South Korea: Day 6

Today I was shopping like crazy. And I don’t want to think about tomorrow’s shopping spree just yet. I went to Insadong, Hongdae and also Dongdaemun.

Insadong is where you buy cheap souvenirs. From Angguk station, walk straight about 150 meters, then turn left. That whole street is Insadong. From T-shirts, keychains, fridge magnets, ceramics, clothes, Korean brushes…just name it, they have it.
However, what had surprised me was the bag shop near the Insadong Station. The bags are trendy and stylish its affordable. I bought some for 10,000 won for each bag. Here are some photos of Insadong:

Just after the rain and shops are just opening.

This is just a sample picture of what some of the cheap backpacks look like.

Then I went to Hongdae. There were many students there. This is because Hongik University is just nearby. My first destination there was Thanks Nature Cafe just to wind down, drink coffee and eat delicious waffles. What makes Thanks Nature Cafe special? It is because of Bongsil and Mongsil. You guys must think “What The!”. Am I right?

These are them. Aren’t they adorable. They just live right outside of the cafe. You can feed the sheep, pet them, take pictures with them or even have some coffee and snacks next to them. And sometimes they are even set free for a while by their owner just to mingle with the customers. It was a wonderful experience.

After my stomach was full and I was done playing with Bongsil and Mongsil. I went to the Hongdae street market. It’s similar to Ehwa Women’s University, however the place is more happening and full of life. You can see students and also foreigners with their gigantic bags walking around the area. I did not do any shopping here but it was fun watching people do their shopping there.

Then I went to Dongdaemun. There I went to doota, Mingliore and Dongdaemun Design Plaza. I find doota expensive. So as Mingliore. However, some of the clothes there are affordable. And the k-pop souvenirs at level 6 are quite cheap. This is because the seller gave a 15% discount on the items that we buy.

The main highlight of Dongdaemun is when it gets dark. The city seems to come alive. Lights are everywhere and small stalls are busier then ever. Then there is the eye catching Dongdaemun Design Plaza that is situated opposite doota and Mingliore. At the rooftop of the building contains 21,000 stunning LED lit roses. I was in love with it at the first sight. Behold…

It was getting really cold and windy. So I went back to the warm comfort of my room. Can’t wait for the second round of shopping. Until tomorrow.