Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine August 2016 | Page 88

84

Travel | Seoul
© Alex Barlow

A back alley off Insadong Street.
A traditional fan painter in Insadong.
Detail of a hanbok or traditional
Korean dress.

The best place to kick off a Seoul shopping spree would
have to be Insadong Street, since it has a distinctive Korean
flavour and lies right in the city centre.

It’s also quite touristy, allowing you to get
used to the city – and those Korean won –
before exploring more off-beat destinations.
This delightful little road is at its best on
a Sunday, when traffic is banned. Souvenir
shops are everywhere: you can pick up
Korean wooden masks, traditional fans and
dolls. Locals also come here for traditional
Korean goods such as antiques, old books
and calligraphy, most of which is in Chinese
script. And while hanbok might look a bit out
of place back home, it’s worth taking a look
in the several stores still making these
magnificent traditional costumes.
Insadong also has plenty of contemporary
items for sale. The Tong In Store sells
interesting modern crafts made from metal,
ceramics and even rice paper, and with 70 other
art galleries to choose from, you’re sure to find

something to suit your taste and budget –
artworks here range from just a few dollars
to thousands. Shops also sell beautiful
handmade greetings cards and notebooks,
contemporary ceramics and fashion
accessories such as cheap silk handbags.
If it’s youthful trendiness you’re looking
for, Itaewon is the place to head next.
This district south of the city is a hangout of
Seoul teenagers, and its back alleys are full of
compact restaurants that specialise in bulgogi,
or grilled beef marinated in chilli. Numerous
street stalls sell souvenirs that will delight lovers
of kitsch, such as mugs with sarcastic slogans,
T-shirts emblazoned with pop singers, and
glow-in-the-dark Buddhas.
Itaewon is best experienced in the early evening,
when locals head here after work to browse its