Markets, not my thing.

Today, I made a concerted effort to combat my illness with sleep. This was somewhat interrupted by a local politician driving his campaign truck through the street outside our window and blaring very loud music at 8am. Mayor elections are coming up soon, and it is nearly impossible to go anywhere in Seoul without being accosted by campaigners or having to wind around politicians gesticulating wildly and making sincere promises in Korean.

...but that's another story.

I woke up feeling pretty good this morning, though I am hacking up quite a bit of green mucus. I managed a four-mile run around Namsan walking trail today, and I congratulated myself heartily on making it up probably 75% of most of the hills. (I walked the rest.) As usual, I was put to shame by the old and blind (!!) people running around Namsan. To help myself up the hills, I adopted what I like to call the "old Korean man" technique. It involves shuffling slowly and leaning forward and swinging one's arms in tight, backward and forward motions. Hat, vest, and gloves are optional.

For lunch, we went to a strange "diner" in the middle of Myeong-dong. It served bizarre Western-Asian fusion, including katsu (deep-fried pork cutlets). The boyfriend got one which was also covered in cheese and sweet potato and unidentifiable sauce. He was quite pleased with his choice until the full weight of it hit his stomach. Then he moaned a lot about being full.


After lunch, we headed to Dongdaemun market. It was still raining, so we didn't do too much wandering around. In fact, I've discovered that I don't really like exploring in markets in Seoul. I don't like meandering through huge throngs of people and avoiding being run over by mopeds and cars. And I'm not much of a shopper, so stall-after-stall of stuff doesn't really appeal. That said, they are good for photos.

These are Korean melons. They kind of taste like crunchy canteloupe.

The Cheonggye stream runs through this part of Seoul. I wanted to walk along it, but the weather was still rainy.

Dongdaemun is famous for its night shopping and wholesale products. We went into one HUGE complex filled with fabric and trimmings. It was super crowded and scary, so I didn't take many pictures. One floor sold hanboks (traditional Korean dress).


Seoul is a strange mix of new and old architecture:



After exiting the scary fabric labyrinth, we found ourselves in a small alleyway which smelled of grilled/smoked fish:


Note: if you so much as LOOK at the fish, you will immediately unleash a stream of yelling, pointing, and toothy grinning as the shopkeeper tries to entice you inside. Then you look at the ground and run away!


Ginseng is a huge deal in Korea. They sell it everywhere.


Street food here, like everywhere, is extremely fried, greasy, and awesome. Somehow, everyone eats it, but most people are pretty thin. Check out Ms. Legs McGee scarfing it down over here:


Having had enough of markets, we escaped into the air conditioned luxury of Doota mall to look at expensive shoes and strange Korean fashion. The top floor had a roof garden, a Red Mango, and an excellent view.



Outside, there was a whack-a-mole.


Next, we took a 50-minute subway ride across the river to Gangnam, Seoul's main business district. My friend Stella whom I tutored in English last semester met us for dinner.

Meeting up with Stella was such a relief. For one, she did all the talking and ordering so I didn't have to point and look like a dummy. Additionally, Stella is very chill and unlike many Seoullite girls that I have seen. For example, she doesn't wear a ton of make-up and totter around in stiletto heels and skin-tight jeans, while simultaneously fixing her hair in a compact mirror and clutching onto a boy's arm.


We went to a tofu restaurant for dinner and then poked around looking for a Korean-English dictionary and products to make my hair shiny and glossy. Unfortunately, all places seemed to be sold out of the latter. Sad times. :(

Now, I better get to bed. Tomorrow is a really big day, and I might not be posting at night. Stay tuned!