What am I doing here?

One of the reasons many of us fall in love with South Korea is that it is relatively undiscovered, unspoilt, un-touristy. In spite of being an industrialised, developed, high-tech country, it's still very proudly Korean and hasn't sold out to become a tourist commodity. People are still grateful that you want to learn about their country, they're not jaded by tourism. It's the Korean difference that makes it interesting, and it's the least touristy places that appeal - the natural, the genuine, the traditional.

I don't like to go on guided tours myself or queue up at famous sightseeing hotspots. I like to discover lesser-known places, find quiet mountain paths or relax by the sea. On my first three months travelling around the country, Koreans were always telling me off for not organising my trip to take in the most famous and important sights, the must-sees. But that feels like work to me, and I'm more inspired by wandering and stumbling across things that appeal to me personally. Because I was looking for inspiring experiences, I got into all sorts of situations that might not be everyone's idea of a holiday.

They were exhilarating times, finding a land of ancient tradition, spirituality, good humour, natural beauty. Finding things that were mysterious and surprising to me as a westerner. That's why I'm still researching and writing about South Korea ten years later. Experiences like serendipitously meeting one of the oldest diving women on Jeju Island last year, which inspired me to write a story for Blue Wings magazine, out this month. If this CoolstuffKorea blogging can encourage just a few more people to visit, then I'll be happy. I don't think South Korea is going to be overrun with tourists anytime soon. It's got far too many other things going on to sell out to tourism.