Day 42: Taejongdae, Jagalchi Market, Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, Haeundae Beach, Gwangan Diamond Bridge

Day 42 was the day to conquer Busan. I planned so much into the trip and unfortunately the plans were messed up halfway. Nonetheless, it was one of the most fulfiling trips ever and we covered quite a bit of stuff.

Busan has this city bus tour thing. You can pay 10,000KRW and you can get up and down different stops after that. There are two routes from what I remember and I chose this particular one because it covered quite a few locations which interested us.

We got to Busan subway station for the starting point of the city bus tour. Get out from exit 8, turned right and walked until you see Arirang hotel. There should be a bus stop directly opposite Arirang hotel and that should be your starting point. I would totally urge everyone to get there earlier especially if it is the school holidays season etc. You are not only fighting for spaces with tourists, but also with their locals. We reached at 9.30am but could not board the bus until 10.30am. Bus only comes every 30 minutes so if you plan a lot of destinations to cover like we did, please get there early. Tickets are also on a first-come-first-serve basis if I remember correctly.

First destination for the day was Taejondae, and undoubtedly one of my favourite places in Busan. This place looked amazing seriously. By the time we arrived at Taejongdae, it was about 11.10am already. Inside Taejongdae, there are a few stops. It's quite a long walk and you can easily spend 3hours there (mostly because of walking). Alternatively, you can take a tram up. We only stopped at the lighthouse stop also because it was the highlight of Taejongdae and we didn't have a lot of time.

You could get a ticket for the tram up at 1,500KRW. For the endless walking, I would say this is so worth it. Also because it was August and hence it was crazily hot, and it's a steep slope up, and it's only trees with not much scenery. Or maybe we were just too lazy.

Tram comes by every 10 minutes or so but please be prepared to wait a while because apparently, everyone is equally lazy like us. The queue was about 30 minutes long at the very least so please spare quite a bit of time for Taejongdae.

There were a lot of amazing sceneries alone at the lighthouse stop. Not sure about the other stops but this was more than enough to impress me.

There are steps leading down there, and if you would like, you can have some fresh (but definitely overpriced) seafood at the edge of the cliff. Might be a good price to pay for the scenery and the experience. I would do it one day if I have the time and money.

I wasn't even at the edge of the cliff yet but it's pretty scary to take a picture there. It was slippery because it was drizzling and also because of the waves that splatter droplets of water every once in a while and with the rocks so unstable. But gather your courage for the photos you get will definitely be lovely.

We took about 1.5 hours to get up and down and plus the time for snapping photos. No one wanted to leave this place even though we were severely behind time. It's such a nice chilling place. Could sit down to sip some coffee at the rocks hahah. The tram down (thankfully) didn't have that much of a queue and we got down quickly.

 

You could spot the bus stops for the city tours pretty easily. Look out for this sign!

The unfortunate experience with the bus tour happened yet again. Bus did not come after half an hour, but came after an hour instead. My schedule was pushed back by another half an hour. There was also traffic jam around Jagalchi market area and the bus reached 15 minutes later than its destinated time (which was already half an hour later). Moreover, the bus announces that the last bus leaving Jagalchi for Busan station is 4.30pm instead of 5pm. But it was already 3pm when we reached. I didn't know what went wrong with that bus system that day or if it is like this all the time (schedules changed, stops skipped without prior notice) but I was pretty unhappy.

Jagalchi market was one of the more famous stops and I wouldn't want to rush my schedule into an hour or so just to catch the bus. Furthermore, we haven't even had our lunch even though it's 3pm already and we were all starving. We decided to just sit down for a good lunch and forget everything for a while.

We settled down at a restaurant upstairs and skipped the market tour to buy our food. Not sure if it's because of that, the food turned out more expensive than I expected. Noryanjin fish market (please refer to day 7 i think) was much cheaper and the experience was more pleasant. But now that I reach Busan, I just wanted to eat 산낙지 (sannakji) or live octopus and 회 (huei or fish sashimi) so we headed off to eat it. I feel kind of cheated. The lady boss said sannakji + huei + abalone for 60,000KRW. But apparently the abalone didn't come and the huei was so little given that the fish she showed us was so fat, but she said she went on to fry half the fish. I was pretty sure it wasn't the same fish, at least the size can't explain itself but well, tourists get chipped off now and then and I was too lazy to argue with her (also that I can't argue in Korean).

Just me posing with my huei but look! What a ridiculously small portion. And white fish huei is supposed to be pretty cheap in Korea compared to red fish like salmon pfffffffffffff.

We headed on to Haedong Yonggungsa Temple which offers one of the best views ever in Busan. We cabbed down from a nearby subway station because the temple closes at 6.30pm I think. The cab driver kept saying that he will wait for us up at the temple which we kindly declined but he didn't give up even until we paid him but we still politely (or irritatedly) said so. I thought he was just trying to scam us, but after that we regretted our decision knowing how difficult it was to catch a cab up at the temple. We resorted to walking down the slope (about 20 minutes) to the main road before managing to catch a cab.

We rushed to Haeundae beach because we really wanted to catch the sunset. Sadly nope, we didn't manage to. Reached Haeundae at around 7.45pm and it's bustling with people. We settled down at a random restaurant for dinner until 9pm or so. Nothing much to do at Haeundae beach though, and I'm pretty sure the seafood restaurants nearby are pretty much a ripoff, but well I haven't been in to take a look though.

We then took a subway to Gwangan station to see the famous Gwangan Diamond Bridge. Sorry that the camera couldn't capture it well but it was a really beautiful place. It was just the perfect place to sit down on the white sand (looks white even though it's very dark already) with a cuppa. Maybe I'm being a little biased here but I prefer Gwangalli beach to Haeundae beach. Haeundae is slightly overrated though.

Ending off with one of the prettiest night views I've seen in Korea. Though Namsan Tower is still my favourite haunt at night :)

Day 41: Busan - Gamcheon Culture Village and Busan Tower

We took a bus from Gyeongju to reach to Busan. If you have intentions of visiting both Gyeongju and Busan, I would say plan them back-to-back. These two places are very near to each other and they are two very different cities so you can experience two different cultures in one trip.

The bus ride from Gyeongju to Busan takes only 50 minutes. Most buses will reach at Nopo-dong Bus Terminal (but don't take it that I say all). Busan is the second most populated city beside Seoul (I think) or second biggest economy, and the life here is pretty similar to Seoul. Except that you have beaches in Busan, which you will never get in Seoul. Also, the cherry blossoms here are also the most famous in the whole of Korea I think.

Busan has subway systems too like in Seoul (thankfully). We were glad to be back in city life after 4 days of a rustic lifestyle in Gangneung and Gyeongju (especially Gyeongju). I think both lifestyles have their good points too, but being around Busan is definitely a lot more convenient if you are a foreigner, since you can of course see more English and speak more English and have people who understand more English.

Busan is full of love motels. I'm not sure why. Of course I can find guesthouses too. But most guesthouses are populated in tourist areas, and it is not cheap at all. Like USD80-100 for a room of four with minimal facilities. We hence decided to take a leap of faith and booked two rooms at a love motel in Busan. I stay around Seomyeon, to be exact, I think this hotel is near Beomnaegol subway station, which is one subway stop away. Seomyeon is a shopping area, and also a connecting point for a few subway lines, so we decided to stay here. And of course, reading reviews that this love motel is not so dodgy afterall.

Okay maybe the picture tells otherwise hahah. This is K2 Motel at night. Hmm... hahah but the four of us never felt weird at all staying in this motel. There are tourists staying there too, and even though the corridors are dimly-lit, the rooms are pretty bright.

The reason why we chose to stay in a motel - cheap, big, good and clean. I have the biggest TV I've ever seen in a motel, and we even have computers, not just wifi. We also have a big bathtub and a sofa and a big comfortable bed. I felt so comfortable in my room I didn't want to get out actually.

I still pulled myself out of the room and we headed to eat one of Busan's speciality food - pork broth rice (돼지국밥). Even though it's pork broth rice, it has noodles too. I poured the noodles in and mix in some chilli, because that's what I saw on other websites. That's the "right" way to eat this. Pork broth rice is supposedly able to cure hangovers and headaches, I personally like this quite a lot - it's simple but satisfying.

After lunch, we excitedly headed to Gamcheon Culture Village. 

Directions: Take the train to Jalgachi station, leave at exit 1, turn 180 degrees and walk down straight until you see a GS25. There is a bigger GS25 opposite, but don't bother crossing the road, cause the bus will take a turn and come by anyway. You can take bus 2 or 2-2 and alight at “감천문화마을” with the crowd. You can also take the bus from Toseong-dong subway station.

 

I'm sorry I couldn't even snap a picture of the bus because 1) I had to rush for the bus when it arrives 2) The small bus (or mini van) was so shaky I was holding on to dear life. These buses are small buses that only serve a small neighbourhood in the city. It typically only has about 15 seats from what I remember. We also have to give up the seats for the elderly when they board so I'm mostly standing and shaking with the bus. Fortunately the journey is only about 20 minutes long.

At the entrance to Gamcheon Culture Village. You won't be able to see this from the bus stop. You have to walk forward and take a right turn. So it's really good if you bring someone along with understands Korean. 감천문화마을 literally translates into Gamcheon Culture Village. One of the buses say the Gamcheon Primary School though - the primary school is right opposite this place.

This is the view that most people came here for. I was standing at a wrong direction I suppose so the view didn't look as good. ): This place is lovely if not for the big crowd on weekends and holiday period. I went there during my second trip to Korea. It was drizzling and there was literally no one, but so peaceful to stroll there.

This is the cafe that I love in Gamcheon Culture Village. It's a small cafe with only about 10plus seats but it has a very relaxed feel. Sipping a cup of hot chocolate here is so awesome. The boss is also very nice, and he was still very nice when I return a year later. I'm glad it's still there and I hope it stays there forever.

Our next stop was Busan Tower. Some people say that if you've been to Namsan Tower, you won't need to waste time coming here. I beg to differ. Both are special. I love Namsan Tower because everywhere there is so pretty and the night breeze is so cooling. The only thing I hate is that there are way too many people there - tourists and locals alike, and it's hard to find a place to properly sit down and chit chat. But if you are okay with sitting on the ground like I do, that place is still great. Busan Tower, on the other hand, has a lot more locals than tourists. Nevertheless, this place is not as crowded as Namsan tower, and there are more cafes and seats around for you. A pity the view here isn't as mesmerizing as Namsan Tower.

I still managed to get some lovely pictures of the place though.

Dinner was at a random udon shop in Seomyeon. For 4,000won, this is perfect for a cold chilly night. Sometimes, all it takes is some comfort food to make your day. :)

Will blog about the rest of Busan (Gwangalli beach, gwangan bridge, haeundae beach, the famous temple) in another post.

Day 39 & 40: Gyeongju, the ancient city

Sorry for the absence for the past 3 months. I've just started on my new job and it's tough trying to cope with things. Not to say, I'm so mentally drained I started feeling tired really early. So I've been dragging to continue posting. But feeling encouraged by the number of visitors who still come here often, I decided I should finish up my posts of my Korea trips.

So Day 39 started off with us waking up early to check out at 8.30am and rushing for the 8.45am bus from Sun Cruise resort. If you do not remember, I've mentioned before that the bus to and fro Sun Cruise comes every 2 hours. If we had missed this one, it would take us another 2 hours before we could get back to Seoul.

I have to specially mention the friendly bellboys. Because we saw the bus from afar and were worried that it may scoot off without us, they started running for the bus for us, and I'm ashamed to say that these guys were even faster though they have to run along while pushing our heavy trolleys. Superb service from them really :)

We took the bus back to Seoul before we head off for our road trip #2. Just in case you're wondering, you get pretty good comfortable chairs for the bus. And this is not even the premium one.

We had a simple lunch back at the bus terminal before boarding another bus to Gyeongju. A bus from Gangneung to Gyeongju would take 6-7 hours, and a bus from Seoul to Gyeongju would have taken 4 hours. So that was the reason why we decided to head back to Seoul. But we forgot to count in the journey of Gangneung back to Seoul which took 2 hours so in the end, the time spent is around the same. But nonetheless, glad to be back in the lively city.

My simple lunch - tuna and kimchi rice. I can't fathom why a simple dish like this can always always taste so great. In Korea, I've almost never gone wrong with a dish before. No matter how old the shop is, how small the shop is, how empty the shop is. Koreans are all born to be cooks somehow.

So... we arrived at Nahbi guesthouse in Gyeongju. Gyeongju is a very ancient city and most of their houses are hanoks or traditional houses. The girls wanted to opt for hanok stays too but unfortunately the highly rated ones didn't have rooms. I was secretly glad though. I'm particular about bathrooms and I always have the thought that the hanoks' bathrooms will not meet my standards. Not sure how right I am, but do let me know if you've stayed in a hanok before.

Nahbi guesthouse, is a pretty good one to stay in if you're not into hanoks like me. The guesthouse owner gave clear instructions and directions and also a map that indicates the famous restaurants in the small city of Gyeongju (although I beg to differ for some recommendations). He also speaks good English so you can be sure he will help with anything. Also, I needed to print something but ran out of paper. He was helpful to get me some as well. It's a small and simple guesthouse but good to get by if you're not fussy. Afterall, I don't think I've seen any hotels around in Gyeongju too.

We headed for a very traditional dinner after settling down and it was quite highly recommended by the guesthouse owner too. It took quite a while to find this place and we reached after about half an hour. We were here for one of Gyeongju's specialty food - ssambap (쌈밥).

This spread looks amazing but I can safely claim this is one of my worst meal experiences in Korea. Firstly, almost every single dish felt as if they've been immersed in salt for days. Secondly, we came in at 8.15pm or so and at 8.50pm they started chasing us out. Like telling us that they are closing and we have to finish our food. Well... there wasn't a lot of food choices at night but even if so, if they have kindly told us at 8.15pm that they are closing at 9pm and would really chase us out if we are not done, maybe we wouldn't have headed in.

We were feeling unhappy and unsatisfied and the night was too young to head back to sleep. Afterall, it's only 9pm! But there weren't a lot of activities to do in Gyeongju at night (not that I know of) so we decided to head to Paris Baguette to eat patbingsu. I love love love patbingsu, because of it, my night ended slightly better.

Gyeongju doesn't have any subway systems. There are buses of course but the places we are heading to are all clustered in one area - we wonder if buses are even necessary. After much deliberation, we decided to go by cycling. It's one of the most basic and best way to explore the city, while not having to take as much time as walking.

We first came to Daereungwon complex and also to the Cheomseongdae observatory. Gyeongju really is a place of rich culture and history and it was very peaceful cycling around there. Its famous tourist attractions are all history-related though, maybe that's also the reason why this place doesn't appeal to much tourists.

We were not satisfied with the ssambap (쌈밥) yesterday so we decided to stop by at this other restaurant when we cycled past it. This was so much better, still salty though. If you realise, the portions of the side dishes are quite small, probably because they know you will refill it anyway. It's all refillable except that delicious stewed pork. You also have so many choices of vegetables to wrap your face and side dishes in - makes perfect sense since ssambap literally means wrapped rice.

We also saw many people queueing for this and we decide we have to too, even if it takes a while. It's called Hwangnambang, and supposedly one of Gyeongju's delicacies too. It's some pastry made of red bean paste and it tastes absolutely delicious eating it piping hot. We were probably the only one who spent 15-20mins queueing up but only bought a packet of 8 to share. I really wanted to bring some back to Singapore though, but considering that I've two more road trips after that, I'm not sure if this can survive with me while I travel around the rest of Korea. I gave up that thought after realising how much of a hassle it is to lug my backpack, to-go bag and another bag of this along with me.

We also went to the Anapji pond and also Bunhwang-sa afterwards. Anapji pond will look amazing at night so if you do have a choice, please visit Anapji pond at night. The only reason why we didn't was because Anapji was at the opposite end from our guesthouse, and we already cycled a half circle, it makes no sense to come back here at night.

We spotted some lovely sunflowers and a nice patch of green grass?? along the way cycling back. It was a tiring journey back though because shortly after, a friend fell while riding. We sent her back via taxi and had to push her bike back. It meant that one of us must push two bikes. And it doesn't make sense that we leave one person behind too because we were running late in returning the bike and had to take a shortcut which was not already planned. A long and tedious journey back indeed.

We went for samgyupsal and makchang for dinner after that. I really really miss makchang - it's quite exotic in Singapore.

We finished the night with another patbingsu. Patbingsu makes me feel so at ease.