Yangyang

A gentle 5km descent takes me out of the mountains and onto the coast. There's a beautiful lake that shimmers in the morning sunlight.

Yangyang is celebrating its annual mushroom festival. It's a huge event with prizes for best mushrooms in different classes. There is a massive military display and I dress up as a soldier for a photo.

Leaving the festival I head to the beach. This is where the playful side of Korean culture comes out. Grandparents rent quad bikes to take children riding on the beach. Horse drawn carriages are lit up like Christmas trees and play K-pop loudly. And locals shoot off fireworks.

There's a pretty seaside temple nearby. It's peaceful despite the crowds. Most people are taking selfies but a few faithful still manage to pray. This is Korea at it's most contradictory finest.Read more