With half of my Intagram feed going to Japan to marvel at the sakura blossom or to admire the red colors of the autumn, I am happily keeping South Korea – with equally gorgeous cherry time and fall colors – to myself. For me, mass tourism takes the magic of the places away (think Santorini flooded by several hundred of ferry hoppers), – I kind of don’t even want to go to Japan now.
Especially when I have my family still in Korea. Here I am taking on from the previous post on South Korea Daily, to share with you some of my favorite pastimes there, Korea’s less known casual side, and simply the things that make me happy there.
With Korean economy taking new hikes every year, Korean cities are growing as well. So do the villages – or what used to be villages. I remember some of the places around Busan with traditional settlements, where people still lived back then. Tiny homes, barely any electricity, centralized water sources. And now – building after building, tower after tower, with wide straight streets, as opposed to the narrow labyrinth, jumping up and down the hills, typical for the old Korean cities. All of that white and generously spiced by colorful ad signs.

The streets of a typical newly born Korean city – this one close to Busan
And, of course, the waiving cat. Koreans love to draw cute animals and put them everywhere, from a cafe sign to the city’s official emblem.

The streets of Busan, South Korea
And here is something virtually unmissable in South Korea – cicadas! See if you can spot one here.

A cicada sitting on a tree, South Korea
There is it – click on the images to see it closer!
My big thing in Korea is food markets. They sprout in the middle of concrete jungles of modern and old Korean cities and still retain the original spirit of a heart of a village where people flock to buy and sell their produce. Usually these markets appear several times a week on fixed days. Know your neighborhood.

Traditional Koren food market
Just look at these colors!..
One of the key parts of my life in Korea is roadtrips. Mus loves exploring and is always builds new routes for us. We were once having a dinner with my Dad’s manager and his wife. “I got to know Korea so much better thanks to your facebook tips!”, – she told Mus. One good question is how Mus herself finds all these secret spots with hidden lakes, cafes in the middle of nowhere and off-the-charts breathtaking temples. But I guess that we will never know.
One of the cafes in the middle of nowhere. A really cool place with a campers’ site (which is a detail), a super friendly dog Tulli and, most importantly, a collection of cups and bills from everywhere in the world, brought by grateful tourists. In the middle of nowhere in Korea! The place does not even have a facebook page, let alone a site.

Cafe Sodam Garden Sea Food, South Korea
Dad has always loved dogs… But it did not play out that well in out cat family, did it? 😀
And this is just a passage where we stopped to buy something Mus needed for her amazing cuisine. Don’t you just love the colors in South Korea? No fashion for washed-out tones here.
Do you know these stories about people claiming that they will never take another cat, never, ever in their lives again? That’s my mom. And that is #geracat, in cat’s heaven on Earth.
And that’s myself, happy in my Korean home – wearing no make up at all and the nail polish color I could never afford during the peak work months.
🙂
A great post, Natasha, with so many beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing your impressions! Have a great weekend! Marcus
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Marcus! One day you should tell me how to live your life and be that tuned into the blog/photo community 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sure, but only over a coffee 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sure, deal – and likely in one of the world’s airports! 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
👍
LikeLike
It’s me, khegaika =) you’re sooooo cute in the last picture! and you make such great pics of lovely Korea! i can imagine my next trip there… of course i’m going to visit Mus! =))
LikeLiked by 1 person
а чего ты мне пишешь по-английски? :)) пиши на любом языке, я же не пишу на русском тут только потому, что это по времени нереально (и еще потому, что все мои русские друзья хоть как-то понимают английский, а вот иностранцам понять русский малореально :)). А не из принципа. Уверена, Мус будет очень рад )))
LikeLike
Oh yeah. In Busan we visited the markets like Gukje and Jagalchi. Such a delight of smells and colors. But you are right. It is all developed now and few to see of the old city!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like it this way though. Europe should be decandently washed out, other places are better be new 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow you have some fabulous photos! I love your blog.
Are you still living in korea now?
LikeLike
Thank you! 🙂 my parents are still there, and I visit them every year. I live in Paris.
LikeLike