Nau speak: Korea: Namdaemun Market

If you happen to find yourself in Seoul and in need of doing some shopping, Namdaemun Market is an excellent place from which to start! Whether you're looking for some traditional ginseng tonics to cure what ails you or an itty-bitty-Korean-traditional-gown (AKA Hanbok) for your itty-bitty-beauty, a watermelon print neck pillow to ease your travels or some western booze, you can find it all here. This place is MASSIVE and there are so many different shops and items available it's a bit mind-boggling. I found my way into a labyrinthine building specializing in import goods and almost felt like I was going to bump into the Goblin King around a bend. I wasn't exactly rolling in the dough as a foreign artist working on commission, so I didn't have an exorbitant amount to spend here...nor was my Korean sufficient enough to really haggle with any of the vendors, so I didn't purchase much during my visit. I did snag one of those adorable watermelon neck pillows, which still proved itself to be insufficient protection/support when I ended up accidentally sleep-head-butting the girl next to me on my return flight to the US. Womp. But the pillow is still adorable and comfortably practical for short trips, especially road trips. I also grabbed a tank top with a sewn-in-bra, which summarily fell out after the first wash. I was living in a shared apartment with a perpetually rotating supply of roommates (male and female) due to the apartment being shared on AirBnB by the owner, and as much as I like to rip off my booby-holsters and let my girls hang free after a long day, I'm not at a point where I want random people to see my nipples, either. Sewn-in bras and padding on tank tops makes the hot, humid months of Seoul a little more tolerable without having to add too much additional weight or fabric. Trust me, when there isn't central air and the cement and tall buildings trap the heat you'll take nearly any reprieve you can find.

There's also tons and tons of food stands and restaurants proliferating throughout the area, meaning you're never too far from a tasty meal. I tried a few different things during this visit! Believe me when I say that Seoul's street food is worth sampling, often. There are so many food carts and stalls near the major stations and intersections and they're fiercely competitive. The food is almost always guaranteed to be outstandingly good because if it wasn't, the stand wouldn't be able to last long. You can always veer towards popular restaurants, as each station is going to have it's keystone venues, too. Residents and visitors of Seoul are often eager and willing to travel from one station to the next in search of that perfect meal, and with the convenience and ease of transit here combined with incredible quality of food at affordable prices it's easy to see why. Eat all the things! Enjoy your visit. Try something new.

I had a blast here and since it's pretty close to Myeongdong, I walked that way after spending a few hours here. All the photos in this post will be from Namdaemun, however.