Hostelworld Travel Blog

1. Spectacles, towers, and stir-fry - oh my!

   posted by Guest blogger - Elizabeth Holbrook | 3 Comments

   

   Dec072009

   South Korea, hands down, has the best eyewear. From thick, coke bottle frames to brightly colored spectacles, Koreans both young and old alike, are always sporting the latest trends. I decided to spend my first day in Seoul hunting down the perfect pair of specs.

   I took the subway to Namdaemun market, one of the oldest continually running markets in the city, and began my quest. Wandering through the closed off streets, I passed fruit stands, food stalls and vendors selling any and every item known to man. I soon found row after row of eyewear stores lining the streets. Randomly, I picked a shop and walked in. I immediately headed to the center table lined with cheap frames and picked out a pair of big square glasses. My eye exam (an interesting process with the language barrier), frames and lenses came to a total of 30,000 won, approximately 25 US dollars. Success!

   Happy and sporting my new specs, I headed out of the market and passed a sign pointing the way towards Namsan Tower, a popular lookout of the city. After a few wrong turns, I found my way to Namsan Mountain. Opting out of the cable car, I hiked the short trail, arriving at the tower just around sunset, the city of Seoul spread out before me.

   After snapping some pictures and exploring the grounds, I headed back to Tara’s apartment to regroup and head out for dinner. We decided on dak galbi, a chicken stir-fry dish, minus the dak (chicken). Our vegetarian version of the meal consisted of rice cakes, cabbage, greens, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, onions, and ramen, all cooked in a spicy sauce in a skillet at our table. Combined with a couple of cold beers, it was the perfect ending to my first day in Seoul. 

2. 3 Comments so far.

   JustinBeersons said on 13/04/2011 at 11:34am

   “ Hi - I am definitely glad to find this. Good job!

   Emily said on 10/12/2009 at 7:46pm

   “ Now I'm thirsty! MMMM...beer :)

   Tiana said on 09/12/2009 at 12:59pm

   “ Wonderfully written. Now I'm hungry!

3. Add your Comment...

   • Name*:
   • Email*: (your email won't be published)

   submit>