Namdaemun - Camera Shopping

Last weekend I decided to make a quick trip down to Namdaemun Market in Seoul and do some shopping. I've been thinking about purchasing a DSLR camera for a while now and have been doing lots of research online to see what camera I wanted and what price I should pay. 

While I was at home in New Zealand in March and April I got a chance to try out my parents new Canon Eos 1100 and I had some fun learning how to use it.  I have not really been interested in photography until then, I don't really even use my point-and-shoot very much when I travel. I always think about it after the fact - 'oh I should have taken a photo of that' is pretty much my motto.  After doing some research on it I decided that photography would be a good hobby for me, I need something to do, I always like to learn new skills and you can do it anywhere, so it fits the bill.

After doing lots of research online I decided to go with a Nikon rather than a Canon because I liked the options better.  I narrowed it down to two cameras the D5100 which was a solid beginners camera with good reviews but it was a bit older and they had since released the D5200 which also had good reviews and some extra features.  I decided that I did not want to go over NZ$1000.00 and that I wanted to get at least two lens and hopefully a bag and any other extras that were available.  With all this in mind I headed to Namdaemun Market on Sunday afternoon.

Namdaemun Market
Namdaemun Market is a traditional market located in Seoul, it is named for the gate which it is located next to and is one of the oldest and largest markets in Korea.  The market is huge and is a combination of both street merchants and shops.  It is built in an area not accessible to cars as it is such an old institution that predates them, so the main market is foot traffic only - merchants use wagons and scooters to transport their goods in and out.

The market can be accessed easily by subway, the closest station is Hoehyeon Station, Line 4 when you come of exits such as 2 or 5 you will be right on the edge of the market. Otherwise you can also make your way there from Soul Metropolitan Station but it's about a 10 minute walk.

Namdaemun (Also Sungnyemun)

Ilsan to Namdaemun
I took the bus as I find that unless traffic is bad buses are usually quicker.  I took a red bus no. 1000 from Ilsan-dong gu Office (일산동구청(중)) bus stop and got off at Samsung Plaza (삼성프라자) bus stop - this is one stop before Seoul Station - if you do go to far you can still walk from Seoul Station it's just a bit longer. The Samsung Plaza stop drops you off diagonally opposite 'Gate 1' of the market. You just need to get off the bus and walk up towards the big intersection  - can't be missed as you will also be walking towards Namdaemun Gate. Cross the street twice so you are diagonally across to your left, you will be able to see the 'Gate 1' sign on your right and if you are looking for the traditional market you can enter here.  If you go to your left, away from the 'Gate 1' sign you will walk down a street with lots of camera shops and you will be heading for 'Gate 2' - this is where I did my camera shopping after finding some other blogs that talked about shopping here.

Looking towards Gate 1 - once you get across the street

On the way back you don't need to cross the street to get to the opposite bus stop like you usually do. The red 1000 bus does a circuit so you need to get on the same bus that you got off - it will go on to Seoul Station and then make a loop and head back to Ilsan.

Camera Shopping
So I had a look in a couple of stores for the two cameras that I was looking at. The D5200 ended up being more than I wanted to spend so I found a store that I had read about on another blog that had the D5100 new.  I think I did Ok in price but I did not haggle as I'm not really sure how to do that, I think I should have offered a lower price as I do think now in hindsight I could have gone down a bit.

I got the Nikon D5100 with kit lens (18-55) and a bag, 4 gig SD card, UV filter for lens and a cleaning kit.  I also got another lens (55-200), this one was used but it was the only one he had and he did show me that it worked before I paid. All and all I got what I wanted and I was within my budget so that's what matters. The name of the store was 'YesDica' (just a few stores down from Gate 2 of the market) and I've included a picture of the store below. 



YesDica - Where I bought my Camera

The owner was very nice and helpful, he spoke English, although I'm not sure he understood everything; a few times he just responded 'Yes Okay', but good enough to answer basic questions and get everything sorted out. He showed me the serial number on the camera and that it matched the box and the warranty and assured me if there were any problems I could come back and he gave me his card.

In conclusion hopefully in the future you might see some more photos on this blog - I have also set up a flickr account  - so far only some photos that I took in New Zealand when I was practicing with the camera I borrowed from my parents but I will add to it as I get going and learn how to use my new camera.

McDelivery - Getting McDonalds delivered in Korea

One of the many great things about Korea is its commitment to making life easier for the average citizen and one way that this is evident is in the range of takeout and delivery services from restaurants. Even McDonalds in Korea has a delivery service.

I've been in Korea a couple of years but to be honest my Korean is not that great, I can say the basics but I'm still pretty shy about using it in most cases as my pronunciation is not very good.  I've know since I got here that you can get McDonalds delivered and I was immediately interested, I'm pretty lazy at the best of times so this sounded like a great idea. There are videos and blog posts about how to go about ordering through the phone order system but it still required some Korean, you had to be able to decipher what they were asking and tell them your address.  The one time I tried to call the person who answered did not speak English and basically just hung up on me so I did not really bother again, I also had a look at the website but it was all in Korean too - there is an app too but also in Korean. So while it was possible and some people had more successful tries than me I had not really looked into it further.

Recently however a friend told me that he had ordered online, I was surprised and asked how  - it seems that the site now has an English delivery form.  Great news if you have been wanting to get some McDonalds delivered right to you door. It's really easy, I tried it tonight and it worked fine - my food showed up in less than half and hour.

Here's how:

Go to the McDelivery Website, https://www.mcdelivery.co.kr
This is different from the McDonalds Korea website.

It should look like the image below and it had the options for Korean or English at the top, you can change it to English and then in the top right had corner is a registration link and your login place if you have already registered.

To register you enter your details, make a log in and password - you have to activate the account when they send a number to your email address. After that you can enter your address, you will need to know it in Korean but most people have it written down somewhere - it's all drop down menus so you just select the ones that match for your city, dong, gu and there is a place to write any additional details if you need to clarify.

Once you have done all that you can order what you want, the prices are all there and it adds it up as you go - you can select different drinks or sauces, if you want one item or the set - it's all very easy.  Once you order it gives you an estimated time of arrival and you can track your order.

I also had a quick look at the app - I have it on my android phone and it has been updated now too - it just goes to the same website and you can select English or Korean.

If you need a quick junk food fix it now couldn't be easier. Thanks McDonalds Korea!

Moving in Korea

If you have been in Korea for more than a year you might find yourself having to move house.  Sometimes within a city and often times to a new city.  Moving is always a stressful time no matter what country you are in but Korea we have the added hurdle of language.  If you speak Korean then obviously you have a step up and can deal with this pretty easily but if you are like me with limited Korean it can be a challenge.

I recently had to move from Suwon to Ilsan, I was pretty worried about it all as my company were little to no help in the matter. I ended up only getting about two days notice from when I had to move, I was told on the Wednesday that my new apartment would be ready on Friday afternoon and I was expected to start work on the Tuesday but I had to go into the school on Monday to meet everyone and get my schedule.  So that did not give me much time to work with.

I did some research online and found a few companies that did moving. Many of them offer two services one is where they come in and pack your whole house for you and then transport it to the new house for you and the other is where you do the packing yourself and just hire a driver to transport it to the new house. The first option I think would be better suited to if you have a whole household, perhaps a couple or family type situation and if you have a lot of things or a lot of nice things.

The video below is a segment from Arirang TV on their 'Korea Today' series and it takes a look at the moving companies in Korea and the services that they offer. It's a real all encompassing service where they pack everything, transport it and then unpack it into your new apartment for you - they even take care of the cleaning. Great if you have a lot of stuff to move as it's quick and efficient.


I have a fair amount of stuff but it's still only one room really and none of it is really expensive, I don't plan on being here forever so while I do like to shop I try to limit myself by keeping that in mind. I also needed someone who was able to do the moving on two days notice and I did not what to pay too much as I was off work for a month and my company pays at the end of the month so I had to wait a month and a half for my next full pay. A lot of the advice I read said about getting an estimate, this is where someone comes and assesses you things and will quote you how much but I did not really end up having time for that either.

I had a look on the internet and came across a few companies that would do moving in Korea and catered to foreigners. The one I ended up choosing was the first one I rang, I had contacted another one but this one got back to me faster so that was it. It was recommended on a local facebook message page for my area and I had seen the advertisements there also. I rang first to check they were available on the coming Saturday and that they could do from Suwon to Ilsan - from there I had to fill in the online form and then they rang me back with the price which was 200, 000 won. 

On moving day I was a bit behind, I had all the big stuff done but I underestimated how long it would take to pack up all the little stuff.  The driver did not speak English and this hampered things a bit but he was very nice and capable so we manged to get it all done. I had expected him to speak English as the guy that I spoke to on the phone had, the one time that we had some major communication issue he phoned his boss to translate and we worked it out.

Elevator Service Fee
It turned out that I had to pay the security man in my building for using the elevator, I had no idea of this and did not understand what he was asking.  We got it sorted out once the guy from the moving company talked with the security man for me  - it cost 20,000 won in my building in Suwon and then when I go to my new building in Ilsan it was another 30,000 won.  At least the second time I knew what they were going on about and could pay quickly to get it sorted out.  Something to be aware of if you are using this kind of moving company - the smaller less commercial ones.

The driver did all the heavy lifting, I just packed the things and gave them to him.  He took them down and packed them on the truck and on the other end I stayed in the apartment and he brought everything up.  It took a about 4 or 5 trips but he didn't want any help. I think I was just getting in his way.  I accompanied the driver in his truck to the new place, we had a little trouble finding it but the driver finally figured it out, he had to ring someone again but he found it so that's what matters.

The truck was just a middle sized open one, as it was raining I was a bit worried.  He covered everything with a tarpaulin but a few things did get a bit wet.  Like I said I don't have anything really expensive so it was not an issue for me. A few things got scratched, like my bookcase, it must have been rubbing against something else on the truck.  It would have been best to have put some sheets or packing materials between things.  I was not too worried but if you have some nicer furniture you could just make sure you cover it with something before it is packed in the truck.

All in all I would recommend the service, all the initial organizing is in English, they were reasonably priced and the driver although he did not speak English was really nice and helpful.

The company I used is called Move in Korea (MIK). They have a number of different services so if you are moving in Korea I would recommend you checking them out.

Funny Video - K-Idols speaking English

This is a clip from a Korean variety show where some Korean celebrities had to translate a Korean phrase into English.

Might be something that you can show to your class for fun - see if they can do better than the stars.

Welcome to Ilsan - New Home/New Blog Name

Well I am back in Korea after a lovely long holiday back in New Zealand and I have officially moved from Suwon to Ilsan.  This means that I have to update my blog name from 'kiwigirl in Suwon' to 'kiwigirl in Ilsan', I am not going to update the address as I think that would be too confusing.

I moved a few weeks ago now and have just been settling into my new apartment and getting used to a new school.  While I am still with the same company, each branch has it's own way of doing things so there is always a learning curve. 

So far Ilsan is Ok, it seems more suburban than Suwon however and there are loads of bikes around on the footpaths. The city seems to be trying to encourage their use by making them available for hire all round the city. It's just annoying because they are on the sidewalk so you risk getting run over every day.  I would not mind so much if they were on the roads.

I'm trying to keep an open mind about Ilsan but so far I miss Suwon, I'm sure things will get better once I learn my way around and meet some people.

I've been a bit slack for a long while on the blogging front.  I will try and post a bit more over the coming weeks as I get out and explore Ilsan.

Korea in the News #6

Hmmmm should I be worried about coming back to Korea - my family is getting a bit anxious as I fly back in the second week of April.

North Korea declares war on South Korea

The last few Weekends - Itaewon and Insa-dong

I have not really had a chance to post much recently, I'm still trying to sort out all the details for when I go home and my upcoming move when I get back to Korea in April. That being said I have been meaning to do a blog post from last weekend and now that this weekend is almost over I figured I would just combine them and make one post.

Itaewon

Last weekend was actually Seollal (Hangul: 설날) - or Korean New Year. This means we had the Monday off after the weekend for a nice long weekend.  I didn't do much but I did go to Seoul on Monday to meet a friend for lunch in Itaewon. She was a bit late so I ended up going to 'What the Book?' English bookstore to wait for her. I got a book and a magazine, I pretty much never leave there empty handed.

I was meeting a Korean friend that I met while doing a camp, she was my co-teacher and we got along really well.  We decided that we should meet up and enjoy some delicious food - she likes western food more than Korean food so we are on the same page.

We went to Suji's, it's a place I've heard was good but also that it is super busy, especially on the weekends.  The only time I've been going to go there with friends a while back it was way to long of a wait for a table so we went elsewhere. On Monday there was only a short wait, some of the places were not open due to the holiday so it was good that Suji's was.

It was really nice, everything came quickly and it was simple but well prepared and tasty.  I had a cheeseburger that came with wedges and a coleslaw - the coleslaw was a bit more heavy on the sauce than I ideally like but that would probably be my only complaint if I had to make one.

 

I would definitely recommend Suji's if you are looking for some nice basic western (American) food, however it is busy so if you don't like waiting in line you might like to have a backup plan.

 

 

 

How to get there:

You can use either Itaewon Station or Noksapyeong as a landmark for this restaurant, but it is closer to Noksapyeong Station. If you are coming from Itaewon Station you have to walk all the way down the main street  - past McDonald's, past Santorini Greek Restaurant and when the road turns left around the corner Suji's is on your left just round the corner a bit., if you follow the sidewalk you should find it no problem. The picture above is what the outside looks lik -  once you get inside, the restaurant is up the stairs.

 

I also took the opportunity while in Itaewon to visit the Foreign Food Mart, I have spoken about this one in previous posts. It's all the way down the other side of Itaewon from Suji's but I had not been for a while and wanted to grab some stuff to take to work with me as I will be leaving soon. My friend had never been before so she was interested in seeing what they had, she lived in America for a while and was happy to find a few treats of things she enjoyed over there.

 

                                                                               I got a few things, Salt and Vinegar crisps, a Cadbury chocolate bar and two packets of Tim Tams to take to work - I also got some banana/chocolate sweets from Holland that looked interesting. These are my goodies from the trip - a good haul I think.

                                                                               It was sooooo cold after that that we had to go to a cafe to warm up, we went to Jubilee Cafe which is just outside exit 3 of Itaewon Station on the corner.  I've mentioned this one before in a previous post about Itaewon as it is a pretty nice place. It's a chocolate cafe and they do several kinds of hot chocolate (among other things), last time I just had a classic one but I was a bit more adventurous this time and had a blueberry flavoured one.  It was nice, very sweet though.

 

 

Insa-dong

 

This weekend I went to Insa-dong. Insa-dong is a neighborhood in Seoul where there is a real mix of the traditional and the modern. It's well know for sightseeing, antiques and art gallerys.

 

A friend of one of my friends will be leaving Korea soon and wanted to get some souvenirs - of course where is the best place for this? Insa-dong. I decided to tag along as I have a trip home at the end of the month and figured I could do with a few pressies to take with me.

 

Above and below are some pictures I took of Insa-dong, the souvenir shops, street food and hole in the wall vendors make up the majority of what you can find on the main road of Insa-dong.

 

 

Insa-dong is always so crowded, it's a real tourist destination. There is always lots going on, sometimes there will be music or performances (like the in the photos below).

 

 

There are also heaps of street vendors selling jewelry, wooden crafts and other various items. This one sells ice cream in the long tubes (pictured) which seems really popular, even in the middle of winter.

 

 

It was really really cold on Saturday, I find that the best places to shop are the big centers that have lots of different sellers all together in one store. You can find all the things you need in these and it's warmer than walking from one store to the next. I got a few of my things from this one and I have purchased stuff from here before too. They have decent items at a reasonable price.

 

 

I manged to get a few final souvenirs so all in all it was a good day out in Insa-dong.