I was really excited for the day's plans. It was something I had wanted to do the moment I landed and got situated in Seoul. I read somewhere on the interwebs about the inexpensive glasses available from Namdaemun and my goal was set, prescription sunglasses shall be mine at last!
A late night meant most of us ended up waking up around noon. After grabbing a quick meal in Edae, our group took the subway to Namdaemun Market to scout for some new specs.
Since Bestie C wasn't too interested in glasses shopping with me, I was really excited to hear that our Californian friends were. I was most afraid of my haggling skills and welcomed the extra support of going with a group of people. It was definitely reassuring to know that those friends had superior price negotiating tactics than me.
I probably mentioned it in one of my first Korea Diary posts, but Namdaemun Market had way too many eyeglass shops to choose from. What originally began as going into one to just price gauge became staying at one to price haggle. Our first and only visit ended up at Good Morning Eyeglass 굿모닝 안경원. It was one of the bigger places that could accommodate our large group.
One side of their store housed mainly the designer brands like the Ray Bans, Chanel, etc. The other side had the Korean brands, which were, of course, the more affordable options. Regular clear glasses from the domestic Korean brands could cost around ₩20,000. The price went up with additional things such as the thickness of the lens. Sunglasses frames were also priced a little higher as well.
If my eyesight wasn't as terrible and I was a stronger haggler, perhaps I could have gotten a pair of new specs for less than ₩20,000. Alas, that's not me. I was prepared to pay more for the thinnest lenses possible. These things practically live on my face so that I am able to navigate the world. I needed them to feel as if they weren't there. To no surprise, the prices the salesman gave was much higher for my requests. It wasn't as expensive as what it would cost back in NYC but a big difference from a no-frills version in Seoul.
(For comparison, I had my eyes checked before going to Korea and was quoted for a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses with thinner lenses and I believe anti-scratch. A sales person at a popular eyeglass chain in NYC told me it would cost $600+ for the sunglasses. The typical cost of my previous glasses with thinner lenses and anti-scratch was around $400-500.)
It took me a very long time to finally decide the frames that I wanted to buy. There were just so many choices to choose from. While I went in knowing 100% that I was going to walk out with a pair of sunglasses, I also tacked on a pair of normal glasses as well. Being in an Asian eyeglass shop meant most of the frames had nose support that suited small Asian nose bridges. This was an opportunity too good to pass up on. Plus, I thought it would help with the price haggling. Saying 2 for $xxx is easier than going 1 for $xxx.
If my memory is correct, I think the salesman originally told me that the prices of both frames together would be around ₩500,000. If I was back at home, this would have been a great deal. But I was hoping to get a steal.
I made the "ehh I don't know" and "it still seems pretty pricey" faces while staring at my choices.
Mr. Sales saw and shot back with a lower price saying that it was because I was buying two & he was giving a special discount.
Again, I gave him my unsure face. Until some time later he asked me how much I was thinking.
Bingo! Without looking too excited, I gestured 2 fingers, pointed at my picks, and then replied with ₩200,000.
Of course, Mr. Sales didn't give in that easily. After a bit of insistence and more back and forth, he finally gave in. YES!
In just an hour's time, the new spectacles would be mine. I say I definitely won the lottery at ₩100,000 a piece. I couldn't even have bought 1/6 pair of a sunglass in NYC at that price.
I went in knowing my eyesight so that I could avoid any potential language dilemmas surrounding an examination. But for those who aren't sure of their prescription, I believe shops do basic exams free of charge.
Everyone had souvenir gifts they needed to purchase and there were so many snacks to try. An hour at the Namdaemun Market went by really quickly. Same day glasses service is the best. Everything from start to finish only took less than 4 hours of the day. If you're not as indecisive as me it could even take only take 2 hours before new glasses reach your hands.
By the time we settled our glasses To-Do, dinner time was greeting us. Our big group found our way to nearby Myeongdong for dinner at School Food Blooming Mari. I don't have much memory of this place except for their colorful cidar/Sprite fruit drinks.
The only bar my friends and I went to in Korea was Bar Pro and that was for their unlimited drinks for an inexpensive price. It definitely wasn't the strongest cocktails but none of us went to Bar Pro for the drink quality.
After introducing our Korean friend (the one who studied full time in America) to Bar Pro, he told us he could show us a better place, alcohol-wise. That's how we ended up in Hongdae's 1st Island that night. 1st Island was definitely interesting. The first thing we were greeted with as we walked inside was a little inflatable pool with a turtle and then a small alligator inside a tank. I think the fee was around ₩25,000 for unlimited drinks, which is considerably higher than at Bar Pro but the cocktails were much much stronger and of bigger quantities.
A few friends left early because they didn't feel well. Being a little curious as to what bar culture was like, I decided to stick around. The more experienced friends in the group led the drinking games and that's how we entertained ourselves for the next couple of hours as we slowly drank/sipped on the vodka cocktails.
The last thing I wanted was to be utterly hammered. I had no idea what my limit was but I kept myself in check with how much I sipped since we had no pressure from each other to chug anything. While I left 1st Island conscious and aware, the same cannot be said about a couple of my friends. None were had the point of throwing up but their imaginations sure ran wild. It was probably in the AMs, we were all walking along to get towards a busier area and someone had mistaken a dog to be paper or vice versa. That sure was a good laugh!
I am not sure what the hangover eats are in Korea but a seollongtang 설렁탕 (ox-bone soup) shop was open at the insane hour we were still out. We needed a place to sit and clear our heads anyways.
By the time we were all okay enough to head back, the only options we had were either a taxi or on foot. Most of us were more than glad to hail a cab the short distance from Hongdae to SK Global. A few wanted to journey back via a stroll, so we ended up splitting up and saying goodbye for the night. It was already past 3AM by the time I arrived in my dorm room and Bestie C had probably been asleep for a few hours already. The hard mattress in my dorm room never looked so comfy.
After gathering our luggages, we had to wait 3 hours at the airport so Bestie C could pick up the SIM card she pre-ordered at "K Books" bookstore. Nothing too exciting but we were both ecstatic to just be there.
Once everything was sorted out, we were ready to finally leave the airport. The both of us discussed our airport departure plan a few days prior. Although the normal all-stop train at ICN would have been the cheaper option, we ended up deciding to take the bus due to the big suitcase factor (mainly my ginormous luggage). The airport bus ticket was ~ ₩10,000. I'm glad with our choice now! After experiencing the subway all summer, it would have been a pain to drag just the number of suitcases we had 'round and 'bout the public transport.
Our destination was to Hongdae since the AirBnB place we booked was closest to that area. Once we got off the bus the next big challenge was finding our way to the provided address. Our host, Euna, had sent us lovely picture directions and suggestions, one of which was to take a taxi from Hongdae to her studio/apartment.
It wasn't hard to find a taxi in Hongdae. It was difficult trying to tell the driver where we wanted to be. We had the address in Korean and English, but he still had a hard time finding the place. When the taxi driver got frustrated with us, in part because we were foreigners. He got even more agitated when he told us to call Euna but we couldn't.
Our host did say her building was really new and not all the GPS had it in their systems. But the driver insisted we didn't even show him the Korean address. We were ultimately able to find the place after he called Euna for us, but...it was not a pretty conversation. I don't remember the exact words, nor did I understand most of the conversation at the time, but judging by his tonality and the few words I could make out things were getting heated.
When we finally met Euna in person, I was so afraid that she would have a bad impression of us due to the "argument" with the taxi driver. She was everything but! Euna was so nice and even said that he was completely not understanding. She thought we were overcharged and even said she would call the taxi company later on.
We were guided into her building and shown our room for the next 3 days and 2 nights. Even though she wasn't finished with cleaning the room from the previous guest, she allowed us to "check-in" early and leave our things there in order to explore a bit. (I had asked beforehand for an earlier check-in and she was very accommodating!) But oh her poor husband had to lug our suitcases up to the 3rd floor since they did not have an elevator - forever grateful! (I had a difficult time trying to get everything down the stairs when we left, forget about up!)
T Money Card - Paris Baguette Iced Caramel Macchiato - Paris Baguette Red Bean Streusel Bread
Euna even showed us around her area a bit and helped us purchase & load our T Money card for using public transportation. (Our card was ₩3,000 but according to Bestie C, typical T Money cards cost about ~₩2,500. The card we got came with a coupon book to various things in Seoul/Korea.) Euna asked us where we were interested in visiting and even pointed us in the direction for transportation.
We were suggested to take a nearby bus route to Hongdae, but neither of us felt confident enough then to take on that adventure. Since we already passed through Hongdae earlier and saw the route the taxi driver took to the studio/apartment, the two of us walked back to the main Hongdae streets for our first mini-adventure. Along the way we stopped by one of the many Paris Baguettes to grab breakfast and tried our best to figure out the SIM card situation, which we still couldn't resolve then.
First major tourist stop ~ Trick Eye Museum in Hongdae
I don't remember if we had directions or not before hand, but we did ultimately have to ask the person at the Tourist Information booth for help because the museum was actually located on a small side street.
The Trick Eye Museum ticket was ₩15,000 . It was really fun trying to get the pictures just right in order to capture the optical illusions and seeing how the optical illusions worked. But be forewarned, the museum is a tourist (especially group tourists) hotspot! Prepare to "fight" to get your shot amongst all the others. May not be everyone's cup-a-tea, probably applies more for the perfectionists out there.
An unlikely 1st souvenir from a little boutique shop at the museum but how could I resist?
The things there didn't have much (if anything) to do with the Trick Eye museum, but there were tons of just cute bits and bobs & the typical souvenir-fare items.
The Trick Eye Museum ticket that we purchased also allowed admittance into the Ice Museum. It felt great to go in given how hot and stuffy it felt in the Trick Eye portion of the building (hot day + tons of people = no bueno.) This section in comparison was much smaller but given that it is really just a walk-in freezer, it probably isn't wise to spend too much time in the ice box anyways. The little cold-protectant pull-over did help a little, but it was still a "run in, snap photo, and get out" kind of situation. Nonetheless, there was a really cool ice slide for those who aren't afraid of getting their tushies a bit nippy ^^
Maybe around noon-ish we were finished with the museum and wandered Hongdae a bit. Familiarized ourselves with the streets, stores, and came across the Hongdae Playground Park. Since it was the middle of the day there wasn't much going on when we were there.
Promoters/Performers for the grand-opening of ABC Mart (shoe shop) in Hongdae
Nice to see marketing stuff in a foreign country!
All decked out in their store uniform (I am assuming) cheering and dancing all coordinated.
Around 2-3PM we headed back to our home for the time being, hoping to cool off from the heat and most of all to drop off our bags full of electronics and such. Luckily Euna was able to finish tidying up while we were gone and we were able to finally relax a bit. There was a little trouble trying to figure out the Wi-Fi password for the room. When we got some sort of service we were able to resolve the situation with a quick message to Euna.
Euna calls her building the "Sweet Seoul Residence" and our room in particular was ~USD$55 per night. She has other rooms available as well that are in the same figure range. For the price, the place was nicer than you'd think! It was like a pretty typical Korean studio one would expect after seeing dramas. Of course it isn't as big but the amenities were all relatively the same: washing machine only, a small stove-top (ours electric though, not gas), low-height furniture, and shower stall-less/tub-less bathroom. The bed was more than enough for the two of us and having a TV with cable channels was the icing on the cake.
We tried and was finally successful at figuring out the whole SIM card scenario. Otherwise we would have had to plan a trip to their store/office location. Despite the lengthy instructions that came with the SIM and on the website, it apparently seemed to have automatically started after either the card was placed in or the first run-through of the manual.
Once those little things were settled we devised our route to Namdaemun Market. Along the way we passed by the City Hall - Cheonggyecheon area. There was a memorial site of sorts for the Sewol victims, as well as an international student/foreigners type of gathering event. Unfortunately we weren't able to go down to the stream itself but it was pretty nonetheless.
My only goal the first day in Korea was to get prescription sunglasses to use for the rest of my trip in sunny Asia. I read that Namdaemun Market was apparently THE hub for glasses wholesalers in Seoul and prices are pretty much cheapest there.
While on the look-out for the market, we came across the Namedaemun/Sungnyemun (Great South Gate). One of the multiple fortress walls that use to enclose Seoul. The one we saw was sadly not the original though because (if I remember correctly) the gate was recently burned due to arson. I love that another one was built to at least symbolically represent the past history of the gate. I also really like the juxtaposition of "old" and new. The gate is literally in the middle of a bunch of tall buildings and seemingly very out of place.
When we finally found an entrance into the market, dark clouds were rolling in and vendors all seemed to be covering up for the day and/or due to the impending weather condition. Even though I was really set on getting my sunglasses, it wouldn't have been nice to get rained on. Plus there really was an overwhelming number of optical stores in every corner of the market. I was honestly a little intimidated to walk into any one store to just browse and gauge prices on my first very day in Korea.
Bestie C and I were both pretty hungry when we got to the market so we grabbed some Odeng 오뎅 or Eomok 어묵 (fish cake) for ₩3,000 before heading back home. Luckily they had a Modeum 모든 (everything) version that had a piece of all the flavors available on one skewer.
Our night ended with eating take-out Mool Naengmyun 물 냉면 and Mandu 만두 (from Byulcheonji Seollongtang 별천지설농탕) while enjoying the cable TV service at our "home" ~ a familar activity in a foreign place.
Exploring Namdaemun Market was destined to be for another day...
