Tongdaemun is the 'north gate' of Seoul. The photos below show the gate itself in the background. The woman in this photo is one of the vendors at the market; she is selling onions and pens and socks, I think....

Steve was needing a new pair of tennis shoes. He found the pair he wanted (Nike cross-trainers) and the salesman told him (in Korean) that they cost 25,000 Won. Bargaining is essential in this market, so Steve finally got him down to 22,000, which is a darn good deal for those shoes. (In the USA, they would cost at least $60. Steve got them for about $28.) Despite the advantages of bargaining, we still learned the lesson of comparative shopping: we rounded the corner and found a salesman who was selling the very same shoes, starting at 20,000 Won!

The next morning came a harsh awakening as to the practical difficulties of not being able to communicate with anyone; the gas meter-reader came to the apartment. He started yammering and pointing to the meter outside their front door. Betsy kept saying "No Korean," but he didn't even understand that. He pushed his way inside, still yapping away, and pulled a board away from underneath the kitchen cabinet. He peered inside, talking away like we could understand, pointing at the pipes back there, and then left. What was he saying?? "The gas line is going to explode"?? "You need to dust back there"?? "You are stupid for not speaking my language"?? We still can't figure it out... :)

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