Trips to Itaewon

Hi guys! I know I've blogged a lot about administration stuff with regards to uni.. And I figured it's time to switch gears and start blogging about the fun stuff. Sooooo from now on, for most of my blog posts, I'm gonna start posting all my random sightseeing.

First off on the list is..... Itaewon!!! Itaewon is an area where you'd see a lot of foreigners hanging around. That's because there are a lot of businesses here that have been established by international residents living in Korea. You can find a lot of stuff imported from overseas here..... which of course, includes foooood!!!!!

I knew I had to visit Itaewon even before I arrived in Seoul. Due to the fact that there are a lot of Halal food in this area, particularly in the area where the Seoul Central Mosque is located. I've been to Itaewon a number of times since I arrived in Seoul, so here's just a recount of my experience so far.

Halal food

When I first arrived in Seoul, I had to firstly find a place where I could buy my groceries. In Itaewon, there are a few shops that sells imported Halal food products and local Halal food products. The only downside to it is that some of the products might be a little expensive (well, for me it is because I'm on a student budget lol)... but I guess you'll have to deal with it. Also... some of the shops don't have clearly stated price tags to it... which kinda sucks when you're trying to compare prices with other shops.

This is Foreign Food Mart, which is where I buy most of my groceries from.

After finding different grocery markets, I had to find a butcher that sells Halal meat. Again, there are a few butcher shops available in Itaewon, but all of them that I've been to only sells imported Halal meat, which also means that it's on the pricey side. If I remember correctly, 500g of mince meat costs 6,000 won, which is about AUD$7. Anyway, I forgot to take a picture of the butcher shop that I usually buy my meat from... will probably update this post again with a picture next time.

If you're trying to find a Halal restaurant in Itaewon, there are A LOT of them around here.. to the point where I can say you are spoiled for choice. And depending on what you order, some of the food may also be on the pricey side. Anyway I've only been to two restaurants:
1. Itaewon Halal Pizza, a small cosy fast food restaurant which sells burgers, chips, and of course, pizza.
2. Makan Halal Korean Restaurant, which sells super delicious Korean food.

I've been to the Makan restaurant twice now and oh my god their food are so delicious I cannot even describe it in words. My favourites on their menu are the 떡갈비 (tteok-galbi), which is a beef dish, and this squid dish, which I totally forgot its Korean name. Also, their 반찬 (banchan), which are side dishes that are served with every meal, are TO-DIE-FOR. I seriously love all of their side dishes T_T

I'm already drooling just by looking at this picture.... 

Seoul Central Mosque
The mosque is located on a hill, so you'd have to walk up in order to get to the mosque. Anyway, to enter the mosque area, you'd have to be dressed appropriately (i.e your legs, arms need to be covered and not exposed). Even if you're not, the mosque provides clothing that you can wear temporarily while you are within the mosque area. I've seen some Koreans who were keen to learn about Islam and were talking to a person who was working at the mosque. It's a pleasant feeling seeing that people are still interested to know about Islam, despite all the hate that is happening around the world.

Anyway, I've been to the mosque a number of times, of which one of the occasion was for Eid ul Adha. It was a refreshing experience because I've never been away from my family for Eid before. And even though I was far away from home, being at the mosque for Eid prayers was truly a nice feeling. Cool fact - the sermon after the Eid prayers were conducted in English and Korean. How awesome is that????!!! Anywayyyyyy after the Eid prayers ended, there were a bunch of Indonesians crowding around this lady and taking pictures with her. Turns out, she's the wife of the ex-president of Indonesia (Yudhoyono) LOL. Both Yudhoyono and his wife were present at the Eid prayers. I thought that was cool lol.

The view from the top of the hill where the mosque is located.

Seoul Central Mosque in the day

Seoul Central Mosque at night

Other stuff about Itaewon
Itaewon is a really happening town at night... and that's because Itaewon is also home to a lot of  nightclubs. Quite a number of people from my dorm love going to Itaewon because of the nightlife. If you have any questions about the nightlife in Itaewon, I'm sorry to say that I'm the wrong person to ask about this matter LOLLLLLLL.

Itaewon can get kinda dodgy at night, so it's best that you always have someone with you at all times..... Actually this applies for everywhere you go in Seoul... so yup.

A street in Itaewon.

... And that concludes my post about Itaewon! I will be blogging about more places very soon :)