DAY 7 IN SEOUL(Part 2) - Visiting Apgujeong - Seoul's high end shopping area

After settling down in our new hotel, we took the subway to Apgujeong

The affluent district of Apgujeong may not boast as wide a selection of shops as, say, Myeongdong, it's neighboring counterpart. But what Apgujeong shops lack in variety, they most certainly make up for ten fold in quality. With virtually few street stands or outdoor vendors to speak of, most of the purchasing is done indoors at lavish department stores or the myriad fashionable shops dotting the many side streets. Apgujeong has long been regarded as “The Beverly Hills of Seoul”, where fans of stylish, upscale goods wil find a mecca there. Prices there are steep of course, so if money’s no object, you can shop to your heart's content. Many nice pieces we saw there was from $200SGD onwards.

We decided to take a walk around the outskirts of Apgujeong to soak in the atmosphere beyond the glitzy shopping district and also to look for normal Korean lunch fare.


(Above) Apartments of middle class Koreans - makes us appreciate our HDB flats which look sprucier and cleaner.


(Above)Nice European architecture


(Above)We spied a familiar icon - Coffee Bean and Tea Leave

Walking is for most part faster and more interesting than taking public transport such as taxis and buses sicne most likely, you will get caught in a jam. We took some pictures of traffic in Seoul and it is not even peak hour yet.




(Above) Bad Traffic in Seoul


(Above) Crossing the road in Seoul, you can't just assume you have the right of way. Watch out for incoming traffic even if you are on a pedestrian crossing.


(Above) We saw this adorable puppy at a pet shop.

We came across this lunch eatery at one of the side streets and since there was office crowd going inside to have a munch, we decided to give it a try.

(Above) Shop front of the eatery we patronised.


(Above) Inside the eatery


(Above) Eugin waiting hungrily for lunch


(Above)Standard Korean fare


(Above) Korean luncheon meat


(Above)Side dish - Anchoivies


(Above) Sie dish - Seaweed


(Above) Eggroll


(Above)Traditional Bean Paste Stew


(Above) Prices at the eatery

After lunch, we proceeded on down the main street until we came to the road sign - Apgujeong Street.



(Above) Gayle posing at Apgujeong Street


(Above) More Street scene

You know that you are in Apgujeong when the buildings start to feature avant garde designs and the cars around you get posher!

(Below)Avant garde designed buildings










(Below) Cars start to get flashier by the minute. SMall snazzy cars like the Chevolet Spark to the usual continental suspects -BMW, Porsche, Land Rover, Audi.















(Below) Major brands are well presented from LV to Tommy Hilfinger











(Above) One thing about Korean shops is that the ymake effort to design and give each of their shop a unique decor.






(Above) The shopping queen at work : )


(Above) Space is at a premium, double level parking




(Above) range of cafes on offer for tired shoppers - Italian cafes to theme based cafes like the monopoly cafe


(Above) Singapore noodle house at Apgujeong


We came pass Once in a Blue Moon(Above) is one of the best known jazz clubs in Seoul that features two different bands playing live jazz sets every night starting at 7 p.m. up to 10 p.m. This place exudes an elegant, sophisticated atmosphere, which is perfect for a romantic date. Many Korean dramas have used the club as a filming location, such as My Lovely Samsoon where the main characters, Jin-heon and Hee-jin enjoy wine and cocktails while watching a jazz performance there. This jazz club is located on the street between the Hakdong intersection and the Galleria intersection in Apgujeong-dong. From what we read, the jazz played here is one of the best in the city -- a comprising sax, drum and piano with some voices playing mostly standard and familiar jazz riffs and melodies, with exceptional improvisitory solos from every member extending each song to 10+ minutes, which is the way good live jazz should be.

We decied to head to Myeongdong to soak in the World Cup atmosphere and to look for dinner there. That day happened to be a big world cup match featuring South Korea versus Argentina


(Above) Myeongdong shopping street entrance


(Above)Face painting for soccer fans!


(Above) Dropping by CK shop as there a sale there.


(Above) Accessories galore at Myeongdong street carts.

(Below)We had dinner at one of the crowded stew shops.







(Above)Caught in the rush, getting out of the subway station.

We got the shock of our life getting back as we forgot that there was a live screening of the soccer match in front of COEX, opposite our hotel. As a result, we almost got 'crushed' by the crowd. It was so crowded that the subway train refused to stop at the station at our hotel as there was fear of stampede so we had to stop one stop earlier and walked back to our hotel. We had to use the backstreets which took a longer time as the main street was choked with people. What an experience!


(Above) The scene of the crowds at the live soccer screening from our hotel room


(Above)We watch the world cup from our room and it was an experience as you could hear the crowds roaring and floodlight and laser shows everytime South Korea came close to scoring


(Above) After the soccer match, we retired to our cozy bed for a good night's sleep.