You may recall that for J's birthday last year we came to Busan for it's international community and the promise of a mexican restaurant or two. This year we came for my birthday, but it was a very unique Korean community that drew us. Gamcheon Village is a neighborhood built into the side of the mountain in southern Busan, which is, or at least was, one of the poorest places in the city. Originally founded by the displaced refugees of the Taeguekdo religion during the Korean war, when the north had pushed frontlines as far south as Busan, the village poped up as a sort of shanty town with it's own rules and culture. The houses stacked like legos up the mountain were not allowed to block the view of any other, so that the resulting neighborhood looks like a collage. The color was only added later, during a renovation project by the city to revitalize the area and recognize the history of the community. While there are very few Taeguekdo followers left, the temple still stands at the base of the hillside, and the city has ensured that their memory is preserved in the numerous mini-museums and tourist area brochures that draw visitors year-round.
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| An old photo of the original village |
While this is all very interesting, it does not explain why I wanted so desperately to visit for my birthday this year. Well that renovation project that I mentioned, really took a turn in 2009 when a bunch of local college art students decided to make the neighborhood their personal canvas and began painting the little lego houses bright colors, filling the streets with murals, and turning abandoned shacks into mini-museums. The resulting tourist center is an incredibly colorful township hike, up and down the hill, with a city-issued stamp book. The excursion is bright and fun and reminds you of a scavenger hunt as you try to find the hidden gems nestled in the maze of houses where you can stamp your passbook for souvenir freebies and fun. And if you know me at all, you know that I can enjoy nothing more than waking up in a place painted in all the colors of the rainbow, where just getting to breakfast is a breathtaking climb and every shop is themed after cutesy, colorful art and craft. Rooftops are transformed into gardens and patios for viewing the sea from the mountainside while enjoying a view of the village with a cup of coffee.
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| The flowers painted on so many buildings almost made me forget I was born in winter |
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| J&K happy campers outside our airbnb |
And then, to Seoul. Or really, I should say, Pyeongchang for the Olympics. But honestly, while the intention of our trip was to go to the Olympics, it costs and arm and a leg to rent even a bunk in a hostel dorm anywhere near the Olympic Parks, so we wound up having a trip to Seoul, with just a dash of Pyeongchang Olympic fun. With our mind set on getting out to a figure skating event, we stayed in a new (to us) neighborhood in Seoul, nearest to the train station that would take us the hour and a half journey to the Ice Arena in Gangneung. This area, it turned out, was a great place for getting to nearby sights we had never considered in previous trips to Seoul. We enjoyed a strange little districts known for it's street art and shoe stores, where there happened to be a great little brewery for celebrating the seventh anniversary of our first date. A basket of chicken wings, truffle fries, and some of the best pints we've had in the last two years later, we felt properly celebratory and not even that bitter about the early morning ahead of us.
The next day, we boarded a KTX (Korean high speed inter-city rail) to Gangneung, a trip that took us past the snowy PyeongChang Mountain Cluster where travelers debarked for skiing and snowboarding events. When we arrived in the sunnier Gangneung Costal Cluster, home of the ice events, we were thrilled to find that tickets to a specific event, came with entrance to the Olympic Park, duh... But we had no idea what a thing that is! Something like a carnival without the roller coasters, there were games, sideshows, food vendors, and stores galore. Thank goodness the ticket advisor informed us to arrive two hours early. It took almost that long just to wander through excitedly zigzagging through the people from all around the world to see everything there was to see. As expected, food was overpriced, but surprisingly good. Most restaurants and snack pop-ups were labeled as either "Korean fare" or "Western" and we gravitated toward Korean after a disappointing snack burger outside the Ice Arena.
Then there was the Ice Skating event itself, and it was incredible! I'm not sure what to say to convey how excited I was to be there, except that just watching the warmups, with ten skaters on the ice skating circles, made me tear up. The things these athletes can do is nothing short of spectacular. I can barely look at J while walking and talking side by side down the road without swerving and bumping into someone. The fact that these people could throw (and catch?!) each other while balancing on one razor blade on the ice simply blew my mind. It was neat also to later watch events on the TV screen when we returned to Goheung and say "ooh look! That's where we sat!" Perhaps the most unexpectedly fun part was watching the skaters practice, without the judgmental eye of the scoreboard. They would practice that graceful smile that makes what they are doing look effortless, before overwhelming pride took over and they would fist pump, or make a silly face at their partner when they tripped. They winked at the audience and laughed and danced when there was time for it and it all felt so much more real than seeing only the medal events on the TV screen.
After an exhausting day at the Olympic Park, we spent out last day in Seoul walking sleepily through the Dongdaemun Flea Market. While it wasn't the highlight of the trip, I would certainly recommend it to anyone in the area. Wandering through the two story warehouse is something like walking through a real-life Ispy book. Vendors had they stalls packed floor to ceiling with everything from old army memorabilia, to cheap razors and blow driers. We were actually tempted by some old paintings and instruments, though the can-we-reasonably-get-this-back-to-America mindset kept us from spending any money until we got to the train station for the ride home. And so started the first day of Seollal, the Korean lunar new year holiday. We are home again, and back to work. It was an incredible few months bouncing from here to there, but we are happy to lie low for a while.
So that's all for now. Cheers, and happy year of the dog to all!
-K
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