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Insadong
It was a fun shopping experience strolling through Insadong(인사동). From the schoolgirls shopping hand-in-hand in traditional costumes to the foreigner running a popular ice-cream stand, everyone seemed to blend in on this hip yet traditional street. The big shopping complex in Insadong, Ssamzie-gil Mall (쌈지길), houses over 70 shops including handcraft stores, souvenir shops, art galleries, and more. On the rooftop of Ssamziegil is a cozy open-air cafe where you can relax and enjoy a bird’s-eye-view of Insadong. Next to the cafe there is Wall of Love where lovebirds can confess their undying love through a message tag (cost 5,000 won, ~$5) and hang it on the walls of a little alley.
Tea culture is big in Korea so a teahouse visit is a must. There are two popular tea places in Insadong: Yetchatjip (옛찻집) and O'sulloc Tea House (오설록). We visited both and liked Yetchatjip more because it seemed more traditional than O'Sulloc (which reminded us of a Korean version of Starbucks). It was quite challenging to find Yetchatjip as Google Map and Tripadvisor pointed us to two different locations which were both wrong. It was only after we searched for its Korean name - 옛찻집 - that we managed to find its sign on the 2nd floor of a building. We ordered the green plum tea which was very good but a little too much on the sweet side. So if you order that, don't order any snacks that are too sweet. We made that mistake and felt an immediate sugar high after finishing this very sweet combination of plum tea with traditional rice-ball dessert.