Our first stop was a ginseng market, followed by a traditional fruit and vegetable market. Our guide Ashley divided us into 3 groups and asked each group to purchase an item. She taught us the Korean word for our item, but didn't tell us what the word meant. We ventured into the market, asking the merchants for "chowmai, ttalgi and gammallange". My group was in search of gammallange, which turned out to be dried persimmons. Apparently we didn't pronounce it very well as the first merchant tried to sell us some sort of pickled crabs.

This enterprising family farmed, made and had a school to teach the art of hand-woven Hwamunseok mats, created bonsai, and several other endeavors. The mats are considered icons of the nation and artisans are highly valued—but also increasingly rare, with fewer than a hundred left.