Namdaemun Market-The Shopper's Paradise

This was one place I was waiting eagerly to go. After coming here the one shopping place I had in mind was Namdaemun. One day while surfing channels we saw this huge accessories market and I got really excited to visit this asap. Named for its nearby namesake of Namdaemun (Great South Gate) and located near the downtown area, one of Korea's largest wholesale markets covers over 10 acres. It is filled with over 1,000 shops, stalls, retailers, street vendors, and has several department stores nearby. Since it is a very large market we thought of locating the shops we want to go beforehand. This site proved really helpful. And there is an interactive map which was very useful in locating our places of interest.

We had to just change one train to reach there. As soon as we reached Hoehyeon station my excitement increased. When we stepped out from the Subway,there it was,in front of us spreading out in all sides and welcoming the shoppers. And the icing on the cake was the fact that it had mostly wholesale shops and we can bargain. We went to the Information centre which was few steps from the Gate No. 6 where we came out from the station. There we got a map and booklet featuring its shops and items sold. First we went to Coco club which was just next to the Info booth. I felt like I reached my Paradise... where ever we saw it was covered with accessories of all kind. Earrings, hairbands, barretts, bracelets,rings, necklaces and loads and loads of it. I just asked them rates as I wanted to get best deal before buying anything. I had read some useful shopping tips
1. Never to buy anything at first shop,keep exploring and the more in you go the more cheaper you get
2. Always bargain and you can get 10-20% off
3. Buying in bulk gives more discount(as it was wholesale shops)
So we kept exploring and we got some accessories from one of the large accessories mall present. The main stuffs being sold in Namdaemun are clothes, accessories, shoes, fabrics, tableware, flowers, vegetables, ginseng(kind of root which is used in many Herbal drinks), souvenirs,frames and shades, cameras among the few. After going through lots and lots of shops of accessories we thought to have our lunch and explore the rest.

We had lunch at a local resturant in the food alley. There were many eating places serving local food. They normally display their dishes in front of the resturants to lure the visitors. We had a meal of Fried rice and kimchi(4 types). And it was really delicious. And the fact that we were hungry made it more tasty. The kimchi tasted different from each other. And the soup had a unique taste and we found it really good. After filling in we went on to the various shopping malls present. We wanted to buy some souvenirs to bring back home. And in C-dong we saw many types but we kept asking the rates and exploring. When we entered D-dong we were speechless from the diff type of handicraft items in the shops. All were colourful and beautiful. We got what we wanted at good rates. And it was funny to see hubby getting all excited seeing those stuff ( as I got seeing the jewelleries). We kept on moving and the shops didn't end. There were so many unique and beautiful pieces to decorate home. If I was staying in Korea our house would look beautiful no doubt.

After the malls we came out,had hot coffee and kept window shopping at roadside shops. There were people selling stuff in the open at cheaper rates,calling out in loud voice. All this made the place so alive. And every one enjoyed their job. It was my best shopping experience so far. But we couldn't see the South Gate as it was under renovation after a great fire broke out in 2008.It is Korea's No. 1 National treasure. Finally we came home with lot more than what we took in the morning. But I wasn't tired as Namdaemun took it away...