection of magnets to remind you that you've once visited Seoul / Korea in general.
As there are many shop owners and vendors on the street, the eateries at the small alleys also make deliveries. You will be able to spot ahjumma sending out the food to her customers, balancing the dishes on her head.
Here are some of the shops that caught my interest. The one above is just a little corner that sells solely footwear for kids, from infant to children age 6.
Dogs aren't supposed to be left out in a fashionista world, like Seoul. There's a wide selection of clothing for your pets according to the seasons as well!
And if you're up for some street snack, head over to these street vendor and give them a try!
After Namdaemun, we took a bus to head to N Seoul Tower. This is the place in Asia to see the Locks of Love. There do not just have the on the railings that barricade the area but also in the shapes of conifer trees.
And the view of a densely populated Seoul from the top!
Here's a view of the tower itself. If you're visiting at night, be sure to catch the multi-coloured light show performance! (Update : According to the official website, the show has been temporarily suspended).
We were fortunate to visit on a weekend when there was a troop performance cultural dance and martial arts.
After all the spectacular view, it's time to take a leisure stroll downhill again to the bus stop to head back to the city area.
As mentioned in my previous post, Korean gimbaps are not like the Japanese sushi roles which tend to be served neatly in tiny pieces on plates. I've been to a few where I point to the rolls like the ones above and either get it cut into pieces or just eat it off a roll like that.
And finally, here's another dish that left a deep impression in me, the andong jjimdak. We had this at Myeongdong after getting all our skincare items and boy, the spiciness and just the flavour itself is definitely a taste to remember.
This pretty much sums up my maiden trip to Korea. It'll be nice to be back again to visit the different places in this beautiful country.
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