Insadong Again and Again

There are many reasons you can head to Insadong. One for a taste of traditional food or tea. Another for the historical sites nearby or art galleries, and mostly because it is a one-stop place for souvenir shopping.

I went to Insadong recently because I needed some gifts to take with me next month when I visit my family in Florida. I arrived on a mildly cool morning when the bustle of folks weren't as heavy.




I headed to the Ssamzie market where you can find artsy trinkets and jewelry. The place doesn't change much over the years, except for seasonal decorations.






Here you can find "ddung bread" shaped like poo...yum?!

Walking around the several levels I ran into some interesting shadow patterns.






On top it was great to get a feel of the sunshine on my face and so I lounged around a while soaking up the rays and also did some people watching.

One of the other interesting parts of this market is the graffiti of both hand scrawls and artist made.



At the top I noticed a new cafe where you can order drinks but also get "couple tags" and put them up on a fence. A similarly popular thing to do at the North Seoul Tower.



I got most of my present shopping done and headed towards Gwanghwamun station for lunch and to check out the Kyobo bookstore.

However, I would say it is very tough to shop inside the Kyobo Bookstore as it is usually crowded, and this day was no different.

I hope to get back to the Insadong area but next time for gallery viewing and perhaps get some traditional tea. All in all, you can't go wrong with heading to Insadong for souvenirs, but be ready for elbow-bumping crowds.