Every city usually has something that makes it unique.  But I’m finding most Korean cities look similar, especially in more recently developed areas with the same high-rise apartments, the same coffee chains, and the same restaurants.

I was quite pleased to find Busan has its own quirky neighborhood which was perfect for an afternoon visit.

Gamcheon Culture village started out as an impoverished and haphazardly built part of town where refugees from the Korean War settled.

Now it’s full of art galleries, colorful houses, street art, and street food stalls for the frequent neighborhood festivals.

We walked down the narrow alleys, taking pictures of all the amazing views the neighborhood offered.  The tourism office also offers a map you can use to collect stamps at different locations.  If you get all the stamps and show the tourism office, they will give you a free postcard.

someone made their exhaust pipe into an elephant head

one stairway decided to tell us how many steps there were, but we walked up and down several of them

My travel mates agreed that this would be a lovely place to live, but probably dangerous when the streets and steep steps get icy in the winter.

We found a cute cafe on a house roof and they had delicious doughnuts for only a dollar!

mmmm….doughnuts

When I go back to Busan, this will definitely be a stop.