Oops.

After a rowdy night on Friday, Meagan and I decided to take it easy Saturday.  We thought it might be fun to check out one of the night markets that South Korea is known for.  All of the research online ranted and raved about these markets and how they're full of people and crazy displays from 9pm until dawn.

We got to Dongdaemun around 8:30, a little earlier than expected, but that's alright.  We wandered the vast rows of shops, talking about how exciting everything would be once it opened up for the night.  After about half an hour, we were getting a bit chilly so we decided to swing into a coffee shop to warm up, figuring it would be a good place to wait until things got going.

About an hour later we ventured back into the cold, only to find that even more shops and restaurants were dark.  Instead of things starting up, they were clearly shutting down.  A little defeated, we walked around the sketchy deserted streets for a while, laughing about how unremarkable the experience was turning out to be.

And then, we turned a corner and it was like we'd found the promised land.  We were finally climbing off the dreadful Mayflower.  Doota, a large Korean department store, sat right in front of us - in all it's holiday-decorated glory.

I'm not sure why the night market was closed, probably just because it's January and colder than the North Pole, but I'm sure glad that the trip wasn't a total waste.