Shopping & eating in Seoul

Showing off my designer handbag that's a birthday present from Li Ki.  We had so much fun shopping in Insadong after discovering indie fabric designers who create the most fabulous textiles before turning them into wearable fashion and accessories.  It was seriously hard to choose what to buy!

Found a cutout of Park Bo Gum - my current favourite kdrama actor - outside a shop selling a brand of cosmetics we had never of.  So of course, we had to get some.  Especially since they gave me free calendars, posters and postcards of this flower boy.

 

Getting a makeover at Klavu beauty store in Myeongdong.  I was reluctant at first, but the very persuasive sales girl who spoke Mandarin, talked me into trying a new look.  Turned out to be a really fun afternoon!  And yes, I did end up buying quite a few new products.

 

Rose gelato in Myeongdong.  Very pretty.  Looks better than it tastes, to be perfectly honest.

Had the best meal on this trip at a mandu (Korean dumplings) shop in the back lanes of Insadong.  So tasty, satisfying and cheap. Just followed the locals instead of the tourists.

Shopping in Cambodia

Most of you know that I love shopping on my travels. However, I must admit that Cambodia offers a shopping experience that is not always typical nor comfortable. Have a read of my shopping list and you'll understand why...

• My first purchase were some guide books from a man with no hands. Top Vanna is a land-mine victim who was disabled in 1988 while training new recruits on jungle warfare & survival skills. He now earns a living by selling books to tourists outside the Pasr Cha (Old Market) in Siem Reap.
  
• Bracelets from this little girl (pictured here) outside the Ta Phrom temple. She followed me for about 200 meters and I finally succumbed to her sweet smile after she tripped and lost her slipper. Tourists will encounter hundreds of children hawking their wares and begging around the temples.
• One CD of Khmer traditional music by a band comprising victims of landmine victims
• Another CD of cello classical music by Dr Beat Richner, a Swiss paediatrician who has started four Kantha Bopha children hospitals, providing free treatment for the children of Cambodia
• An apsara carving from Artisans D'Angkor - a school specialising in teaching impoverished youngsters the skills of wood and stone carving. The items are pricier than the old market but profits go back into funding the school and bringing more teenagers into the program
• Purses made from re-cycled paper by the street kids of Siem Reap

I bargained very little on this trip.

Lost and penniless

I usually spend my weekends in Puxi to escape the highly-sanitised Pudong. However this morning as I prepared to leave the apartment, I couldn't find my Shanghai guide book. To my horror, I realised that it was left behind in a restaurant last week. Sigh...

So I set off and re-traced the steps from my last excursion into Puxi. To my great joy, I stumbled onto the Dongtai Lu Antique Market. Although it looks like the poor-cousin of Xintiandi next door, it's atmosphere is genuinely delightful. Pottery, brassware, coins, birdcages, posters & paint brushes are piled high onto make-shift stalls, while sleepy stall-owners lounge in their rattan chairs. Peddlers threaten to mow you down with their bicycles, while little children stuff bao (dumplings) into their mouths.

This is the Shanghai that I had come to see - so I just took my time to stroll, browse, and lose myself in its hustle & bustle.

Picking through the piles of "antiques", I found some lovely items. Since I look Chinese, the stall owners were less aggressive and offered lower opening prices. When I started speaking Mandarin, the prices dipped even further! I was really fascinated by the Mao-era memorabilia e.g. the little red book (yes, I got one!), the green suits & caps, the armbands.

So I began to buy a piece here, 2 pieces there, 4 pieces further along, 10 pieces in the next street and before I knew it, I was down to my last yuan. The stall-owner watched with bated breath as I opened my wallet and laid out every single piece of Chinese currency I had left. To my embarrassment, I was short of Y50. He magnanimously offered to accept all the cash I had and waive the rest. And so I left DongTai Lu without a cent, relying on my legs and pre-paid transport card to get home.

When I got home, I laid out all my purchases and started admiring them one by one:

• The copper teapot with frog design is very unique and playful at the same time
  
• The "jade" water pipe is really intricate and detailed - it was the find of the day
• Replicas of the oriental girl advertisement posters really evoke the atmosphere of old Shanghai - I love them!
• Sepia-toned photos of the Peace Hotel & Nanjing Road in aged wooden frames
• Ten little cloisonne owls that double as jewellery boxes
• Mao's little red book - in English...how genuine is that :-)

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the day I got lost and penniless in Shanghai.

Never pay retail again

I made my annual pilgrimage to the COACH store at Vacaville Premium Outlets today, and there was a SALE on! Hoooraay!

I discovered the wonder of premium outlets during my first trip to San Francisco in 2006. All the brand names are lined up side-by-side and offer 30- 60% discounts all year round! And the designs are only half a season behind...how wonderful is that?! Although I've been cynical of American culture in the past, this is one practice that's worth embracing.

Aunty Jo-Jo is a COACH-aholic and proud of it!

It's good to see that I'm not the only one who's caught the shopping bug. The COACH store was filled with people scouring shelves, and rummaging through clearance bins. Even my sister finally gave in, and bought her first COACH handbag. Who wouldn't when a gorgeous purse is reduced from US$200 to US$70? An absolute bargain!

Aunty Jo-Jo sneaking back into the apartment with all her shopping!

As you can see, I also stopped at the Clarks outlet and picked up 3 pairs of ultra comfy shoes. Also visited the GAP and Ralph Lauren stores but didn't find anything interesting. Thank goodness...my bags are already packed to the brim. Hmmm...maybe I should visit the Samsonite store...

Long live premium outlets!