Life's Just Exciting!

Myeongdong

You already know I am a boring dresser and lousy shopper. I wouldn't pass for a personal shopper even if it's the last career option left and what awaits me on the other side is starving to death. The point I'm trying to get at here is, what the heck was I doing in Myeongdong, Seoul's shopping mecca for the hip and fashionable? And on a chilly night at that!

I have a lot of catching up to do, that is why. We are leaving Seoul in about a month's time and I have not seen half of what it has to offer. Shopping in Myeongdong is said to be best done at night (actually from dusk till you drop), so even if my sole purpose is to observe its shoppers and find out what lures them to this place, I braved the cold outdoors and scoured its roughly 1 km stretch of shops. I reasoned it can't be that bad. Not when I am guaranteed a steaming mug of Starbucks coffee anytime I want one.

Good golly, Seoul is one congested place. I always comment about overcrowded malls and just about any other place you visit here. I never thought I'd find the same scene, on a winter's night, outdoors in Myeongdong. Not only that. Shoppers bring their kids along, probably because there's no one at home to leave them with and the lure of shopping is just so hard to resist.

At last, I saw brands I recognize (other than the really high end ones you see in Seoul's upscale department stores, e.g. Ferragamo, Gucci, etc.) -- Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein...there is a good assortment of local and foreign brands. There are even karitons offering good quality faux everything, from purses to bags to watches and all kinds of whatnots. You'll also never go hungry if you're game enough to try Korean snack food available at stalls that line up the streets. My personal favorite is that rice roll (warning: not it's official name) swimming in chili sauce. It was a bit disappointing to see the streets littered with wrappers, soda cans, and all sorts of rubbish, though. Certainly not very Korean (to me).


Well, I said I didn't go to shop but I still ended up with a pair of loafers, a sweater, a shirt, a tube of lotion, and some gift items for my helper. Overall, not a bad chilly night.

posted by lala @ 1:10 AM