Korea: Yangjae Citizen's Forest part two

Not only is the Yangjae Citizen's Forest park a beautiful place to take a stroll or have a (boozy-optional) picnic and forget about your worries for awhile, but there's a lot more to the location than that. There are historically significant statutes commemorating brave Koreans of yonder years, exhibits, tennis courts, bicycle rentals, playgrounds, a small shop selling snacks, even a public library box! The Yangjae river connects this area to the Yangjae River Neighborhood Park so if you like feeding the fish or aquatic settings that's a lovely spot nearby to check out. I spent a fair bit of time there feeding the fish! I love watching them squirm about gulping for food as they get whirled up into a feeding frenzy. I'm also keen on areas with lots of water, having been a swimmer for much of my childhood. Here in the Vegas desert, we have to rely on swimming pools or our man-made lakes, or drive out for the Colorado river...or we can take an even longer road trip out to the ocean, 4+ hours away. My love of water made living in Japan, and then Korea, especially wonderful because rivers or the beach were never too far away... and as much as people love to complain about the rainy seasons, I absolutely adore them! It's always a novelty for me, this concept of water falling from the sky. It's pretty rare in my hometown, and when it does it's usually a brief downpour that floods the streets then recedes quickly. Being near the oceans, I loved seeing all the seafood in the markets and exploring coastlines and tide pools whenever possible!  

All this hydration in the environment also translates to lush greenery and foliage, and a bounty of living creatures thriving among it. You could almost forget that you're in the middle of the capital city. 

I watched squirrels spazzing through the leaves in their hyper-active acrobatics, birds sassing humans on the tennis courts, and several other humans enjoying this park in my visit. It was a beautiful day with glorious weather and I'm so grateful I went out and took this trek. It was much needed and I felt more at ease and at peace. Funny how nature can do that, even when it's confined to a plot of land in the city. Thanks, nature, for always, uh, finding a way.

More photos after the cut!

Until next time!

💖

XOXO,

NAU