Before we left, there was one thing I really wanted to see. I had read about the Noryangjin Fish Market and I wanted to see it with my own eyes. It is the largest fish market in Korea. After living in Seattle, where they throw fish at Pike Place Market, and visiting Tsukiji, Japan's largest fish market, I wanted to see how another country sold it's fish. It also helped that the market was on the way to the airport.
After getting off the train, we walked over to the tunnel that would lead us to the market. It is pretty well signed, so even though it is tucked away, it is easy to find. The tunnel housed several people selling vegetables and even clothes. Periodically, a motorcycle would drive through the pedestrian tunnel as well, making me a bit nervous. Actually, I noticed a lot of people driving motorcycles and even cars on side walks. They would drive from the corner (where they could access the sidewalk) and park in front of a store or restaurant. I was shocked every time it happened.
When we immerged from the pedestrian tunnel, there was a large building in front of us. We didn't know if we should enter the first floor or the main entrance on the second floor, so we opted for the main entrance. The fist thing that hit me was the lack of smell. I couldn't believe how clean the market was. The floor had linoleum and the rows were broken up into little booths filled with tanks of water. Each tank had shellfish, live fish, octopus, and lots of edible sea creatures. It was very impressive. The upstairs is smaller than the downstairs because there are restaurants and a couple shops located on the second floor in addition to the vendors. All the restaurants were closed (it was only 9 am), so we weren't able to eat any of the seafood we were seeing.
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| The ceiling signs would be very helpful, if I knew what they said. |
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| Biggest lobsters I have EVER seen. |
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| Lots and lots of octopus. |
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| Crabs galore. |
Seeing that it was open to the public, we also wandered around on the first floor. I could not get over how clean an organized it all was. They vendors were broken up somewhat by what they were offering. All the fresh water eels were in one section, huge lobsters in another, and men cutting up fish for sushi platters in a different area. There were rows of fish tanks and rows of fish on ice. And throughout the whole market, you couldn't smell fish or cleaning solution, or anything. If I lived near there, I am pretty sure I'd shop there frequently.
It was time to head to the airport. We knew that there was a mall attached to Gimpo International Airport, so we could get some last minute shopping done without worrying about getting to the airport on time. Whoever decided to install this mall is a business genius! I bought a slew of facial masks (something that South Korea is known for) and my husband bought treats for his officemates.
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I passed on these. I couldn't bring myself to buy the horse fat,
propolis & bee venom, or bird nest face masks.
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| These were the one's I brought home - including the infamous snail mask! |
The flight back seemed even faster than the flight over. Maybe we were all tired from all the walking and stimulation, or maybe we had a tail wind. Either way, everything was smooth flying, which is always a relief in my book.
After leaving the airplane, I felt a sudden rush of energy. Japan suddenly felt even more familiar and comfortable than just a few days ago. I realized how much I have acclimated to Japanese culture and my surroundings here. Maybe I'm not nearly as out of my element as I feel sometimes. I was even able to autopilot a bit as we completed the journey back to our house via monorail and subway. Of course, that energy was soon sucked out of my by the heat and realization that dinner still had to be made, but it was an exciting little burst regardless.
Tonight I go to bed exhausted, happy, and excited for future explorations. After all, life is just an adventure waiting to be had.
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