Visit to Insa-dong

Two Sundays ago, as we were lazying around, I mentioned to Matthew that I wanted to visit Insa-dong again and get some souvenirs for myself. We had gone with Mama during Christmas time, but I had mostly looked and now I wanted to go back and get something. To my surprise he said, "Let's go today." I love his spontaneity. And so we went.

Quickly we showered and got dressed and headed out. It was nearing lunch so Matthew suggested that we eat at Insa-dong for a treat. But I suggested stopping in Iteawon for Thai food at the same place we went with Mama a few months ago. Thai is Matthew's favorite and so we went there first!



The subway ride included many train transfers. And disobeying of signs.



But eventually we made it and were much rewarded! Panang curry...mmmm. Worth every bit of the extra travel time.

Insa-dong was filled with people because it was the weekend. Art galleries were open for viewing and other various types of entertainment. The following video is of a guy we saw immediately upon entering the street. Soccer skills = money. I was wondering if twas worth all the effort, but maybe it's just for fun too. Either way, it was interesting. =)



We browsed the shops and picked up a few items for ourselves but mostly just enjoyed walking together in the new spring air. It's been getting warmer and it was nice to just walk and talk and be somewhere a little different. There are street vendors not only for clothes but food as well.

One place had little dough looking things with the sweet red bean paste inside and so we decided to try them. It was only 1,000 won for 7 of the little pieces.



The outside of the treats were great! Warm and slightly crispy, but the inside was less cooked than we would have liked. We ate half of them and threw away the rest. But life is about experiencing things and we thought, "Why not?"

At one particular place you can walk up a few flights and shop at little shops the whole way around.



This is a view of the different levels and set up. However, what you are also looking through is a clear plastic frame that is set up with the white outlines matching the real outlines. Matthew lined them up and snapped this shot.

There were some fun things to see and at this one spot there were funky sunglasses to try on. I can't read Korean, so I don't know what they were for, and the Koreans were writing something on a pad of paper but we just tried them on and took pictures for fun.






Aren't we cool looking in our shades? =P

As I said it's finally beginning to be spring and we love to see color on the trees and little flowers blooming.

Especially in a city it does your heart good.

Once we finished walking through Insa-dong we decided to have a little dessert/snack before heading back to Incheon. So...we went to McDonalds! Ice cream is cheap and it was close to Insa-dong. On our way across the street to McDonalds we saw this guy selling pig things that looked jello-like. I had Matthew take a video because it was amusing.

As he would pick the pigs up and then throw them down it struck me as very humorous to watch them splat out and then wiggle and jiggle themselves back into a ball shaped golden pig.

Once at McDonald Matthew ordered the food and I went up to find us a table. There were three floors to the McDonalds but on the way up I decided to stop in the bathroom.

For those of you who don't know, in Korea you are not supposed to flush your toilet paper. It clogs things. I thought I'd take a picture to show you a public restroom.



At home I think public bathrooms are nasty but this is even worse for me. Those of you who are reading this and can flush your toilet paper, be thankful.

Matthew and I ate up on the third floor and enjoyed french fries and ice cream.

All too soon it was time to walk back to the station. Luckily it was easy to find from where we were and had an easy ride home.

It may not sound like a grand adventure but it was just fun to get out and do something different. Not having a car can sometimes make you feel trapped and its good to be out and about. I've found it interesting things that I've taken for granted in the United States that I miss in Korea.

We are not living in an impoverished nation. On the contrary they are advanced in many ways, yet each culture has its own comforts. Things that make it home. I miss those. More so, I miss the people who make America home. We pray for you and miss you all.