Two Beautiful Days in Busan

Mid-September I went to Busan for the 2nd time to visit Shannon and Rob. When I arrived Shannon and a Spanish coach surfer, Mary, who was also staying with her for the weekend met me at the train station. From there we went to a shopping area and then made our way to Busan Tower. Although we didn't go up the tower, we were able to look out from the deck at the bottom of the tower. We also watched some of a folk music performance on the stage just below the tower. The best part of it was undoubtedly the elderly woman who was dancing to the music off the side of the stage. After walking around the tower we went to Jalgalchi fish market. When I was in Busan last time, I saw the outdoor part of the fish market but this time we went into the indoor area. Here the fish were still alive so you could go in, pick out your fish and they would chop it up for you right there.

Later in the day we made our way to a small beach and then ate dinner at a samgyupsal place. (Samgyupsal is the name of these strips of pork that are cooked right at your table. Usually there is a little grill in the center of the table that the waitress will turn on when you order the meat. Then she brings out the raw meat and you cook it right there. Mmm delicious!) The menu contained many kinds of samgyupsal so we tried to get the waitress to tell us which cut of samgyupsal was the best but she ended up just recommending that we choose three different cuts of meat (one for each of us) and then share. I had never known that this was an option before. After dinner we headed back to Shannon's place, hung out for a while and then called it a night.

The next day when Rob and Shannon went to church, Mary and I went exploring. We went to Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. It is right next to the water. It was gorgeous! It was a crystal clear, warm day and since we arrived early in the morning, there were not too many people there. On the way out of the temple we made sure to rub Buddha's belly and earlobe for good luck. After the temple, we went to Haeundae beach. It was perfect weather for walking along the beach. Afterward, we went back to Shannon and Rob's place. It was during this time where I played my oboe for the first time in many, many months. And it indeed sounded that way. After a little bit of oboe and bassoon playing, we ate a wonderful lunch (complete with Costco cheese!! mmm) and although Shannon, Rob, and Mary were heading to the beach, it was time for me to head back to Daegu.

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