A Weekend in Busan: Part 2

Click here to read Part 1 of this post if you haven't already.

From the 40 Steps district we headed for Yongdusan Park, which is dominated by Busan Tower.

Some cool graffiti we saw on the way into the park.

Though we didn't go to the top of Busan Tower, we still got some great views of the city from the top of the hill in the centre of the park.

A musical performance on dulcimers (or something similar).

From the park we entered Nampo-Dong, a popular district famed for its shops and restaurants.

Then we explored Jagalchi Fish Market, Korea's largest seafood market.

This fish market seemed more modern and clean than the one I visited in Seoul (Noryangjin), though it was just as gruesome at times. I've since written a more comprehensive post on this place, including details of our first time eating still-wriggling-on-the-plate octopus!

We ended the afternoon by wandering the streets of Gamcheon, a suburban village made up of multicoloured houses. Once again, such a photogenic place deserves it's own blog entry, so click here to see more!

A traditional building we saw just as we left Gamcheon.

We spent Saturday evening at Gwangalli Beach, which is not as popular as Haeundae Beach, but a better place to relax, we thought. It had lots of cool bars and restaurants lining the seafront, and the view of the nearby bridge made for a much more unique setting.

Drinking Long Islands at a bar overlooking the beach.

The stunning view of Gwangan Bridge, which stretches from left to right, parallel with the beach.

As with Haeundae Beach, at night lots of people set of fireworks and sparklers.

We had to get in on the action too.

Attempting to blow up Gwangan Bridge.

I'm so good at sparkling I can do it in my sleep.

On Sunday, our last day, we spent the afternoon in Spa Land, the best jjimjilbang either of us has ever been to, and which will also get its own blog entry somewhere down the line. After that we headed back to Seoul on the KTX. Three days really wasn't enough to truly get to know Busan, and I'd love to go back there before I leave Korea. The chilled out atmosphere was such a nice break from the fast pace of Seoul, and there seemed to be lots of cool restaurants, beaches, and sights to see. If I were to teach for another year in this country, I'd probably choose Busan to live in. For now, I can only look forward to my next visit there.

A Weekend in Busan: Part 1

Last weekend some friends and I travelled down south to Busan, Korea's second largest city. The coastal metropolis, populated by around 3.6 million people, is famed for its pretty beaches, its relaxed atmosphere, and its huge port. It was Buddha's Birthday when we visited, so the city was teeming with people, but despite this it felt so much more chilled out than Seoul ever does. Spending time by the cool, breezy coast was a welcome change from the humid smog currently enveloping Seoul.

Leaving Seoul on the KTX. The journey was a bit pricey, but it was nice getting all the way to the southern tip of Korea in just over 2 hours (when we went to Jindo by bus, it took a godawful 7 hours). 

Some verdant, green scenery we saw on the journey down.

We arrived at Busan Station around 11 o'clock, and relaxed in the area outside the station for a while.

Soon we took the metro towards Haeundae, which was where our hostel was. The metro felt very similar to the one in Seoul: crowded but pretty clean and efficient for the most part.

Looking for our hostel in Haeundae at the east side of the city.

The communal area of our hostel. It was a very pleasant place as hostels go, and I was glad there was a guitar there for me to practice on.

Once we were settled into our hostel, we headed straight for Haeundae Beach, where we saw this dude dancing in the sun.

Haeundae Beach is one of the largest and most famous beaches in Korea. I'm glad we came when we did, because apparently in summer it gets so busy it's near-impossible to find a spot in the sand to sit down.

Some well-deserved relaxation time.

After spending some time on the beach, we then took taxis to Haedong Yonggungsa, a coastal temple just outside the city. It was one of the most beautiful temples I've seen in Korea, and I've made a more expansive blog post about it here.

The next morning, after having spent the previous evening drinking on the beach, Angela and I separated from our friends to explore the city on our own. We started with the 40 Steps Culture and Tourist Theme Street. This historic district became a meeting place for refugees and immigrants during the Korean War, and has since been refurbished and turned into an outdoor museum of sorts. It has lots of statues depicting life in Korea in the 1950s.

The area was very quiet, not something you can say for most "tourist spots" in Korea.

The 40 Steps, after which the area is named. Many migrants of the war used this spot as a meeting place, since they didn't have access to more advanced forms of communication.

At the top of the steps is a pretty district of coloured houses.

There was also a giant brush.

Click here to continue the adventure in Part 2!