Korea, Seoul - Walking Tour of the Namdaemun Market

By -
Whichever city or town I visit, I usually like to find some time to walk the local markets. It can be any markets; be it a wholesale market, a sunday market or a flea market. Observing how the locals go about their daily business around these markets can be a very enriching experience. From the items sold in these markets, I can quickly get myself introduced to the food culture of the country, city or town that I am visiting.

During my visit to Seoul in September 2011, I spent an entire morning just walking around the Namdaemun market. Namdaemun literally means "Great South Gate" in the Korean language. This market is reputedly the largest as well as oldest in the whole of Korea, dating back to the year 1414!

Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea (2011)

The Namdaemun market is a short walk from the Hoehyeon Subway Station.  More than 1000 stalls sell everything from fresh produce (e.g. fishes, vegetables, ginseng etc.) to toys, shoes, fabrics and accessories. If you are planning a visit, do note that this market is closed on Sundays. On other days of the week, the retail action usually lasts from 7am to 5pm daily.

Fresh seafood, Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea (2011)

Fresh seafood, Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea (2011)

Vegetables, Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea (2011)

Dry ration retailer at her stall, Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea (2011)

Seller and buyer chatting, Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea (2011)

Food handlers at a cooked food stall, Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea (2011)

Street stall, Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea (2011)

Take a break, have a chat, Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea (2011)

Sorting out the day's greens, Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea (2011)

Local Herbs, Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea (2011)

Cooked food, Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea (2011)

Cooked food, Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea (2011)

Shoe retailer, Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea (2011)

Toys at Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea (2011)

Shoppers, Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea (2011)

The streets of Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea (2011)

Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea (2011)

Shoppers, Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea (2011)

The hustle and bustle of the Namdaemun market is a sight to behold. I had a great time walking amongst the many stalls, buying souvenirs for friends back home and of course, taking photographs to digitally record my experiences.

For first time visitors to Seoul, I highly recommend that you spend some time here. I am sure you will enjoy your visit as much as I enjoyed mine! :-)


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Japan, Takayama - Dining on Wasakana

By -
Image
The city of Takayama is also known as Hida-Takayama and is located in the mountainous Hida region of Gifu Prefecture in Japan. A popular dish in Takayama is Wasakana or river fish. There are many species of river fishes in Takayama but the ones that are regularly served as part of the local cuisines are Ayu ( Plecoglossus altivelis , ) a.k.a sweetfish and Iwana ( Salvelinus leucomaenis ), a species of river trout.  Wasakana (River Fish). This fish was pickled and then grilled. I am not sure of the species of this fish which was caught in the river behind the Ryokan where I resided during my stay in the mountains. Takayama, Gifu, Japan (2014) The fishes are usually marinated with sea salt and grilled. This method of cooking the river fishes is most popularly shown in pictures or on travel documentaries. During my visit to Takayama in October 2014, I finally got to savor the delicious tastes of the Wasakana prepared in authentic local styles by the locals....
Read more

Singapore, Horsburgh - Deep Sea Fishing

By -
Image
Horsburgh Lighthouse (or Horsburgh) is located on an outlying small island (a.k.a Pedra Branca meaning "White Rock" in Portuguese) near the entrance to the east of the Straits of Singapore. The lighthouse was named after Cpt James Horsburgh, who was a hydrographer with the then East India Company. Horsburgh is located about 54km (34 miles) east of Singapore. It was raining in the morning as we set off for the long anticipated trip which was planned as far back as 3 months ago in August 1998. There were four of us; YK, Kenneth, CC and myself.  
 Soon, we were on our way to the suppossedly rich fishing grounds near Horsburgh Lighthouse. This locale is considered a good fishing ground for recreational fishing because commercial trawling is supposedly not permitted.  
 We reached our first fishing spot at exactly 5.00 pm local time. Looking around, we couldn't see actually any lighthouse but who cares, it was the fishing that we were coming for, not a visit to so...
Read more

Estonia, Tallinn - Palace of Ungern-Sternberg

By -
Image
I was awestruck by the grandness and magnificence of this building during my walking tour of the Old Town of Tallinn. While there, I had no opportunity to enter the building itself. Thus, admiring its facade and photographing its structure as I walked around its perimeter had to suffice.  The  Palace of Ungern-Sternberg, Tallinn, Estonia (2017) Without knowing what this building was, its history and its name, the photographs I took allowed me to conduct basic research on it after the trip.  Based on my rudimentary research into the building long after my trip to Tallinn, I was to discover that it was built in the year 1865 by the German architect, Martin Gropius. Also known as the Palace of Ungern-Sternberg, the building is today the home of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. The Academy is a group of scientists whose aim is to promote research & development and scientific cooperation as well as knowledge dissemination.  The main build...
Read more