One of our definite to-dos here in Seoul was the Gwangjang Market. We made our way over there a few days ago (in the pouring rain I might add, that’s dedication!), got a little lost in the electronic market on the way but found it just before the rain started soaking through Joel’s jacket.

We followed our noses to the main food area and did a bit of a recon before deciding what to eat. We got touted by a lady selling dumplings so we started with those; she really wanted us to try some noodle soup too but we passed on that. We got 2 kinds of dumplings (pork & kimchi), about 7 for ₩4000 (~$5AUD). We noticed a lot of places making mungbean pancakes so we tried one of those – really good! The outside was so crispy and the inside warm and fluffy. I also got a fresh squeezed fruit juice – orange, pineapple and a little bit of cider (cider here is kind of like Sprite). I’m not sure why we didn’t get any more food; I guess we were full enough, but I’m sure we’ll go back before we leave Seoul!

For tourists I think Gwangjang it is known mostly as a food market but it also has clothing shops (though mostly aimed at old ladies), tailors, fabrics, bedding (I’ve never seen so many quilt shops) and a whole lighting/electric district a block over. As well as old lady clothes there’s a somewhat hidden treasure upstairs at Gwangjang; second hand clothing, and pretty decent stuff! It seems like all the stalls are run by young people, and the guy we bought off had his stuff on an instagram store also. There was so much designer stuff up there, just insane amounts – pretty much every stall had Polo, but we held back as we didn’t have much cash on us. But I did manage to score a pretty sweet striped rugby (didn’t fit Joel, his loss, my gain!) for ₩30,000 (~$37AUD). We will be hitting them up again, next time with more cash!