Korea Trip 2012: Part 2

This post is a continuation of Korea Trip Part 1. If you haven’t read the previous part yet, please click here.

We also went to a Kimchi School where I tried to make my own kimchi and tried on traditional Hanbok but it more of like a ‘come and buy my kimchi’ instead of learning to really make traditional kimchi. Definitely not worth going.

Ate Samkyetang (Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup) and it was delicious.

Next, I went to DongDaeMun to do some shopping. In Dongdaemun, there are 3 main shopping malls- HelloAPM, Migliore and Doota. I highly recommend HelloAPM as there are so many shops with ridiculously low prices and their quality is not bad. All clothing and accessories that you see on Gmarket are ALL sold there at a fraction of the price. There are more clothing and accessories than bags and shoes.

If you are looking for bags and shoes, try the underground shoe market at the basement of Doota. There is a long stretch of shoes and bags with decent prices. Also, don’t forget to ask for a discount!

At Dongdaemun there are also roadside stalls that sells accessories and street snacks.

Saw this funny sign in the female toilet!

The next day I went to The National Folk Museum of Korea. The folk museum showcases a vast collection of folk material, architecture, costumes, farming and the way of life of cultural relics.

Elderly growning pots of flowers and grass that have withered over the colder seasons.

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A very clever placement of trees together with an interesting and provocative poster outside the museum that captures the attention of passer-bys. 80 Points for creativity and originality.

We also drove past Presidential Blue house; the place has a very iconic blue roof.

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The next tourist spot was Beauty Face which is apparently a Duty Free Cosmetics shop where they try to sell new to market products to unsuspecting tourists like myself. They are indeed very persuasive but the price is a little over the edge. Their new products include a new technology Botox serum which has effects of a Botox and last just as long. It costs around 400 bucks though.

After listening to 20 mins of hard selling, I wandered off to the more affordable sections such as The Face Shop, Holika Holika, Clio etc. Damn the prices are cheap. No wonder why they always say ‘go to Korea to buy Korean cosmetics’. It’s true! Blushes, lip products, eye shadows, all under 10 bucks! Even their masks comes in a pack of 10 for 10,000 won (SGD$12).

We also went to Insadong, where there is a long stretch of souvenir shops selling traditional Korean goodies. I only managed to buy a watch there boohoo... I like it there though, it has a strong Korean vibe and kinda hipster-ish if you ask me.

If you have a chance to go Korea, remember to try this Banana Milk out! Super delicious! It also comes in a Light version where the Banana taste is less stronger.

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At night we went to Myung Dong where there is the famous Lotte Duty Free and Star Avenue where they showcase superstars's hand prints and photos. Below are some engraved hand prints and signatures of Korean Artistes.

In Myung Dong there is a long stretch of shops and street stalls so I do recommend going there if you are looking to try street snacks or have a certain shop that you intend to shop in. There are a lot of boutiques and Korean label shops. I still prefer Dongdaemun for a wider range of unlabelled made in Korea apparel.

Ate dinner at Kraze Burger located in Young Palace (if I’m not wrong) Myung Dong. Look at the spectacular view from our table. I ordered a little too much but the food was really delicious.