Getting Lost in the Ihwa Mural Village

UPDATE: The mural village has been permanently closed, due to tourist traffic disrupting the community. I'll leave this entry up, as it's full of photos and the history of the neighborhood, but its murals have been painted over. :( 

After nearly three years in Korea, I feel like I've managed to see a lot of stuff. Loads of the touristy spots, tons of festivals, and even a fair amount of the quirkier activities. Overall, I feel pretty accomplished. 

I now have about three months left in Korea and... well, the "Korea To-Do" note on my phone is absurdly and intimidatingly lengthy... [Seriously, what you see on my Bucket List is just a handful of the mess that is the disorganized list of things I've jotted down in my phone...]

I've been quite proactive lately, checking out new places weekly. Recently, I was able to cross a slightly-less-well-known spot off of the list in my phone by visiting the Ihwa Mural Village. 

My friends and I had decided to head to the Ihwa Mural Village after reading about it online. Murals scattered on the walls of houses in a neighborhood? Sounds awesome. That was basically all we knew as we set out for our sightseeing. Since then, while researching the area for this blog, I've learned quite a bit about its history, and it's pretty cool.

As Seoul has grown over the years, certain neighborhoods have been forgotten in the rapid development. The ones situated on the sides of mountains remained somewhat untouched for a long time due to their undesirable location and poorer demographic. They're called dal dongnae, or moon villages, since being on a mountain puts them closer to the moon. While many have been demolished in recent years in favor of fancy, modern architecture, a few have survived. 

The neighborhood of Ihwa-dong is one of these moon villages, situated on Naksan ("san" meaning mountain), and it houses the murals we went to see. Stepping foot into this area is like a time warp. Steep hills, narrow alleys, and surprising silence. There are no cars or delivery bikes zooming along, and the area is devoid of neon signs, making it feel like you aren't even in Seoul anymore, much less the 21st century. While I do think that the typical row after row of high-rise apartment buildings looks cool (and also makes me think of this), these smaller, old-fashioned homes all stacked right next to each other are far more picturesque and charming. 

The beautification of Ihwa-dong is similar to the project undertaken in 2010 to save Hongje-dong, or the "Ant Village," as well as other areas in Korea. Over sixty murals fill Ihwa-dong, painted as part of the "ART in the City 2006" campaign by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as a way to rejuvenate the image of these smaller, older neighborhoods. To quote the Seoul Metropolitan Government's website about Ihwa-dong, the idea behind this project was to "improve living conditions through practical and financial help and support, as well as giving the area an artistic and cultural makeover." 

Artists were hired, murals were mapped out, and now it's a tourist destination. Some of the houses have even been converted into restaurants and cafes, seizing the opportunity for revenue from all the wandering tourists. We spotted a lot of other tourists and photographers as we walked around, and we even stumbled (quite literally) onto the set of what looked like a new drama... No clue which drama, but we stopped to watch as one of the actors had a very pensive moment at someone's rooftop door, struggling internally over whether or not he should knock. 

While we wandered, we got distracted by finding part of the old Seoul City Wall, so mural-hunting was abandoned for the day as we decided to hike up Naksan instead to catch a view of the city at sunset. But! I'm planning to head back to Ihwa-dong soon so I can get lost in its tiny alleys as I search for the murals that I missed. 

Words of advice:

• Much like the Bukchon Hanok Village, this is a real neighborhood, so be respectful of the residents. Luckily, the majority of the murals are on walls that line the common areas, so you won't feel like a creep/intruder when you take pictures. 
• Lots and lots of stairs and some areas have uneven pavement (it's on a mountain, after all), so keep that in mind when choosing your footwear for the day! 
• While it's called "Ihwa Mural Village," don't confuse it with the area near Ewha Women's University! Very different areas, so follow the directions below so you can get their easily.
• While you're there, check out the Daehangno area that surrounds Hyehwa station -- it seemed like a really hip and interesting area, and one that I definitely want to revisit. 

Directions:

• Hyehwa Station, Seoul Metro Line 4, Exit 2.
• Go straight for 200m, then turn left onto the street called Dongsung-gil.  
• Walk straight until you get to the Lock Museum.  
• After about 50 meters, turn right onto the street called Naksan Gongson-gil and walk towards Naksan Park.  
• Keep an eye out for signs -- there will be some for Naksan Park, including maps that show you the different paths to take around Ihwa-dong. 

Street Food at Gwangjang Market

Korean street food. Three words that will always, without a doubt, get my attention. As someone who's constantly hungry, the delicious options at the street food carts in Korea won me over instantly. Imagine my excitement, then, when a friend suggested stopping by Gwangjang Market in Seoul for dinner, telling me it offered basically every kind of street food imaginable...

One of the entrances to the food part of the market.

Gwangjang, (or Kwangjang, as it's sometimes spelled,) is one of Korea's oldest markets, dating back to 1905. Like most markets in the area, it's also an excellent spot for shopping.

However, we approached the market with the express purpose of eating, having spent the day shopping and wandering aroung the new Dongdaemun Design Plaza. As we entered the market, we were immediately overwhelmed with tons of stalls selling every kind of street food.

The little "restaurants" all look about like this -- a tiny kitchen surrounded by a counter with stools.

One of the main aisles of the market.

We walked the length of one of the aisles, taking in all of our options, before we decided to pick a spot with some empty seats and order. While we were walking, I kept noticing these tiny little rolls of gimbap stacked up. That's when I suddenly remembered that I'd read about this market and this particular kind of gimbap: aka drug gimbap. 

Give me all the drug gimbap you have.

Of course, this gimbap doesn't contain any drugs. Its name, mayak gimbap, which means "drug gimbap," refers to the "addictive" quality of these little bite-sized pieces of gimbap and the mustard-soy dipping sauce it's served with. I'd been curious to try it out since reading about it in a blog, and they weren't exaggerating -- it's goooood. Between the sauce and the small bites, it really is easy to just pop one into your mouth after another. 

If you're looking for this gimbap in the market, you can keep an eye out for the gimbap rolls themselves, or any sign that reads "마약 김밥" (mayak gimbap), like the white sign behind her head in the photo.

So many foods to try! I wanted to order everything.

While I ate my gimbap, my friends ordered one of Gwangjang Market's other popular eats: bindaetteok, which is a fried pancake made of ground mung beans. Crispy and hot, everyone happily inhaled these.

The sauce for the gimbap = perfect.

After eating as much as we could, we were shooed along by the women running the stall -- a queue had formed behind us of customers who were waiting to sit down and order food. Definitely approach this market with patience, especially if you go around dinner time as it gets quite busy.

On the way out, I decided I needed something sweet, and immediately began scanning signs for hotteok, which is a simple fried pancake filled with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts. As it's cooked, the filling turns into a sweet, syrupy mess and it's absolutely heavenly. 

I will find any possible opportunity to eat hotteok.

Like most street food, grabbing a meal at Gwangjang Market is cheap. Really, really cheap. A serving of the mayak gimbap and one hotteok only set me back 3,500 won. That's less than $3.50 USD. The bindaetteok were 4,000 won each. There's so much more that I didn't get to try, too, so I'm definitely going to be making future trips to this market when I'm back in the area. 

Directions & Information:

• Jongno 5-ga Station, Seoul Metro Line 1, Exit 8 -or- Euljiro 4-ga Station, Seoul Metro Lines 2 and 5, Exit 4. 
• Hours: 10am to 9-10pm. Hours will vary from stall to stall.
• Pro tip: Bring cash. Most of these stalls don't accept cards.
• For more information, check out Trazy's site for the market.

I highly recommend stopping by Gwangjang Market if you're looking for delicious street food (and shopping, too!). Not only is it an experience within itself, it's also just a good spot to grab dinner after you've spent the day wandering around Seoul's markets! 

Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park

Next to Dongdaemun Gate is an area of Seoul famous for its countless markets. From clothing to textiles to craft supplies -- it has literally everything you might ever want. Ever. Now, in the middle of these more traditional markets and hip shopping malls, a structure that looks like something out of a futuristic landscape has been added to this area's massive to-do list. This spaceship-like building is the new Dongdaemun Design Plaza, and it's really, really cool.

Spaceship? Or building?!

The Dongdaemun Design Plaza, or DDP, opened its doors on March 21st of this year, after over five years of planning and construction. According to the Seoul Design Foundation's website, the DDP is "the biggest three-dimensional atypical building in the world." 

Just looking at it from the outside is a trip -- all the curves and silvery panels are just aesthetically pleasing. I'd noticed it being built during previous trips into Dongdaemun, wondering what on earth the giant alien structure was going to be, so I was quite eager to finally take a look around.

So photogenic!

The idea behind the DDP is that it will be a center for everything creative in the design community. Not only is it set up to feature exhibits from artists all over the world in its museum and exhibition halls, but it's full of little spots for these artists to actually sell their products. We were a little overwhelmed by the structure and didn't know where to start exactly with exploring the inside. Luckily, a map is posted at each entrance, explaining how the building is organized. Technically, it's kind of three buildings, which have been connected into one giant, curvy structure. Here's the map we found that was immensely helpful:

Keep an eye out for these on the walls by all the doors!

As you can kinda tell from the above map, the DDP is divided into three sections that are actually three buildings, connected by all the curvy, fancy architecture. The sections are split into zones that cover six floors. To help explain some of what we saw, I'll use the following pictures and their captions: 

This is a photo from the Design Market, which features various retail shops, many of which are chains that you'll see elsewhere in Korea, and a decent selection of restaurants in a food court. This area in particular is open 24 hours a day! Which is pretty perfect if you happen to be in the area to see Dongdaemun's night markets.

A couple shops in the Design Lab section. This was my favorite -- so many cool little stores selling products featuring up and coming designers. I feel like this would be a really, really good gift shopping spot. A lot of stationery items, gorgeous art prints, and other decorative items. I had to resist the urge to buy almost everything I saw.

Aerial shot of a different part of the Design Lab. 

Even the coffee shop looks all space age! The information desks scattered throughout the building also have bizarre designs, but this little pod cafe was my favorite.

We found little cubby holes! Perfect for children, and us, because we couldn't resist. Nearly everyone was stopping to take photos sitting in these little holes.

Everyone hanging out along the weird cubby-bench-wall. 

No clue why there was a room full of balloons, but no one could go in, and the struggle was real for these little kids. (And me too.)

Outside (and under?) the building is a large park area, called Oullim Square. While we were walking around, we caught sight of a suspicious number of girls in poofy-skirted dresses. Wondering if we might catch a flashmob, we stuck around, only to see not only an impromptu dance performance but also a magic show! 

From its stunning architecture to everything it offers inside, you could easily spend hours upon hours wandering around. In fact, despite the hours we spent there, we didn't see everything! I'm looking forward to going back soon to explore it more and see the building at night. As impressive as it looks during the day, in the evenings the panels light up, making it look even more like a spaceship from another world. 

So, after a day of wandering around the markets, or if you're looking to kill time before going to the late night markets, definitely make a stop by the Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Great shopping, random performances, lots of restaurants, and countless photo ops! 

Directions & information: 

• Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station, Seoul Metro Lines 2, 4, and 5, Exit 1. As soon as you go out of exit 1, you'll be in Oullim Square.
• Hours: Art Hall - 9am-7pm, Museum - 10am-7pm, Design Lab - 10am-10pm, Oullim Square & Design Market - 24 hours! 

New Favorite Spot: Bukchon Hanok Village

Just a short jaunt from my favorite area of Seoul, Insadong, is a neighborhood that's vying for the number two spot. Nestled between two palaces and overlooking hip Samcheongdong is the Bukchon Hanok Village -- narrow winding streets flanked with gorgeous hanok houses. I've taken a stroll through this neighborhood several times now and it just never gets old. Not only is this area ridiculously photogenic, but it also offers a variety of cultural activities and history lessons! 

Old and new.

Here's the basic history of the area: During the Joseon Dynasty, when the surrounding palaces, Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung, were actually inhabited, the Bukchon area served as the residential quarters for the upper class, such as nobility and high-ranking government officials. Urbanization, naturally, harmed these neighborhoods, as did the years of Japanese occupation and subsequent war. 

In the years after the Korean war, Seoul's rapid modernization lead to the demolition of even more hanok houses. It wasn't until the 2000s that the Seoul Metropolitan Government created new policies to beautify and preserve what was left of the hanok houses. 

The hanok houses themselves are works of art. The slope of the rooftops is just aesthetically pleasing, and all the intricate patterns on the walls, windows, and doors will keep any photo-happy tourist busy for hours. 

In addition to being a touristy, gorgeous neighborhood, it's actually still just that -- a neighborhood. As you walk around, you'll see signs about the neighborhood's curfew as well as a reminder to respect the privacy of the residents. 

If you're hoping to get a glimpse inside the hanok houses, don't worry. They aren't all residential. In fact, many have been turned into mini-museums, showcasing artifacts and "intangible" cultural heritage. 

My first visit to Bukchon, I was completely unaware that these types of activities existed. Arriving shortly before closing time 5pm, we realized we were missing out on a ton of cultural workshops. I then vowed to go back and try to start exploring what the different hanok houses had to offer. 

Just look for signs like this outside some of the hanok houses -- it means there's something cool inside! 

When I was in Bukchon most recently, we wandered into a hanok house that had a sign outside advertising different kinds of alcohol. When we walked in, we were immediately greeted by an older gentleman who worked there and spoke excellent English. He told us about the history of the neighborhood, the house we were in, and led us through the different gallery rooms with display cases full of beautiful folk crafts.

After we looked all around, our host told us about what this particular hanok house offered: soju tasting. We all grimaced, as it was around noon, but he assured us that it was just tiny samples.

Only three of our party decided to do the alcohol tasting, and the price listed above provided enough for us to split it.

From top to bottom: the (very strong) soju, the yakju, and the makgeolli. The makgeolli and yakju were my favorites! 

After sampling the drinks, we made more conversation with our host and were brought free samples of moju, which I had never had before. It's a "folk" liquor that's made from boiling down makgeolli and mixing it with medicinal herbs. It was sweet and warm and delicious -- also with a very low alcohol content. Our host told us that it's thought of as a drink served by Korean moms since it's full of herbs and spices! 

We didn't have time to check out any of the other hanok houses on this particular visit, which I suppose just means I'll have to be making another weekend trip over there sometime soon. No complaints here -- I saw signs on other hanok houses for embroidery and pottery museums, which might even include some kind of workshop! 

For more information about the attractions of Bukchon, check out this excellent website by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. You can read more about the history as well as getting a preview of the museums, cultural workshop experiences, and a map for a walking tour. As you walk around, keep an eye out for information guides -- they'll have red aprons and are always happy to hand you a map and suggest the best route. 

Directions: 

• Anguk Station (on Line 3), Exit 2. 
• Walk straight for about 300m, keeping an eye out for signs/Tourist Information Center. 

I highly recommend spending an afternoon (or four) in the Bukchon Hanok Village. Between the photo opportunities and all the activities, it's definitely a neat, culturally infused way to learn more about Korea's past. 

Have you been to the Bukchon Hanok Village or any other hanok villages in Korea? Leave a comment below to share your experiences or thoughts! 

Photo Blog: Time Warp at the Seoul Folk Flea Market

If you were take a Goodwill thrift store and mix it with equal parts antique shop and estate sale, then throw in a pinch of distinctly Asian flair, the result would be the Seoul Folk Flea Market. Some friends and I stumbled across this amazing market by accident -- we'd set out looking for a completely different market and managed to get completely lost. Luckily, losing our way was the best possible thing to have happened because the market we did find greatly exceeded our expectations.

Though I'm slightly upset that it took me two years to find this market, it's probably also for the best. If I'd known about all the vintage and antique things in that that building holds when I was first decorating my apartment in 2011, it would've been dangerous... That being said, this is definitely a new go-to spot for gifts and souvenirs. 

The flea market was only recently put into an actual building in 2008, with its origins being in the street vendors that used to cluster around that area of the Cheonggyecheon Stream. Now it boasts hundreds of vendors and offers a staggering range of items.

Lucky for us (and you), a respectable amount of effort has been put into making this market organized and tourist-friendly. As we walked around, we noticed that the different areas of the market are color-coded, as you can see in the pictures above, from the signs hanging above the aisles to the tarps that pulled down over the booths. Here's a basic breakdown of the zones: 

• Yellow = household goods, personal goods, vintage clothes, accessories.
• Orange = vintage clothes, shoes, bags.
• Green = antiques, used goods.
• Red = food court!
• Indigo = tools, bicycle accessories, repair items.
• Blue = clothes (sports, men's, military).
• Purple = leisure, cameras, clothing.

Aside from the obviously ancient antiques that makes the market kind of feel like a museum, looking through most of the booths was like a bizarre time warp through the past 50 years. I say bizarre because of the number of very American (and generally Western) items that were being sold, which I can only assume are leftovers from the Korean War and Korea's subsequent modernization. The entire building is just steeped in nostalgia, making any attempt to shop with purpose nearly impossible due to the overwhelming desire to just carefully look at everything.

Directions and information: 

• Sinseoldong Station, Exit 10. 
• Walk straight out of the exit and around the corner on the left. You'll make a left at the Shinhan Bank. From there, look for signs and little lanterns hanging along the streetlights. The market will be on your left! (If you cross Cheonggyecheon Stream, you've gone too far.) 
• Hours: 10:00am - 7:00pm. Closed on every 2nd and 4th Tuesday. (Note: Many vendors close early, so I would advise going before 5:00pm.)