Busan - Blogabond

Well helllooooo there!!

Let me explain myself...please! The reason that I've been so MIA on this site is because most weekends currently find me trekking around South Korea, exploring big cities, little town, and lost rice fields. Look for updates beginning now--

This past weekend was most certainly one of my favorites in Korea. A group of nine people hopped onto the KTX, the extremely fast train of Korea, for a three hour train ride to the opposite end of the country, home to the second-largest city of Korea, Busan. Boy, were my expectations shattered! Everything that I had read about the city told me to prepare for grey, cement-clad streets with nothing else to show for themselves than an 'x' on a tourist map. Instead, I found a city bursting with energy and a level of friendliness unmatched by anywhere else that I've been to in the country, so much so that even the fish vendors wanted to give us slighty sticky hugs of welcome!

The first group of us didn't arrive in Busan until midnight, but still found the city in a state that ensured us of our wise choice. We had a pension reserved for us near one of Busan's many beaches, so hopped into a cab and zoomed off into the night, cruising past mega-luxury apartment complexes, side alleys one step away from an explosion of neon lights, and semi-deserted beaches where the parties and bonfires were only getting started. Upon entering our pension, we knew were were in for an adventure when we were greeted by six blankets, a hard floor, and no bathroom sink. But, where's the fun in a standard hotel room, anyway? Bring it!!

Saturday morning and early afternoon were spent wandering the aisles and docks of Jagalchi Fish Market, the largest one in Korea, and definitely worth a stop. In fact, we decided to combine two tourist stops into one--the fish market and aquarium, because we realized that the market would most likely have everything that the aquarium would, and as an added bonus, we could eat it! Entertainment still abounded, with

highlights including: octopi refusing to accept their fate and continuously escaping out of their buckets of doom, having water fights with odd squirting sea worms (with the vendors approval!), marvelling at huge king crabs that cost more than a month's worth of expenses, and being offered for 10,000 won to a group of Korean fishermen by my oh-so-kind fellow travellers. After taking in all the sights with our eyes, we made sure to allow our mouths the same pleasures, so ordered fish from a vendor, who fished them out of the aquarium and fried them up for an extraordinary meal!

The rest of Saturday found us taking in the sights of Busan on a tour bus, before ending up on its most famous beach to catch the last rays of sun.

The frigid water wasn't nearly as welcoming for me as the warm sand, and I apparently liked it enough to now have some come out of my purse everytime I go in! It was funny though, as Haeundae Beach is the largest and most famous one in Korea, yet there were so many umbrellas covering it that I wondered a bit as to why! Though with the amount that my fellow Korean teachers have commented today on my 'unhealthy' appearance due to a slight tan and freckles, I'm beginning to understand..

Sunday we went to Beomosa Temple, the most famous one of Busan. It was up in the mountains, overlooking the city, and beautiful. A stream ran alongside its buildings, which lent an incredible sense of calm over the entire site. A Buddhist monk greeted us with tea and snacks at the temple's entrance, and signed for us to enjoy ourselves.

And, because no weekend visit is complete without at least two tasty meals, we finished off the trip back in downtown Busan, in the Foreigner's Shopping District. Unsure of what exactly this meant, we trekked through, expecting to find a bit of an American flair, instead happening upon an entire district of Russian shops and restaurants! That said, we sat ourselves down in a teeny tiny cafe, with barely enough seats for us and a Russian couple, and stuffed ourselves with greasy deliciousness, so much so that it put me to sleep as soon as I got on the train back to Seoul. I woke up at Seoul Station feeling so lucky to have had such an amazing weekend!

You can check out a handful of the pictures from the weekend at the following link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2581640&id=8605141&l=1000b786ff

written by

Rachel in Korea! on June 28, 2009 from Seoul, South Korea

from the travel blog: South Korea, 2008-2009

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this sounds like FUN! Great pics, too. Thanks Rachel for keeping us informed of your travels (not travails!)

written by mike bowline on September 22, 2009

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