Korea: Garak market part two

Garak market is an established agricultural and fish wholesale market open to the public. In recent years it's come under the wave of modernization, as many markets have, and been updated with a shiny new shopping center to replace the original warehouses. The new building is air-conditioned, bright, and clean- all good things, right? And there's parking available on each of the floors, of which there are three, each tailored to a particular need. The ground floor comprises the majority of the photos I took as I found it the most interesting of the three. The second floor was more or less a Costco-style store with vast quantities of a wide array of foodstuffs available, and the third floor was all restaurants. I didn't make any purchases, partly because I'd already been out and about all morning and was growing tired, but also because the trek home was going to be quite long and I wasn't sure if I could eat any substantial meal without summarily falling asleep on the train....then waking up in some far off train station confused. 

The move for modernization was pushed as being an unavoidable necessity as the surrounding neighborhood itself grows more modern and affluent. Whether that is true or not is debatable, but residents are probably grateful to have a cleaner market to do their shopping in. I felt a bit underwhelmed by the experience, but this could also have been in part due to my getting there later in the day. I've read that if you arrive early the market is more lively as the butchers prepare their cuts for the day and fishermen have their latest goods being carved or tanked for the day, but other blogs have said that they arrived early only to find the place as desolate as I found it. Perhaps the newer building has priced out vendors with higher rent, as was the case for many vendors who resisted the move to the New Noryangjin building. 

Still, as tired as I was, I wanted to make the best of it and get as many photos as I could before heading towards home. Even though they're not as exciting, there is a certain charm to catching places like this during the slow periods. 

More photos below!

Korea: Garak Market part one

Garak market is something of a legend for me; it was the FIRST agricultural wholesale market open to the public of Seoul and facilitates one-third of the overall agricultural and fishing trade. The original buildings went up in 1985, so they had been in operation for decades! The photos I encountered on the Visit Korea website promised warehouses full of vendors with an old school feel and I was excited to find another market to check out, one I hadn't gotten to previously. Other websites, too, show a vibrant and lively market, not unlike Gwangjang market... 

What I found, however, was the Garak Mall, which felt more or less like any other mall, unfortunately.  I mean, they had the fish markets with bubbling tanks and live critters were even swimming in some, and there were many small butchers stands with their chilled displays of fresh meat, but it was quiet during my visit and the spacious, air-conditioned halls echoed with the sounds of my footsteps as I explored. The second floor of the three-storied building was something else, though, like a Costco. An expansive shopping market with towering shelves of bulk product, from cheeses to pickles, dried snacks and processed meats. I didn't make my way to the third floor of the building as it was primarily restaurants where you would take your purchases to be cooked, and I didn't make any purchases. By this point in the day I was already pretty worn out, having tackled the Seoul Fortress wall early in the day. Making the trek out to Garak market alone would be quite the journey, as I was staying in the more suburban area of Hwajeong, so it made sense to hit several spots in one day. 

It took me a bit of wandering around before I found the right place, too. My hangul comprehension got better the longer I was in Seoul, but I didn't (and still don't) have an extensive vocabulary to process (and add meaning to) what I was reading. I may have made a lap around a restaurant before realizing I'd gone in the wrong doors...oops! Overall, though, I was glad to have gone and made the trek to Garak mall at least the once, if just so I could cross one more location off of my to-do list. I'm sure it'd be well worth visiting again in the future, especially with someone who's fluent in Korean and can make more use of all the amenities and things available in the market. 

I've split the photos from this trip in to two posts so as not to overload anyone! Enjoy!