Insadong
Our hotel is near the area of Insadong. This is a bustling area with narrow streets, lots of pedestrians, and oodles of shops and vendors vying for your money. Yet, it’s far from “touristy” in the American way. Instead, it’s rather charming, with tree-lined streets, unique vendors, tiny shops, and “Mom and Pop” businesses.
This shot gives you a sense of the place. The vendor is making and selling something similar to a doughnut. Her buyers are Buddhist monks, seen in pale grey. (I wasn’t sure of the photography protocol, so I shot them from the back.) And that’s my son, Andrew, on the right. He’s the reason we’re in Korea: feeding his dream to one day teach here.
Click any image for a larger view
One of the first things that caught my attention in Insadong was a stair rail bedecked with bright yellow ribbons. They were beautifully illuminated by the afternoon sun. We later learned that they are in memory of the many people who died in a recent ferry incident.
Catering to the tourists, (most of them from China and Japan,) traditional Korean items were available. This is a ready-made facsimile of a traditional Korean hanbok. An authentic hanbok would more likely be custom-made for a special event.
The traditional style of patchwork, pojagi, could also be found in several stores. They were beautiful! Made from sheer ramie, with double stitched seams, they’re often displayed in windows, where the light can filter through.
Korea has no history of pieced bed coverings. The pojagi were traditionally used to wrap something, often a gift, and they sometimes have ties on the corners to help with this. These days, they’re art for the wall.
There are also plenty of contemporary products and novelties in Insadong. One of the most unusual things we saw were these wacky ice cream “cones.” They come in a variety of sizes, all of them with some sort of twisted U shape. They are hollow and are filled with soft serve ice cream and are eaten from both ends. Tricky!
Here they’re shown hanging over the doorway of the vendor’s shop. I’m thinking you’d get a fresh one if you were inclined to buy one!
We’re having lots of fun discovering Seoul.
Ellen Lindner
P.S. Check out the pojagi-like patchwork I made.
