Toegye-ro Avenue

Moments after the last sip of coffee in my paper cup, the sky blue bus number 402 arrived. Didn’t go straight to bus stop platform. It turned out that the driver got off and hunted for coffee at G-25 minimarket, where I had gotten black coffee moments before.

I was already standing in front of the bus when he approached while holding his hot coffee.”*&^%$#@!()<>”, I didn’t know what he said while pointing at his coffee cup. But I understood what he means, “Wait a minute, bro, I’m drinking coffee for a while”. I smiled nodding and he held up his right thumb for me.

I leaned against the front of bus as I waited for him to finish his coffee behind the wheel. A few moments later, the sound of bus’ front door scraping was heard. Indicated that bus doors have been opened and I was welcome. Of course it was better to sit inside a warmer bus than cold out there.

A few moments after I sat in the middle seat, the bus moved to bus stop platform. Pick up passengers who have been waiting for a long time.

All passengers had taken their seats as bus slowly started to descend Namsan Mountain and exposed the beauty of Seoul through glass windows. The metropolis which seemed to be shrouded in a layer of fog below. I endlessly widened my eyes to stare at it from above.

Until not felt, the bus was speeding in city streets which were flat. Showing the busy streets of Seoul. Twenty minutes later I was dropped off at Toegye-ro Avenue right in front of Gate 5 of Namdaemun Market.

Seen from across the street, the aura of that 75-year-old traditional market was really tempting. The many stalls of traders in very clean floor of market were decorated with puffs of smoke indicating that traditional cuisine would be easy to find inside. It was said that there were 9,000 stalls in this market.

I started walking on the edge of market, taking a quick look at spice trade among local residents. Ginseng which was famous in that country was really tempting when it was displayed in every stretch of merchant stalls. And I didn’t know, how in an instant, I finally managed to have a pack of ginseng from a stall….. Wow, Hmmhhh.

Not quite up there. Now my eyes were attracted by souvenir display at a side of market alley. I approached and automatically started bidding at some cute and quirky keychains. Oh my God, the trade ended with the purchase of a dozen key chains which I planned to give to my office mates after returning from Seoul.

Wow, market aura really was really strong. Now I suddenly offered some almond snacks which in my mind, I would snack tomorrow during my long flight in the plane to Jakarta.

It took me a long time to walk around market, making my stomach hungry. Coupled with the exposure of culinary smoke which wafted through market alleys. Never mind, I decided to enter a tavern that was owned by an old woman who still radiated the remnants of her beauty aura, dressed neatly clean and full of smiles.

She just smiled and kept looking at me sitting at dining table. “Dangsin-eun eodieseo oneunga?”, she kept asking me who didn’t understand how to answer. Until a young man with a small laugh spoke to me. “She said, where are you coming from?”.

“Oh, just say to her, I am from Indonesia….Jakarta….yes, Jakarta”, I answered with a light laugh. “Hooo. Indunesiaaaa…. yes yes yes”, the old woman nodded as she continued to smile. She approached me and handed me a menu.

It didn’t take long, I immediately pointed to a menu. Not that I understoodd what the menu looked like. I just saw in right column of the menu that it was the cheapest food I could find. “Hoooo, sundubu-jjigae …OK”, the old woman gave a thumbs up and went to prepare the menu.

After waiting a while. The food was served on the table. Wanted to know the shape of that food:

Huh…. Hahahaha, that was what you pay for only rice and tofu… The rest of the menu was free.

My trip at Namdaemun Market finally ended at that simple eatery. Now I have left the market from original gate and I was ready to leave that four-hectare market.

Next Story—->

<—-Kisah Sebelumnya

Beberapa saat setelah seruputan kopi terakhir di cangkir kertasku, bus biru langit bernomor 402 itu tiba. Tak langsung menuju platform halte. Ternyata sang sopir turun dan berburu kopi di G-25 minimarket, tempatku mendapatkan kopi hitam beberapa saat sebelumnya.

Aku sudah berdiri di depan bus ketika dia mendekat sembari memegang kopi panasnya.”*&^%$#@!()<>”, entah apa yang dia ucapkan sembari menunjuk cangkir kopinya. Tetapi aku paham maksudnya, “Tunggu dulu ya bang, saya minum kopi sebentar”. Aku tersenyum mengangguk dan dia mengacungkan jempol kanannya untukku.

Aku bersandar di bagian depan bus sembari menunggunya menghabiskan kopi di balik kemudi. Beberapa saat kemudian, bunyi gesekan pintu bagian depan terdengar. Menunjukkan bahwa pintu bus telah dibuka dan aku dipersilahkan masuk. Tentu lebih enak duduk di dalam bus yang lebih hangat ketimbang berdingin ria di luaran sana.

Beberapa saat setelah aku terduduk di bangku tengah, bus pun merapat ke platform halte. Menaikkan penumpang yang sudah menunggu sedari tadi.

Segenap penumpang telah menempati tempat duduknya masing-masing ketika bus perlahan mulai menuruni Gunung Namsan dan memperlihatkan keindahan Seoul dari balik jendela kaca. Kota metropolitan yang tampak dinaungi selaput kabut di bawah sana. Aku membelalakkan mata tanpa henti untuk menatapnya dari ketinggian.

Hingga tak terasa, bus sudah melaju kencang di jalanan kota yang datar. Menampilkan kesibukan jalanan kota Seoul. Dua puluh menit kemudian aku diturunkan di Toegye-ro Avenue tepat di depan Gate 5 Namdaemun Market.

Dilihat dari seberang jalan saja, aura pasar tradisional berusia 75 tahun itu sungguh menggoda. Ramainya lapak pedangang di atas lantai pasar yang sangat bersih dihiasi dengan kepulan asap yang mengisyaratkan bahwa kuliner tradisional akan mudah ditemukan di dalamnya. Konon ada 9.000 lapak di dalam pasar ini.

Aku mulai menapaki bibir pasar, mengamati sepintas lalu perniagaan rempah di antara warga lokal. Ginseng yang terkenal di negeri itu sungguh menggoda ketika dipamerkan di setiap hamparan lapak pedagang. Dan entahlah, bagaimana bisa dalam sekejap, akhirnya aku berhasil memiliki sebuah kemasan ginseng dari sebuah lapak…..Wah, gaswat.

Duh, ga ada logo halalnya euy…..Tapi terlanjur dibeli….Udahlah di cemil aza.

Tak cukup sampai di situ. Kini mataku tertarik dengan pajangan souvenir di salah satu sisi gang. Aku mendekat dan secara otomatis mulai menawar beberapa gantungan kunci yang lucu dan unik. Oh Tuhan, perniagaan itu berakhir dengan terbelinya selusin gantungan kunci yang rencananya akan kuberikan ke beberapa teman kantor sepulang dari Seoul nanti.

Wah, setan pasar itu memang benar-benar ada. Kini aku mendadak menawar beberapa snack almond yang dalam fikiranku, akan kucemil esok selama perjalanan panjang di pesawat menuju Jakarta.

Cukup lama berkeliling pasar, membuat perutku lapar. Ditambah dengan paparan asap kuliner yang menyeruap di gang-gang pasar. Sudahlah, aku memutuskan untuk memasuki sebuah kedai yang diempui seorang perempuan tua yang masih terpancar sisa-sisa aura kecantikannya, berpakaian rapi bersih dan penuh senyum.

Dia hanya tersenyum terus melihatku yang terduduk di meja makan. “Dangsin-eun eodieseo oneunga?”, dia terus menanyaiku yang tak faham bagaimana menjawabnya. Hingga seorang pemuda dengan tertawa kecil berbicara kepadaku. “She said, where are you come from?”.

“Oh, just say to her, I am from Indonesia….Jakarta….ya, Jakarta”, aku menjawabnya sembari tertawa ringan. “Hoooo. Indunesiaaaa….ya ya ya”, perempuan tua itu mengangguk sembari terus melempar senyum. Dia mendekatiku dan memberikan selembar menu.

Tak perlu waktu lama, aku segera menunjuk sebuah menu. Bukannya aku faham apa wujud menu itu. Aku hanya melihat di kolom kanan menu bahwa itulah harga makanan paling murah yang bisa kutemukan. “Hoooo, sundubu-jjigae …OK”, perempuan tua itu mengacungkan jempol dan pergi mempersiapkan menu.

Setelah menunggu beberapa saat. Makanan itu pun di sajikan ke atas meja. Mau tahu bentuk makanannya:

Tuh….Hahahaha, itu yang dibayar cuma nasi ama tahunya duankk…Sisanya menu pembuka gratisan.

Perjalananku di Namdaemun Market akhirnya berakhir di kedai makan sederhana itu. Kini aku sudah keluar pasar dari gate semula masuk dan bersiap meninggalkan pasar seluas empat hektar itu.

Kisah Selanjutnya—->

Tag: Toegye-ro Avenue

Ginseng from Namdaemun Market

Ginseng dari Namdaemun Market