Seeing Old Grandpa in Gamcheon Culture Village

Eleven o’clock in the afternoon, Nopo-dong area, Geumjeong District….

Finally I got a bus ticket to Seoul. Because bus departed tonight, I decided to continue my exploration in Busan until afternoon. Now I was starting to leave Busan Central Bus Terminal, walking down an integration corridor towards Nopo Station.

Arriving at station, I didn’t have to wait long, Humetro Line 1 (Orange Line) took me to Toesong Station. It was twenty-four stations away. I arrived at destination station in almost an hour.

Getting off at Toesong Station, looking for directions to Gamcheon Culture Village.

Exiting west exit of Toesong Station, I then walked down Kkachigogae-ro Avenue. But before going any further, I found a street food which I had been aiming for before leaving for South Korea. Moreover, if it was not Bungeoppang, a street food made from flour and filled with chocolate. The uniqueness of this snack is its fish-shaped appearance which is very cute. I spent 1,000 Won to enjoying it.

I enjoyed a serving Bungeoppang in front of a middle-aged woman seller. Chewing while food was still hot made her laugh at me who was having a hard time chewing. Moments liked this made me always happy when traveling, joking with street food sellers who show their modesty, as they are.

From Kkachigogae-ro Avenue, I changed direction on Haedoji-ro Avenue heading south. The road was still flat, making me cross it with a smile. But I was only two hundred meters from Haedoji-ro Avenue section, because from then on I began to perfectly climb on Ami-ro Avenue.

Police station at Kkachigogae-ro Avenue.

I began to step at uphill road with a typical road topography, twisting, causing the road span to be longer. It was just that I didn’t want to be embarrassed by some of elderly residents who were nimbly climbing the road. Not even a few middle-aged residents happily jog up the hill. Extraordinary. I had to gasp up at Ami-ro Avenue to keep up with them.

I had walked one and a half kilometers until I finally arrived at the front gate of Gamcheon Culture Village. Meanwhile, it was half past one in the afternoon. Actually there was a public transportation number 2 which could take me from Toesong Station to Gamcheon Culture Village, but I was reluctant to use it, because walking is something that is fun and allows interacting with local residents.

The front gate of Gamcheon Culture Village.
The front gate of Gamcheon Culture Village.

After enjoying the atmosphere at the front gate of Gamcheon Culture Village which was full of art, I began to entering the cultural village which had been intensely given a touch of art since eleven years ago. It’s said that this village can be visited by more than one million tourists every year. Wow, you can imagine the magnitude of economic cycle in this former slum village. The village that used to be just a slum village, where the urban poor live, has now turned into a tourist village with extraordinary income.

The superior level of art has made Gamcheon Culture Village identified as the “Santorini of Korea”. Make Saha District pride, district where this tourist village area is.

Art along Gamcheon Culture Village.
 Gamcheon Culture Village atmosphere.
 Gamcheon Culture Village atmosphere.

Along the main village road, it was easy to find restaurants and cafes which pamper visitors. As far as the eye can see, there was ocean at the end of village when I enjoy its beauty from a house rooftop. Meanwhile, art and souvenir shops were scattered and easy to find.

At a point, I was attracted by one of homeowners who wore crutches at both arms. He told me that he was proud that his house was on the edge of the village’s main road and became an interesting spot for tourists to visit. I and a tourist of Chinese descent from Malaysia were invited to enter to see the interior of his house. Well this was the bonus of my trip.

But my time was so tight, it only took me an hour to walk around village and decided to immediately leave Gamcheon-dong area to go to another destination……

Menengok Kakek Tua di Gamcheon Culture Village

<—-Kisah sebelumnya.

Pukul sebelas siang, daerah Nopo-dong, Distrik Geumjeong….

Akhirnya aku mendapatkan tiket bus menuju Seoul. Karena bus baru berangkat malam nanti, aku memutuskan untuk melanjutkan eksplorasi di Busan hingga sore nanti. Kini aku mulai meninggalkan Busan Central Bus Terminal, menyusuri koridor integrasi menuju Stasiun Nopo.

Setiba di stasiun, tak lama menunggu, Humetro Line 1 (Orange Line) membawaku menuju Stasiun Toesong. Jaraknya berselang dua puluh empat stasiun. Aku tiba di stasiun tujuan dalam rentang waktu hampir satu jam.

Turun di Stasiun Toesong, mencari petunjuk menuju Gamcheon Culture Village.

Keluar dari pintu barat Stasiun Toesong, aku kemudian menyusuri Kkachigogae-ro Avenue. Tetapi sebelum jauh melangkah, aku menemukan street food yang sudah kuincar untuk dicicipi sebelum berangkat ke Korea Selatan. Apalagi kalau bukan Bungeoppang, street food berbahan dasar tepung dan berisikan cokelat, keunikan snack ini adalah penampakannya yang berbentuk ikan yang sangat lucu. Aku membelanjakan 1.000 Won (Rp. 12.000) untuk menikmatinya.

Aku menikmati sajian Bungeoppang di depan penjual wanita setengah baya. Mengunyah dalam kondisi makanan yang masih panas membuat dia menertawakanku yang kerepotan mengunyah. Momen seperti inilah yang membuatku selalu bahagia ketika bertraveling, bersenda gurau dengan pengais rezeqi jalanan yang menunjukkan kesahajaannya, apa adanya.

Dari Kkachigogae-ro Avenue, aku berganti haluan di Haedoji-ro Avenue menuju ke selatan. Jalanan masih saja datar, membuatku melintasnya dengan sumringah. Tapi hanya dua ratus meter dari bagian Haedoji-ro Avenue yang kulalui, karena untuk selanjutnya aku mulai menanjak sempurna di Ami-ro Avenue.

Pos polisi di bilangan Kkachigogae-ro.

Aku mulai menanjaki bukit dengan topografi jalanan yang khas, meliak-liuk,  menyebabkan rentang jalan menjadi lebih panjang. Hanya saja aku tak mau dipermalukan dengan beberapa warga lanjut usia yang menanjaki jalan itu dengan gesit. Bahkan tak sedikit warga setengah baya berjogging ria menanjaki bukit. Luar biasa. Aku harus tersengal menanjaki Ami-ro Avenue untuk mengimbangi mereka.

Satu setengah kilometer sudah aku melangkah hingga akhirnya tiba di gerbang depan Gamcheon Culture Village. Sementara waktu telah menunjukkan pukul setengah satu siang. Sebetulnya ada kendaraan umum bernomor 2 yang bisa mengantarku dari Stasiun Toesong menuju Gamcheon Culture Village, tapi aku enggan menggunakannya, karena berjalan kaki adalah sesuatu yang menyenangkan dan memungkinkan berinteraksi dengan warga lokal.

Gerbang depan Gamcheon Culture Village.
Gerbang depan Gamcheon Culture Village.

Usai menikmati suasana gerbang depan Gamcheon Culture Village yang penuh seni, aku mulai memasuki desa budaya yang telah intens diberikan sentuhan seni sejak sebelas tahun lalu itu. Konon desa ini bisa dikunjungi lebih dari satu juta pelancong setiap tahunnya. Wahhh, bisa dibayangkan besarnya putaran ekonomi di bekas desa kumuh ini. Desa yang dulu hanyalah desa kumuh, tempat tinggal kaum miskin kota, kini desa itu telah berubah menjadi desa wisata dengan pendapatan yang luar biasa.

Tingkat seni yang unggul, menjadikan Gamcheon Culture Village diidentikkan dengan “Santorininya Korea”. Menjadikan kebanggaan Distrik Saha yang mencakupi wilayah desa wisata ini.

Seni di sepanjang Gamcheon Culture Village.
Suasana Gamcheon Culture Village.
Suasana Gamcheon Culture Village.

Di sepanjang jalan utama desa, mudah ditemukan restoran dan cafe yang memanjakan pengunjung. Sejauh mata memandang,  tampak lautan di ujung desa ketika aku menikmati keindahannya dari sebuah sky rooftop. Sementara toko seni dan souvenir tampak bertebaran dan mudah ditemukan.

Pada sebuah langkah, aku tertarik dengan salah seorang pemilik rumah yang mengenakan kruk di kedua lengannya. Dia bercerita bahwa dia bangga rumahnya berada di tepian jalan utama desa dan menjadi spot menarik untuk dikunjungi para wisatawan. Aku bersama seorang turis keturunan Tionghoa asal Malaysia dipersilahkan masuk untuk melongok interior rumah si kakek pemilik. Wah inilah bonus dari perjalanan itu.

Tetapi waktu yang begitu sempit, membuatku hanya satu jam berkeliling desa dan memutuskan untuk segera meninggalkan daerah  Gamcheon-dong  untuk menuju ke destinasi lainnya……

Kisah Selanjutnya—->