Seoul markets: The graffiti in Insadong and the neon lights of Myeongdong

When I travel, I always find myself drawn to markets. Markets mirror a place’s culture. I'd skip the malls and the theme parks but never the markets. So before setting off for Busan to catch our flight back to Manila, I made time to check out Insadong and Myeongdong in Seoul.

Insadong

It sits right in the heart of Seoul and is a street full of anything and everything – from Korean memoirs like hanboks down to cute little stamps and ice cream served in hollow tubes. We found ourselves walking through every nook and cranny filled with graffiti and led through a hole in the wall which then turns out to be serving the best-tasting rice cake I've ever tried. I'd see locals in bell bottoms (spell that C.O.O.L) playing their guitars. The streets are crowded but not dangerous. And when we find ourselves lost, we simply head to the nearest tourism center to get maps and face-to-face instructions. It almost seemed like a hipster place but well balanced with rich local culture.

How to go to Insadong: 
Lifted from the Official Korea Tourism Organization website
Anguk Station (Seoul Subway Line 3), Exit 6.
Go 100m straight, then turn left.
or
Jonggak Station (Seoul Subway Line 1), Exit 3.
Go straight 300m, and turn left at the 4-way Intersection.

Go straight 100m, and take the left road towards Insadong-gil Road.

Myeongdong

Myeongdong is a shopping mecca. I will say it’s a little more diverse and commercialized with lots of foreign brands standing side by side in a stretch of neon lights and fast-walking human beings. Skinfood, Etude House and Za all bundled in a bangketa. It kicked my kikay self and I really wanted to buy something. But I did not. Instead, my friend and I hopped from corner to corner to find a restaurant that would sell good authentic Korean barbecue. We ended the night having coffee at Holly’s and watching the trade, people and colorful lights blend together into one colorful scene.

How to go to Myeongdong:
Lifted from the Official Korea Tourism Organization website
Myeong-dong Station (Seoul Subway Line 4), Exit 5, 6, 7, or 8.

Euljiro Il-ga Station (Seoul Subway Line 2), Exit 5.