Namdaemun Market, the flight home...

Friday/Saturday - This morning after some last minute packing, we checked out, stored our bags at the hotel, and headed off to Namdaemun Market on the subway. Namdaemun is one of Seoul's oldest, traditional markets, covering a huge area.  located in the very center of Seoul, it is the biggest traditional market in Korea selling children's clothing, men & women's clothing, daily miscellaneous goods, kitchenware and local and imported products. Most shops have their own factories and make the products themselves offering both wholesale and retail prices which enable visitors to purchase various shopping items.

It is open around the clock (it never closes), so there is always something to look at.  So for the last few hours we battled the crowds and picked up a few last minute bargains. Who could resist a handbok apron (oh yes, made of the same material, with colored stripes), or tshirts, shoes, hairclips, trinkets, and even some tiny chilli peppers for the Christmas tree. After roaming up and down many aisles, and multi-level buildings packed with stalls, we decided to catch the subway back to the hotel, and with minutes to spare (like most of our group we were making the most of every last minute in Seoul), boarded the bus to the airport. Liz - we have been waiting the whole trip to see you in a pink tiara...

An hour later we were at Incheon International Airport, strolling around, stretching our legs before boarding our Korean Air A330 Airbus bound for Melbourne. Incheon Airport has lots of shopping, and a couple of Korean Cultural centres where you can do a quick craft class or try on a handbok for a photo. They also stage traditional weddings for the tourists...

We left Seoul at around 6.00pm and after a rather tiring night flight home (the kids all slept, but most of the adults didn't), we arrived home at around 6.00am Melb Time - flight time around 11 hours. The direct flight is great though, no changing planes. Customs was great - less than an hour to get through despite the long queues, and we were met by our very helpful neighbour Pete - who drove us home. Home sweet home.  Oh to go to bed....
But, no bed for us...  Our Real Estate agent had arranged for an open house inspection this morning, so we ended up down the park until around 10.30am until we could gratefully slump inside the house.

A most wonderful holiday, full of so many terrific moments and memories.  We were priveledged to share our journey with a great group of friends, and our children are the richer for the experience.
Look out Korea - we plan on coming back again soon!

I hope you enjoyed my travel blog - I'd love to hear your comments, so feel free to email me!

signing off for the last time, love from Michelle