Friday, 28 September 2012

Friday afternoon shopping in Gwangjang market

I reached Gwangjang market from Jongno5ga station on line2 and the entrance was just outside exit 12 and 13. I was lucky it was a covered market because the rain was falling heavily and the air was damp outside. This was a last minute trip as well because I was hoping to check out the hanbok market on the first floor. However the ground floor market was very impressive with all the food and house decoration materials that could be bought. I definetely could have grabbed food for lunch while wandering about.

If not in stalls, food was setup on plastic chairs int he middle of the alleys or at crossroads. The displays themselves were so pretty it was a feast for the eyes. Because Chuseok was on Sunday, there were many packaged goods for offerings.


I just marveled at the arrangements and displays, whether fruits, sweets or seafood. The place was huge and there was no end to the food and temptation.



I finally found the nerve to go on the upper floor where all things fabric were sold: from curtain fabric to tower fabric to silk, there were everything. They also sold ready made hanbok and had catalogues of hanbok to order custom made. It was so hot despite the rain and I was trying to cool down at first passing by many fans. There were less people so I was more noticeable as a foreign customer, which I found awkward and not very good if I wanted to be able to bargain.

Eventually I stopped by a booth that had lovely colours and the ahjummas was very eager into asking me which colour I preferred, how long a fabric I needed, and even opened a catalog to showcase the other colours and match the samples I chose. I was in a bind since I already had so much fabric at home with not so much as an idea to sew them. But the lovely yellow colour won me over and another electric blue/dark turquoise one. I wasn't really looking for it but it was silk supposedly and they weren't too expensive. So I got a grey one too to top it off. Her credit card machine didn't work so she had to call the next booth to lend her one. And after that she sat me down like an aunt and served me juice and kept talking about her daughter in Oxford. I was seriously amazed at how much I was getting into the conversation, helped with the phrasebook. And the 3 other booth were watching us like TV...without laughing so I wasn't making a fool of myself at least! It was quite enjoyable to shop despite the initial awkwardness.

As the afternoon ended, I had to return to Sinchon as I had an appointment in the evening. The market got me everything I needed in term of atmosphere, food, fabric and more. It was definetely a must see and must-return place, to enjoy a leisure stroll and a chat with the locals.






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