gamcheon culture village

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on saturday, i finally had the opportunity to do one of the things i was most anticipating on my non-bucket list: gamcheon culture village. i say ‘finally’ because, even though i have been here for a month (an entire month! imagine!), lately i had been feeling like i hadn’t really seen anything. i mean, the beach is fine and beautiful, and adjusting to a new job, language, and country takes a bit of time, but i was itching to make my way around the city.

chuseok, the korean version of thanksgiving that took place last weekend, gave me the opportunity to do just that (an early birthday gift from korea, perhaps?). presented with a four-day holiday, i thought gamcheon would be a colorful way to start off my wanders.

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gamcheon is a suburb that saw explosive growth when countless koreans fled to busan during the war. they made these houses out of whatever they could find, and in the last five years the government invested in the area by hiring artists to paint murals and various other works.

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of course, gamcheon reminded me a lot of the plateau. subtle bits of art everywhere, colors clashing and demanding attention with every flick of the eye. so peaceful and laid-back, an ideal place to walk for an entire day and not feel the aches on your feet until the last pastel house is out of sight.

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this building sold locks you could attach to the railing, a la paris love lock bridge. unlike its french counterpart, no collapses have been reported here.

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i especially loved the alleyway that was done up to look like a library. if only there’d been a real-life one to complement it, maybe just off one of the nearby doors…

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shakespeare in korea.

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these plant pots were definitely made for walkin.

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everything was so beautiful. it was amazing to walk around and see so much nature and buildings that don’t look as if they snapped into existence this very week.

the entire village was bathed in sunlight for the day, and it made me wonder what it’d be like to live there (i had my eye specifically on the jamaican-colored house, but any of the sea foam ones would do). naturally, no flesh-and-blood residents were spotted. they are apparently used to tourists, but in the same way that gwen stefani would be if her house were included in a tour.

i loved visiting this place, and i am so glad it was one of the first sights i was treated to after finally yanking my feet out of the sand.

 
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