Korean Folk Village

Saturday was a beautiful, sunny day - the trees were in blossom, the greenery fresh, and there was no doubt that spring has arrived. We have been waiting for weather like this, and had postponed a few items that are on our "hit list" for a day just like this. So, after we had breakfast, and packed up our stroller, a lunch and all the camera and tourist paraphernalia, we were enroute to our destination:

The Korean Folk Village.

The village is not far from our place, close to a ten minute drive. There was a huge parking lot, so parking was a breeze. (You might wonder why this is worth mentioning, but this is usually a concern for us when we drive to Seoul, or anywhere unfamiliar, since people seem to park anywhere and we still are a bit mystified about the rules....) It was relatively inexpensive to visit, $12.00 each, and considering its a whiole day of enterainment, thats not too bad.

Basically the village is set in a natural environment of 243 acres, and there are more than 260 houses from the different regions of Korea. There are markets, and workshops, where the culture of the Joseon dynasty are recreated. It was neat to watch straw shoes being weaved, and paper fans created. There were workshops on how silk, paper, and bean paste were produced, and how grains were milled. It was a fun and lively atmosphere to learn how Koreans lived and worked, long ago.

There were a few performances that we checked out: an acrobat walking the tightrope, Farmers music and dance, and hoseback riders doing lifts and stunts.

We needed a pick me up after trecking around the park. We had read in our Lonely planet to look out for the "magician" making dragon's beard candy - it's made from honey hand pulled in flour to widths of human hair. We managed to find the stall where it was being made, and met the "TV star" himself (pictured on the box). We watched them make the candy, and wrap the strands around a nut mixture.

We picked up a box for 5,000 W (5 bucks). It was pretty good, not something one might get addicted to like.....chocolate... but an interesting taste no less. Honey, flour and nuts.....hmmn, inventive, I'll give them that.

We also picked up some puffed rice crackers, and judging by the picture of the empty bag, you can see how much we liked them!

12:15pm

Lexi woke up at 6:45am this morning, and has developed a new habit of nodding off in her high chair. Here's hoping for a sleep in day tomorrow!

lexi april 2010 part 2

lexi april 2010 part 1

Spring is here!!

Lexi and I went for a walk today, and I left my jacket at home! It was sunny and warm, and the buds are opening on some of the trees.

Our mission today was to try to find a light umbrella stroller to take with us to Japan, something cheap, since we plan to leave it there. We didn't find what we were looking for, but we had a good walk, and enjoyed nature anyways.







.

Book Market - Seoul

Across the street from the craft and textile markets, is a book market. To me this is a great demonstration of how the market stores display their products. Big piles. Everywhere. Every inch must be used.

Hmmmmnnnn.... I want that book..... the one on the very bottom of that
ten foot pile. My theory is that you have to prove that you have mastered the game of "jenga" before you can shop here.

Tapgol Park

This park is across the street from the hotel where we snag free parking spots at, on the days we visit Seoul. As we drove past on our last visit, I noticed a pagoda that I had seen pictured on tourist sites. As it was en route to the subway station, we spent some time there, looking at the statues, and other historical monuments on display.

This park is where the Declaration of Independence was read. The name -Tapgol - means Pagoda Park. Its a fitting name, since one of the oldest pagodas in Korea is here.
Ten story Pagoda from 1467, which is made of marble. It is on display behind a glass enclosure (below).

Express snacks

We often see these guys on the freeway, but never have our camera out in time.

Dongdaemun Market - Seoul

On Saturday, we went to check out Dongdaemun market. We had read that it is the largest market in Seoul, and that there were a variety of goods to be found. I have been on the hunt for some buttons, and heard that I might be able to find them here.

It was a beautiful sunny day, and by the afternoon we were able to walk around without our
jackets and scarves.

r

Dongdaemun Market is located near its namesake of Dongdaemun (Great East Gate). Korea's largest wholesale and retail shopping district has 26 shopping malls, 30,000 specialty shops, and 50,000 manufacturers. The first "mall" we entered was the textile/craft mall. I had heard that I might be able to find wool and buttons here. Little did I know, that there would be an entire floor dedicated to both.

Level 1: knitting and wool

Level 2: bedding and textile

Level 3: Sewing supplies and buttons

Level 4: fabrics

Level 5: beads and supplies

We made a bee line for the basement, and were astonished at the plethora of stuff down there! There was wool everywhere, stacked in piles on the floor, that reached to the ceiling. Wherever there was space, there was wool. It was a bit of a challenge getting around, especially since we had our stroller. The aisles are VERY narrow, and there are products spilling out of the stores, and a lot of shoppers milling about. If I had to guess, there are probably close to 250 wool stores down there. Its a totally different shopping experience. There was so much to look at, that it was a bit overwhelming. Since the stores basically look the same, it was hard to remember if we had already been there.

This is the textile division, where they sell all products related to curtains, and bedding.



More wool......

We checked out the other floors, and burned ourselves out! Time for a break. We headed out and found some lunch, while Lexi had a nap in the stroller. When you order a dish in Korea, it comes with many side dishes.

Another thing we really like, is that the food courts don't use any disposable dishes. They have water dispensers that you fill your metal cup with, and your dishes are collected when you leave. Its a pretty Eco friendly country.

Seoul Tower

This weekend, Trevor's Uncle Marv and Aunt Lois were in Seoul for a conference, and had some spare time to do some sight-seeing with us. It was really great to have a visit with family, see familiar faces, and have a face to face chat in English! Lexi mistook Marv for Grandpa, so it was love at first sight.

We took a ride up the elevator to Seoul tower, and took in the view of the never ending sea of highrises. It was a relatively clear day out, thanks to a few days of rain and snow.











Its incredible how accurately they can measure the distance from this pain of glass to home. The question is ... where in Vancouver are they measuring to, withing 10 meters??

The funny thing is, its actually a TYPO! We put it into Google Earth to find out where that distance would get us, but found out its actually 8,174 km. OOPS!! I guess its too expensive to change one number.

Namdaemun Market

On Saturday we decided to attempt (for the second time), to explore Seoul. Our first attempt, the previous weekend, ended with us getting off the subway halfway there. Our normally happy and content daughter decided to express her displeasure with our plans and we caved under all the frowns and glares that we were getting. Public transit with a baby = no fun. This time, we took our car

The plan:
1. Check out the markets (with a buggy!
Yikes!!)
2. Stroll the streets (aka: human bumper karts
with frostbite)
3.Take in the culture (ignore # 4 - we
needed some of the comforts of home)
4. Find a Starbucks (feel a bit ashamed
about this one .... its only been a month)

Seoul is a bustling city, with over 11 million people! The drive into the city was a bit stressful, as its hard to navigate, when your map is written 100% in Korean. Thankfully, the destination we were heading for was not far off the beaten path. We snagged a FREE parking spot (albeit through sneaky means ... we "visited" one of Trevor's co-workers at the hotel he was staying.) We bundled up Lexi in the stroller, and started our trek to Namdaemun market. After a few wrong turns, new directions from a helpful English speaking Korean man, and 3km later: we arrived! We spotted a Starbucks, warmed our cold hands, and revelled in the taste of a good cup of coffee.

The population density in Seoul is 16,700 per sq km versus Vancouver at 1,650 per sq km. It explains why its nearly impossible to walk two steps without having someone bump into you, especially with a stroller. The market is very popular on weekends, and since its closed on Sundays, It was busy!

The market covers 10 acres, and there are about 10,000 stores. Its the largest market in Seoul, where you can buy things like: octopus, dried squid, ginseng, peanuts, dried beans and grains, vegetables, shoes, clothing, scarves, furs, fabrics etc. I happened to stumble upon a wool store, and picked up some supplies for a new project.

The streets are not accessible by car, (although the motorcycles sure zip through, at a rapid pace) and vendors set up shop in the alleys and walkways between buildings.

The market closes at 6:30 pm, and all the vendors wrap their goods, on their carts, and wheel them away. It was really nice to see the city lit up at night. There are many streets lined with trees, covered in white lights, and fountains are decorated, and buildings are lit with colorful lanterns which change color.

It was a fun day in Seoul! We now have a few more things on our list to explore, things we didn't have time to check out this time. I added more pics in the slideshow, if your interested.