Culture, Shopping, Comfort
- February 21, 2008
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Mr. Eslinger from Ft. Riley, Kansas
Insadong was a regular on my weekend trips to Seoul when I resided in Korea from 2004-2005. One item in particular that I purchased from the streets of Insadong is actually right in front of me. There was a wood carver on the street side who made various vases, etc. We stopped to watch him and his craft and I decided that I would purchase one of the wooden vases that were made to hold paint brushes, pens, whatever. The man spoke a little english and asked for my name. He handed me a pen and a small piece of paper to write it down for him. He then carved my name onto the vase with Hangul characters before placing it into the bag.
The streets are lined with shops that contain small craft items (art devices, masks, vases, sculptires, etc.) with various price ranges. There are also several tea/coffee taverns located off the street, (Starbucks for those who miss it). At times, they also close the street to hold festivities and traditional parades.
There is a large park located next to the district in which I cannot recall the name of, but remember taking some good photographs.
The Jongno Tower skies above the district and gives a sample of the modern architecture in the cultural district.
I would highly recommend anyone who is looking for something to take home as a symbol of their time spent in Korea.