Morning
Today we thought we’d explore more of the cultural aspects, so I wanted to go to the toy shopping district. What? Yes there’s a district where they sell toys.
 |
| Dongdaemun toy shop district |
 |
| Dongdaemun toy shop district |
 |
| Chinese Lego knock-offs |
We were now more adventurous, and had a better understanding of the subway train system so we went to Dongdaemun near the canal north of the Hangang river. It was a bit disappointing, lots of cheap (as in low quality) toys and Lego copies. There was one shop that sold genuine Lego but it was not cheap.
Nonetheless, we’d stumbled on a very cheap shopping district and even some antique and second-hand stalls and a (teddy) bear museum so it was not a total waste of time.
 |
| The Bear Museum |
 |
| More Bear Museum |
 |
| Dongdaemun clothing market |
Midday
We decided to have an early lunch as there were many Korean restaurants in Dongdaemun and about half the price of those in Gyeongbokgung where we were staying. We chose one where there was no English, but had pictures of the food at least. The staff were really helpful, except when I pointed to an interesting seaweed pancake they were eating which wasn’t on the menu.
 |
| The restaurant |
 |
| Selection of dumplings |
 |
| Crumbed pork chop |
We ended up choosing 3 items from the menu which turned out to be: Steamed vegetarian dumplings, Rice balls with sesame seeds rolled in chopped dried seaweed and crumbed pork chop with salad and rice. Accompanied by a Cass beer, daikon radish pickles and of course kimchi we had a very filling and excellent lunch.
Early Afternooon
Also in Dongdaemun, we saw a couple of interesting motorcycles. One was a 250cc Daliem (manufactured in South Korea) with a sidecar in American colours with Harley Davidson painted on the fuel tank.
The second was a real Harley Davidson that gave a whole new meaning to the expression ‘full dresser’.
It had a cowboy motif, including a belt around the fuel tank with real bullets. Look and weep!
I think I spotted one of the riders in the market, but even if he wasn’t, he should be.
Yesterday I mentioned the extreme walking gear – well along the canal in Dongdaemun it was ‘de rigueur’ as well. Also we found stores selling the gear.
 |
| Walking along the river |
 |
| Can't be too prepared |
 |
| Hiking fashion store |
 |
| No age limit |
 |
| "Extreme" label |
The tops and pants, and all the accessories like hats and gloves, are made of an incredibly thing synthetic fabric that apparently is the best thing for mountaineering, hiking or just shopping.
It’s very well made but not cheap, even in the markets.
Afternooon
Next we headed to Gangnam Station, the centre of K-Pop in Korea, and the focus of the pop hit Gangnam Style by PSY. Visually it was pretty unremarkable, but the overall impression was that it was a centre for young people.
 |
| Gangnam Style sculpture |
 |
| Gangnam district |
 |
| Rooftop of Hyundai Department Store |
All of the shops sold the latest fashions. In the underground shopping arcades were lots of reasonably-priced clothes, but the main street shops were quite expensive but more exclusive.
One highlight though was the rooftop garden of the Hyundai Department Store – a little oasis in the midst of a bustling shopping area.
 |
| Gangnam Style |
 |
| Korean beach fashion |
We resisted the temptation to visit more areas as we were starting to fade and decided to head back to Gyeongbokgung. This city of 10 million people is like a collection of mini cities connected by a very efficient subway system. It’s not centrally focused as much as places like Sydney or London.
I went back to the BNB, but Frances went to a bathhouse for some R&R – see her post.
Evening
For dinner tonight we ventured to the other side of the road – only accessible by an underpass – there are few opportunities to cross the major roads above ground. Partly this was because a number of tourist buses had arrived, disgorging tourists into the restaurants on our side of the road this evening. Shortly we discovered Sejong Village Food Street which was exactly as it sounds -a narrow street of mainly specialist restaurants serving a limited menu; either pork, octopus, squid, eel, beef, shellfish, pancakes, etc.
 |
| Sejong Village Food Street |
 |
| The restaurant where we ate |
 |
| BBQ pork |
Choosing a place was a challenge as there was virtually no written or spoken English. We settled on one that seemed reasonable, and ordered what looked like sliced roast pork.
 |
| The BBQ pork display |
 |
| Our dinner platter |
It was a little expensive, but we then found it came with 2 cold soups, raw vegetables (lettuce, cabbage and hot mint leaves) and pickles.
The pork arrived and the plate was huge, enough for 4 people. It consisted of sliced roast pork and braised roast pork in a hot spicy sauce, with all of the fat and skin attached.
We ate as much as we could, leaving a fair bit on the plate including ALL the fat and skin – not really to our taste. It was not the best meal we’d had, but an experience nonetheless.
The second was a real Harley Davidson that gave a whole new meaning to the expression ‘full dresser’.
