A Stroll with Holy Mackerel Market's Guide, Hyunmi, in Busan South Korea

Can you retroactively add experiences to your bucket list?

It touched every one of my senses in the purest of fashion: The lighting was amazing.  The sights were colorful and geometric.  The smells were sometimes warm and inviting, and other times - would have been better cooked.  We heard the sounds of the hustle and bustle, Korean chatter, and the silence that sometimes fell from the exhaustion that already consumed the employees in the late morning and sometimes fell from a lull in customers between high traffic times.  The feeling was gripping, we were welcomed by the smiles of the hardworking men and women of Busan, all of us drenched in the damp, yet crisp, air. 

Picture a fish market you'd love to get lost in during your travels and make an adventure day of... this would be it.

You could spend the day excited over the smallest most unique finds, discovering new flavors, capturing the essence of culture and history just in one general day-to-day location. 

If during your travels. you want to know where the locals go... find a market center. 

Hyunmi, the founder of Holy Mackerel Market Walk, met us outside the market and greeted us warmly with a reusable tote bag as our gift.  She let us know the plan for the tour and what we could expect.  

Along the way she would make stops at different vendors, maybe grabbing a sampling of this or an order of that.  She would take our questions and ask for details in Korean, relaying the answers.  

She would let us know the stories that she knew of some of the owners, their product, how they are used in traditional Korean cooking. 

All while doing her own shopping for home along the way!  Errands and a job you can love, not a bad gig!

And the best of all, towards the end she laid out a grand Korean Charcuterie of sorts allowing us to sample everything Korea has to offer, challenging us to try something new and allowing us to find pleasure in the ones we already loved.

When you find yourself in Busan, I HIGHLY recommend you book a tour with Hyunmi "Mia".  https://www.markettourbusan.com/

Don't forget to grab a snack, chat with a local, try something new, stop to people watch, take a picture, and check a simple, yet exciting, shopping day off your secret bucket list. 

Leave a comment, tell me - what is a simple bucket list item you cannot wait to complete?