Insa-dong, the traditional street is a famous tourist destination, where I, personally don’t usually favour tourist spots so much. but Insa-dong is unique. they are not only filled with foreigners. instead, I bought the prettiest cheapest pair of boots from an uncle who couldn’t speak in english! (I saw similar boots selling here for around RM120 while I bought it for a little bit over RM50!)
“Haru Bang” or the 하루방 are these huge stone sculptures. VERY FAMOUS. usually with HUGE eyes and a lot shorter. these Haru Bangs are especially famous in Jeju Island 제주도 and are found in many many parts in South Korea.
this is Insa-dong. surprisingly, it didn’t look too crowded on such a beautiful day.
freeeezing.
so, what is sold in Insa-dong? I will say.. everything to do with SILK. silk purses, silk mirrors, silk clutches, silk table cloth.. okay, this is only for this shop. there are things like.. a variety of huge to small brushes, mini hanboks (Korean traditional wear for women), chopsticks, ceramics.. and whatever you can think of that is traditional.
so there are many these and that, everything traditionally beautiful.
CERAMICS!!! hey I make these too. =D. ceramics are called 도자기 Dojagi.
and I was probably blind for being picturate. illiterate on pictures HAHAH. well not like I can see it’s detailed designs so far away pfft.
AND OTHER THAN SELLING THOSE TRADITIONAL STUFF… you’d find many interesting cute stuff the more you walk =D. I bought my cute keychain here for only 3000won = RM9. or was it 4000won. forgot. I saw the same ones selling here in Viva Mall, they imported it and hence they are selling them for RM20. haha.
ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE RINGS!!! either 3000 or 4000won also =D. I bought the brown bear. it was the last one and I took it >=D.
SO, in the middle of the traditional street, here comes a modern place. Ssamziegil 쌈지길.
nothing too huge, but 4 levels high. THIS place is a MUST GO. it’s like the perfect art center. everything there is so unique. things you’d never imagined it to exist. it’s all here.
this artist over here. she draws inpromptu inner portraits. and she draws it ON THE SPOT. heck, every drawing is so pretty it could be hung on my living room! I was so amazed by her! but Insa-dong was actually a last minute plan. so we just snapped away.
see what I mean by artistic? haha. there are more.. paintings on the wall.. words scribbled everywhere on the side stairways (and you’re allowed to, so remember to bring your marker!).. nothing graffiti. I noticed Koreans really love leaving their marks hahaha. it’s a romantic thing I guess. some, they’d even do tattoos to symbolize their love for their partners!
drawings on shirts, badges, PILLOWS, you name it. =D. quite expensive though. kaching kaching~
a pretty shop that sells miniatures. all shops in Seoul is so pretty it makes you want to go into every one of them. really. here, because beautiful shops are so rare, if we see one we wouldn’t dare to walk into it. and in Seoul, it’s EVERYWHERE!
some miniatures from the shop. their display outside. the ones in the shop are like.. earrings, necklace, handphone accessories and stuff.
we got hungry so we went to this pretty underground restaurant.
it’s so pretty and I was thinking that my pockets will have more holes in it. (prettier than normal shops on the street that sells the same food. it’s like.. more exclusive looking)
ordered two sets. one soup set and another sizzling pork galbi. and there came the many side dishes. like 10 of them.
there were more on the left. =D.
and GIM!! whyyyy. why doesn’t any Korean restaurant in Malaysia serve Gim too. Gim 김 = salted seaweed.
those Korean words on the box meant to not take more than what you can eat and have as much as you want ^^. YAY FOR ME HEHEHE.
and you eat it like this. or with just rice. it’s delicious. SUPER DELICIOUS. I had more than one bowl of rice. D=. such a glutton tsk tsk.
I ate at least 10 wraps. =D. I eat a lot for a girl. I ate 7 bowls of pasta before! the bowl is as big as a rice bowl only though. but a little bit bigger.
this pretty building sells ceramics on the ground floor!
will never have my hair cut short. I came to Insa-dong right before my flight. seriously, after a week of not sleeping much, you’d look like that ^.
I thought that this shop is really special, grassy walls. haha. shop for them babies. D=.
Very cold there right now?
September? no, quite hot actually. around 20-30degrees.
Hi Jamie, i really enjoy ur blog especially travel to korea one. ur blog has been very helpful since i’m planning to visit korea on feb…i like all the pictures u taken in korea, may i know what camera did u use ? the quality are superb :)..tq
Hi Jyay, I am glad you found it helpful ^^. my camera is out of the market for quite a while already. but the camera that would do the same job (or even better) for the same price as I bought before would be the Canon EOS 600D. =).
Hi Jamie,
Do you have any experience with Buam-Dong?
Thank you
Hi! Is harubang keychains available anywhere in Seoul? Like Insadong..
Thanks! 🙂