Myeong Dong Street 10
Walking Street with hundreds of small shops
A must visit place is Myeong Dong Street 10 in Seoul. We requested our host Paul to drop us there, and he obliged by sending us to Nam Demoon area, which is basically like a night market area or 'pasar malam' which sells everything from toursist souvenirs, to Korean ginseng, to KPop memorabilia to fake Tshirts, ties and bags. Not very classy but my colleague Sean and I had a decent time shopping.
After buying our obligatory take home things such as ginseng, chocolates and KPop memorabilia, we had a lovely dinner along the roadside costing us a princely US$ 50. We thought we were ripped off but the next day our host told us that in Seoul, a simple dish cooked even in a small dining hall costs Won 10000 or US$ 10.00. As we had ordered 5 dishes, the bill rightfully came to US$ 50. In addition, we both enjoyed the Korean Soju or rice wine.
On weekends it gets really crowded with tourists and locals
As we were walking back to the taxi stand, I remembered that the Myeong Dong Street 10 was nearby and so we ended up at the more famous Orchard Road style street with all the brand names and small cosmetic shops selling many brands ranging from SK II, to the Korean OIPE skin care line. I was quite amazed that the Korean men, also take good care of their skin, as can be seen by their TV, KPop and movie stars. I was quite influenced by the apparent discipline in facial hygiene that before I returned, I bought several after shave lotions as well as a famous brand's, Kiehls' dermotological skin mosituriser.
Shops selling the latest KPop offerings, CDs,DVDs, Posters, Mugs, you name it
So, coming to the end of a very nice work cum relaxing visit to S.Korea, my impression of the country is that watch our world, S. Korea culture and products are coming soon to a store near you ! They are already world famous brand names in our countries such as LG, Samsung, Kia, Hyundai, Sangyeong. This is only the tip ot the iceberg. Wait 5 more years and sea what other things they will dominate in.
My guess it will be in the music, drama soapies, and a cheap travel destination.
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