Dongdaemun

Last week some ladies had discussed going to Dongdaemun to look at fabric. But they had never been, so I offered to go with them. We had it set up for today but then it conflicted with the AWC coffee so until last night no one had e-mailed me back to say they would go. Well, so I had alternate plans just in case. But they did show and we went. You know, riding the subway is very different when you are not with people who've done it many times. We had a time figuring out which train to get on. And then figuring out which exit to take. It makes a BIG difference in where you come out. We came out exit 8, across a major thoroughfare from where we wanted to be. In the subway station, just before the exit, there was a man selling womens shoes. All kinds of shoes crammed into a small space, but if you saw something you liked, he had it in different sizes. Well, the pair I liked was 5000 won, less than 5 dollars. So I bought them in two sizes, 240 and 245. I am not sure which one means 7 1/2. They are leather, and almost flat with a little arch support.
Since we didn't come out right at the fabric market, we walked around to see what was nearby. Too bad I didn't bring my camera. We saw men's shoes on one street. We saw exercise equipment and umbrellas on another. One building had undergarments: socks, knee-hi's, hosiery, fancy underwear, pajamas, nightgowns etc. I bought some black knee-hi's to go with the black shoes I bought. Downside: 10 pairs in a pkg. Upside: less than $4. We wandered through an area like tent city, selling scarves, clothing and food. Tina bought a corn dog with french fries stuck to it. We all tried it. Then I bought some muffins. They had a sweet bean paste filling. We all tried that, too. Then Rachel bought a fried coleslaw sandwich. It was like a fried doughnut, sliced in half, filled with coleslaw and a little ham. That was good, so we each got one.
Then, to get to the fabric market, we had to go back into the subway station. But this was a different entrance. So here the subway was full of merchants selling fancy fabric for Korean costumes. It was almost all solid colors. We looked, but didn't buy. When we came out, we were closer to the market and could walk over without being run over. Way too much to mention, but full of fabric and trims and jewelry makings, etc. I bought some striped jersey and some blue jersey. We enjoyed looking around, adn then headed back. At this entrance to the subway, a woman was selling rice cakes with assorted fillings. I bought a package for Chris and Michele since they couldn't come (consolation purchase).
On the way back, Tina asked where we should go next Tuesday. Rachel responded with "Where shall we go tomorrow?". These are my kind of people.