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[HanCinema's Travel Diaries] Exploring a cute Busan neighborhood

There are so many wonderful places to explore in Busan. The famous places like the fish market and Haeundae beach are amazing. But there are also the small, quiet places. The sort of places people live and do day-to-day things. We see them all the time on our tv and computer screens. It's been pretty wonderful being able to walk those streets myself. Just be sure to put on your walking shoes because Busan is hilly!

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A little exercise area was located in the neighborhood I was staying in, you know the kind that we always see in dramas where the ajummas and grandmas work out as they go for walks with their visors on? Finding it was a mixture of surprising and realization. What I find unusual and only something to be seen on TV was something normal to these women in the neighborhood. I admit I didn't try it myself, but I did see quite a few ladies partaking in the free exercise equipment and enjoying the sunny Busan days.

The hilly neighborhood with three and four story buildings was old, charming and full of older residents who walked everywhere. While cars were plenty, I saw pairs and trios of old (literally) friends meandering here and there going about their days. Although beautiful, I admit the car driver that I have been for the past fifteen years was not quite ready to traipse all over the neighborhood - the grannies beat me to my destination for the first few days!

My favorite place to go in the neighborhood was the market. The clerks were friendly and engaged me in conversation, helping when I wasn't sure what a particular item was or where to find what I wanted. It seems to simple, helping a customer, but as I'm brand new to Korea, the help was so welcome. That welcome was found in all of the local corner stores and groceries of which there were many. I'd often pass people walking home with little black bags indicative of a corner store purchase while holding a bag of my own in my hand.

It seems quaint walking these streets, and it was, but it was also rather magical falling into regular life in a place across the world from my home. Have you ever walked streets like these?

Written by: Lisa Espinosa AKA Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'

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