Today we enjoyed a full-day exploration of rural life. We drove north of Seoul to Ganghwa Island, an artisans’ village near the North Korean border.
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.
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.
 Ginseng market |  Beautiful fruit including our sought after gammallange |
Bargaining for ttlagi (strawberries)
Mr. Lee demonstrated one of the uses for the mats. Next stop a small farm... Mr. Lee and his wife who hosted us for lunch. They had the table with all we needed to prepare kimbap, Korean sushi. We "rolled our own" and ate them with gusto. Delicious.
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.
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.
 Raw material for the mats |  Mrs. Lee, a master mat maker |
Dongdaemun Design Plaza from the 10th floor of a duty free store.
We returned to Seoul where we explored the Dongdaemun Design Plaza to get a glimpse of modern Seoul. This is the heart of the shopping area - a complete contrast to our day in the country. What a contrast!
