The conference was carried out in Renaissance Hotel, Gangnam. It was like a dream when we (my friend Asrenee and I ) arrived in Seoul. Eventhough I am not a fan of "Gangnam...." but at least I am aware of it hahaha.... still very conventional!
Day 1: 7 January 2014
Temperature was 0 degree when we touched down at the Incheon International Airport at around 6.45 in the morning. It was like a dream to return to a 4 seasons country .... owhhhh I miss melbourne very much! Alhamdulillah, eventhough it is not a comfortable place to sleep in the flight but at least I got a free seat next to me to lie down and Asrenee got another spot at the back too.
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| Big screen showing both Malaysian and Korean flags as a welcome message |
We met many Malaysian at the Incheon airport upon arrival. Some of them were on vacation and some were students returning to Korea after a short break. We also met a few conference participants there. We had a short chat with them at the airport and sharing our plan to explore Seoul.
We took the airport shuttle bus and arrived at the hotel at around 10.15 am. The bus fare was KW16000 per peron and it took about 1 and half hour to reach Renaisance Hotel, in Gangnam. Even though I was sleepy but I had to force myself awake to capture some photos along the way to Gangnam. What attracted me most were the trees without leaves, remnants of snow and people wearing winter clothes....... I could not hide this...I really really miss Melbourne very much!!!
The hotel staffs were very nice, helping us with our luggage and brought us to the reception counter. We were supposed to check in at 2 pm however since the room was available at the time we arrived, we were allowed to enter our room without any extra charges. Our room was 1807 at level 18.
As soon as we entered the room, we took a short rest and make a drink. Asrenee started searching and planning for the next "winter sonata exploration". We finally decided to go to Nandaemun market. Our aims were to buy some souveniers. After Zohor prayer at around 12.20pm..... we started our exploration....ready, steady, goooooo!!!
We met the hotel staffs at the reception counter who guided us on the subway system in Seoul. We left the hotel at around 2 pm . We walked to the nearest subway station, Yeoksam station which took us about 10 minutes from the Renaissance hotel. A very cold weather, windy at that time. We brought along the subway train map as a guidance. Top up KW10,000 T money card at the subway station and went to our first destination Namdaemun market. We stop at the Hoehyeon station, Line 4.and as soon as we went out the station we saw a lot of people along the road. We were puzzled initially why there were so many people....
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| As soon as we went out from the subway station at Nandaemun market |
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| souveniers for tourist to buy |
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| So many beans and pickled vegetables sold by the night market traders |
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| Seaweed for my kids.... KW20,000 for a pack of 100 small sachets |
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| This is a "must" visit place for ladies... heaven of accessories!!! |
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| Look at that all at wholesale price |
Nandaemun is a large traditional market in Seoul. Nandaemun means "Great south Gate" which refers to the gate of the old city. It is the oldest and largest market in Korea.There were shop lots that selling items like women accessories at wholesale price... I love this very much but had to prevent from impulsive buying. This is a must for those who intent to buy in a large amount for business purpose.... online business is easy right now... take the advantage guys!!! I bought a watch for myself..... reward own self hahaha... a statement to avoid from feeling guilty buying something that is unnecessary!! This wholesale stores is located at Daedo shopping complex and closed at 5.30 pm. I was stunted with all the items made inside... see these pictures, it is self explanatory.
I also bought "I love Korea" T-shirt 3 for KW10,000. I bought a total of 6 T-shirts for my husband and kids.We then went to another shopping complex and bought some souveniers. This place sold very cheap souveniers as compared to other shops. I will come back to this shop definitely if I am going to Korea again.
- a pack of 4 magnetic fridge was sold at KW5000 (other shops range from KW7-8,000)
- big nail clippers a pack of 10: KW7,000 (others 8-10,000)
- a pack of 5 sets of stainless steel chopstick KW4,00
Enjoy reading guys... and hope this sharing will benefit to those who are going to Seoul.
Till the next entry.... more stories about other exploration in Seoul.
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