We made not one, but 2 trips to Namdaemun Market – it’s that big.  Of course, it’s Korea, so it’s well organized with info booths with English speakers.  They have maps available, with bathrooms and banks clearly marked and all the buildings labeled and what they sell listed. 

There is a large wholesale market with approximately all the plastic hair accessories in the world – and all in pink with lots of glitter.  The cool thing (for me – not so much for Ian) is that there are actually people working on making the stuff right there.  (And in an air-conditioned, clean, brightly lit building, not some sweatshop).   

Also, there’s basically everything else you could possibly need to buy.  We literally walked by a bust of a Native American, a knight’s armor, a Hello Kitty phone and a statue of a giraffe all in about 10 feet (3 meters).  Luckily they have a whole section devoted to luggage, since we needed a new suitcase – to hold the giant pair of masks we decided to buy!  It’s bright lime green and apparently a very good color choice since several people complemented us on our choice on our way back to the hotel with it!  We can say for sure that it’s supser easy to spot in on the luggage carrosel at the airport! 

We ate lunch at a little stall in Food Alley.  Yummy green onion and potato pancakes for me and something we couldn’t identify for Ian!  Very cheap and as usual served with a smile.  There’s a ton of choice, but unfortunately for me, most of it isn’t vegetarian.

Anyhow, there’s a crazy amount of stuff and people everywhere and we saw maybe 6 other tourists the whole time.  Very fun!